Ride of your life

Anne Atkins takes her family on a journey to America and fulfils a dream of living the life of cowboys and Indians. Travelling across the plains on horseback clearly is not just for the likes of John Wayne. Images by Serena Atkins.

Above: The Shawnee rodeo Image by Serena Atkins

The night was lit up by a thousand dancing fireflies and a million shimmering stars. As we sat around the dying embers listening to stories of ancient cattle-lore, our four year old, Rosie, played with the other children in the camp. We had been in the States just 24 hours (after an incident-free, punctual flight with United Airlines – other travellers we met were not so lucky). For years we had wanted to try ranching and finally, last winter, I’d started planning it.

Trouble was, there were so many choices to make. Did we want a ‘dude’ (or guest) ranch? A luxury resort ranch? Or a working cattle ranch? Serena, our eldest – a serious rider and professional wild-life photographer – was adamant that we must experience the real thing, a proper working farm. But I’d heard that the food can be pretty basic and you may have to wash up at an outside tap... Besides Bink, our other daughter, needs clean baths and a certain amount of luxury to be happy.

And where do you go? Montana has great scenery but seemed expensive; Arizona is sweltering in July. And would we need a car, or to book accommodation en route? It was becoming a logistical nightmare. Then, almost by mistake, I discovered Kansas and Oklahoma Travel, Tourism and Recreation, who were so helpful and willing to plan our trip that with a sigh of relief I handed over all decision-making.

I knew nothing about either state. But gradually I began to discover that not only is this perfect, wide-open-prairie cattle country – ideal for ranching – but it is also the last refuge of the Native American. A theme was beginning to emerge... I’d always been mad on cowboys and Indians as a child.

Our first destination was Council Grove, in Kansas, where we were greeted by the tourist representative, Kay Hutchison. He was wonderfully considerate and welcoming, gave us our first American meal (enormous salads and chilled Coca-Cola, perfect for such heat), bought us all straw Stetsons, and delivered us to Flint Hills Overnight Wagon Trips, to experience a recreation of the historic wagon trails through the high-grass prairies, when the original settlers went West. We first spotted the group resting under trees, some with authentic long frocks and aprons, and two of the loveliest teams of horses I’ve ever seen – huge, roundedly-rumped and perfectly matching.

Aboard or walking alongside the canvas-covered wagons, we trundled on to our night-time campsite. There, we spread sleeping gear out in wagons or on the ground, and gathered for a dinner cooked using the original Frontier methods of hot coals under Dutch ovens... though sadly, because of recent health and safety regulations, they now also have to employ latex gloves and an enclosed catering caravan.

The next day, and all too soon, found us back in Council Grove for a brief tour including a visit to the tiny museum, telling the shocking tale of the abused Native American. I am ashamed to admit that, until then, I had had little idea of the extent and ruthlessness of the genocide.

Then we were on to our first ranch, the Moore Family Ranch near Dodge City. This was to be our working ranch experience, so we didn’t necessarily expect luxury. But we found a great welcome: Joe and Nancy Moore were exceptionally friendly, we were told to make their home ours, to disturb them any time we needed them and to say if we lacked anything. This was a good start, as it was already late at night and they clearly hadn’t realised we hadn’t eaten.

Next day, Rosie was given her own pony and taught how to stop. Since my negotiations with other ranches had floundered on whether a four- year-old would be allowed to ride at all (even with a leading rein) I was thrilled. And when I asked about hard hats (compulsory even for adults at previous destinations) Nancy said she’d have a look but they’d never bothered with their own children...

Within an hour we were all out, Rosie cantering up the hillside after the cattle with the rest of us, laughing with delight. She kept losing her stirrups, but Nancy said this was much better for her balance and that their children had learnt bareback, so soon she went out without a saddle too.

I don’t know how we crammed so much in, but we camped out by a creek, rounded up cattle, learnt to rope, mended fences from a horse-drawn cart, rode for hour after hour and at the end of our week, hadn’t had nearly enough.

Our next stop, Tiger Mountain Ranch in Oklahoma, was a guest ranch. It boasted a stunning setting over a lake and various gentle activities – swimming and boating, native American crafts and wildlife walks (with Moses and his Cherokee family who live there), fishing and clay-pigeon shooting. It’s not the place to go for hours of fast riding or learning cow-skills: there are only half a dozen horses, which we had to share with other guests. But for teenagers who mostly want to chill out, it is perfect.

Tatanka Ranch was our most luxurious destination. The food was to die for, the hospitality wonderful, the saltwater swimming pool gorgeous, the quad-biking fun, and Rosie was given private riding lessons: our two days there were just not long enough.

Our final stop was Ravenswood, a shooting lodge. The Corbet family housed us in a lovely rustic lodge and gave us a scrumptious dinner, and the next morning treated us to their entire shooting course – clay-pigeons from every direction: over water, against the sun, leaping from behind trees, bouncing through ditches. We learnt a great deal and it made me long to go back in season, and have a week there shooting game. After all it would probably be cheaper than a day’s shooting in Britain.

We had other great experiences throughout our stay. Against expectations, the National Cowboy Museum had us riveted for hours. The Cherokee Heritage Centre was fascinating but also very sad. It has a reconstructed life size Cherokee village, where members of the tribe still demonstrate traditional crafts and hunting skills – and that evening, they enacted a play about their history.

And our visit to the rodeo in Shawnee was unlike anything you could experience in the UK: high school students being tossed off bucking broncos and bulls; 16-year-old cowgirls hurling themselves from galloping horses at goats to tie them up. Apparently tiny tots learn by hanging on to bucking sheep. Afterwards, our hosts from Shawnee Tourism gave us a huge bag full of presents – mugs, teashirts, books and CDs for all the family.

In Oklahoma City, we dined at Toby Keith’s, where hundreds of tables crowd under the main Country and Western stage for signed artists in the state. It was full and busy, and, like so much in the US, exceptionally friendly: when we bet our son (a bass guitarist) a tenner to see whether he could talk his way into performing, the band welcomed him on stage immediately.

It was a great three weeks. The highlight – we all agreed – was the Moore’s ranch... and for me, seeing Rosie canter confidently through the prairie in a Stetson.

Travel information:
United Airlines fights from £547.30 return, Heathrow to Kansas City, 0845 844 4777, www.unitedairlines.co.uk.
Car hire:, www.budget.co.uk.
Camping equipment, www.outdoorworld.co.uk.
Kansas and Oklahoma Information Service, 08450 533 290:, www.TravelKsOk.co.uk.
Council Grove CC and Tourism, www.councilgrove.com. Shawnee CVB, www.visitshawnee.com.
The Moore Ranch, www.longhorn-cattle.com.
Tiger Mountain Ranch, www.tigermountainranch.com. Tatanka Ranch, www.thetatankaranch.com.
Ravenwood Lodge, www.ravenwoodlodge.com.
Flint Hills Overland Wagon Trips, www.wagontrainkansas.com.
National Cowboy Museum,
www.nationalcowboymuseum.com
Cherokee Heritage Center, www.CherokeeHeritage.org