Rocking Z - Montana

Richard who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful experience and our first exposure to Parelli training | We started the week with a discussion and match-up to horses and then with an afternoon of ground work - at the end of which, we rode our horses bareback. The following morning we went on one of many rides over the surrounding country and hills. Plenty of opportunity for trots and canters. During the week we also tried our hand at rounding up cattle, separating cattle, playing a 'cow game' -in which one rider pretends to be the cow and the other tries to round them up. We also tried barrel racing and had a session of 'liberty' - in which the horse is free in an arena and the rider has to persuade it to follow and turn with non-vocal signals. We were never more than 6 riders to an instructor. Patty and Zac's daughters Maria and Anna are expert horse 'wranglers' and Parelli practitioners and their advice and instruction was superb.
[Becky from In The Saddle replied: It’s lovely to hear how much you enjoyed the riding and natural horsemanship.]

Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?

Our room in a modern 'bungalow' was well insulated and comfortable. Meals were varied and appetising and of high quality.

How could we improve the quality of pre-holiday information that we send?

When booking this holiday, the biggest challenge we faced was deciding how to get to the ranch. There are some suggested routes on the Rocking Z website. We chose to fly to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City to Helena. The Ranch is about 30 minutes drive from Helena and we were picked up by Patty on her regular Sunday morning collection. At other times you could ask for collection or even take an Uber taxi to the ranch. Helena is a small town. We stayed at the Best Western overnight. There are several hotels with shuttles to collect guests from the airport. I understand that prior to Uber in Helena it could be difficult to get a taxi in the evening - but Uber appears to have this sorted out. Some guests flew to Bozeman - but this is a 3 hour drive from the ranch and we didn't wish to have to drive immediately after we arrived. We combined our holiday with a visit to Yellowstone Park and rented a car at Helena Airport for the 3 hour drive to West Yellowstone where we stayed.

'Rocking Z' is the name of the ranch and also a description of the brand used on their cattle!

How could we improve the way we handled your booking and payment?

All went well - we appreciate the personal emails and attention and itinerary - we had another great 'In the Saddle' holiday - thank you!d