When guests arrive at C Lazy U Ranch, they’re swept into a world of exceptional comfort, adventure, and wide-open western landscapes. But what some don’t realize is that behind every picture-perfect trail ride, gourmet meal, and cozy cabin stay is a dedicated team keeping the heartbeat of the ranch strong. C Lazy U is more than a luxury escape — it’s a real, working dude ranch. For the hard-working wrangler team, that means early mornings, feeding horses, fixing fences, managing livestock, and living out a way of life that’s been passed down for generations. Curious what it really takes to run a legendary Western ranch?
We sat down with Abby Stover, Equestrian Operations Manager at C Lazy U, to get the scoop on a day in the life of a real rancher.
How Many Animals Live on the Ranch?
There are around 215 horses in the C Lazy U herd, plus two miniature donkeys (Tilly and Wilbur)!
What Does A Typical Day Look Like for a Wrangler?
A Wrangler is responsible for facilitating all our Horse Program offerings for our adult guests and for performing all the tasks associated with caring for our herd. Our Summer Adult Riding Program is expansive — offering trail rides, horsemanship clinics, cattle rides, trail obstacle clinics, etc. Wranglers are tasked with guiding guests of all levels through these activities to provide a fun and educational experience, while still prioritizing the health and safety of both guests and horses. Simultaneously, we are performing all the behind-the-scenes tasks associated with caring for a herd of 200+ horses. This includes feeding hay, cleaning pens, following a specialized grain program, administering supplements, performing vet care, maintaining facilities, etc. Our herd also has young/green/unproven horses that need additional development and education to be successful members of the program. Wranglers are often working with or leading rides on these horses to help them progress into one day becoming wonderful guest horses!
A typical summer season day starts at 6 AM or earlier. We need to have the herd in from the pasture by 6 AM to be on schedule for the day. Our main early morning task is to tack up all the horses needed for a day. Our adult riding program allows for two ride times: 9:10AM and 2PM. A majority of our Wranglers ride twice a day to accommodate all the various ride types that the program offers. Between trail riding, we are working to accomplish all the other behind-the-scenes tasks described above that are required to keep the herd happy and healthy!
What’s Your Favorite Part of the Day?
I love helping bring the herd in for the morning Jingle. It is really special to see 200+ horses milling about one of our beautiful pastures. Even if it is quite early (before 6 AM), it’s always worth it!
What’s Something Most Guests Don’t Realize About Caring for Horses on a Working Ranch?
We have a really robust Herd Health Program! We put a lot of effort into giving our horses specialized care to keep them happy and healthy. We have a detailed graining program for our older horses to ensure that they maintain a healthy body condition. This list is re-evaluated constantly to account for fluctuations in weight associated with our changing seasons. We have horses on multiple different kinds of supplements that get administered daily to aid in conditions such as hoof growth, bone health, joint health, etc. We also working closely with our veterinarian to treat a wide array of injuries. At any time, there are likely horses that need tendons cold hosed, wounds cleaned, hooves soaked, etc.
What Have You Learned from the Horses?
Horses teach me all the time! They are excellent teachers of patience, flexibility, and communication. Quite frequently, you’ll approach a training session with your own ideas of what you’d like to achieve or accomplish — but pretty quickly a horse will tell you what you’re actually going to be working on today. They are really subtle communicators and are excellent at reading body language. Humans, on the other hand, are not!
What are the Miniature Donkeys Like?
They are full of personality — sassy, stubborn, affectionate, and aloof all at the same time! They are pretty independent little guys, but they secretly love all the attention they get. They are also MASTER escape artists. I get frequent calls saying that the donkeys are in a totally different pasture from the rest of the herd. They are really good at ducking fences and using drainage ditches as highways out of the pasture.
Read More: A Day in the Life of a C Lazy U Donkey
How Does C Lazy U Pair Horses and Riders?
It is a bit of a matchmaking process! Every horse has their carrying capacity, difficulty level, and health limitations. Each rider has their height + weight, experience level, and goals for their stay. Taking all of these elements into account helps to make sure we pair a rider with a horse that they will enjoy and can facilitate their goals. Similarly, we want to make sure the selected horse can stay healthy and happy while accommodating their rider. This is one of the reasons we have such a large herd — to ensure we are able to pair horses and riders appropriately!
As an example, if we have a horse with a health limitation that prevents them from going on more challenging rides, we will assign that horse to a guest who is planning on only riding a few times during their stay and is primarily interested in walking and enjoying the scenery.
How Do You Help Guests Feel Comfortable and Confident Around the Animals?
Generally speaking, we perform a big orientation for our Horse Program to go over details of the schedule but also lay a foundation of how to best communicate with our horses based upon natural horsemanship and the equipment we use at the ranch. Our program also includes different levels of instructional trail rides where we can provide a lot of coaching and advice on how to apply different horsemanship concepts to help riders feel confident and build their relationship with their horse. Seasonally, we also offer horsemanship clinics in our outdoor arena to provide a different setting to continue to build upon skills.
We also offer non-riding experiences such as Grooming Clinics and Horsemanship Round Pen Clinics. A Grooming Clinic can be really helpful to gain some confidence around horses by spending time bonding with them on the ground (and it’s relaxing!). The Horsemanship Round Pen Clinic goes into more depth about how to communicate with horses in a way that they understand. This can be instrumental in gaining a better understanding of how horses think and interact.
A really rewarding aspect of introducing somebody to horseback riding is watching their confidence grow! It is really special to watch somebody develop a bond with their horse and develop their skillset as a stay progresses.
What Makes a Wrangler Successful?
A quality I often see in a successful wrangler is a love for teaching. Teaching comes into so many aspects of the wrangler position — from teaching lessons to leading instructional trail rides to helping other wranglers. The ability to teach others in a patient, effective, and enjoyable contributes greatly to the program.
As with a lot of positions on the ranch, it is important for a wrangler to have a strong work ethic, be flexible, and have a strong sense of hospitality!
What Makes C Lazy U Different from Other Dude Ranches?
For our Horse Program, I think one thing that really sets us apart is our Summer Children’s Program. In our summer season, children ride separately from adults and are broken into riding groups based upon their age. It’s really special to watch them fall in love with their horse, make friends with their buddies that they ride with, and build confidence in themselves through their riding!
But generally speaking, I love how the ranch has a really robust Winter Season! It really becomes a winter wonderland, and it’s super fun to see guests experience unique activities such as trail riding in the snow, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, tubing, cross-country skiing, skating, etc.
On the whole, the ranch is a great place to work because of the people and the animals! The staff who work here and the animals we take care of are what make this place so special to be a part of.
Ready to Be Part of the Real West?
A working dude ranch takes the storied history and traditions of the West and brings them to life, and it’s all possible because of a hardworking crew caring for the animals and the land. Want to step into the magic? We’ve got a saddle waiting for you.
