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Welcome
to the only Dude Ranch in the
Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee!
"Rough Cut"
Our guest lodge and western town
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Dude Ranch gives you these
things: a rest full place to relax and spend time with your family,
great food, great horses and trail experiences, and a vacation to
remember a lifetime.
1. Why does your ranch use all Arabians?
Answer: Our family started breeding Arabian horses in 1987.
In 1991, we decided to open a ranch so people could learn about the
Arabian horse and that they make very good trail horses. This fact is
not widely known since many Arabian horse owners prefer to show their
horses and leave them "Hot" which is a term for this breed of horse and
many others. In simple terms, horses that are not trained to face fear
using round pen training techniques, like in the movie "Horse
Whisperers," could be termed "hot blooded." The Arabian horse when
trained in this manner, makes one of the best trail horses, and our
record of safety proves it.
2. Can I bring my own horse?
Answer: We do not allow any outside horses.
3. Can I ride the horses without a guide?
Answer: No, all of our rides are with our experienced
guides.
4. Can I get a special menu for my package deal?
Answer: Yes, by request when you make your reservation, we can offer you a meatless
meal serving or lacto/ego vegetarian meals instead of our regular meals.
5. What should I wear for horseback riding and rafting?
Answer: Horseback riders should wear long pants and shoes
with heels. Rafters should wear clothes similar to beach wear or summer
jogging clothes. The time of year also determines what else you might
need, so keep that it mind as you pack.
6. Do you have a weight limit for horseback riding?
Answer: Yes we do, and it is 225 lbs to participate in all
the horseback activities. We do allow individuals between 225 lbs. and
250 lbs. maximum to do the following if they can physically mount the
horse and lean forward when needed: cattle drive, team penning, and the
blue trail; but we withhold the right to deny this if the horse shows
signs of not being able to perform safely. Anyone that is over 250 lbs.
is offered a 10% non riding discount (not available with some
discounts), as they can participate in the water and other activities
we offer.
7. Do you have a minimum riding age?
Answer: Yes. Kids 7 and older can ride on the trail rides
without taking a private lesson at the ranch. Kids 5 and 6 must take a
one hour lesson to determine if they have the skill and maturity to go
out on the regular rides. We can lead walk a horse in the corral
for kids less than 5 with one of their parents by their side for safety
a few minutes each day.
8. Can ranch personnel babysit my kids?
Answer: No. We are not authorized by the State of Tennesee
to babysit. We do have a couple times each week during the summer
primarily, kids programs when sometimes their parents are elsewhere,
but kids less than 7 require at least one adult to stay behind and
accompany them. Our programs are set up for families to stay together
as much as possible, to maximize good times together.
9. If I have to cancel after mailing in my check, would I
get a refund?
Answer: Our policy is as
follows. If you cancel at least 60 days ahead of your arrival date,
then you would get back your deposit less a 20% administration fee. If
you cancel less than 60 days, then we would only refund your deposit if
we can fill the space we were holding for you. If you have a large
deposit, we recommend that you look into travelers insurance. We try to
work with each cancellation to give you a chance to re-book later if
possible.
Travel Guard
Travel Safe
10. Can I keep a cooler in my room or cabin?
Answer: No, but you can keep one on the covered deck
of the building or cabin you're staying in. Coolers with ice sweat and
most of our floors are wood so it creates damage when it gets wet from
a cooler.
11. Can I keep alcohol in my room or cabin or ice
cooler so that I can drink it at will?
Answer: No, you cannot
keep any alcohol of any kind in your room, cabin, or ice cooler because
of Safety and Insurance policies. You may purchase beer and wine
coolers we have for sale in the saloon during hours with no outdoor
activities. All other types of alcohol (Whisky, Bourbon, Gin, etc) can
be brought by you to the ranch, turning it in at the bar, then
we will serve it to you (free of charge) through our saloon. The reason
for this is because we offer outdoor activities that contain certain
inherent risks, and anyone using alcohol is prohibited from
participating for their safety and protection.
We reserve the right
to deny outdoor activities to anyone that we believe is in
non-compliance with policy #11 and offer no refunds of any kind for any
or all missed activities.
12. Do your accommodations have usual personal
items like today's motels like hair dryers, irons, toothpaste, shampoo,
etc.
Answer: No, our rooms although modernly
equipped with air conditioning and bathrooms, are not supplied with
regular personal items. The reason being is most of our guests stay a
week and supplying these items are not feasible like staying one night
in a motel. Dude Ranches are a unique vacation, and one of the most
memorable ones by almost every survey done, which means the "norm" of
everyday life will be different. Our rooms have soap, linens &
paper products.
13. Will I be able to drive right in the ranch
on check in day no matter what time I arrive?
Answer: No, our gates open at approximately 4
pm on check in days so that our staff can prepare rooms and other parts
of the ranch for incoming guests. We are similar to a cruise ship in
that we have to allow ourselves a few hours between guests in order to
clean rooms, and other maintenance things that can be best done without
traffic flow. You do not have to arrive at 4 pm, that is just the
earliest you can get inside the ranch. Supper is served only at 6 pm so
we hope you can arrive by that hour. If you're not going to make it to
the ranch by 6 pm, you will need to eat supper on the way. If you are
not going to make it to the ranch by 10 pm, you might have to stay
elsewhere that night as we do not have a 24 hour attendant like a Motel
or Hotel does. We are a Dude Ranch, not the Marriott.
Click here to
receive a free French Broad Outpost Ranch brochure.
1-800-995-POST
©
1997-2012 French
Broad Outpost Ranch, All Rights Reserved
461 Old River Road - Del Rio, Tennessee 37727
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