Ranch Ride in Wyoming | Horse Riding Holidays in the USA | Globetrotting

Shell, Wyoming, USA

6-13 NightsBeginner to AdvancedFrom $4,130 USD?Tour costs $4,130 USD which is approximately $6,302 AUD

Wide open spaces, Western traditions and mouth-wateringly good food are just a few of the reasons we love globetrotting in Wyoming, USA.

You’ll gasp when you first lay eyes on this upscale guest ranch that backs onto the Big Horn Mountain Range. From your bespoke log cabin accommodation decked out in western paraphernalia, to the gobsmackingly good food, to the herd of 100 nifty Quarter Horses and Mustangs to choose from, this working ranch is faultless.

What truly makes our heart beat a little faster is the diversity of landscapes that you’ll be able to cover over the five days of riding. With over 650,000 acres of ranch land, you’re never going to ride the same trail twice. At cocktail hour, over a crisp G&T, you’ll discuss with your head wrangler where you would like to ride the following day. Then, like magic, it’s organised! Each morning, decked out in your chinks and cowboy hat, you’ll be picked up after breakfast and whisked off with your wrangler, fellow riders and trailer-load of horses to a riding destination that will make you grin from ear to ear.

This guest ranch is the perfect option for a family (they take kids from the age of 8) or couples where one is an experienced rider and the other is new to the saddle. No matter what level of riding you’re at, you’re going to benefit from this horse riding program where every day is customised to your desires. You can choose to poke cows, take a riding lesson, summit a mountain and enjoy a saddle-bag packed lunch, or have a half day ride and then enjoy a spot of trap shooting or fly fishing in the afternoon.

Your hosts and the team surrounding them are dedicated to making your riding holiday a lifetime memory and will move mountains – Big Horn mountains – to make you happy! Rest assured, this is NOT a nose to tail dude ranch, no siree!

Fast Facts

  • Horse Breed:Quarter horses, Paints and Mustangs.
  • Pace:Variable depending on the terrain, with opportunities to trot and canter.
  • Weight Limit:A maximum of 104kg / 230lbs when dressed to ride.
  • Type of tack:Western saddles.
  • Seasons:The ranch is open from the beginning of April to early November. Shell is in a semi-arid climate, and temperatures can vary widely in the spring and autumn seasons. Temperatures in the summer season will be hot in the Shell Valley and much cooler in the Bighorn Mountains.
  • Group size:Approximately 25 guests per week; this is limited in early spring weeks (April) to approximately 15 guests per week.
  • Time in Saddle:Guests choose between half day rides (2 to 3 hours) or full day rides (5 to 7 hours).
  • Riding Ability:Caters for beginners up to advanced riders, even professional riders. Not sure what your riding ability is? Watch THIS video to find out.
  • Accommodation:Western-style log cabins, built in 1992, decorated with excellent furnishings in warm colours and kept sparkling clean and well maintained. Emerald green lawns surround the five duplex cabins, which are connected to the main lodge, other cabins and hot-tub by a well-lit pathway. The guest cabins are cleaned daily and sheets are changed mid-week.
  • Ride Length:6 and 13 night stays are available.
  • Inclusions:

    The price includes full board (cocktails and wine with dinner), horse riding activities from riding orientation, horsemanship lessons, cattle work with guides and wranglers and daily scenic rides across mountains, meadows and through canyons. The price also includes a mandatory 5% Wyoming sales tax, a 5% Wyoming lodging tax and a 15% service charge, which includes all tips. Other activities included in the package price include trap shooting, fly-fishing, 4×4 tours, hot tub, archery, hiking/biking. This is dependent on the season you’re booking in.

  • Exclusions:

    The price excludes international flights, transfers to and from the ranch and travel insurance.

 

DEPARTURE DATES & RATES

NEW! Secure your saddle seat NOW with a 10% deposit - as part of our 10x 10% payment plan!
Departing FinishingTotal

Women’s Only Week – April 13 to 19, 2025

Enjoy camaraderie with female horse lovers!
Ride right through the heart of Shell and enjoy a beverage at the Old Shell Store.
Each guest has their own private room!

April 19, 2025
From: $4,252 USD ?Tour costs $4,252 USD which is approximately $6,488 AUD - Single Rider?Happy to pay a booking supplement for own room
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

Wellness Retreat – April 20 to 26, 2025

Share the peace & tranquillity the ranch offers to quiet your mind and body!
Participate in instructor-led yoga sessions.
Learn Mindfulness with your horse & participate in a Liberty Horsemanship Clinic.
Each guest has their own private room!

April 26, 2025
From: $4,252 USD ?Tour costs $4,252 USD which is approximately $6,488 AUD - Single Rider?Happy to pay a booking supplement for own room
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

Wellness Retreat – April 27 to May 3, 2025

Share the peace & tranquillity the ranch offers to quiet your mind and body!
Participate in instructor-led yoga sessions.
Learn Mindfulness with your horse & participate in a Liberty Horsemanship Clinic.
Each guest has their own private room!

May 3, 2025
From: $4,252 USD ?Tour costs $4,252 USD which is approximately $6,488 AUD - Single Rider?Happy to pay a booking supplement for own room
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

SPRING – March 30 to May 24, 2025
6-night stay from Sunday to Saturday

From: $4,252 USD ?Tour costs $4,252 USD which is approximately $6,488 AUD - Twin Share?Happy to share with another solo traveller of the same gender
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

From: $4,980 USD ?Tour costs $4,980 USD which is approximately $7,599 AUD - Single Rider?Happy to pay a booking supplement for own room
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

From: $4,252 USD ?Tour costs $4,252 USD which is approximately $6,488 AUD - Non Rider?To twin-share with a riding guest
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

SUMMER – May 25 to October 18, 2025
6-night stay from Sunday to Saturday

From: $5,545 USD ?Tour costs $5,545 USD which is approximately $8,461 AUD - Twin Share?Happy to share with another solo traveller of the same gender
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

From: $6,275 USD ?Tour costs $6,275 USD which is approximately $9,575 AUD - Single Rider?Happy to pay a booking supplement for own room
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

From: $5,545 USD ?Tour costs $5,545 USD which is approximately $8,461 AUD - Non Rider?To twin-share with a riding guest
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

AUTUMN – October 19 to November 1, 2025
6-night stay from Sunday to Saturday

From: $4,870 USD ?Tour costs $4,870 USD which is approximately $7,431 AUD - Twin Share?Happy to share with another solo traveller of the same gender
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

From: $5,595 USD ?Tour costs $5,595 USD which is approximately $8,537 AUD - Single Rider?Happy to pay a booking supplement for own room
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

From: $4,870 USD ?Tour costs $4,870 USD which is approximately $7,431 AUD - Non Rider?To twin-share with a riding guest
Booking Request

2.5% credit card surcharge

NB: Solo travellers will be required to pay the single supplement price (except during April as part of a special promo).

13-night stays are also available, please enquire for further information and pricing.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE?
The price includes full board (cocktails and wine with dinner), horse riding activities from riding orientation, horsemanship lessons, cattle work with guides and wranglers and daily scenic rides across mountains, meadows and through canyons. The price also includes a mandatory 5% Wyoming sales tax, a 5% Wyoming lodging tax and a 15% service charge, which includes all tips. Other activities included in the package price include trap shooting, fly-fishing, 4×4 tours, hot tub, archery, hiking/biking. This is dependent on the season you’re booking in.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE?
The price excludes international flights, transfers to and from the ranch and travel insurance.

Accepted payment is by credit or debit card only. Depending on the ride you choose to book and your country of residence, there will be a 1.2% to 2.9% surcharge.

Click HERE to read more about our fees and charges.
Click HERE to read our recommendations on which cards are best to use to avoid international transaction fees.
WHY IS THE PRICE QUOTED IN USD?
With our riding destinations, the currency is dictated by our ride partner in that country. Therefore due to fluctuating exchange rates we have to quote in the same currency.

Itinerary

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Please note, this is a suggested itinerary only and subject to change at the discretion of your guides due to weather and other influencing factors.

With so many trails and oodles of acres to explore, it’s impossible to list them all. This is just a sample itinerary of what is possible when taking our lodge riding vacation, but believe us when we say there are endless trails and changes of scenery available on this amazing ranch ride.

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  • Day 1

    Check-in time on Sunday afternoon is after 2pm. There are ranch tours at 3:30 and 4:30 which are optional but guests have the opportunity to see the area in which the ranch operates and be shown the barn. Cocktail hour is at 6:30 and dinner will follow at 7:00 pm.

  • Day 2

    Monday morning is a theoretical riding orientation followed by guests riding together with the wranglers in the arena. Because of the level of riding that takes place at this guest ranch, the experienced staff make sure globetrotters are mounted on a horse suitable for their riding level and pace. After the time in the arena, there is a short ride out around the nearby property before heading back for a wonderful, elaborate hot lunch. Monday afternoon provides guests with gorgeous scenic rides in the Shell Valley. The diversity of terrain in the Shell Valley is indescribable and rarely seen in any other area.

  • Days 3 to 6

    Because the property limits guest numbers to approximately 25 per week, guests have the option to choose their riding and activities each day. This allows each guest to customize their riding vacation while at the ranch. Each night at cocktail hour guests meet with the General Manager or Head Wrangler to decide on their next day’s riding or non-riding activity.

    At the ranch guests are always offered the opportunity to go on half-day scenic rides, all- day scenic rides and also a variety of non-riding activities such as fly-fishing and trap shooting. Cattle work is offered when available. Typically throughout the week cattle work is offered on two different days. Cattle work is not made up and is done at the request of our partner ranch and is real, necessary, authentic work. When cattle work is available it will be made known at cocktail hour each evening and guests have the option to participate or not.

  • Day 7

    After a delicious breakfast, guests check out and depart on Saturday morning. Check-out time is 10:00 am.

  • Transfer Information

    This working guest ranch is located in gorgeous north-central Wyoming in Shell Valley, shadowed by the Big Horn Mountains.

    Most guests fly into either Cody, Wyoming or Billings, Montana and get to Shell, Wyoming by hire car (the drive is approximately 1hr and 15mins).

    There is also a transfer service available to riding guests for an additional cost to and from Cody, Wyoming. Please contact Globetrotting for a quote. Pick up in Cody on day 1 is between 12.30pm to 5.00pm. Please don’t book departing flights until after midday.

    It is strongly recommended that you arrive in Cody a day or two early to avoid the stress of flight delays/cancellations affecting your holiday. Cody is a fun town in which to spend a day or two.

    Check in is from 2pm on Sundays, with check out by 10am the following Saturday.

What our valued Globetrotters say about the Shell, Wyoming Ride

Shell, Wyoming, USA, Globetrotting Horse Riding Holidays

Candy B.

‘I’ve wanted to go to Wyoming since I was eight years old and first read ‘My Friend Flicka’. The Shell, Wyoming ride was the perfect way to finally fulfil that long-held dream. For me, the care of the horses is essential and on this ride, there’s a large herd of beautiful happy horses, all trained with natural horsemanship and there’s a horse to suit every level of rider. The landscapes are out of this world, and as guests, we were taken care of from first thing in the morning to when we retired after dinner. The gathering in the evening before dinner, for a drink, was a wonderful way to swap riding stories from the different groups that had gone out on different rides. For me, Wyoming was heaven.’

Ranch ride in Shell, Wyoming, USA - Globetrotting horse riding holidays

Sharon Rayne

‘This was the perfect ranch riding experience and exceeded all expectations. The scenery was amazing: thousands of acres offering a huge variety of trails, from winding river canyons to high mountain vistas of the Bighorn Mountains and Basin and spectacular red-rock cliffs. Marijin and Peter are fantastic hosts who go the extra mile to make sure all guests are well matched with their horses, and the food and accommodation are first class. They did a fantastic job of splitting riders into groups according to their riding ability so that everyone could ride at the level and pace that suited them. I rode Earnest, a lovely palomino who was willing and responsive with nice paces and my husband Alistair rode Zeus, who was the perfect horse for the greener rider. By the end of the week, he was posting and loping confidently! We made some wonderful friends at the ranch, with many of the guests coming back multiple times. This truly is a special place and the experience of a lifetime.’

Ranch ride in Shell, Wyoming - Globetrotting horse riding holidays

Judy Mullins

‘This ride was perfection. Shell, Wyoming and its mountains were like nothing else I have ever experienced. I was joined by two friends and we want to return, and bring other friends.
There were approximately 20 guests: three families and many couples. We made so many new friends. The staff were lovely and very accommodating. Peter and Marjin were charming and informative, the guides were very knowledgeable of the area and kept the group safe, and all our wranglers were amazing! I enjoyed the food very much – every day we had 5 star meals thanks to Rachel, our wonderful chef.
I rode Farah and Ernesto. They were both very well trained and behaved. I especially loved the cattle drive – seeing the border collies in action was amazing and the view at lunch was incredible! I would definitely recommend this ride.’

Shell, Wyoming - Globetrotting horse riding holidays

Amy Van Court

‘There aren’t sufficient words to describe how special this place is. Every box was checked for my vacation, from the quality of the horses and horsemanship, to the excellent staff, the wonderful, clean, appropriate accommodations, the delicious food and oh my god, the once-in-a-lifetime territory. I’ve lived and vacationed in many beautiful places, but I have never seen land like this. No two views are alike. You can be on the top of a mesa and see four completely different landscapes, depending on which way you face! The scenery literally changes every few minutes as you ride along. The colours, the scope, the grandeur of it all — there isn’t a photo that can do this land justice.

The horses are well cared-for, high quality, trustworthy and sensible. If you are inspired by and committed to great horsemanship, you will find no place equal.

I would never have found this place were it not for Globetrotting. I’m grateful beyond words for Kate, her brilliant staff and her excellent sourcing of perhaps the best Western riding experience in North America. I booked a stay for next year while still at the ranch and can’t wait to have this experience for many years to come.’

Globetrotting horse riding holiday Shell, Wyoming, USA

Zac Houston

‘I cannot express how great this experience was – it exceeded every last expectation I had!
From the minute I was picked up from the motel I was met with friendly smiling faces. Once you drive through the front gates, the realization sets in: you are somewhere very special in the world!
Every day was different and filled with exciting experiences. The diversity of the rides was amazing, including but not limited to creek crossings, mountain climbs and loping though open fields. No two days the same! There was even the opportunity to move cows and calves and ride with wild mustangs.
Every rider was treated as an individual and given extensive options when it came to what sort of riding they would like to do. Every horse was relaxed, happy to work and extremely well looked after. Tom does an amazing job of matching people with the right horse. The staff were all kind, respectful, and went out of their way to ensure their guests had the best time possible. The worst part of this ride was having to leave!’

Marnie Philips & Antony Spielvogel

‘Be it climbing a mountain to 10,000 feet and seeing the last snow of the season, or rounding up cattle for a day on our gorgeous horses, this was an unforgettable adventure. The full day mountain ride was amazing – diverse stunning scenery, excellent wranglers. Six of us did this ride together and the weather was superb too!’

Anne Cowell

‘I knew I was going to enjoy myself on this riding holiday, but to the extent that I did… well I totally underestimated that. From the moment we were collected at our hotel, to meeting the other guests, the staff, seeing the wonderful accommodation, grounds and setting, my every expectation was exceeded tenfold (or more). And then the action started!
My jaw literally dropped when I saw the barn, tack room, trailers and vehicles. Watching the horses being brought in from the paddocks was heavenly. The riding was exceptional – the horses were amazing, the scenery incredible and the wranglers absolutely fantastic.
Our rooms were super comfortable, the meals mouthwatering, the cocktails delicious, the company exhilarating. We were treated like VIPs, but at the same time as family, with such warmth. The hosts have achieved an impressive balance of professionalism and friendship.
Everything about this holiday was top-notch… the absolute best. Just writing this makes me tearful with wonder. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude and appreciation that I had the opportunity to have such an amazing experience. I would return in a heartbeat.’

Fiona Bennett

‘My husband and I had one of the most amazing weeks of our lives. At 50 years of age (this was our birthday gift to each other – well it was his to me, really) I have ridden on and off for most of my life but not at a high level while he had never ridden, other than sitting on a horse one day for about 5 minutes.
My husband was quite concerned that the week was going to be one of the longest of his life, but after the first day, he was engaged. The wranglers understood his apprehension and they calmly and confidently challenged and guided him throughout the week. By Friday he was cantering across a wide open Wyoming plain!
For me the riding was equally challenging. I had no prior experience riding in a shank bit, so my idea of riding ‘connected’ had to go out the window. By the end of the week I was grasping the the concept of a new ‘connectedness’ with my horse.
We came away from the ride feeling that the whole week was a bit of a life changer! We are going back next year.’

Maryanne Zarth

‘I had the best experience with Globetrotting from the very first conversation with Kate. I was quite specific about what I wanted in my riding adventure. Kate recommended Wyoming and was spot on. It delivered in every way. Globetrotting delivered in every way – from their recommendation through to their service. They thought of everything and were so kind and cheerful.
My favourite experience was riding through Five Fingers: I have never ridden anywhere that high, on ridges that narrow, with such steep descents and with scenery that beautiful. It was the scariest, highest, steepest, narrowest, prettiest ride I’ve ever done. Totally nerve racking and exhilarating at the same time. I did not want it to end!
If I could have taken my big red roan home, I certainly would have. All the horses were amazing… Well educated, well mannered, well fed, well cared for. They are NOT ‘nose to tail’ trail riding horses. You can go anywhere, and do anything on these babies. Walk, jog, lope, gallop… you name it, they’ll do it. Wow, wow, wow.
Everything was a standout. Five star all the way, including the delicious meals we received all day, every day. If you can afford it, do yourself a favour and stay on for 2 weeks. You’ll be glad you did! I cannot wait for my next Globetrotting adventure. Wyoming was my first but certainly won’t be my last.’

STORIES FROM THE SADDLE

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