Gunnison Valley Horse Rental

[KRH]

Hi, my buddy and I are going to be DIY archery elk hunting in a unit near Gunnison. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a rancher or outfitter who rents horse and tack. My buddy and I are relatively experienced on horses, and are looking to rent for a 7-10 day period in September. Any recommendations would be most appreciated, and feel free to PM me if you'd rather communicate that way.

Thank you

 

[windymtnman]

As a horse & mule owner that has a ranch surrounded on 3 sides by 1.8 million acres of National Forest, I get plenty of riding in, as I'm retired. I have a horse rental story a friend told me about that could provide many sleepless nights for a horse owner. Hey, I understand your desire, and strategy in wanting to rent horses, but I can tell you there's no way I'd ever let a "stranger" go hunting with my animals. When I hunt, I very often leave my horses at home, as I don't want the distraction of caring for them when I want to be hunting. I also worry about them when I tie them up and expect all to be okay when I come back hours later. If I put an Elk on the ground, I just go home and get them for a pack out. Then, who is responsible if a horse gets hurt, colics, or runs off and you can't find it? What if it throws a shoe? Are you camping in an area where they have adequate grazing? So many scenarios present themselves. Yes, there are some that will rent horses, so good luck, but I wouldn't be surprised if you have to post a significant security deposit.

 

[gbfan]

As a horse & mule owner that has a ranch surrounded on 3 sides by 1.8 million acres of National Forest, I get plenty of riding in, as I'm retired. I have a horse rental story a friend told me about that could provide many sleepless nights for a horse owner. Hey, I understand your desire, and strategy in wanting to rent horses, but I can tell you there's no way I'd ever let a "stranger" go hunting with my animals. When I hunt, I very often leave my horses at home, as I don't want the distraction of caring for them when I want to be hunting. I also worry about them when I tie them up and expect all to be okay when I come back hours later. If I put an Elk on the ground, I just go home and get them for a pack out. Then, who is responsible if a horse gets hurt, colics, or runs off and you can't find it? What if it throws a shoe? Are you camping in an area where they have adequate grazing? So many scenarios present themselves. Yes, there are some that will rent horses, so good luck, but I wouldn't be surprised if you have to post a significant security deposit.

Cool story, doesn't sound like what was asked though. Of course pack animal rental companies usually require a deposit for their animals...

 

[el unit]

Bar Diamond Ranch over in Hotchkiss/Paonia rented horses at one time, but don't know if they still do that. We would rent about 20 riding horses from them every year about 10 years ago and they were all fairly sound dude horses. They used to rent to DIY hunters too.

BarDiamondRanch.com is for sale | HugeDomains

Add more credibility to your site - get a premium domain today. Straight-forward shopping experience.

www.bardiamondranch.com

 

[bmontang]

Hi, my buddy and I are going to be DIY archery elk hunting in a unit near Gunnison. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a rancher or outfitter who rents horse and tack. My buddy and I are relatively experienced on horses, and are looking to rent for a 7-10 day period in September. Any recommendations would be most appreciated, and feel free to PM me if you'd rather communicate that way.

Thank you

A couple links to try :

- https://www.aastables.com/colorado-horseback-tours/hunting-and-leased-horses/
- https://www.coloradowildelk.com/horse-rentals.html

They are pretty restricted on where they rent. Also at $600 per horse per week, you may want to think about a drop camp scenario. I brought a horse out from Texas to Colorado last season and the PITA factor is pretty high. Water, grazing, weed free hay, acclimation, the list is long BEFORE you tie the horse up to hunt an area for the day. I also know of at least one lost horse last year where the rider thought the knot was enough and it was not. I am not saying ti can't be done, but there is a lot that goes into it. I ride and team rope fairly frequently and honestly wasn't ready for some of the challenges. I handled them, but net net it wasn't nearly the help I thought it would be. On a pack out absolutely, but you can usually hire a guide to haul your animal out. Pictures are of the horse high lined where I was hunting. I still don't think I had enough orange on a white horse.

Also, be prepared that there are a lot of areas you may want to ride through that the horse will have problems with - deadfalls, steepness, etc. I plumb wore this horse out and he is a daily ranch horse working cattle about as legged up as he can get.

 

[KRH]

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful responses.