Our 2024 Season
Fun and Learning for People of All Ages!
Whether you want to ride or just interact with a horse,
Dunrovin has the program for you!
Trail Rides - Ranch, River, Forest, and Historical Rides for riders at least eight years old
Horsing Around - Lessons, Group Corral Sessions, and Non-Riding Activities for all ages, Meet and Greet Group Outings at Dunrovin
Children's Programs - Pony Club, Summer Ranch Camp, and Apprenticeship Program
Please note that Dunrovin does not offer unsupervised horse activities (horse rentals). Nor does it offer either short or long-term horse boarding.
A note on prices: The cost of maintaining horses in Western Montana has risen dramatically in the past two years, which has unfortunately made it necessary for Dunrovin to raise its 2024 prices. Dunrovin's horseback riding activities are now generally priced at the base rate of $90/hour/rider, which reflects the actual costs of providing these services. Group activities, children under the age of 13, and non-riding horse activities are all discounted.
Trail Ride Requirements:
- Children must be at least 8 years old to participate in trail rides.
- Riders must weigh less than 220 lbs.
- Dunrovin requires riders to wear helmets (provided), long pants, and sturdy, close-toed shoes (no sandals).
- Riders must sign the Dunrovin Liability Waiver.
All trail rides begin in our arena, where you will be introduced to your equine partner and given a short lesson on how to best communicate with him/her.
Please note that our public trail rides are available to people with various horsemanship abilities and experiences. Trail Rides booked through this website are public and may include people with very different horsemanship abilities and desires. All public rides proceed at a pace that is comfortable for the least experienced rider. If you are an experienced rider and want to ensure a fast-paced trail ride, we can convert any of our public trail rides to private rides for an additional 25% fee per person. Similarly, we can convert a part-day (4 hours) forest ride to a full-day ( 6 to 7 hours) ride for an additional 25% fee per person. Send an email to dunrovin@gmail.com to request and reserve a private trail ride or extend a part-day forest ride to a full-day forest ride.
The Forest rides and the National Historic Trail ride require a group of at least two riders and a maximum of five riders.
Ride through the ranch and along the west side of the Bitterroot River where you may see any number of different birds and encounter deer or other wildlife.
Let your steady stead give you the thrill of riding across the beautiful river Bitterroot River and through the mixed forest on the east side where wildlife abounds.
Learn to load and unload your horse to travel a short distance to a Lolo National Forest trail head where you will then glide through varied forest types and with great mountain views.
The cost of a forest ride for a single rider is $500. Please book by sending an inquiry to dunrovin@gmail.com
NOTE: The Horsing Around Section offers horse activities other than trail rides for both adults and children.
Riding activities will include individual and group horseback riding lessons, mixed-age group corral sessions, and pony rides.
Non-riding horse activities include grooming, bathing, and ground training/leadership.
Horsing Around Requirements:
- Riders must weigh less than 230 lbs.
- Rider must wear helmets (provided) and long pants.
- Participants in horse related activities must wear close-toed shoes (no sandals).
- All participants must sign the Dunrovin Liability Waiver.
Please arrive 10 minutes before any session begins.
Adult horsemanship lessons include the entire process of getting the horse from its stall, grooming, tacking, riding or training, and putting the horse back in its stall. Limit of 2 adults per lesson. These lessons are 1-1.5 hours long.
Children's lessons also include grooming, saddling, riding, and untacking the horse or pony. Lessons can be private for one child only or a group of up to three children. Children's lessons run 1 hour.
Please call or email to schedule a lesson or lesson package!
These two-hour family-fun corral sessions are specifically designed to accommodate groups with small children, grandparents, or adults who may be experiencing horses for the very first time. It is the perfect outing for groups of mixed ages and horsemanship abilities, such as family reunions and birthday parties. Dunrovin works with the group's interests and abilities to select the right horse and pony partners for coached horseback riding and horsemanship games as well as non-riding activities such as grooming, bathing, horse painting, or leading horses through obstacles. Contact us to schedule your group, or email us at dunrovin@gmail.com. Corral sessions include three additional hours on the ranch property for group picnics, river recreation, or lawn games.
Additional hours are priced at $200/hour. Additional riders are priced at $150/rider. Please contact us to schedule groups of 8 or more.
Groups of 6 or fewer (additional people at $25/person/hour) of any age can gather to meet, greet, and interact with the Dunrovin horses, ponies, and donkeys. Our guides will work with you to put together an agenda of activities that may include short rides (minimum age is three years old) in our arena or round pen, painting/decorating, petting, grooming, and/or bathing, leading through obstacles, or feeding the animals in their stalls.
Bring your picnic! Meet and Greet sessions include an hour of unsupervised onsite use of Dunrovin's picnic tables, Bitterroot River beach, and activity lawn.
Email to inquire about individual meet and greets!
Children's Requirements:
- Riders must wear helmets (provided), long pants, and sturdy close-toe shoes (no sandals).
- Parents must submit a signed Dunrovin Liability Waiver for each child.
Please arrive 10 minutes before your sessions begin.
Fall After-School Kids Pony Club
Pony Club tuition is $500/child.
Each spring and fall, Dunrovin offers six-week after-school (4:30PM to 6:00PM) Pony Club programs of 1.5-hour horsemanship and riding classes per week for children aged 6 to 13 years old. Class sessions are generally held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The Spring Progam starts in late April and runs through early Jun. The Fall Program starts in mid-September and runs through late October. Sessions are limited to 6 participants and are taught by 2 instructors. Make-up sessions are scheduled for any sessions canceled by Dunrovin for weather or other extenuating circumstances.
Please check back on this site by February 1, 2025. for specific Pony Club schedules and to register your child.
- Session 1 is for ages 6 to 13 on Tuesdays from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
- Session 2 is for ages 6 to 13 on Wednesdays from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
- Session 3 is for ages 6 to 13 on Thursdays from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
All riding lessons start with the basics of horse safety and awareness, leading the horse or pony, grooming, saddling, and finally riding. Each lesson increases the child’s abilities and builds upon the knowledge from previous sessions.
You can register your child by clicking on the desired session (below), making your payment, downloading the Pony Club registration form, and emailing it back to dunrovin@gmail.com.
Summer Ranch Camps 2024
Summer Ranch Day Camps are open to children who are at least 8 years old.
- The minimum age for campers is 8 years old.
- Camps run from 9AM until 4PM Monday through Friday. Children should be dropped off no earlier than 9AM and picked up by 4PM.
- Camps consist of a minimum of 2 hours of horseback riding plus 2 hours of horse care (feeding, grooming, washing, manure scooping, etc.). the remaining 4 hours include ranch games (which may include playing in the Bitterroot River), nature education, and art crafts.
- Children are to bring their own lunches and water bottles. Snacks of fruit and nut-free energy bars are provided.
- Each camp will feature a live-streamed presentation via the DaysAtDunrovin webcam broadcasting network. Campers will be given coupon codes to invite their friends and relatives to watch them live as they perform on their horses
Camp 1: July 15 thru July 19
Camp 2: July 29 thru Aug 2
You can bet that July will bring hot weather and time to play in the Bitterroot River. The kids will be ready to get wet all over after their horseback riding sessions.
Camp 3: August 12 thru August 16
This camp is part of the Friends of Dunrovin's annual fundraising event, the Equine Art Extravaganza. Campers will learn to paint and decorate a live horse and host a presentation for parents on the last day.
You can register your child by clicking on the desired session, making your payment, downloading the 2024_Ranch_Camp_Registration Form, and emailing it back to dunrovin@gmail.com
Youth Apprenticeship Program 2024
Dunrovin Ranch's Youth Apprenticeship program is intended to give young pre-teens and teens from the ages of 12 to 15 the opportunity to prepare for the working world by learning basic employment skills such as responsibility, time management, teamwork, leadership, communication, problem-solving, and self-confidence.
Apprentices shadow and assist a Dunrovin Ranch employee throughout the day from 8AM to 4PM. This weekly program is available every week from the week of June 10th through the week of August 26th, with the exception of the week of July 4th. The cost is $600/apprentice/week.
To ensure quality mentorship, a maximum of 2 apprentices can enroll per week. Participants bring their own lunches, snacks, and water bottles. They must wear helmets while riding (provided) and abide by Dunrovin's employee dress code of long pants, close-toe sturdy shoes, and shirts with short or long sleeves.
Apprentices are given a minimum of 4 hours of horseback riding instruction per week and are introduced to the following ranch tasks
- Safety procedures for handling and being in contact with horses
- The foundations of horse care and animal husbandry
- Cleaning tack, horse stalls, and lodging accommodations
- Saddling & grooming horses
- Basic veterinary care
- Basic landscaping and grounds upkeep
- Customer service
- Riding lessons and horsemanship
Dunrovin gives each apprentice an evaluation report at the end of each week identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of their performance relative to promptness, ownership of responsibilities, time management, teamwork, ability to communicate clearly, interaction with guest ranch clients, and problem-solving.
Youth can sign up for more than one week of the apprenticeship program and progress to greater responsibilities. Apprentices receiving satisfactory evaluations for a minimum of two sessions will be eligible for part-time employment with Dunrovin Ranch once they reach the age of 14.
You can pre-register your child for the apprenticeship program by downloading the Dunrovin Ranch Apprenticeship Program Registration Form and emailing it back to dunrovin@gmail.com.
Dunrovin will reach out to all parents/guardians who have pre-registered their child to confirm their acceptance into the program. Once notified, parents will have 3 days to make their online payment and submit the Dunrovin Liability Waiver to reserve their child's registration.