Reset and Refresh

Grace Reins 

Photo: Grace Reins

“Here, you get to be heart-to-heart and eye-to-eye with these thousand-pound, magical animals,” says Erin Cain, owner of nonprofit Grace Reins, which provides equine therapy services. Cain is a therapeutic riding instructor and equine specialist in mental health and learning, certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. Her mission is to enhance and help to heal people’s lives through equine therapy and horse-partnering. “Most anyone can benefit from being around horses,” she says. “Horses don’t punish you for your fears or shame, as long as you bring your authentic self.”

Cain and her horses work with anyone who wants to relax into the present and learn about self, boundaries, respect, communication and leadership. Every visitor to Grace Reins, located outside of Placerville, west of Telluride, can count on a custom experience. Says Cain, “It depends on who is participating. I can guarantee it will be enlightening and unique. It’s often very different from what people may expect.” Visitors also interact with the West’s equine legacy through wild mustangs, adopted from regional herds that live on Bureau of Land Management lands. There’s no horseback riding here, just time spent on the ground, being with the horses. Cain will be at the Telluride Yoga Festival at the end of June collaborating with other healing practitioners and notes, “Horses’ hearts beat at half the rate of ours. Just putting your hand on a horse for a time will lower your heart rate, drop your shoulders. You will feel grounded, rooted, safe.”

Ride With a Legend

Telluride Horseback Adventures

Photo: Brett Schreckengost

For five decades, Roudy Roudebush has been sharing with guests his love for stories, horses and stunning landscapes on his trail rides, winter sleigh rides and equine-themed weddings at Telluride Horseback Adventures. “I was horse crazy from birth,” says Roudebush, who started leading rides out of Telluride Town Park in the early 1970s. In those days, when there was still an active mine in town, Roudebush recalls that you could go and listen to a miner play Mozart on the piano in the Roma bar and pretty much anybody knew how many sticks of dynamite it took to blow an 8-by-8 hole. These days, Roudebush and his horses are based just outside of Norwood, where they take private groups of riders ages 9 and older through terrain that he says he feels blessed to call home. 

Something of a local historian and seasoned raconteur, Roudebush counts as a local legend, known for his homegrown storytelling, one-liners and quick wit, as well as his genuine interest in people and for riding his horse right into the New Sheridan Bar once or twice a year. He and his horses ride forever on film in Disney’s 2004 documentary, America’s Heart and Soul, as well as in numerous advertisements and other media appearances. Says Roudebush, “The American cowboy is still alive and well.” So are his timeless tales, told in ways only a legend can.

Wagon Rides, Storytelling, Dinner

Telluride Sleighs and Wagons

Photo: Sleighs and Wagons

For decades, the Aldasoro Ranch was primarily a sheep farm operated by the Aldasoro family. Now, the 740 acres of ranchlands located about 4 miles west of Telluride is home to Telluride Sleighs and Wagons, an operation founded and owned by fifth-generation family member Ashley Story. There, Story and her team take visitors on a horse-drawn wagon ride (or a sleigh ride in winter), sharing family tales before a gourmet dinner in a charming yurt. Story’s team includes Justin and Ashley Shupp of Horse Play, who live on the ranch and care for seven draft horses. Some of the seven were rescued and are in retirement, and one is too young to pull a wagon, but four — pairs Pearl and Beau and Ben and Jerry — pull the wagons and sleighs on the incredibly scenic property. 

The dinner location is an homage to a shepherd’s camp: a canvas-walled tent, kitchen and bonfire with a western-themed upscale barbecue dinner, storytelling and a panoramic view of surrounding mountains. Chef Graeme Charles, who lives on the property too, brings his extensive culinary training and years of experience. “Cooking is Graeme’s passion and he loves to share it,” Story says, adding that she enjoys welcoming people to the land that has been her family’s home for so long. “A lot of people come to Telluride, Mountain Village and they don’t venture beyond that much. This is a great way to share this land and five generations of history. Most people who come with us are looking for a unique experience and a bit of an adventure — with delicious food.”

Ranch to Table

Telluride Wranglers

Photo: Josh King

Noah and Christina Gregory of Telluride Wranglers love the outdoors and they love mustangs, several of which live in their herd of 30 horses. “We pride ourselves on strong mountain horses who are incredibly hardy and can take this mountain terrain,” says Noah Gregory. They’re also proud of shaping their year to revolve around horses, with offerings designed for each season. In summer, the focus is on trail and wagon rides and pack trips. Fall is for hunting, packing and game retrieval. In winter, the sleighs come out. 

Trail rides are private, creating an intimate adventure. “This allows us to cater to the riding ability of that group, so guests get to experience what they want,” Gregory says. The Gregorys meet their guests at area trailheads where they can access more than 100 miles of trails on U.S. National Forest lands. Each year, they try to expand and add new trails. Guests of Telluride Wranglers can preorder barbeque or charcuterie from a menu catered by Sawpit Mercantile, complete. A pack mule then carries the picnic to a lunchtime meadow. In addition, a partnership with Schmid Ranch gives the full ranch-to-table wagon ride experience for private groups who can enjoy a chuck wagon-style grill out at a cabin on the historic property. Says Noah Gregory, “We love being in the mountains. Riding through the power and majesty of this country on big, beautiful animals. Why wouldn’t you do it?”