Taylor Thoman

FIFTH Generation Rancher

Some traditions take grit—and five generations of experience—to keep going. You don’t learn ranching overnight. Or by reading a book. Just ask Taylor Thoman, who’s been working on her family ranch since she could ride. With a grandma in the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame, she’s got all the instruction she could ask for. “It’s learning from the best of the best,” she says. Here are a few ways you can get ranch ready yourself.

For Taylor and her family, ranching isn’t business. It’s a way of life. “It’s something that just keeps passing down,” she says. And if you want to introduce your family to the Western way of life, there’s no better way than a Wyoming dude ranch.

Here are just a few reasons dude ranches make the perfect family getaway.

Good luck running a ranch without a reliable horse. They can get you just about anywhere to get the job done. But equine camaraderie goes beyond business. So whether you feel like a half-hour trail ride or a three-day trek through epic wilderness, you can always count on a horse to take you further.

Check out how you can saddle up in Wyoming.

Rodeo was born on ranches as a friendly competition among hands. Today, it’s an arena-worthy spectacle. One that the Thomans know plenty about. Mary “Mickey” Thoman competed for decades—and has the brass to prove it. But she’d say the only way to experience rodeo is right there ring side.

So come get up close and personal with our state sport.