subject: Woman Only Vacations In The Wild West [print this page] It all started when a friend and I were telling each other our stories about the backcountry wilderness pack trips we used to work on, she in the Wind River mountain range, and myself in the far upper reaches of the Thorofare and Yellowstone River drainages in the Teton, Shoshone, and Washakie Wilderness, and the namesake Wyoming Range. Both of us had worked as camp cooks and had experienced various horseback adventures that included the occasional chaos and mayhem stuffed in around the prevailing serenity and smooth sailing of working with horses and mules, inclement weather, and other challenging conditions, not to mention men.
Being a few years older than I, she had retired from the working aspect of riding and horses many years earlier and now kept her Morgan mare around for the occasional hour-long trail ride, at least when the mare wasnt raising a colt. My friend really wanted to start riding for fun and to go on trips for women with mutual friends; and voila, the idea of a women only horse vacation ride was born. At the time, my husband and I had been operating our horseback adventure business for a few years so we were in a position to host the first of eight (and counting!) Wild Wyoming Women vacations in the wide open spaces of Wyoming, one of the first girlfriend getaways albeit with a horseback riding component.
The concept of horseback trips for women developed with just a handful of core beliefs that were inherent to any good quality horse riding experience; solid, gentle, trail-savvy horses to ride, a comfortable wilderness-style camp that provides fabulous meals, beautiful country to soothe the soul and challenge the horsemanship skills a little; and a camaraderie with other women who share the common bond of horses and the outdoors. As the idea expanded, these women vacations grew to accommodate each womans personal tastes; the ladies bring their own little treats of wine, cocktails and hors de oeuvres to enjoy and share. On these trips for women, there is a freedom to engage in lots of laughter, to breathe deep of fresh desert air, and spend sincere, quality time with friends both old and new. And, as true women vacations do, the privilege to retreat to the river bank for peace and quiet alone is always available. And of course, there is nothing better on horseback women vacations than to swing into an easy lope across the wide-open spaces of Wyoming, with lots of "saddle time" and no set daily schedule or regimen.
Better than any girls night out, trips for women on horseback with Blue Sky Sage are a unique type of trips for women that put all the best things women need and want together with a good horse and other sisters of the sage.
