This story is sponsored by DudeRanch.com

During the days when we actually used the USPS to mail letters and called people on phones attached to cords, I walked into a Roy Rogers restaurant on a high school dare and ordered a Trigger burger with extra Horsey Sauce. I was promptly greeted by the manager and escorted out of the establishment.

Call it karma, but ever since then, I’ve had this sinking feeling that every horse across America knew who I was and wanted me dead or at least limping, as if stalls around the country had been papered with APB alerts highlighting my mug shot with the caption, “Wanted: Dead or alive for aggravated verbal assault on a fellow brother. Stomp to kill.”

I had a chance to make my horse amends on a dude ranch press trip at Latigo Ranch (pronounced LAT-ah-go) in Kremmling, Colorado, nestled in the majestic landscape of the Arapaho National Forest at a staggering 9,000 feet. It was there that I came face to face with my feared equine nemesis, Candy, a gentle black mare with soft eyes and a quiet spirit.  She seemed to know of my torrid past and yet forgave me with a simple switch of her tail. A tacit bond was formed. She’s now on my Christmas card list and we e-mail at least twice a week.

Latigo Ranch is where I honed my beginner riding skills and overcame my paralyzing fear of falling off a horse. (I didn’t fall off, due in large part to prayer and the excellent tutelage from Rachel the kick-ass Wrangler who actually wore spurs and had a lasso burn on her neck. I didn’t press for details. She kinda scared me.) Rachel walked me through the proper way of holding the reins (dominant hand, gripping it like an ice cream cone), how the bits work (the device put in the horse’s mouth to signal direction and command), then took me on a spectacular trail ride through parts of the Arapaho Forest, wending our way past stately Aspen trees and postcard views of the Continental Divide.

There is just something indescribably magic about being out on a horse in the untapped wilderness, a purity and stillness I came to respect and appreciate. I get why people ride.

Co-owners Jim and Kathie Yost and Randy and Lisa George have a knack for anticipating their guests’ needs in every way, a wanted luxury that is more a rarity these days in anything travel. The in-room fridge is stocked with complimentary soft drinks; free use of the laundry facilities; loaner boots and Sigg water bottles for riding at no additional cost. And the “nouveau ranch” gourmet cuisine by Randy and Lisa was some of the best food I’ve ever tasted (three extra pounds is proof). I had never seen a stack of branded pancakes before in my life. They put IHOP to shame.

One of the highlights of the trip was the branding session on the last night of our stay. We got to design our own logo and brand it into the wall to leave a permanent mark on Latigo. The entire kitchen area’s walls are filled with unique, cryptic-looking insignias, a mural of cowboy hieroglyphics. Repeat visitors get to re-mark their original brand with a small dot to signify another trip—one family’s brand had 10 dots around their logo. I also branded my cowboy hat and some guests branded their boots. It’s that kind of a dude ranch: you’re at home as a guest, and by the end of the trip, it’s a hard place to leave.

This fall, Latigo is holding a fall cattle round-up in the third week of September for the more experienced horse rider, one whose bum can withstand five to eight hours in a saddle to help local cattle ranchers gather their herd. There’s also an adults-only week from September 12-18, and the discounted rate season runs from August 22 through September 18. Happy trails!