my boyfriend and i booked the jesse james sunset dinner tour on april 27th. while the folks we met were wonderful people, the excursion was not as advertised and we were quite disappointed! from their website, i expected:

Upon arriving at the ranch headquarters the guests are warmly greeted by cowboys and cowgirls eager to share their way of life with these special guests. A trip to the gift shop finds some real cowboy hats and a few other western memorials. Now its time for the riding lesson and to mount up on these beautiful horses, ready to hit the trail? Riding through this serene country you can actually feel the reverence the Paiute Indians have for this land. The ride winds through the canyons, hills and flat lands. There goes a Jack Rabbit! And I hear a coyote howling! Look at that sunset! There is nothing prettier than a Nevada Sunset. Riding for two hours in the saddle gives you a real taste of the ol' west. Speaking of taste, what is that wonderful aroma? My steak cooking! Boy, I am hungry! The guest hurry up to a flickering campfire with good food on their minds and good food they get! Apple pie for dessert! Oh did I forget the main course? How about steak, salad, corn on the cob, a huge baked potato, rolls, butter, and grilled chicken for those that don't eat red meat?
-- http://www.sagebrush-ranch.com/tours/dinner.html

what we got was not what we expected! we had to rearrange our plans for the day to accommodate a different pick up time. the van was not marked and had definitely seen better days - smelly, poor temperature control, shaking and making all sorts of noise on the highway.

we stopped at a gas station in a shady area of the city for a bathroom break (only the brush would be available to us once we got to the trail???)

we did have a beautiful sunset ride leaving from behind a construction site but there was no ranch or gift shop that we saw. (perhaps for the best after reading the other reviews?)

we were told that due to wind conditions we wouldn't get to experience the campfire, but would have dinner at the hosts' dining room table instead - a bummer, but understandable as it was quite windy.

after getting on the horses, our photos were taken and we were told we'd get to view the pics and have the opportunity to purchase an 8x10 copy at dinner. we were also told that our guide would provide plenty of opportunities for photos and would take pics of us with our cameras, too. during the ride, not once did the guide stop for photo opportunities, nor did he offer to take photos for us. (i ended up pulling out my camera and trying to get some pictures myself on our way back once i realized we were not going to stop for the opportunity!)

when we got back to the construction site, our ride and the horse trailer were no where to be found. we had to wait 15 minutes for them to arrive. not a big deal, but an annoyance considering this wasn't the trip we expected.

our ride took us to what appeared to be our guide's home. no ranch. no gift shop. my boyfriend and i were both uncomfortable with the situation - and the other 3 guests appeared equally uncomfortable.

i don't like red meat yet grilled chicken wasn't an option as advertised. the food was cold, the steaks were overcooked (medium rare is supposed to still be pink inside, right?) and tough. three strikes.

all-in-all it was a disappointing experience and i wish i had read these reviews before i booked and booked one of the other horseback tours available instead.

not the ride advirtised!!!
the van was not marked when picked up
airconditioner didn't work well and it was 'HOT in the van!!
we were brought to a gas station to use the bathroom, then dropped off on a gravel turn around area. The horses were dropped off, there was no ranch there.
barely any instructions given on how to ride.
the horses were in good condition and were trustworthy, but don't expect to do anything other than follow the tail in front of you.
when we finished the ride we were loaded back up in the van and dropped off at a LOCAL PUBLIC PARK! not the ranch with campfire as promised!!!
the food was obviously bought at the local Walmart, they forgot the salt and pepper for the potato and the steak was VERY thin, VERY tough, and OVERCOOKED!! One of the riders wouldn't even eat her steak at all.

My experience at the Sagebrush Ranch was a mixed bag. The ride itself and the BBQ lunch served afterward were terrific and I'd give four stars. Everything else was a mess and I'd give only one star. Most of the reviews on here have been so brutal that I consider myself lucky to be able to say I had an "average" experience. If a friend asked for a recommendation, I wouldn't tell them to avoid it, but still I'm not sure I can recommend them in good conscious.

SUMMARY:
I bought my wife and I each a spot on their "Dalton Gang BBQ lunch ride" on a Sunday in March 2009. I selected this place because of the price. For $109 you get a two-hour ride, lunch, and transportation from the Strip, which was the best price I found (by comparison, a competitor was offering a 1.5-hour ride with no lunch and no transportation for $89). We were picked up at the Excalibur and driven to their secondary ranch on the extreme Western edge of town. We were pretty lucky, there were only four people on the ride so we didn't have any of the problems I've read other reviewers had with the transport van being overcrowded. Also, since we were taken to the secondary ranch within city limits, we avoided the main ranch north of town which, based on other reviews, I gather is pretty disgusting. Once at the ranch (and the term should be used loosely, there is no physical "ranch," just a couple acres of land with a pen for about 20 or so horses). Others have noted the horses appeared to be in poor condition. I'm no horse expert but I didn't see any of that, the horses appeared healthy and well cared for. We were greeted by Jackie, the owner, and Guy, our cowboy, who said hello and explained the itinerary. They then loaded up the horses into a trailer, attached it to a van, and we drove off to a wash on the outskirts of town. We were loaded up onto the horses, given some basic instructions, and then we rode for two hours in the beauty of the desert. Afterwards Jackie met us at the trail head where she gave us lunch, then they transported us back to the Strip. From pickup to dropoff was about 4 hours.

GOOD POINTS:
-The ride itself was really good. It was quiet, peaceful, relaxing, and very scenic. We basically headed west through the naked desert towards the Spring Mountains for an hour, then turned around and headed back in the opposite direction. The desert landscape is really pretty, it's pure virgin territory, no one else is around (except maybe a random dirtbiker zipping by). On the way back you walk through some mini-canyons that are quite pretty. The ride goes at a slow pace, I think we probably covered no more than 7 or so miles the entire two hours. This is perfect for me as a first-time rider, but more experienced riders seeking a quicker pace should probably go elsewhere. Guy, the cowboy leading the pack, mostly rode in front and said nothing, he just turned around periodically to check on us and ask if we were doing alright. Other reviewers have a problem with that, they wanted a guide who would talk about the history of the region or whatever, but I preferred the quiet. I really enjoyed the tranquility of the ride, which would have been ruied by the guide blabbering all the time about the history of old Spanish settlers and what-not. Besides, if the guy's 200 feet ahead of you in the front of a long line of horses, you're not going to hear what he has to say anyway. I had a great horse, her name was "Kelly" and whenever I'd scratch her mane she would kinda tilt her neck and look back at me in a playful manner. The entire time we were on the horses I was happy and enjoying myself, and seeing the smile on my wife's face was priceless.
-The BBQ lunch. I thought the food was phenominal. You're given a hamburger, a boneless BBQ rib, half a piece of mesquite chicken breast, beans, potato salad, a small slice of apple pie, and either soda or bottled water. The meats were perfectly prepared and very tasty. I don't eat beans or potato salad and the pie was pretty much store bought. But man, that BBQ rib...was so good I think about it even now.

BAD POINTS:
-The outfit itself is very unprofessionally run. Watching them try to conduct business was like watching the Keystone Cops catching criminals. For example, getting them to commit to time to pick us up was an adventure of its own. Their website told us we'd be picked up at noon, but the reservation agent then said it would be between 6 am and 8 am, and then the night before Jackie called us to say they'd pick us up at 10 am. We got 10 miutes into the horse ride and Guy realized he couldn't find the trail, and then after the ride he told us he's had 8 heart attacks (thank God he didn't tell us that before the ride!). The van driver had no idea where to go to pick up the other couple on the ride, who were staying at the Riviera, and we wasted lots of time driving around searching for them. At the end of the ride we were picked up in the owner, Jackie's, personal vehicle because the other couple had to get to the Riviera in time for a spa appointment (I will give them this, they were very accomodating to the other couple's needs), and we ate lunch standing there in the wash by her vehicle using her hood as a makeshift table. I envisioned sitting down at a bench and eating on a table, not standing in a dusty wash using the hood of a car as a table.
-The van they use for customer transport needs to be replaced, it's a deathtrap. It's old and rickety and smells bad on the inside, and every time it gets up to freeway speed it starts shaking like it's about to fall apart. It looks like it can only seat 10-12 people comfortably, so I can sympathize with other people's gripes about 15 or more people being crammed into it.
-I brought a jacket with me, but it wasn't cold enough to wear it. I was told I could leave it in the transport van and it would be there when they picked us up. But as I mentioned earlier, they picked us up after the ride in the owner's personal vehicle, and I realized on our way back that my jacket was still in the van. I contacted the owner who offered to deliver it to my work the next day. Didn't happen. So I called her back and she said Guy had taken the van out for the afternoon but that she'd deliver it the next day. Again, it didn't happen. We went around in circles like this for a week or two- I'd call, she'd say someone would deliver it to my work the next day, and no one did, and I'd call back that day, and we'd start all over again. And every time I'd offer to pick it up myself Jackie would say, "No, don't worry honey, we'll bring it to you." Finally I just gave up. I later called a couple more times, left a voice mail for Jackie, and didn't get a response. So I guess I can kiss that jacket goodbye. It wasn't a family heirloom or anything, but it was still disappointing to not get it back after so many promises of its return.

So all in all, my experience was a mixed bag. Ride and food were good, everything else wasn't, and now I'm minus one jacket. And my experience sounds like one of the better ones of any reviewer on here. So take caution if you plan to make a reservation at the Sagebrush Ranch, and don't leave your jacket in the van!

When you read the terrible reviews on thisplace ,believe me they are true.There is no ranch and this place should be closed down.Me and my partner went on this so called ride in june08 and it was a disaster.The poor horses were in a shocking state and we refused to get on them and be driven home.This trip was for a special birthday and this company managed to ruin the whole day.You will be dumped in blistering heat with no water or shade and filthy conditions.Please do not waste your money by even considering this trip.