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Cowgirl boot camp - Web exclusive

By Adriana Barton

City slickers, channel your inner Annie Oakley at this spectacular guest ranch in British Columbia's Nemaiah Valley.

Even cowgirls get the blues—unless they're at Elkin Creek Guest Ranch's Cowgirl Boot Camp. But you won't find any drill sergeants here: Set in the picture-perfect Chilcotin Mountains, Elkin Creek has enough creature comforts to tempt jean queens into trading their Versace's for Wrangler’s.

Now in its second year, the three-day boot camp adventure accommodates city slickers who've never ridden a horse, as well as modern-day Calamity Janes who know their way around a lasso. Mike Hawkridge, 32, is the go-to man for guests hoping to learn saddling, roping and herding skills. A bona fide horse whisperer, he teaches urbanites how to build a relationship with the animals from the get-go.

Hawkridge explains the latest trend out on the range: Uptown gals getting back in the saddle again. Women in their 30s and 40s who fell in love with Black Beauty as little girls, or the pony called Skippy they rode at summer camp, are now reliving their days of horsing around. That might explain why one West Coast lawyer considered leaving her profession after spending a few days on horseback helping to sort the calves on the 28,000-acre farmstead. Another would-be cowgirl waxed poetic after her first time on the distraction-free range (think: no phones or televisions): "I will never forget the starry nights and just how little time it took me to unwind," she wrote from Perth, Australia.

First-time cowgirls releasing their inner Annie Oakley's may find that sore muscles come with the territory. Luckily, the 19-room ranch has a hot tub and sauna at the edge of Vedan Lake (with resident loons) and Aveda bath essentials to wash off the dust. "Boot camp" menu consists of West Coast spring salmon with sweet-potato puree, roasted fennel and baby carrots. Prepared by Toronto chef David Correa, the menu clearly appeals more to cosmopolitan guests than to lifelong cowboys: the perfect reward for swapping in your stilettos for spurs.

British Columbia Tourism, 1-800 HELLO BC®, hellobc.com
Elkin Creek Guest Ranch, 1-877-346-9378, www.adventurewestresorts.com

Photo credit: Elkin Creek Guest Ranch