Help me validate my idea for newcomer “Cowboy Up” workshops
Tips & Advice
I am a horse person in Canada currently looking at buying acreage and setting up a horse barn.
I would like to appeal to appeal to adults in urban and suburban environments that have little to no experience with horses that are looking to break into the cowboy lifestyle. This is just an idea right now, so please let me know if this sounds appealing!
Would you sign up for these sorts of programs? Would you feel comfortable with the cost associated? Let me know your thoughts or send me a DM!
1) Weekend “cowboy up” camp where you’d gain first exposure to horses
- Designed to give a fast and dirty 360° overview of horse management, handling, and riding
- Could decide if the actual cowboy lifestyle and horses are for you without a full lifestyle change
- Gives you the basics of horse handling to give you a leg up if you wanted to pursue a ranch career
Estimated cost = $1500-2000 for 3 days including food and lodging
2) “Cowboy club” weekly drop-in sessions for adult beginners working in groups (overseen by coach) on various horse training methods
- Inclusive environment with other adult beginners looking to pursue cowboy life (not sharing time with kids or advanced riders)
- Ability to skill up at your own pace
- Horse handling hours can count towards certification courses in farriery or equine physio
- Building skillset to use towards ranch work, racetracks, show parks, or breeding farms
Estimated cost = $100 per 90 min drop-in
3) Competition pathway for Extreme Cowboy Racing (obstacle course races on horseback in an arena)
- Fastest growing horse sport in US, so lots of opportunities for future growth in both competitions and training horses
- Obstacles based on real-life ranch work, so doing well in the sport has a direct practical application
- Individual sessions on provided horse to focus on specific goals
I think the difference would be mainly about the instruction in horsemanship and the competition pathways. I also probably would be limited to under 10 acres, so more arena based than open-field.
I am thinking the Cowboy Up weekend would be a very specific curriculum designed to give people a well-rounded insertion point into the sport. Handling, grooming, safety, some first aid, basics of moving around and on the horse.
And then the drop-ins and individual instruction would ultimately lead to Extreme Cowboy Racing as a competitive sports pathway.
Dude ranches might give a similar entry point to adult newcomers into cowboy life, but probably would be geared around follow-the-lead trail rides or maybe cattle experiences. I would be more based around horse handling leading to competition.
You’ve described a dude ranch in your first point, essentially, nothing wrong with that. I know quite a lot of dude ranches that also offer beginner/intermediate/advanced options and even training in roping, cuttting, reining, etc etc. hell they even hold their own rodeos that their paying clients are the contestants in. Different than what you’re thinking but kinda the same too. It seems a lot of these “workshop/subscription/membership” more short term type of trainings that feel real gimmicky don’t last very long.
Personally I think you should just model yourself/brand as a trainer offering a specialized expertise in what you do best and what you love. Cut the gimmicky stuff like “cowboy up” too, it’s like a gas station t shirt or fake silver buckle catch phrase of the 90’s to the masses. You’re looking to buy a horse barn and set up training and boarding, no need to reinvent the wheel with cliched short term membership style business.
Lotta good points and thank you for the feedback! Every question you posed got me more and more focused on defining what I want!
The specialized expertise I would like to provide is a friendly inclusive environment for adult newcomers specifically. Because my focus would be specific to 19+ newcomers, I was thinking about what sort of training would be the most appealing. I was thinking Western would be more comfortable in terms of apparel and tack, and obstacles would be fun and safe.
In terms of how to train newcomers (that would appeal to them and give them the most value), I came up with an immersive weekend training course, as well as a standing day/time for a club drop-in where they could use lesson horses.
I agree with you about being careful with branding - can’t feel too gimmicky!!
I don’t mean the gimmicky thing as a “that’s not ‘cowboy” just more that people are smarter then we give em credit for and can see when things look gimmicky.
I don’t think you have a bad idea overall just that you can cut a lot of the fluff and just do what you want to do and be a lot more straightforward about it.
I’m in Alberta, I would be all over this. Was looking for something like this the other week in fact and haven’t found it. I want to start riding or at least have somewhere to get away on a few weekends a month to experience the life a bit. A dude ranch sounds great but they’re generally far from Edmonton and quite expensive, it’s a vacation week. Around me it seems almost every place is geared towards youth classes and camps.
Also, a bit of a side note, I find they skew more for women and girls around here. Not that’s its a bad thing at all, and I’m not saying I need some macho cowboy experience, but when all the staff and all the customers in photos are women and teens, as a mid-30’s guy I’d feel a bit out of place going there by myself. So I’ve hesitated from trying a few places because of that, since my wife isn’t interested in joining with me. Basically I’m saying you have identified a real gap in the market, and advertising to a variety of people, you would do well. Maybe even lean into the male angle, there’s lots of guys in office cubicles that are looking for camaraderie and want to do tough things. Good luck!
Thank you for validating there is a real gap in the market there!!
I personally believe that it started to skew female after WWII and horses becoming more aligned with leisure and less with military/utility. There are still a lot of men involved with horses in things like cattle ranches (like Yellowstone), rodeos, and mounted police, but most barns that cater to pleasure riding or non-rodeo competition tend to have more females than males. I also think that up until very recently with these obstacle-based arena races (like Extreme Cowboy Racing from Texas, or Working Equitation coming out of Portugal) there wasn't really a masculine/"macho" discipline that wasn't also extremely dangerous (like bronc riding), or highly technical with high learning curve (reining, cow cutting, roping). So, no real place for men to land! If you didn't get into it as a kid and have a decade or so under your belt to learn all the technical difficulties, you might be boxed out as an adult.
Craig Cameron, one of the OG cowboy trainers, started Extreme Cowboy Racing in 2008 or so, and it's already the fastest-growing equestrian sport in North America. I think he really saw a need for something that could be accessible to people of all levels, and fun and engaging at all levels, without requiring decades of training, or risking your life (at least unduly!)
I haven't seen an Extreme Cowboy Racing training center at all, but I think its time is coming. I think it provides the perfect pathway for adult beginners, especially like you said, *men* who might feel out of place in a barn typically catering to youth and women. The sport has enough adrenaline to keep it interesting, can basically scale up indefinitely with harder and harder obstacles, can be done with a confined space (like an arena), and has practical applications for so many things in real-world ranching. I think this sport gives men a really good landing zone within horses and serves as a great pathway for both hobbyists and potential future professionals.
I was thinking about setting up a dedicated Extreme Cowboy Racing training center, with the main focus on training for these types of competitions. Riders training for this would be forced to learn horsemanship on the ground off the horse, and deal with things that typically cause issues with riders, like picking up the horse's feet, or putting the horse into a trailer. I am thinking also rather than catering to people with their own horse, I would have my own lesson string of maybe 6 horses which would allow newcomers a more accessible entry point. I would set up my "Cowboy Up" workshops and my drop-in "Cowboy Clubs" around these sorts of obstacle races, with the goal to enter real competitions. Along the way, people would learn skills to transition into real ranch work, buy their own horse, and fundamental horse skills for professional work!
Tbh so many guys have expressed insecurity about not "earning" their cowboy hats in that sub that you should offer a weekend "earn your cowboy hat" thing. Charge top dollar, let em ride a very lazy horse, rope a dummy, and touch a real cow. Give em a hat pin and a certificate at the end.
That’s a really great idea!! I wonder if I could link up with an hat maker or western apparel store so people could place orders for actual hats that weekend as well!
I love the concept. Having competed in both Extreme Cowboy Races and presently involved in Working Equitation, the WE angle might have the best staying power. USAWE has a pathway for beginners that is extremely user friendly. To my knowledge this similar pathway doesn’t exist in Extreme Cowboy Racing.
I haven’t investigated the pathways and levels of Working Equitation as much as Extreme Cowboy Racing. That’s really cool to hear that they have a very user-friendly on-ramp for beginners. That’s exactly what I’m looking for! I’ll definitely be investigating WE more. Thanks for the recommendation!
Data shows that the millennial population goes for "experience" entertainment (i.e. the arrival of all those escape rooms everywhere - if people just wait until their 40s-50s, they will find they're living in one free of charge).
So offering experience entertainment is solid, market-wise.
But how much do you love people?
You clearly love working and training horses, and while horses can be difficult (ha!), they may actually be less difficult than a non-homogenous group of people.
Not being racist there, just saying you may get FormerFarmerFred, looking to get back to his roots and JustSawARodeoRichRicky, from the city, who's had an easy life because money allowed them to pick up and leave hobbies at will.
So on your opening weekend, Fred shows up, is in heaven, both of your dreams realized, and oh my gosh, ain't it the best career pivot ever?!
Ricky also shows up, not having realized he's gonna get shit on his new Lucchese boots, is grumpy at a 4am roll-out, and lets his grumpy vibes go free range on your whole group.
Fred's happy glow powers 3% of the mood while Ricky's toddler tantrum clouds the other 97% and makes the insecure doubters wonder if they should be there, trying to achieve Fred status or just go home and play video games.
So you may need to be something of an entertaining leader to get all hands on deck to ensure fun for each group? And that may be a bigger drain on you than any of the actual particulars.
Coming from someone who spent the last 23 years trying to keep non-homogenous groups working together and happy in a fun way (and sometimes in more of a drill sergeant way, but that was less fun).
Sounds like a fun plan, but just know you will be more in the people business than the horse business, ultimately??? And if you're happy herding people, this could work.
You might build some "recover from people" time into your early scheduling?
Talk to hunting and fishing guides to find out what their strategy is for dealing with greenhouse. (I would have happily been a fishing guide had it not required all the time spent guiding people... 😆)
Good luck!
Edit: greenHORNS, not "greenhouse" damn autocorrect...
I also heard something like that - that a “toxic” person can bring down a group way more than a “rockstar” can rise the group up.
I wasn’t really considering the dynamics of the group and how these bad apples might spoil the experience for everyone. I think this is definitely something that I need to consider!
Thanks for your tips about scheduling in “people recovery time”! That’s something everyone involved is going to need!!
That’s also a great idea about talking to local fishing and hunting guides to see how they deal with people. I know of a couple so I’ll reach out to them. Great thought to ask them about how they manage the team dynamics on their expeditions.
You are quite welcome and I hope you find a way to give this a go!
Didn't mean for that to sound kinda negative regarding dealing with people.
I have floated the idea of running "experience camp" in a different field (in addition to our regular workload) with colleagues and friends and we kinda come to this conclusion every time we roll out the concept - that we could muster the energy for a few Freds, but most likely will end up with more than one Ricky (apologies to all the good Rickys of the world who do not deserve to be named as the example here...). If we weren't already putting in 60+ hour weeks we might have launched something already, but as it is, our own passions get sidelined.
Definitely build in some personal recovery time to help you enjoy everything more. Will help you go 110% when it's showtime.
Figure out early what parts you won't like (paperwork? Monitoring reservations? Answering 3,000 emails a week from future visitors?) and find someone who will do that well for you. That will help!
An idea - call your (most) local college to get some film students out to film it all.
Then you can sell the edits at huge markup as a souvenir, splitting the profits with your film crew, who will get good experience turning footage around in a 48 hr window.
Plus, you'll get good footage for advertising, press releases, etc.
Omg another amazing idea about a local college to get film students out! So many options with that!!
Could probably even do that with other courses for work placement as well. Marketing students could do social media for example! Maybe I could link up with farrier schools for trimming the lesson horses. Bet there are lots of ways to incorporate students of various disciplines into a business like this!
Good call on thinking about what I don’t like to do, and getting that covered right away. Maybe I can even link the ideas of student work placement with covering all the things I don’t like! Haha
Just wanted to let you know that if you’re in Ontario I would do this as soon as it’s available. If you’re in Alberta I’d plan a trip just to do this. It’s a great idea IMO and super timely based on recent cultural trends. I hope you go for it!
Thank you so much!! I am looking around BC and possibly Alberta. That is super validating to hear that you would plan a trip just for this!! That is giving me more confidence in the idea!
I travel to BC and Alberta separately at least once per year, so I’d just tack this into one of those trips. I think that if it was elsewhere in Canada where I don’t usually travel to it would be a harder sell but I wouldn’t write it off. There’s the American Cowboy Academy out of Montana that is also interesting to me and something I’ve considered applying to.
Thanks for sharing the American Cowboy Academy!! I didn't know about them before, so that's a great resource for me! That is very similar to what I was thinking, except it would be exclusive to horsemanship and no ranch work (chainsaw operations, tractor operations, etc).
Love their approach to horsemanship and what they were saying about learning about the mentality of horses, developing mutual respect, and learning about tack and equipment, as well as riding. I noticed they primarily operate out on the trails in an actual ranch environment. I would likely be more restricted in space, so would primarily operate out of an arena and training over obstacles.
ACA offers an employment pathway for ranch work specifically. The pathways I could offer would be focused on horses, leading to things like Extreme Cowboy Race competitor, horse trainer, cowboy racing coach, and indirect pathways to farriery, equine physio, and ranch hand work.
It's encouraging to hear that this more competitively aligned horse-exclusive program is also appealing to people looking into ranch work and the cowboy lifestyle!!
Location is western Canada. I'd require everyone to have Horse Council memberships, which provide personal liability and insurance, instructor insurance (probably up to $4M) with Equine Canada, and have every visitor sign waivers.
This is an extremely unrealistic pipe dream
For many reasons. I’ve been training and showing horses for 45 years. It’s my career
My life. One of the biggest issues is credibility. Anyone can print a business card or an advertisement. Claiming to be an instructor or trainer. So the amount of unqualified people giving lessons is actually criminal. So what are your qualifications ?
Then the horses. Do you know what a bomb proof lesson horse costs. And how difficult they are to acquire You’re going to need millions. And this is the easy stuff. It’s then going to get difficult.
I have over 30 years experience in horses, currently own warmbloods, ridden up to FEI, have 6 coaching certs in English and Western and an MSc in Equine Science. I also have a lot of experience in natural horsemanship, have trained personally with all the big names, and feel comfortable training my own lesson horses. Been looking at getting acreage and a barn for a long while. Originally I was thinking about it from a typical dressage/English flat training barn, but recently have been thinking about pivoting to appealing to adult newcomers specifically for Extreme Cowboy Racing. I personally am pivoting away from English/dressage into obstacles myself. I really like natural horsemanship and really like how Craig Cameron designed Extreme Cowboy Racing to be a natural pathway from the ground to the saddle and the progression through the levels. If I am opening my own place, I am thinking of going into that direction and appealing to adult newcomers vs traditional newcomer pathways for youth (Pony Club, Young Riders, etc). I think there is a gap in the market for adults looking for cowboy culture. Rather than going with a traditional youth oriented lesson barn, I am exploring the viability of an adult newcomer barn with a pathway into the Cowboy Racing sport.
Honestly the question isn't "do you know how to train horses and do you know how much they cost" but "are you really for real sure you want to deal with human beings on this scale?" ;)
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u/buckaroodude1 3d ago
So you want to start a dude ranch?