Horseback Riding Vacations in Wyoming- Open Range Photo Journey

Photos from the open range outside of Big Piney, Wyoming, where riders can spot wild Mustangs along the Great Divide and ride horses in the cherished open spaces of Wyoming, shared by Blue Sky Sage Horseback Adventures, run by 3rd generation Wyoming natives.

Looking to vacation far away from civilization in wide-open, unfenced country with 100-mile vistas? We were drooling over the below photos, shared by Blue Sky Sage Horseback Adventures, who leads horseback riding vacations along the Continental Divide as it crosses the Red Desert and into the Honeycombs Badlands Wilderness of the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming.

A Wyoming cowgirl overlooks stunning vistas. Bobbi Wade, who leads the riding tours, says that the views here never get old. 

This part of Wyoming, outside of Big Piney, has a rich history of Native Americans and ranchers. It was even part of a modern PBS documentary, "Do You Mean There Are Still Real Cowboys?", narrated by actor Robert Redford and co-produced by actress Glenn Close. Yes, you can still find cowboys and cowgirls here, including the Wade family, the third generation of ranchers who take riders out with the company they founded–– Blue Sky Sage.

Leonard and Alyce, above, are one couple who have ridden with Blue Sky Sage nine times in the last 12 years.  

Because of the popular Girls Ride Out! Women Only Horseback Adventures, there are a fair number of females taking these trips. While many Blue Sky Sage riders are gals, men venture along, too. While some saddle up with their wives or partners, some fly solo, ready to improve their horsemanship skills and immerse themselves in a genuine Wyoming horse camp experience. Blue Sky Sage offers Horse Camp for Men and Women weeks each season, bringing mixed groups of adult men and women and groups of friends and family who are looking for more than the typical "nose to tail" dude ranch ride.

Riders have plenty of photo opportunities in this diverse country, including with the backdrop of the high desert red hoodoos.

Blue Sky Sage's saddle remuda consists of forward-going ranch-raised Quarter Horses, fit for faster paced riding in rough country, as well as a few Quarter/draft crosses. They, too, seem to enjoy the views of the glacier-covered Temple Peak and Roaring Fork Mountain. During the winter, the horses have time off. They graze on open-range, native grass pastures on a small ranch along the Green River in western Wyoming.

In order to quietly and unobtrusively observe the Mustangs, groups will sometimes leave one wrangler in charge of most of the saddle horses and take a couple of saddle horses for cover.

For travelers who want to see wild horses from on horseback, the Wade's know where to go and lead riders to find spirited Mustangs–– from a dozen to upwards of 200. Desert elk, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, several varieties of hawks, prairie falcons and the golden eagle can also be spotted on these horse adventures.

As the group slowly rides into close proximity of the herd, made up of several bands of mustangs, riders snap photos, at the same time maintaining a respectful distance.

For these remote riding tours, guests stay at a special campsite along the Little Sandy River, listening to the sound of the river amid tall lodgepole pines. Dutch oven camp chefs prepare a colorful array of homemade meals for hungry riders. The camp is complete with a private shower tent with solar-heated showers.

The golden palomino stallion and his band give the riders a pretty good look. The Wind River Mountains are the backdrop to many places where riders can view wild Mustangs, adding to the already beautiful views.

These riding vacations are for riders, who want to experience the grand spaces still left in the American West. Depending on the trip, riders can expect to be in the saddle an average of about 5-6 hours and cover from 8-15 miles each day. Covering that ground lends itself to varied scenery and discoveries. Since we here at Equitrekking are advocates of seeing a place on horseback, we agree that travel is best savored and enjoyed in the saddle, especially in the beautiful spaces in the American West! 

A rider who has trekked with Blue Sky Sage for several years, actually wrote and recorded a song about the adventure. You can listen and check out more photos in the above slide show. 

 

Learn more about these Wyoming horseback riding vacations by visiting Blue Sky Sage Horseback Adventures website. Travelers who reserve trips with Blue Sky Sage during the month of October for 2014 trips, receive $100 off the price for Girls Ride Out! all women weeks, Guys Ride Too! mixed group weeks, the Five Day Getaway week and Three Dimensional Horsemanship Clinic week. (Excludes Mustang Horse Adventure weeks).

Check out more exclusive Travel Deals for ranches and riding vacations. Peruse a variety of riding trips across the USA and around the world in the Equitrekking Vacation Guide, an online guide to great dude ranches, cattle drives and global riding holidays.