A fantastic way to enjoy the beauty of the area’s fall foliage is to take a guided trail ride with The Crosspatch of Salamanca, NY. Rides start at $25 per person, per hour. Photo courtesy The Crosspatch
Let The Crosspatch of Salamanca Guide You
It’s time to whip on those cowboy boots and get your rear-end in the saddle! Nestled in the foothills of the Enchanted Mountains of Cattaraugus County, between Salamanca and Little Valley, NY lies The Crosspatch, a real working horse ranch with an emphasis on fulfilling dreams.
With over 40 years of experience, The Crosspatch offers guided trail rides, guided snowmobile trips, horsemanship camps, wagon and carriage rides, horse shoeing and a variety of other horse related services. As owner Jim Little states, “If there is anything you can think of that you’d like to do with a horse, we can set it up and do it.”
Guided Trail Rides
Especially during this time of the year, a fantastic way to enjoy the beauty of the area’s fall foliage is to take a guided trail ride, which start at $25 per person, per hour. Let Jim, his wife Dolly, or one of their skilled trainers guide you around the local forest. (By NYS law, anyone under the age of 14 is required to wear a helmet. Kids 6 and 7 years of age are $35, as they are led by someone on the trail. For any younger inquiries, pony rides are offered at the stable.)
“We are open every day of the week with reservations. Just give Dolly a call, and she will work on dates and times with you and get you penciled in,” said Jim. For guest rides, Jim and Dolly never take out a group of more than eight horses, and there is no experience necessary. Jim exclaimed, “If you can sit up straight and ride a bike, you can ride a horse.”
In the Spotlight
Want to know another interesting tid-bit about Jim and Dolly? They were featured in the highly proclaimed Western Horseman Magazine, for taking people out west to trail ride and tour. During their featured trip, they took 20 horses. They traveled across the Badlands of South Dakota, spent a week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and rode through Fort Robinson, Nebraska.
Jim says that they brought the west back to the east at The Crosspatch. They still make a trip to Jackson Hole annually, to visit their daughter at the Snake River Ranch. They spend a week in September helping her heard cattle. “It’s an absolute riot and we have a great time each year,” says Jim.
Open for Business
The Crosspatch operates with about 40 horses, including horses in for boarding and training. The horses used for their trail rides are primarily American Paint Horses and American Quarter Horses. However, there is a Belgian/Paint cross that is due to foal this winter! How exciting!
Jim came to the idea for an outfitting operation years ago, when he would be out trail riding horses that were in for training. “People would stop me and ask where they could ride. I thought, ‘why not offer the opportunity for someone to ride along with me?’ After awhile, it became more of an income for me than horse training and I decided to turn it into a business,” said Jim.
The Littles opened their horse ranch operation in 1981. Jim and Dolly both grew up with horses, and now spend their leisure time passing down their wisdom of riding to their grandchildren.
The Crosspatch is located at 5281 Baker Road in Salamanca, NY. Check out their website at www.TheCrosspatch.com, which is jam-packed with anything you’d want to know about them. Give Dolly a call at 716-938-6313 to make reservations or ask any additional questions. Saddle up!
