Testimonials
I brought my daughters’ Girl Scout troops here for a weekend camp a couple weekends ago, and it was a fun-packed weekend of riding, vaulting (actually doing simple gymnastics on a huge draft horse named Lucy Belle), animal care (feeding and caring for the goats and sheep and grooming the ponies), and very interesting animal science and horse science classes/tours. I liked the fact that even us adults/leaders got the chance to ride – usually the kids get to have all the fun!
The staff was really incredible – you can tell that they are really “horse people” — really know, understand and love horses. They are also extremely good with teaching/ leading groups of kids; very patient and understanding. By the end, our group of 7-10 year olds (many of whom had little to no riding experience) were all riding quite well and able to lead and direct their horses – I was really happy and impressed. We finished off Saturday w/ a campfire w/ skits and songs, and there was a horse show on Sunday that all the kids participated in.
The Ranch is in a beautiful setting – trees, landscaping, and a Western town theme. We stayed in a “Schoolhouse” w/ bunks, and the bathrooms had hot showers, toilets and running water – not bad for “camping.” There’s both an outdoor and indoor riding arena, so if it rains (which it happened to do w/ us on Sunday), it doesn’t have to “dampen” your trip. Meals weren’t gourmet, but were very good for “camp” — we had burgers, fried chicken w/ mashed potatoes and gravy, and for breakfast, eggs & sausage one day, and waffles the next. I was just glad I didn’t have to cook or wash dishes! All the girls (and even us adults) had a great time, and I would absolutely recommend Rawhide Ranch!
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Val, Tom, and staff,
I just want to send a thank you to all of you for such a wonderful weekend. It was a learning and growing experience for our girls and our moms. I could not have asked for a more perfect place for our girls and moms to learn independence and personal responsibility.
My special thanks to Chef Stewart and his staff for the excellent food. I thought I had died and gone to heaven with the grilled veggies on Sunday.
The staff had the perfect blend of caring for and challenging the campers. They expected and respected the girls to strive for new skills. The hands on responsibilities of Animal Care is something everyone should have to do for at least a week….
Thank you again for a wonderful learning and growing environment.
My younger daughter, Meg, did a summer week last year and LOVED it! One day this last winter someone asked her what has the best day of her life. She said she wasn’t sure which day it was but she knew where it was – at Rawhide Ranch! Wow! That is saying a lot because she has had a wonderful life.
Thanks so much. We are looking forward to sending both Meg and her older sister Molly this year. I signed them up for the July session.
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Dear Rawhide Ranch,
I love Rawhide! It is one of the happiest places on earth (I read that on one of the walls in the Frontiersman bunks). You guys do a wonderful job. Recently I went to Rawhide with my Girl Scout troop. I was really excited to come back after a wondrous week at summer camp. It was my best friend’s first time at Rawhide and she loved it. I really want her to come with me to summer camp this year because I know she would love it and I think she’ll come. I love all the horses on the ranch and it is so cool how you get your “own” horse, that’s my favorite part because all of the horses have a different personality. When I recently came Eric led chapel, I loved it. He was so funny! I can’t wait to see all the babies like Candy’s when I come to summer camp( that is if you feel comfortable letting campers see it). I’ll see you in about 4+ months!
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Just want to support you on your policy of not allowing cell phones. I’m sure you get a lot of parents’ complaining about it and I just want to say, “STAY STRONG!”
I think it’s great that kids have to go a WHOLE week without talking to their parents. It builds independence and self-reliance and it’s getting harder and harder for kids to be allowed to do that these days.
GO RAWHIDE!
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Dear Rawhide Ranch:
Thank you for letting our troop come to this great place. Tell Salisox Madeline misses her. I think the food you served was the best ever. Thank you for the headband, I where it like every day. I can’t what to come back.
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Dear Rawhide Ranch Staff:
Just a letter of thanks to ya-all for a “non-stop-talking-about-it” camp for our son, Bryce. In fact, he had SUCH A GOOD TIME there, he’s planning on coming back this summer.
Rawhide Ranch holds a special place in my heart and the memory of it always brings a smile to my face as I went there when I was about my son’s age and remember it as being one of my FAVORITE childhood memories….it’s refreshing to see that this one good thing is still around……..
Keep up the good work and God Bless You all!
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Dear Rawhide,
It was only a few days ago I came to Rawhide. I thought it was better than all the other camps I went to. The food was delicious and the cabin was perfect. The horses were also very well trained. My favorite horse that I rode was Lucy. You know, the paint mare with a short tail? Anyway, I loved Rawhide. I thought it was worthy of all the fundraising my troop did. I liked the housing, food, horses, training, and special events at Rawhide.
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”Thank you for the great time at Rawhide. It was the best. Usually when the 6th grade campers come back they would say that the camp they went to was “ok”………….but this camp was GREAT and many kids in my class want to go back again.”
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“I just want to say that your camp is the best camp in the world, and your horses are some of the nicest in the world!!!!!
Me and my friends had the time of our lives. My favorite horse is Attagirl,I hope she will be returning to the ranchhand riding program very soon. I love the fort the wagon train and the schoolhouse so much. Although I do wish that the girls would get a chance to stay in the teepees. It would be very fun. Thanks so much
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I would just like to thank you all for the fabulous weekend our girl scout troop had last weekend. All of the counsellors at the ranch and all of the people in contact with the girls were fabulous!!! There was one problem at the pony barn but that was all. Special thanks to Ben, Ginny, Diana and the instructor at the Pony barn (i’m horrible with names—sorry) they were especially wonderful. I had one of my girls that was TERRIFIED of horses, but thanks to Diana’s patience by the end of the weekend she was very comfortable riding “Glory” and I’m sure had a VERY good feeling of accomplishment by being able to overcome her fear.
The food was Great, the accomodations first rate, the setting and ambiance picturesque, and we LOVED the bathrooms 
Tell Ben THANKS from “blame Canada”
We hope to be out there again!
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Incredible!
… as I was reading an email this morning I saw a tag line that said Rawhide Ranch. I couldn’t believe it was MY Rawhide ranch…the one I grew up going to, the one Aunt Micky ran…the one my dad used to check on horses for! Sorry…I jumped ahead.
My parents lived in Escondido from the late 50’s on. My father was a veterinarian who worked all over the county inspecting cattle and later, running his own animal hospital in San Diego. Somewhere in there our family became close to the original owners of Rawhide. I was brought into the picture many years later and really only knew Aunt Micky – as my siblings called her. I spent many a summer with friends up at Rawhide, and then later, sent my son for a few summers.
We have since moved to Arizona where we are currently melting in the 115 degree days! It was fun this morning to look at your map, see what things you have updated and of course, see all the things that are still the same. I much preferred the fort to the wagons!
Lastly, I would love for you to tell “Dr.” Colburn I said Hi next time he comes by. Before he was a Dr., he was a friend in FFA back in my day….but he would know me by Carolyn ….from San Pasqual.
Keep up the great work. Rawhide is more then just a camp….it’s a bucket load of memories that will last me a lifetime.
And apparently, your adverting is getting your name out there!
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I just wanted to drop a line and tell you how much I loved rawhide ranch as a child. I went there most summers for several years. It was such a (refreshing) change from my hometown of Newport Beach. Now I am all grown up, I work on an educational (working) ranch in Arkansas, and I have a deep affection for goats which I think I developed in my greenhorn class there, where I learned that boy goats pee on their own heads to attract women.
I can’t say that I have horses and chickens at home all because of my time at RR, but it was definitely my first exposure to rural-type life.
Have a great day, and keep up the good work!
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I just wanted to send a quick thank you for the fantastic time we had at the ranch two weekends ago. A couple of our girls went home in tears~because they had so much fun they did not want to leave! We were fortunate enough to have most of our moms there so it was not only a wonderful bonding experience for the girls but also some quality mother-daughter bonding. I would highly recommend the camp to all, rain or shine. Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity.
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