Ride, roam and revel in ranch life
Wide open spaces, Western traditions and mouth-wateringly good food are just a few of the reasons we love a horse riding holiday in Wyoming, USA.
Trip Highlights
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Summit a mountain on your sure-footed quarter horse to enjoy a saddle bag picnic lunch with 360-degree views
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Enjoy your pick of 650,000 acres of ranch land to explore til your heart’s content
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Relish cocktail hour with a crisp g&t in your hand after a blissful day in the saddle
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Sink your teeth into the gobsmackingly good food prepared lovingly by your hosts
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Fall in love with your nifty mustang as you round up a herd of cows
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Try your hand at fly fishing in the Big Horn Basin
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Discover your need for speed as you race across the open land
• 6 and 13 night stays are available.Riding levelBeginner • Intermediate • Strong Intermediate • Advanced Centre-based You ride out from the same destination every day.
Details
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Riding levels
Caters for beginners up to advanced riders, even professional riders.
Not sure what your riding ability is? See the definitions below.
- Type of tack
Western saddles and bridles.
- Horse breed
Quarter horses, Paints and Mustangs.
- Accommodation
Western-style log cabins, built in 1992, decorated with excellent furnishings in warm colours and kept sparkling clean and well maintained.
- Pace
Variable depending on the terrain, with opportunities to trot and canter.
- Weight limit
A very strict maximum of 104kg / 230lbs when dressed to ride. You will be asked to step on scales if you are close to this limit.
It is VERY important that you provide your current weight accurately when booking. If your weight is not accurate, we cannot guarantee that your hosts will have a horse for you to ride.
- Group size
Approximately 25 guests per week; this is limited in early spring weeks (April) to approximately 15 guests per week.
- Minimum age
8 years of age
- Time in Saddle
Guests choose between half day rides (2 to 3 hours) or full day rides (5 to 7 hours).
- When to go
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.
- Languages
English
What’s included (and what’s not)
Included
- All meals including cocktails and wine with dinner.
- Accommodation
- All horse riding activities throughout the itinerary
- A mandatory 5% Wyoming sales tax
- A 5% Wyoming lodging tax
- 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)
Excluded
- International or regional flights
- Travel insurance (compulsory)
- Transfers to and from the ranch
Departure dates and prices
Ride length
• 7 days, 6 nights
• 6 and 13 night stays are available.
Riding level
Beginner • Intermediate • Strong Intermediate • Advanced
Booking fee
A fixed Booking Fee of $106 USD
Payment plans
Lock in your ride with a 10% deposit and pay the rest over time – interest-free in 10 easy payments. Learn more.
Accommodation types
Single
Private accommodation for one guest (room, tent, or similar). A supplement may apply on departures where a sharing option is available.
Share
Willing to room share with the same gender or travelling with a companion.
Couple share
Sharing a bed with companion.
Non-rider
Sharing a room with a riding companion.
Per person
2026
SPECIAL DEPARTURE - April 5 to 11, 2026 - Women's Only Wellness Retreat
*Participate in instructor-led yoga sessions
*Try our new Reflection Ride
*Learn Mindfulness with your horse & participate in a Liberty Horsemanship Clinic
*Soothe your body in our outdoor hot tub
*Relax in your rocking chair on your front porch with a glass of wine and a spectacular view of the Big Horn Mountains
*Enjoy camaraderie with female horse lovers!
*Each guest has their own private room – no single supplement fee!
*Ride right through the heart of Shell and enjoy a beverage at the Old Shell Store
*Meet and ride with Mary Flitner & hear her story as a Cowgirl inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame! Receive a free autographed copy of her book My Ranch Too!
*Adults Only
*Only 16 guests this week
SPRING - March 29 to May 23, 2026
Weekly 6-night stays from Sunday to Saturday
SUMMER – May 24 to October 17, 2026
Weekly 6-night stays from Sunday to Saturday
AUTUMN – October 18 to November 7, 2026
Weekly 6-night stays from Sunday to Saturday
The fun bits
Payment details
- A fixed Booking Fee of $106 USD
- All bookings are charged in the local currency of the ride destination.
- Accepted payment method is by credit or debit card only.
Cancellation policy
We understand that plans can change. If you need to cancel your ride, please let us know as soon as possible. Cancellation fees apply based on how close your departure date is, and deposits are non-refundable. We strongly recommend travel insurance to protect your booking. Read our full cancellation policy.
International fees
If you're paying in a currency different from your own, your bank may charge a conversion or international transaction fee.
Please note
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.
Itinerary
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: Arrival
Non-riding dayCheck-in time on Sunday afternoon is after 2pm. There are ranch tours at 3:30pm and 4:30pm 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 6:30pm and dinner will follow at 7:00pm.
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Day 2: Riding orientation
Flexible saddle hoursMonday 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.
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Days 3 to 6
Flexible saddle hoursBecause 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.
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Day 7: Departure
Non-riding dayAfter a delicious breakfast, guests check out and depart on Saturday morning. Check-out time is 10:00 am.
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Non-Riders
Whilst this ranch is first and foremost a riding ranch, non-riders will still have plenty to enjoy: from trap-shooting, archery, fly-fishing and mountain biking to hiking across the stunning Big Horn Mountains. A soak in the heated lap pool or hot-tub offers a peaceful way to soak up the scenery. You’re also free to explore nearby towns — Cody has dinosaur-fossil sites or the local museum — or simply relax on the ranch with drinks, good food and wide-open vistas.
*Please be advised some of these activities are only available seasonally.
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. Pick up in Cody on day 1 is between 12.30pm to 5.00pm. Please don’t book departing flights until after midday.
Please note
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.
Accommodation
Western-style log cabins, built in 1992, are 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. Laundry facilities are also available.
Food
Meals are prepared fresh by the chef with fresh, organic ingredients from the ranch’s own garden! For all-day rides, hearty sandwiches are freshly prepared in the morning. In the evening, guests are served western-style food, elegantly presented, with wine, beer or another beverage of your choice. Once a week (weather permitting) there is an outdoor cook-out where juicy, marbled Angus Beef is served along with a variety of other tantalising food.
Reviews
Maire C
1 ride with Globetrotting 
Angela H
1 ride with Globetrotting 
Candy B
1 ride with Globetrotting 
Sharon Rayne
11 rides with Globetrotting 
Judy Mullins
Amy Van Court
3 rides with Globetrotting 
Zac Houston
Anne Cowell
What's my riding level?
Not sure what your riding level is? Watch our videos to see all our levels.
Beginner
Reasonably confident riding a horse at a walk, a rising trot, and learning to canter.
Intermediate
Confident and in control riding at all paces outside an arena, but not riding regularly. Comfortable and competent using aids {the language of your leg, seat and hands} to communicate with your horse.
Strong Intermediate
An intermediate rider who is currently riding regularly outside of an arena and is fit enough to ride for at least six hours per day. Strong intermediate riders are comfortable and competent in all three gaits; able to post or sit to the trot; have an independent seat while cantering (don’t hold onto the saddle); and can pick up the correct canter lead. They can also navigate more complex terrain, including asking a horse to sidestep and jump over a small obstacle.
Advanced
A frequent rider who is very fit, comfortable in the saddle for at least six hours per day, and has an independent seat and soft hands. Advanced riders are confident on a forward-moving horse at all paces over rough and variable ground on open terrain. They can ride over small jumps and know the techniques used to collect a horse
Not sure? Contact our team to help you figure out your riding ability.
Stories from the saddle
Meet our Guides: Peter and Marijn
Peter De Cabooter and his wife Marijn Werquin have been welcoming riders to their guest ranch in the spectacular surrounds of Shell, Wyoming, USA for more than 30 years. Set at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, their Wyoming guest
A Day Spent In Cody, Wyoming
Cody, Wyoming might be small in size, but it more than makes up for it with raucous Wild West charm and frontier spirit. If you’ve booked a saddle seat on the Big Horn Cattle Drive or our horse riding holiday
Globetrotting Guest Horse Breeds
We’re fortunate to offer a HUGE range of horse breeds — both purebred and cross-bred — for guests to ride on our Globetrotting horse riding holidays around the world. From the nimble Quarter Horses on our American horseback riding vacations
