Equine Programs Riding Scenic Valley Guest Ranch offers 110 acres of land to ride on and numerous trails leading onto range land. With our experienced guides - the owner, ranch hand and trail guides, guests can saddle up and ride in this beautiful valley. Scenic Valley Guest Ranch offers scenic views, wildflowers, lakes and streams, wildlife and much more. Guests ride well trained, conditioned and gentle horses suited to personal abilities. Group sizes range from 3 riders to 15 riders for a memorable experience you will cherish for a lifetime. Inquiries regarding custom designed group rides are also welcome. Morning (9:00 am) and afternoon (3:00 pm) rides are available daily from June to the end of October and are available through the office or on the website. Minimum age for the trail rides is eight years old. Those under eight will have the opportunity to ride in the riding arena or in the round pen. For more experienced riders, we offer an all day trail ride with a packed lunch into the mountains on weekends. All riders are required to wear helmets and proper riding boots. We will supply the helmets and you are required to bring the boots. We will have a limited selection of cowboy boots available for rent at the ranch. Scenic Valley Ranch also provides saddle bags for your convenience. Please note, there is a weight limit for horseback riding of 250 lbs. Please contact the ranch prior to booking for possibilities and options. Horsemanship and Riding Lessons Ensuring the horse and rider are attuned to one another is imperative and the goal is to achieve harmony between horse and rider. Learning about the horse’s natural behavior, adapting and patience are the main keys to a happy person and horse relationship. For those who are scared or nervous around horses the ranch will help to build confidence and learn horsemanship skills. Scenic Valley Guest Ranch offers horsemanship sessions, individual riding lessons and all-day clinics. Our horses are some of the most important members of the Scenic Valley Guest Ranch Team. The riding horses at the ranch are of many different breeds - Quarter horse, Paint, Tennessee Walkers, Appaloosas, Arabians, miniature ponies, and more. All of our trail horses are well mannered, love people, and are reliable trail horses. Guest are invited to ride them and to help feed and care for them while they are here. Therapeutic Riding Children challenged with any of the following issues have shown progress after completing the therapeutic riding: Mental Health Disorders, Autism, Behavior Disorders, ADD / ADHD, Attachment Issues and Self Esteem Problems. This program can help children, youth, adults and families by providing: Improved communication skills - verbal and non-verbal Increased self-esteem Improved attention and the learning of retention skills Improved listening skills Improved academic ability Enhanced sensory integration Joyful experience Self control skills and expression of feeling Parenting skills and family relationship skills Workshops are available for parents, caregivers and family supporting agencies to assist families to regain a sense of control and well-being. What we do... Scenic Valley Ranch offers equine-assisted therapy, therapeutic horsemanship and equine experiential learning. Through specially designed interactive experiences that promote emotional healing, we build confidence, improve social skills, and help clients make positive changes in their lives. Our ranch environment provides a unique setting enabling clients to address treatment issues on many different experiential levels. We assess clients needs and then develop an individualized plan. We evaluate progress toward goals on an ongoing basis. These goals may be emotional, behavioral, social, mental, or spiritual in nature. Facilitating activities may be done while mounted on the horse, unmounted, or may not include the horse at all, depending on the client's needs. We offer individual and small-group therapy settings. First Nations wellness principles are used. How does therapy with horses work? At Scenic Valley Ranch our horses are our co-therapists. They work with the staff, offering a wide range of healing experiences and feedback to clients. Groups of youngsters with emotional and behavioral difficulties work with each other and the horses to gain self esteem, body awareness and the ability to communicate in an effective manner as they learn basic riding. An adult with a panic disorder learns relaxation techniques through grooming her horse, stretching on the horse and then and recording her experiences and feelings. A troubled teen learns to build trust with others by developing a relationship with a horse. Children and youth learn to deal with the challenges of mental illness by working with horses in games from the ground, gaining an enormous amount of confidence and trust. All guests will be required to sign a Release of Liability before being involved in any ranch activities. Activities for Kids, Youth and Families Scenic Valley Guest Ranch will be set up for the kids with a recreational playground. They can enjoy the swings, slide, horse shoe pit, pool table, board games, and in addition hiking and riding. Scenic Valley Guest Ranch is a kid and family friendly place. For 3-5 year old cowpokes, our resident pony Mary is waiting to take them on a fun-filled ride in the ring. Wrangler 6 and up are offered riding lessons in the ring. At 8 they can hit the trails with their family. The kid’s horse program is designed for engaging young minds and interest levels. They will spend time learning the basic care of horses and improving their riding ability. A popular hang out at any time is our Rec Room that is equipped with an air hockey table, arts and crafts, ping pong table and games. Outside we have a playground, volleyball net and trampoline. Roasting marshmallows and making s'mores over an open fire in the fire pit is a popular night time activity. There is also a petting zoo available and a play fort. Family activities are encouraged. Evenings are occupied with activities suitable for the entire family-campfires, volleyball, and social time for visiting with new found friends. Bird watching / Wildlife Viewing Scenic Valley Guest Ranch is home to a number of different flora and fauna. Our pond is home to a number of ducks, herons and more. We also are fortunate to have eagles, hawks, owls and other predatory birds. Come and join us on an adventure to view the bears, deer, moose, and other wildlife. Local Hikes Scenic Valley Guest Ranch is located in the middle of a beautiful valley in the North Okanagan. We offer hiking that varies in difficulty so that everyone can experience the beauty of the valley and mountain up close. These outings range from half-hour self guided nature walks, to 4 day guided hikes into the mountain. Travel kits are provided to hikers for an additional cost. We have mapped and marked hiking trails for those who like to get out on their own. Mountain Biking Mountain biking is also available on some of the trails and enjoy the unique scenery. Other Activities (these require a vehicle). Attend the local rodeos in the last week of May, or the third week in June, and the second week in August. Visit historic O'keefe Ranch. Place to Hold a Meeting During the late fall, winter and early spring, Scenic Valley Ranch is converted into a meeting center—available for conferences, workshops, team building and Seminars for groups. A Ranch meeting offers exclusive use of all ranch facilities and provides a very unique and refreshing atmosphere conducive to a fresh outlook on problems. We enjoy helping you put together a unique program for your free time. Ranch Activities and Cattle Drives Scenic Valley Ranch will be having cattle drives with guest participation. This year we will be having several cattle drives with 6-8 guests each just like the old ranch hand days. Our dude ranch will have several team penning events each week. Everyone enjoys this rodeo game of pushing cows into the box.
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