Generations have worked, played and spent many a holiday at the Schoonover family's century-old Western Pleasure Guest Ranch – set in the scenic, pine-crested foothills of the Cabinet Mountains.
Ranch proprietor Janice with her daughter Danielle and daughter-in-law Libby run most of the day-to-day. Barn duty still takes up much of their time, but their repertoire’s expanded to include sales and marketing for a booming guest-lodging business – where good old-fashioned hospitality still reigns.
The Western Pleasure Guest Ranch offers what they call “adventure vacations,” where guests can partake in daily horseback rides or Nordic skiing through the Idaho wilderness. Hand-hewn log cabins lend fantastic views of the surrounding countryside. At night, guests can settle in with a gourmet meal by the wood fire, complete with evening entertainment. If they’re lucky, they may even catch an impromptu performance featuring the Schoonovers themselves.
Though the ranch has gone through many changes over the years, its core values remain: hard work, integrity – and above all, family.
In ranching, the bond between horse and rider is sacred. The Schoonovers spend most of their waking hours on or around these four-legged friends, and stable time’s one constant that has remained since the ranch was founded over 100 years ago.
In ranching, the bond between horse and rider is sacred. The Schoonovers spend most of their waking hours on or around these four-legged friends, and stable time’s one constant that has remained since the ranch was founded over 100 years ago.
