A traditional working cattle ranch…
Historically, horseback riding, cattle and fly fishing were the hallmarks of Focus Ranch. Each year we featured several special weeks with workshops such as photography, painting, yoga, fly fishing and birding. These offerings added to the working ranch experience but in a more relaxed way.
At Focus Ranch, guests were invited to share in the day-to-day operation of the ranch. Located on the western Colorado and southern Wyoming border in a section of the Rocky Mountains called the Sierra Madres. National Forest lands join the northern border of the ranch and is the area where our 1300 plus head of yearling cattle spend most of the summer. The ranch elevation is approximately 7000 feet and the surrounding peaks soar to 10,000 feet.
What makes us unique…
We run yearling cattle as the basis of our agricultural operation. By agricultural industry standards (pounds gained per head per day), there are few yearling ranches in our class. There are two reasons for this: the quality of our grass and the guest business. We ride six days a week with our cattle -moving them through four pastures on the ranch three times and seven pastures in the forest twice-25 moves in about 120 days. We ride with wranglers, family and friends to gather the cattle and move them slowly. When not moving cattle, we take the time to ride through them and check their health, cutting out any that are sick for treatment.
Fences, gates, pastures, water and salt all need checking and may also be the mission of some rides.
Our History…
Maureen & Terry Reidy, owners
Focus Ranch -a traditional working cattle ranch…
Focus Ranch was established in 1896 and is situated in the upper end of the Little Snake River Valley, a valley very familiar to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It is also an area where battles were fought between the cattlemen and sheep men. Focus Ranch officially became a dude ranch in the late 1930’s when the previous owners decided to charge the extended family and friends who came to vacation. Focus Ranch was one of the earliest members of the Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association and is now an associate member of the Dude Ranch Association.
Since 1974, Terry and Maureen (a few years later) Reidy have operated the ranch in much the same fashion as the previous owners. “We run 1300 plus head of yearling cattle, keep 30 head of cows that calve in the spring, raise a couple of weaned pigs and grow a lot of grass to be mostly grazed. Many of our family and friends enjoy the lifestyle and join us for their own break from mainstream. There is always something to do and there is no quieter place to do nothing, if one chooses.
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