Horseback riding, Vacation Room Rental, Trick Riding Lessons, Horse Training, Hiking, and Life Skills from the Beauty of the Riata Ranch.
World class kayaking and river rafting. For nearly 65 years we have used our unique program to empower young women, develop leaders, and foster a lifelong love of horses and western living. We teach horse riding and trick roping to students of all ages, from beginners to rodeo stars. We also offer volunteer opportunities, attend community events, and offer internships for those interested in 501c3
management, marketing, community outreach, sports team management, and more. Contact us today to become a member or learn more!
06/16/2024
Coming this summer….
The Riata Ranch International Wild West Show!
We are so excited to share with you all the biggest event this summer. The Wild West Show. Where we will showcase the stunning Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls and other local talent, performing different riding routines and styles to old west style music and acts. This show pays homage to the classic American Cowboy, Classic Westerns that popularized the classic character and the Spanish influence!
Buy your tickets and come on up to Riata Ranch every Friday and Saturday in July to embark on the historic 30 year journey of the Classic Cowboy.
Tickets are on sale now at the Riata Ranch Website!
04/04/2024
Looking a for a unique experience and vacation stay while in Three Rivers and visiting Sequoia National Park ? Come check out our Riata Ranch International Airbnb Experience. Its more than just a place to stay...relax, swim, sleep, ride horses and drink award winning Riata Ranch Wines! Come Stay with us!
We have been a super host since 2014 and look forward to hosting you in the
beautiful Main Ranch House complete with kitchen and outdoor areas for barbecuing, eating and spending time with family friends all the while surrounded by breathtaking views of mountains, the river, horses and nature.
We look forward to hosting you.
01/27/2024
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are going to have to cancel our Sweethearts Barn Dance. We apologize for the inconvenience.
If you purchased tickets please keep an eye on your email for more information and your refund status.
Thank you so much for your continued support of Riata Ranch International!
01/22/2024
Tickets are still available for our Sweethearts Barn Dance at Riata Ranch!
We will have a romantic catered dinner and live music for you to enjoy with your sweetheart!
Head to riataranchinternational.org today to get your tickets!
01/13/2024
Saturday at Riata Ranch International! We host classes for ages 8+ of varying skills.
We are so excited for our Sweethearts Barn Dance coming up February 10th, 2024!
Tickets are available now at:
riataranchinternational.org/events
$50 for an individual ticket or $75 per couple.
Join us for dinner and dancing at the ranch with your sweetheart!
Stay tuned for more info. ♥️
01/05/2024
Save the date for these next events at Riata Ranch International!
Sweethearts Barn Dance: Saturday February 10th
♥️
Mane Event: Kentucky Derby Party: Saturday May 4th 🏇
Stay tuned for more details on these exciting events, all supporting Riata Ranch International!
12/07/2023
We had the most magical time at Christmas at the Ranch last weekend!
Thank you so much to all who came and all who made this event such a great success.
Congrats to Kris Hanggi for your magnificent Ugly Sweater Cookie in our contest!
We can’t wait to do this again next year! 🎄☃️🎅🏻
12/02/2023
Tomorrow is our Christmas at the Ranch event!
Come on down to Riata Ranch tomorrow between 2:00pm-6:00pm for some Western style Christmas cheer!
You can get your tickets at riataranchinternational.org or at the event tomorrow.
We can’t wait to see you! 🎄☃️🎅🏻
11/27/2023
This Saturday is our “Christmas at the Ranch!”
With cookie decorating, Christmas crafts, pictures with the Christmas ponies and Santa, this is an event you won’t want to miss this Christmas season.
Bring your friends and family and join us as we celebrate Christmas with some Western style Christmas cheer! This open house style event is from 2:00pm-6:00pm on Saturday December 2nd.
Tickets are $10 for kids and $25* for adults.
*Adults wanting to participate in the wine tasting and charcuterie.*
You can purchase your tickets at Riataranchinternational.org today, or at the event.
🎄🎅🏻☃️⭐️
11/25/2023
Come join us next Saturday December 2nd, from 2:00p-6:00p for Christmas at the Ranch!
Adults can enjoy wine tasting and charcuterie, with wine from Riata’s own award winning wine selection!
This event is for the whole family, with activities for the kids, and pictures with our Christmas ponies and Santa!
Invite your friends and family for a day of Holiday cheer on the Ranch! Adult tickets are $25, child tickets are $10. Head to riataranchinternational.org to purchase yours today!
11/24/2023
Christmas at the Ranch is coming up next week!
We hope you will join us for an afternoon of western style Christmas cheer. We have activities for the whole family on Saturday, December 2nd from 2:00p-6:00p.
Head to riataranchinternational.org for your tickets today!
11/21/2023
We are still reflecting on this incredible honor bestowed on our Executive Director, Jennifer Welch Nicholson. The 2023 Tad Lucas award was given to her in Oklahoma City last week.
We are so grateful for the support of our community and friends that have seen Jen through this journey. Such an honor to stand on this stage, amongst so many incredible Cowboy Girls.
Thank you so much for such an incredible award!
11/06/2023
We are so excited to share this honor of our Executive Director, Jennifer Nicholson! She is our fearless leader and is so well deserving of this national award! Thank you to the Rodeo Hall of Fame for everything and we will see you in Oklahoma City! 🎉🎉🎉
Join us in congratulating Jennifer Welch Nicholson, the 2023 Tad Lucas Award honoree!
Born near Redding, California, Jennifer Welch Nicholson was 9 when she first attended Riata Ranch International, an equine school founded in Exeter, California. Though Nicholson initially gravitated toward reining horse competition, in 1976 Riata Ranch owner Tommy Maier established the Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls, a trick-riding troupe that initially consisted of Nicholson and three other 13-year-olds. The Cowboy Girls soon appeared at major rodeos throughout the U.S., and by the early ‘80s were touring Europe. In the Cowboy Girls’ nearly five decades of performing, the troupe has visited 22 countries and performed for Queen Elizabeth. When Maier died in 2002, Riata Ranch was facing financial ruin. Nicholson knew she had to act, so she became Executive Director of Riata Ranch, moved operations to Three Rivers, California, and got the ranch back on firm financial footing. Things were good until 2019, when Nicholson’s husband Chad, a much-loved rodeo announcer, died; a year later, Nicholson lost her father and COVID-19 struck. Yet Nicholson persevered through it all. Today, Riata Ranch International is still teaching kids the Western lifestyle, and the Cowboy Girls are still amazing audiences.
11/03/2023
10/06/2023
Congratulations Jennifer Welch Nicholson!
10/05/2023
Thank you so much to our sponsors! Your support directly impacts our Outdoor Education Program and all who attend Riata Ranch. We are so grateful to our community and individuals who supported such a great event. Thank you again!
09/28/2023
Thank you Rotary Club of Visalia for having us perform today! We also so appreciate all the support we have received from our entire community for our upcoming event.
We have a few dinner tickets available for this Saturday- get them now by heading to the link in our bio or at riataranchinternational.org
Don’t forget to grab your raffle tickets for a chance to win the Kawasaki Pro MX too!
We hope to see you Saturday!!
09/23/2023
Our Riata Ranch Cowboy girls are performing this weekend in Poway. Many know the name Riata because of these talented ladies who travel the country and demonstrate their skills. However, Riata is so much more than that.
It is a program built on mentorship and community service. Encouraging young people of all ages to build a lifestyle based on hard work and dedication. We work with individuals based on their unique skill sets.
Our students learn what it means to experience the entire ranch way of life, putting effort in to develop their skills and abilities.
Riata Ranch is a way of life.
Next Saturday we are hosting a fundraiser event that will benefit each and every person that attends our Outdoor Education Program. Join us for an equestrian theatre performance that demonstrates the evidence of this program and the students that attend. We are also having a tri-tip dinner and live music by !!
We still have some tickets available and would love for you to be there. You can purchase tickets through the link in our bio or by visiting riataranchinternational.org
We hope to see you there!
“You earn your reputation in the arena, but you earn your respect in the barn.” Jennifer Nicholson, Executive Director at Riata Ranch
09/19/2023
Our Dinner and a Show fundraiser is coming up soon!
We have opportunities for sponsors at several levels. If you have a local business and would like to support our Outdoor Education Program please consider sponsoring this event. Or maybe you have something you would like to donate to our silent auction, we are accepting donations for this as well- a gift basket or other specialty items are great ways to donate and support our students.
All tax deductible donations directly benefit our Outdoor Education Programs here at Riata Ranch!
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Videos
Rodeo News released their newest issue featuring Riata Ranch International’s executive director Jennifer Welch Nicholson! Jennifer is the recipient of the 2023 Tad Lucas award. Her dedication to fulfilling the mission of Riata Ranch is evident in the lives of countless individuals and we are excited to share this award with our community!
Join us on Saturday, September 30th for our fundraiser event and see the evidence of this incredible program.
Tickets for the event and our raffle are still available through the link in our bio or at Riataranchinternational.org
We hope to see you there!
@rodeonewsmagazine @wranglernetwork @cowboychannel @roperworld @joeandmartina
When my late husband, Chad Nicholson and I first moved onto the ranch in three Rivers, we didn’t have two dimes to rub together! However, with the help from friends, supporters and our Riata Ranch parents at the time we erected an arena put together with a mismatch of panels with hay string! We got a sprinkler system to put in and for a while it worked.
The flooding last winter took a toll on the arena…. panels got tipped the ground uneven and the sprinklers needed replacing. Thank you to the Sorensen Foundation for your wonderful financial gift! We got the arena back in shape…. the panels straightened out, added more panels so the arena is now symmetrical, and the sprinklers work!
A little more work yet has to be done, but our arena is in the best shape and ready for our students! Thank you to Kyle Davis and I Bar D Ranches for fixing our arena and to the Sorensen Foundation for your financial gift so we could up grade our arena!
For over 60 years Riata Ranch International has been a leader in promoting the western lifestyle worldwide. When our late founder, Tommy Maier, started Riata Ranch in 1957 in Exeter, CA as a riding school, he had no idea the tremendous impact it would have on the global western image for generations to come. Thousands of girls crossed the railroad tracks into the ranch and began a unique journey filled with valuable life lessons and friendships that would last a lifetime.
It all starts with the firm, trademark Riata Girl handshake and a rake where girls young and old carefully rake a herringbone pattern in the dirt with pride on the ranch they love so much. After the grounds prepped, horses are gathered and saddled in a way that only Riata Girls can do it. Everything here is done by the numbers and backed up with life lessons and leadership principles. There’s your way and there’s the time tested Riata Ranch way. It’s special environment here, far away from crazy city life, where young people learn what they are made of and what they can be if they earn it. You see out here there are no trophies for last place, but rather an atta girl for failing forward and making the most of every opportunity.
In 1976, Tommy created the western performance team of 4 girls who trick roped, trick rode, and played in a band. They quickly rose to stardom as the “Riding and Roping Royalty of the West”, the Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls. To date, they have performed in 20 countries on 5 continents including for Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for Her Royal Majesty’s 60th Diamond Jubilee at Windsor Castle in England.
After Tommy’s passing in 2002, longtime member Jennifer Welch Nicholson took the reins on his legacy. She assembled a board of directors and made Riata Ranch International, Inc a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. As Executive Director with very little money and huge dreams, she kept marching forward just as she had done since joining in 1974.
Our unique program empowers young women, develops leaders, and fosters a lifelong love of horses and western lifestyle values. teach leadership, horsemanship, trick riding, roman riding, whip cracking, trick roping, show production, ranch life and more to students of all ages, from beginners to accomplished performers.
We also offer volunteer opportunities, attend community events, and offer internships for those interested in 501c3 management, marketing, community outreach, sports team management, and more.
Contact us today to become a member or learn more!
