B-610311-00

Project Collaborators: Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&MUniversity; Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System; andInstitute of Renewable Natural Resources, The Texas A&M University System

Acknowledgements

We thank the Texas landowners who contributed to this project. They gave willingly of theirtime in the hope of assisting others who might want to develop recreational trails or othertourism opportunities on their properties. Funding for this project came from theRenewable Resources Extension Act administered by the Texas Agricultural ExtensionService.

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❛

The demand for outdoor recreational opportunitiesis growing rapidly, and among the most popular aretrail-based activities such as walking/hiking, running,bicycling and horseback riding. In a 1998 survey,Texans ranked trail-based activities among the threemost popular types of outdoor recreation. As Figure 1shows, significant numbers of people engage in theseactivities, some fairly often (Fig. 2). Figure 3 showsthe distances Texans say they travel to participate invarious activities. They often travel more than 50miles from home for some activities.

Many landowners are considering how they mightadd recreational tourism to their traditional farming orranching operations to generate additional income.Opening one’s land to trail users may be profitable withthe right location and, more important, with properplanning and marketing.

Beginning on page 8 are descriptions of seven suc-cessful trail-based tourism enterprises in Texas (Fig. 4).They represent different types of businesses and differ-ent geographic areas of the state. Some of the landown-ers featured have operated their trail tourism business-es for several years; others are new to the venture. Sixof the seven owner/operators developed their trail-based tourism activities as a way of diversifying tradi-tional agricultural products. All six work livestock, andsome also grow hay or other crops. Several of them“zone” their property for these different uses. Forexample, they might close a trail near a deer blind dur-ing hunting season, or keep cattle on one part of theproperty while developing trails on another. The experi-ences of these landowners should be valuable to otherswho want to start similar businesses.

3

C. Scott ShaferAssistant Professor and Extension Recreation Specialist

The Texas A&M University System

Virginia DilworthGraduate Assistant

Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism SciencesTexas A&M University

70

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0walking biking hiking running horseback golf

percentage of U.S. population

percentage of Texans

Figure 1. Percentages of people engaged in trail-related activities(golf included for comparison.)

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1-2 days

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Figure 2. Number of days per year that people participated in threedifferent trail recreation activities (National Survey of Recreationand the Environment, 1994).

75

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< 50 miles

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Figure 3. How far and how often Texans traveled different distances(in miles) from home to participate in an activity (Texas A&MUniversity, 1998).

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✻

There are several “Ps” involved in marketinga successful business. They include:

Product and Programming

Developing a successful product requiresknowing what customers want. For example,there is a high demand formountain bike trails, sofour of the seven landown-ers focus on this specific

product. One offers onlyhorseback riding, whilethe other two offer a mix-ture of activities, includ-ing bed and breakfastaccommodations.

Customer needs maydiffer. Some biking trailshave been developed for

beginners and others for moreadvanced riders. Bluff Creek providesa small shop with basic repair sup-plies and facilities where riders canwash their bikes before the trip home.These extras add to the customer’senjoyment.

Most of the ranches hold at leastone major event annually, such asbike races, group trail rides, and skilldevelopment camps. Incorporatingsuch programming into the productincreases the opportunities for promo-tion and advertising.

Price

Pricing depends on the experiencesand services offered. Several of theenterprises featured here offer thebasics—a trail system, restroom facili-ties and “primitive” camping. Their

fees for day use range from $4 to $6 per personper day, with reduced rates or no charge for chil-dren. (For comparison, state park access costsfrom $1 to $5 per person per day.) Camping ispriced at $2 to $6 per person in addition to theday use fee. This yields a price range of $16 to $24for four adults to use trails for the day, with anadditional $8 to $24 to camp overnight.

The 33 Ranch offers only organized weekend(two days and two nights) trail rides priced at $25per person or $50 maximum per family. Thisincludes trail access, camping and a Saturdayevening meal. The 33 Ranch also sells familymemberships, much like hunting leases, to a lim-ited number of families who can use the ranch attheir convenience rather than just during organ-ized rides.

Other enterprises have bed and breakfast facili-ties and more extensive food service, for whichthey charge more.

Promotion

Without exception, thepromotion and advertisingthese ranches have foundmost useful is word ofmouth, and hosting specialevents is a valuable way toboost awareness of theirexistence. Rocky Hill, BluffCreek, The Breaks andKelly Creek all rely onrace events to keep large

4

Figure 4. Locations of the ranch enterprises described in this publi-cation.

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❛

● Product – the specific recreational oppor-tunity offered

● Programming – special events associatedwith the product

● Price – the price charged to customers

● Promotion – how a business promotesitself

● Partnerships – organizations that mayassist the business in some way

● People – those who run the day-to-dayoperation

Amarillo

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52

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1 The Breaks2 Bluff Creek3 Kelly Creek4 Montgomery-Fulk5 Rocky Hill6 The 337 X Bar

groups of riders coming totheir land. Riders returnhome and tell others abouttheir experience, so the wordspreads.

Having an informationbooth at a local festival orother special event is a goodway to publicize a tourismbusiness. Some landownershave also staged an event theweekend of a local festival,thus helping to bring in, andprofit from, additional visi-tors.

The Internet is an impor-tant advertising tool also. About half of the enter-prises have their own Web pages, while othershave gotten themselves listed on pages that pro-mote regional attractions.

Staying in touch with past customers pays off,too. Some businesses maintain customer databas-es to make it easier to send out fliers and otherpromotional material. Some also work with areabusinesses (for example, large bike shops in near-by cities) to keep their brochures on hand.

Finally, a few of these enterprises have beenmentioned or featured in national or regionalmagazines. The owners credit word of mouth asthe key to this kind of publicity, as they had donelittle advertising other than direct mail.

Partnerships

Partnerships can be very important in helpingto design a business, develop a customer base, and pro-gram special events. Five of the landowners rely heavi-ly on regional clubs to help them understand what cus-tomers want, aid in trail design, and promote theirbusinesses. The owners of the 33 Ranch developed arelationship with the Texas Equestrian Trail RidersAssociation, which has helped organize and promotetrail rides on the ranch. The Houston Area MountainBike Riders Association helped the owners of BluffCreek develop their first trails and stage their firstbike race.

Partnerships can also reduce the investmentrequired to get the business started. Regional trail userclubs often help with trail design and construction. Oneof the national mountain biking organizations has apoints program that supports volunteer trail develop-ment. Volunteers who log work hours are awarded

points in racing competitions. Often usergroups will help a landowner build trailssimply to make the area available to them.These kinds of partnerships give the volun-teers, who are future customers, a sense ofpride in the trails they have created, whichof course encourages word of mouth adver-tising. They are also more likely to helpmaintain the quality of the resource theyhelped to create.

People

Successful operators of tourism enter-prises enjoy interacting with people and

serving the needs of theircustomers. They arepleased to be able to opentheir land to others, andview dealing with thepaying public as anopportunity, not a bur-den. Most of them alsohave at least a moderateinterest in the recreation-al activity they offer, andparticipate in the activitythemselves at least occa-sionally. These qualitiesmay be called a predispo-sition for the role oftourism operator, andthey are very important.

Other Concerns

LiabilityThe owners of the featured enterprises all have some

type of insurance coverage to help limit their liability.However, after starting their businesses and beginningto interact with customers, their concerns about liabili-ty decreased. Their costs for insurance coverage rangefrom $650 to $3,000 per year, depending on the servicesthey offer. Several pay a premium added to their regu-lar farm/ranch policy. The Farm Bureau is currentlydetermining how best to underwrite policies to coverlandowners who start tourism enterprises.

Sometimes event sponsors or promoters (a bike rid-ing or trail riding group, for example) provide theinsurance coverage for events. Many bicycle races arecovered by insurance offered through a national cyclingorganization that sanctions such events.

5➹

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6

Most enterprises use waiver forms andbrief their customers about what is expectedof them. (Appendix 3 covers the basic legalissues that would normally apply tolandowners who offer tourism opportunities.)These measures significantly reducelandowners’ concerns. In fact, in most caseslandowners are at far less risk of legal liabili-ty than they may perceive.

Investment CostsThe initial investment is a major concern

with any new business. The owners in thisstudy had initial investments ranging from$4,000 to $30,000. About $4,000 to $8,000 wasnormally enough to get several miles of trailbuilt. Facilities such as new restrooms withseptic systems required larger investments.Those who had volunteer help in designing andbuilding their trails estimated they saved asmuch as 50 to 60 percent.

Table 1 summarizes and compares severalcharacteristics of the seven ranches in this sur-vey.

Featured Tourism Enterprises

The seven ranches featured here representjust a few of the nature tourism enterprises onprivate lands in Texas. However, they representseveral different ways of being involved innature tourism, and trail-based activities in par-ticular. These landowners have started tourismenterprises as a way to supplement more tradi-tional ranch activity. They do not operate “dude”ranches, which are more dependent on visitorsfor income.

The ranches are presented according to theproducts they offer. Information in each categorywas not available for every ranch.

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✩BackgroundThe Breaks at Bar H Ranch is an 1,100-

acre ranch near the Oklahoma border out-side St. Jo, Texas. The ranch has been inthe Hutson family for more than 100 years,and is currently owned and operated byBilly Hutson and Tia Hutson-Walterscheid.There are about 100 head of cattle on theproperty, and the Hutsons also lease theland for hunting.

LandscapeAs you drive toward The Breaks from the

east, the landscape is flat; but as you reachthe ranch, the land drops away toward theRed River in a series of bluffs and hills thatprovide variety in the terrain. A patchwork offorested areas and pastures covers the hills.A 11/2-mile-long creek runs through theranch below the bluff. This is a floodplainthat often holds water after a hard rain.

Recreational Tourism Start-UpIn 1997 Mr. Hutson’s nephew, Tony Boone,

suggested mountain biking as a means ofdiversifying ranch activities and drawingmore income. Tony, who lives in Colorado, isan avid mountain biker and owns a trail-build-ing company called Arrowhead Trails, Inc. Not

entirely convinced, Mr. Hutson went to the BluffCreek Ranch in Warda, Texas to talk to theNolans (see p. 12) before starting his own opera-

tion. This visit allowed him to see how the con-cept was working in Texas. Although he was notsure about the idea, he agreed to try it. Hebecame much more enthusiastic after their firstrace yielded positive results. On April 28, 1998,the ranch opened its gates to mountain bikers,and their first races were held in February 1999.Mr Hutson’s daughter, Tia Hutson-Walterscheid,is now managing the mountain bike operation.

InvestmentBilly Hutson has spent more than $30,000 on

the septic system, bathhouse and well. Tony builtthe trails, which would have cost about $30,000otherwise. Tia works on the mountain bike enter-prise full-time, but has not been drawing anincome from the business. Tony has invested timeand energy, and the publicity he receives as atrail designer has provided a good return

GuestsLocated approximately 80 miles northwest of

Dallas-Fort Worth, The Breaks draws approxi-mately 75 percent of its customers from theMetroplex area. It also attracts guests fromOklahoma, other parts of Texas, and recently afew riders from Switzerland rode the trails. Theyalso receive visitors from Colorado because Tonyrefers people he knows. They get many familiesand would like to continue to attract this market.

They also attract racers and spectatorsperiodically for race events. Racers oftenshow up to ride the trails in the weeksbefore an event to get a feel for what theywill encounter in a race.

Product and Programming

TraditionalBilly usually keeps about 100 head of

cattle. He also sells hay.

Leases are used for deer and turkeyhunting at The Breaks. They have threeto five lessees, all of whom are close tothe family. Hunting and mountain bikingare allowed simultaneously, but to ensuresafety they keep riders to a minimum

during hunting season and don’t let them usetrails near the blinds when hunters are on-site.Riders are advised that hunters are on the prop-

8

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The Breaks at Bar H Ranch✩

erty, and one trail near hunt-ing areas is closed.

Trail-Based ActivitiesThe Breaks is a mountain

bike ranch; horseback ridingand motorized vehicles arenot allowed. There are cur-rently 10 to 11 miles of moun-tain bike trails that coveralmost 400 acres of the ranch.Trails range from beginner toexpert, and were largelydesigned and built by TonyBoone. Tia worked with himon these trails to gain experi-ence, and recently built a trailon her own that was approvedby an International MountainBike Association (IMBA) representative. Wooden signsmark trails, and riders are given maps of the trailswhen they arrive. There is a notice on the maps thatIMBA rules are enforced. Visitors put their fees inenvelopes printed with the liability waiver and dropthem in a fee box.

The first race was held in February 1999 in conjunc-tion with the Dallas Off Road Bike Association(DORBA) as the organizer and Subaru as the sponsor.UT-Arlington sponsored a collegiate race the weekendbefore. Tia noted that the race was a lot of work butworth the effort because of the additional income andpublicity it provided. On race weekends food vendors,port-o-pots, massage therapists, and other supportservices were present to provide for visitor needs.DORBA arranged these details. Races are importantevents and bring in most of the recreational biking

income. This year’s DORBA race grossed almost$10,000. The Breaks hosted 700 racers and approxi-mately 2,000 total guests that weekend.

The Breaks is open for riding from January 2through Thanksgiving eve, and gets an average of 20riders per weekend, with fewer in the hottest summermonths. There is occasionally a temporary closure afterheavy rain to prevent erosion and give the owners timeto repair the trails if necessary.

Tia also brings local school children out to the ranchfor nature hikes, an activity she enjoys. This promotes

community goodwill and brings the kidscloser to nature.

Facilities

There are several primitive campsiteswith fire rings. Restroom facilities havemen’s and women’s toilets and showers. Afew RV sites are also available. The regis-tration area is located at the buildingthat contains the restrooms. Many of theideas for the camping area, such as theautomatic shut-off for the sinks, camefrom state park facilities. The camp-ground area has a playground.

Price

The land use fee is $6 per person perday; children under 12 are free whenaccompanied by an adult. On race day theland use fee is $5 for the regular race and$4 for the collegiate race. Camping is anadditional $5 per person per night.

PromotionThe Breaks has its own Web site

(http://www.mountain-bikes.com/pages/thebreaks.html), which is linked to many other mountain bikingWeb sites such as International Mountain BicyclingAssociation (http://www.greatoutdoors.com/imba/)and American Trails (http://www.outdoorlink.com/amtrails/). Information about The Breaks also can befound on other Web pages, such as DORBA(http://www.dorba.org/weblinks.html) and TJ’s MTBAdventures (http://ftp.vvm.com/~nholmes/texasrides.htm).

Tia distributes brochures to mountain bike shops,and Tony distributes them at conferences. Word ofmouth, organized races and the Internet have providedthe most exposure so far.

9➹

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10

PartnershipsThe initial partnership was the one Billy

Hutson formed with his nephew, Tony Boone.Tony received $2,000 from Billy for start-upsupplies. Tony now has a 5-year contract andreceives 10 percent of the gross. The contractis not intended to be renewed at the end ofthe 5 years. At that time the business willbelong entirely to the Hutsons.

The Hutsons and Tony both believe that itis very important to have connections withbiking organizations for marketing and promo-tion purposes. Tia found that the key to thesuccess of the first race was the meetings sheheld with the stakeholders (DORBA, Subaru)in advance of the race.

The local Fina gas station noted a greatincrease in business on race weekends, andthey have commented to Tia that the mountainbikers are friendly customers.

Riders are important partners as well as cus-tomers. They help keep the trails and campingarea neat, and participate in maintenance days,for which they get a free pass and/or race seriespoints.

Richard Wharton from the University of NorthTexas uses the trails for his mountain bikingclasses. He will continue to use The Breaks as atraining facility, although this is still being nego-tiated.

PeopleTia lives on the ranch with her husband andson and handles the day-to-day business, trailmaintenance, organizing races, and anythingelse involving the mountain biking enterprise.She moved back to the ranch with her family inMarch 1998 for this purpose. She is really

enjoying the experience and enjoys meeting moun-tain bikers, who she describes as “the nicest peo-ple.”

Billy Hutson runs the cattle operation and alsosupports Tia’s efforts. He built much of the infra-structure, including the restroom building.

Tony Boone initiated the enterprise and builtmost of the trails. He continues to contribute inthis manner, and is passionate about keeping theland intact and in the family.

Risk ManagementHelmets are required; intoxication and smoking

are prohibited on the trails. The Breaks has anannual $650 recreation insurance policy thatholds a $5 million insurance cap with a $500deductible. This policy covers biking, camping andall other recreational activities held on the ranch.All riders must also sign a waiver (see Appendix 4for sample waiver).

FuturePlans for the next 5 years include adding more

campsites, planting vegetation around the camp-ing area to attract wildlife for guests to view,adding a second toilet in the women’s restroom,and building a more challenging trail. Volunteerswill be recruited to help with this project.

The owners plan additional promotions in TexasTravel Magazine and in mountain bike guides.They believe this will increase their exposure inTexas and other states. They also want to hostmore races and special event weekends. Theseprograms are important for generating income.

DORBA is considering replacing the collegiaterace with a children’s race next February. TheHutsons plan to build a 1-mile loop trail for thisevent.

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11➹

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QuestionsThe Hutsons have many questions about how to

enhance the camping area, provide tent camping, andplant vegetation that will attract wildlife to thecamping area.

AdviceThe Hutsons believe it is important to have a good

plan when starting your business. Tia advisespatience, as starting such an enterprise will consumelots of time. But she believes it is well worth theeffort because of the great people you meet and theopportunity you have to learn more about the land. A

Q's

12

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✩Bluff Creek Ranch✩Background

Bluff Creek Ranch is a 200-acre ranch nearWarda in Central Texas. Paul Nolan, an M.D.,and his wife Susan bought the ranch in June,1990 to raise cattle and Arabian horses. Theyhave 30 head of longhorns and also sell coastalbermudagrass hay. They added mountain bik-ing and camping to their business in 1992, andhave eliminated the Arabian horses from theirbusiness, although they kept some horses forpersonal enjoyment.

LandscapeBluff Creek Ranch is set among rolling hills,

with forested areas surrounding open meadows.As the name suggests, there is a creek runningthrough the ranch, bounded on one side by abluff that provides interesting terrain for trailusers.

Recreational Tourism Start-UpThe mountain biking idea originated with a

friend, Myron Brown, who wanted to ride hismountain bike onthe Nolan’s horsetrails. The Nolansthought this wouldbe a good way todiversify their

income whiledoing some-thing that theyenjoy. Dr. Nolan,along with Myronand anotherfriend, beganbuilding trailsspecifically formountain bike riders. Friends in the GiddingsArea Bicycle Association helped with the trails.One friend suggested that the Nolans host a race,

and over the ensuing three weekends theHouston Area Mountain Bike Riders Association(HAMBRA) helped build the additional trailsthat would be needed. The first race was held inApril 1992. HAMBRA helped build more trails inthe summer, and the second race was held inOctober 1992—with 333 racers. The second race,the “Birthday Gallup,” coincided with the nearbytown of Giddings’ birthday. The Nolans officially

opened the mountain biking business in 1993. Thegroups mentioned above, along with the TexasTrailriders, have been adding 1 to 2 miles of trailevery year since then.

InvestmentPaul Nolan estimates that he has invested about

$15,000 in the trails; a suspension bridge that hebuilt in 1998 cost an additional $5,000.

GuestsVisitors come from around the world, but most

guests are from Texas. Many come from Houston,San Antonio, Austin and other surrounding areas.Bluff Creek is within a 2-hour drive of Houston,which makes it a good day-trip destination. Theyget many families, and numerous repeat guests.

Product and Programming

TraditionalThe Nolans raise organic beef and sell it direct-

ly to the public. Dr. Nolan often gives free samplesto interested guests, and now many of their cus-

tomers for this productare the health-con-scious mountain bik-ers.

Trail-BasedActivities

There are approxi-mately 10 miles of sin-gle-track trails onBluff Creek Ranch,including Peter’sBridge, a 120-foot sus-pension bridge thatwas added in February

1998. There are beginner to intermediate trails forriders of all abilities. There are cutoffs around dif-ficult areas so less experienced riders can skipthese trail sections. This is ideal for familieswhose members have a variety of skill levels. TheNolans use 18-inch cattle guards to keep the ani-mals in certain areas, but they can get on thetrails. Riders like to see them, but are warnedthat they will chase dogs. Guests who arrive whenthe Nolans are home are given a brief orientationand a map of the trails.

Alcohol is allowed in the camping areas, but moder-ate use is the rule.

Trail runners have been allowed to use the trails,but must run in the opposite direction of the mountainbike riders for safety purposes. There is less likely to bean accident if they can see each other coming. Bikershave the right-of-way. The Nolans, however, usuallydiscourage non-mountain bike use.

Bluff Creek hosts two Texas Mountain Bike RiderAssociation (TMBRA) races per year; they draw 700 to900 racers each, with about 200 campers per event.The spring race, known as the Warda race, is part ofthe Texas Championship series. The fall race, theGeburtstag Gallup, is held in November. These tworaces generate most of their mountain biking incomeand also provide a great deal of publicity. On Sundaysof race weekends there are nearly 1,000 people at BluffCreek Ranch.

The Nolans held a bikecamp for boys in July 1999.The camp was promoted andrun by one of their race pro-moters, who used one of hisvacation weeks to manage thecamp. Eleven boys 11 to 15years old attended this camp,which was a great success.Campers were housed in anapartment in the barn, wherethey had access to a washerand dryer for cleaning their bikingclothes. Susan Nolan cooked sever-al of the meals, and the promotertook the boys out for dinner a cou-ple of nights. The promoter alsotook the boys on two day-trips toother ranches for biking. Dr. Nolanand the promoter held severalseminars on subjects such asmechanics and dehydration. Campers also learnedabout and performed trail maintenance at Bluff Creek.On the final day they participated in a criterium race.

Facilities

There is a bicycle shop for bike rentals with anemergency room for repairs. There is also a humanemergency room courtesy of Dr. Nolan. There are alsobike washing facilities. Other facilities include twobathrooms (with toilet and shower) and three outdoorshowers.

There is a 50-site camping area around the pond.The Nolans take reservations for sites and many repeatvisitors have favorite campsites. On race weekends,they have provided up to 120 campsites. Swimmingand fishing are allowed, but visitors are advised thatno lifeguard is available.

Price

The day-use fee is $5.50 per person per day, and anadditional $2 per person for camping. Children 12 andunder are free. Guests leave their money in an “honorbox” when the Nolans are not home. The land accessfee on race weekends is $4 per day.

The promoter of the week-long summer camp forboys charged campers $200 each for the week. Thiscovered activities, meals, transportation, and mountainbike fees at the other ranches that they visited. TheNolans charged the promoter $7.50 per night percamper.

PromotionThe Nolans are building their own Web page

(http://bfwweb.com/bluffcreek/). They are alsomentioned on many other web sites such as TJ’s MTBAdventures (http://ftp.vvm.com/~nholmes/texasrides.htm), BVMBA (http://bvmba.txcyber.com/trails/), TMBRA (http://www.tmbra.org/information/), and Giddings Area Bicycle Association(http://www.bfwweb.com/gaba/).

Bluff Creek Ranch has been men-tioned in several publications such asthe Falcon Guide, Texas Highways,Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, andMountain Bike Magazine. They alsoreceived a recent note in BicyclingMagazine. This is where word of mouth

pays off—the Nolans didnot solicit this publicity,but rather the publishers/writers came to them. TheNolans believe that word ofmouth is their best sourceof publicity. It paid offagain recently when theywere included in a bookentitled, Day Trips fromHouston.

Twice a year the Nolansdistribute fliers to bike

shops to promote their races. They also give fliers toriders who visit the ranch. They advertise with the

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local Chamber of Commerce, and althoughthis has yielded little or no return, they con-tinue to purchase this ad as a gesture ofgoodwill.

PartnershipsTheir relationship with area mountain bik-

ing associations is crucial, as the club mem-bers help with trail maintenance, buildingnew trails, providing advertising by word of

mouth, linking the ranch to their Web pages, anddrawing guests to the ranch.

Club members trade maintenance hours forriding passes and for championship series points.They periodically hold workdays, during whichthe trails are closed to riders. Post-storm repairs

require the most time and effort. After a light ormoderate rain, the Nolans may ask riders toreport any problems they find on the trails ifthey have not been able to check the trailsthemselves. Their guests have always beenhappy to help.

Last year the hotel and motel association inthe community gave Bluff Creek a $5000 grantfor the race because it fills the area hotels onrace weekend. The local sheriff and EMS providesecurity and services.

Another community connection is the Wardastore, which opens early on race weekends. Thestore and a local bicycle shop are promoted inBluff Creek’s flyer.

Dr. Nolan networks with mountain bikingassociations, and has been a guest speaker atvarious mountain bike clubs. He has also writtenmedical-related editorials for biking magazines.

PeopleBoth Paul and Susan Nolan handle the day-to-

day operations, with Susan handling many of thebookkeeping chores such as keeping track of waiv-er forms and tracking income for tax purposes. Aranch hand was hired to help with non-bikingchores such as mending fences. He moved into thebarn apartment after the bike camp ended.

Friends and volunteers from area bike clubshelp with trail maintenance and cuttingnew trails. Dr. Nolan is very involved in theprocess of diversifying ranches to mountainbike riding, and often advises ranchersinterested in starting such operations.

Risk ManagementThe Nolans say that liability is not an

issue. First-time visitors must sign a fullwaiver form; Susan carefully reviews theform, riding rules, and a ranch map withthem. Waivers are kept on file for 3 years.On subsequent visits, riders sign a clipboard

with the following abbreviated waiver: “I havepreviously signed a waiver of liability at BluffCreek Ranch and agree to abide by its conditions.I further agree to abide by the rules of Bluff CreekRanch.” The Nolans consulted a lawyer aboutusing this method. They use a waiver form issuedby NORBA. Helmets are required for all riders.

In addition to their ranch insurance policy, theyhave an umbrella policy that costs $450 per year,and a separate camping policy that costs $950 peryear. The policies cover lawsuits only, and have a$500 deductible.

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QuestionsThe Nolans often provide answers to other ranch-

ers who have begun similar enterprises and seektheir advice. They are interested in seeing what ishappening on other ranches that offer mountain bik-ing.

AdviceTo succeed at this sort of enterprise it is important

to get involved with a mountain biking associationfor contacts, trail assistance and publicity. TheNolans also believe it is crucial to have mountainbikers design the trails.

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FutureThe Nolans plan to continue adding trails at Bluff

Creek Ranch, and to offer swimming in the pond(swimming now is in the tanks). They would like tohost more camps, for girls as well as boys. If the ranch

hand continues to live in the barn, they will have toconsider outdoor camping for this event. They are con-centrating much of their effort on the mountain bikingaspect of their ranch, and would like to expand theseactivities as well as other ranching activities.

✩BackgroundKelly Creek Ranch is a 1,200-acre ranch

located about 20 minutes west of Kerrville in the heart of the Hill Country. The ranchhas been in the Dominigue family for morethan 100 years. They started raising Here-fords in the 1950s, and currently keep about20 head of cattle. They also sell hay and hunt-ing leases.

There is a lot of history associated with theranch. One neighbor’s father used to tell sto-ries about watching Indians on the Kelly Creekproperty around the turn of the century. Theproperty contains several Indian mounds.

Dean Dominigue and his brother Charlescurrently run the ranch, with Charles handlingthe hay sales and Dean the mountain bike oper-ation. Charles’ full-time job is surveying, and helives on the ranch with his family. Dean worksfull-time as a systems analyst and programmerfor a catering business, and lives in town withhis family. Another brother is an engineer andlives in Houston. The ranch is set up as a part-nership with each brother having one-third inter-est. Taxes and some other expenses are paid fromhunting leases.

LandscapeKelly Creek ranch has typical Hill Country ter-rain—rolling limestone hills—with one of thehighest hills in the region. There is a meadowat the entrance of the ranch from which thetrails depart. Much of the rest of the propertyconsists of rocky hills covered with a variety ofoak and cedar trees, with streams and valleyswinding among them.

Recreational Tourism Start-UpDean started mountain bike riding on the

ranch as a hobby and as a way to keep in shape.His friends who would go to the ranch to ridewith him encouraged him to build mountainbike trails. Dean rode at a few other places tosee what they meant by mountain bike trails,and fell in love with the technical side of thesport. So he started building highly technicaltrails on his property. He built many of the trailsby himself, but also got help from local riders and

from Hill Country Bicycle Works in nearbyFredricksburg. This operation is still a hobby forDean, and a way to stay in shape. While thebrothers do not want to lose money on the moun-tain biking enterprise, making money is not para-mount.

InvestmentDean estimates that he has invested approxi-

mately $4,000 in the mountain biking operation,part of which was for the bathrooms that are alsoused by hunters. Trail building would have been agreat expense if not for the volunteers who helped.

GuestsExcluding races, Kelly Creek Ranch gets about

50 riders per month during the spring, mostly onthe weekends. During the summer months thereare perhaps 15 to 20 riders per month. The bikingtrails are closed from October to mid-January forhunting season. Most of the riders come from thegreater Austin area (where the largest concentra-tion of NORBA members in the state lives) andfrom the San Antonio area. There are many repeatvisitors, but most of these are riders who providemaintenance labor in exchange for free passes.

They attract mostly expert riders, althoughthere are some families with a mix of skill levels.

It is rare for visitors to come to the ranch for asingle day. Most come for the weekend. On raceweekends, about 20 percent of the racers arrive onFriday, 30 to 40 percent on Saturday, and theremainder on Sunday.

Product and Programming

TraditionalThe Dominigues currently have 20 cows on the

land, 10 of which are theirs and 10 of whichbelong to their cattle manager who cares for theircattle in exchange for keeping his own cattle onthe property. They sell the calves, but have notbeen replacing cows.

Charles handles the deer and hog hunting oper-ations, which include 15 to 20 annual leases.There are several species of deer on the ranch; themost abundant are white-tailed, fallow and axis.Most of their income comes from hunting leases.

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Trail-Based ActivitiesKelly Creek Ranch has 17 miles of single-track

expert trails, and 10 miles of beginner trails. Theexpert trail begins in the meadow and makes an 8.5-mile loop back to the meadow; then there is another8.5-mile loop.

This allows riders to take a break between sections.The beginner trails are largely old jeep roads; theymeet the expert trails in several places. The experttrails are highly technical and difficult. Kelly Creekhas one of the few downhill courses in the state andhas been the site of recent Texas State DownhillChampionships.

They host the Kelly Creek Classic every spring,which is part of the Norwest Texas StateChampionship Series. This is a 2-day event, with thecross-country race held on Sunday for beginner, sportand expert riders. The Texas Downhill Championship isheld on Saturday on the highest hill at Kelly CreekRanch. For this race Dean built a starter’s box with aramp at the top of the hill. There is a great deal ofwork involved in setting up a race, and Dean believesthat one per year is sufficient for his purposes.

On race weekends Dean has a concessionaire man-age a food tent. He also invites bike shops and otherinterested parties to set up booths. There were about 8acres of “expo” area at the 1999 race. Dean believesexhibitors bring an added element of excitement onrace weekend, and does not charge them a fee.

Dean also organizes and hosts training races to helpriders prepare for the fall circuit. He charges $12 totalfor the land-use and race fees. He expects 100 racersfor the final training race the third weekend of August.

Facilities

There are four toilets and four showers (with coldwater from the spring-fed creek) in the meadow camp-ing area near the entrance to the ranch. Primitivecampsites are allowed in and around the meadow.There is enough space to accommodate at least 700campers; they had 600 to 700 campers one race week-end in April 1999. For race weekends they bring inadditional port-o-pots. There are two RV hook-ups withwater and electricity, but there has not been muchdemand for them. The few times people have broughtRVs they have run them as self-contained units. Mostvisitors either camp or stay at one of the hotels intown.

Dean uses coreplast, a hard plastic material, tomake signs that denote different levels of difficulty in

the trail system and indicate direction of travel. Thesigns are red, yellow and orange. Coreplast costsapproximately $8 per 4- x 8-foot sheet; Dean makesabout 120 arrows from one sheet for trail signs. Thesesigns are easy to spot, can be cut in directional shapes,and are very durable.

Price

Day-use is $5 per person per day for mountain bikeriding. Camping is $2 per person per night, but willprobably increase to cover the cost of additional facili-ties. On race days they reduce the access fee to a flat$3 for racers and spectators. Kelly Creek has beengrossing between $6,000 and $7,000 per year from themountain biking business, most of which comes fromthe races.

Riders can purchase an access pass for Kelly Creekat Mountain Sports, a bike shop in Hunt; at HillCountry Bicycle Works in Kerrville; or at the ranch.Most visitors pay at the bike shop in Kerrville; only sixriders have purchased passes at Mountain Sports thisyear. Either Charles or his son is usually home, andriders often pay them the land-use fee “at the gate.”They have not set up an “honor box” to allow visitors topay in their absence.

PromotionKelly Creek Ranch is featured on the Outpost

Wilderness Adventure Web site (http://www.owa.com/kellycrk/), where their race results are posted. Theyare also on TJ’s MTB Adventures Web site(http://ftp.vvm.com/~nholmes/texasrides.htm). Theydo not have a Web site of their own. Most of their pro-motion is done in connection with the annual race, forwhich they distribute fliers to mountain bike shops.They also rely on word of mouth.

PartnershipsWith their cattle manager, the Dominigues have a

barter system of exchanging labor for land use, and ithas worked well.

Dean has a close association with Lisa Nye andAdam Saladin, the owners of Hill Country BicycleWorks in Kerrville. Kelly Creek Ranch advertises atthe bike shop. Lisa and Adam help with maintenanceon the ranch. Fliers for the ranch are at this and otherbike shops.

Dean also has a partnership with Heart of the Hills,a girl’s camp nearby. For $8 per night, riders who visitKelly Creek can stay in the camp’s cabins, with showerand bath facilities. This works well for the riders and

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the camp, although hotel owners in Kerrvillewould rather the riders stayed at their estab-lishments.

PeopleDean does most of the maintenance on the

trails, with the help of volunteers. He spendsabout 60 hours per year on maintenance, withvolunteers contributing another 150 or morehours. Much of this work is done during thespring cleanup, as it is necessary to clear thetrails from winter storm damage such as fallentrees, cut the grass, and rake all the trails clearof leaves. Volunteers who contribute 10 ormore hours of labor receive a free pass for theyear. If they belong to the Pay Dirt Programthey will also receive points.

Dean has found mountain bikers to be a neatand considerate group—more so than hunters.He believes this is because most of the riders atKelly Creek are more frequent visitors than thehunters.

Risk ManagementHelmets are required and riders are cautioned

to ride in pairs. The Dominigues use waivers forraces but have stopped requiring them for dailyrecreational use. Dean designs, manages andmaintains trails to be challenging but safe.

Kelly Creek has a $5 million umbrella policy tocover races. This policy is provided through theNational Off Road Bike Association, and covers$25,000 in medical with a $1,000 deductible. Italso provides a maximum coverage of $2 millionin the event that they are sued. The brothers havediscussed liability insurance for non-race-day rid-ing, and Dean has spoken to insurance companiesabout a general liability policy for recreation, buthe believes that the cost is too high for his opera-tion.

FutureOther than additional facilities for next year’s

race, Dean does not plan any major additions atthis time. He is happy with the business as it is,and since he did not get into the mountain bikingbusiness to make money and does not want tospend more time on it, he does not plan to build itup in the future. However, he is considering theaddition of an honor box for collecting fees at theranch.

He is also considering a plan to offer a $4 dis-count to riders who participate in the Pay DirtProgram1, even if they did not earn their points atKelly Creek Ranch.

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1The Pay Dirt Program is sponsored by NORBA and allows racers to accrue points for maintenance work at trailsites as well as for races.

QuestionsOne challenge Dean faces is that riders from San

Antonio, Houston and Austin, the closest cities, haveother choices of places to ride. Kelly Creek Ranch is toofar from the parts of the state where riding trails arelacking.

AdviceThe two biggest lessons Dean has learned involve

trail construction. The first is to not make your trailstoo difficult for the target market. Dean and his friendscut the trails in a very technical and challenging man-ner, which they prefer but most riders do not. The sec-ond lesson is not to cut trails up the fall line, as thiscreates a constant erosion problem. He suggests that inhilly areas you follow a game trail, if possible, becausethe game will have picked the simplest route up thehill.

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✩BackgroundRocky Hill Ranch is a 1,260-acre ranch

located outside Smithville in Central Texas.Gray Hill inherited the land in a deal thatgave him a larger piece of property than hisco-beneficiaries received because he took theportion that was not good for traditional agri-cultural production. Rick Phouts leased theland and managed the mountain biking opera-tion for a year; Diane Uhl is the current man-ager.

LandscapeAs the name implies, the area is rocky and

hilly, with meadows and forested areas thatprovide variety to suit all levels of mountainbike riders. There are some very steep climbsbuilt into the trail system for expert riders.

Recreational Tourism Start-UpNine years ago Mr. Hill began to allow moun-

tain bikers to ride on portions of his land for afee, and worked with the Austin Ridge Riders tocut several of the initial trails. Mr. Phouts built acafe/saloon on the property.

GuestsThe ranch has about fifty riders per day on the

weekends, two to ten per day on Thursday andFriday, and two to forty total from Monday

through Wednesday. Many guests are families.Races attract 100 to 600 participants, plusspectators. The TMBRA race, for example, drewbetween 1,500 and 2,000 people, 600 of whomwere riders. Riders have come from as far awayas Greece, with approximately 10 percent of customers from out of state (mostly Arkansas,

Colorado,Oklahoma,Louisianaand NewMexico). Mostare fromTexas, prima-rily Austin,Houston andSan Antonio.

The ranch caters primarily to mountain bik-ers, but allows some other activities while takingcare that there is no conflict among users.

Product and Programming

Trail-Based ActivitiesThere are 20 to 25 miles of ranch roads and

fence line to ride, as well as 18 to 20 miles of sin-gle-track bike trails. There are three water sta-tions along thetrails that arerefilled daily.The ranch isopen year-round, but offi-cially closedMondaythroughWednesday.However, thegate is not locked, and regular guests are awarethat they can ride on these days by using an hon-orary pay system. Spring and fall are the busiest seasons; July and August are the slowest months.

Trails are marked beginner/intermediate(green), advanced (blue) and expert (black)—thesame system ski resorts use. Guests receive a mapthat clearly shows the respective trail types.

Rocky Hill hosts a TMBRA/NORBA race, aswell as other mountain bike races such as theTexas Challenge, which combines mountain bik-ing, canoeing and running.

Rocky Hill also hosts the Excalibur FantasyFaire every year. For this event concessionaires,bands and other entertainers gather on-site for avariety of activities. Visitors are charged accessfees and a percentage of the proceeds comes backto the ranch.

A river, lake and abundant spring wildflowersmake the ranch attractive to locals who visit topaint landscapes. A land-use fee is not normallycharged for this activity.

Facilities

The Rocky Hill Cafe and Saloon is where riderspark and sign in. The sign-in sheet includes awaiver form. The cafe has restrooms and showers,with entertainment on Saturday nights. There are18 RV hookup sites, and room for many primitivecampsites. There is a horseshoe pit and a sand

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volleyball court outside the cafe, and a big screen TVinside.

Price

Bike fees are $6 per person per day, and campingfees are an additional $4 per person per night. (Thesame fees apply on race days.) Group rates are negoti-ated on an individual basis. Fees are paid at the Cafeand Saloon during normal business hours. An honorbox is in place for early morning and Monday throughWednesday arrivals.

There is no cover charge for the Saturday night bandat the cafe. Food prices are comparable to similarrestaurants, with beverage prices ranging from free(coffee) to $3 imported beer. Sandwiches cost $3.40 to$4.75, and appetizers $1.50 to $4.25.

PromotionRocky Hill Ranch has a Web page, www.rockyhill-

ranch.com, and also links from other Web pages suchas TJ’s MTB Adventures (http://ftp.vvm.com/~nholmes/texasrides.htm), The Austin Ridge Riders(http://www.io.com/austinridgeriders/99rh.htm),Great Outdoors.com (http://www.greatoutdoors.com/mtb/destinations/usa/ texas/rocky2.html), andBVMBA (http://bvmba.txcyber.com/trails/smithville.htm) to name a few.

They distribute fliers to local bike shops, but relyheavily on word-of-mouth, which has given the bestresults. The bike races and festivals they hold also pro-vide a great deal of publicity.

PartnershipsOriginally, Rick Phouts leased the land from Gray

Hill to use for the mountain bike and cafe businesses.Diane and Paul Uhl were his partners in cutting andmaintaining the trails. Now, as manager, Diane han-dles rules and regulations, networking with race organ-izers and mountain bikers, and is the main promoter ofthe ranch.

A Houston bicycle group worked with Rocky HillRanch to host the Texas Challenge race. Race promot-ers must supply their own insurance (in addition to theranch’s insurance), port-o-pots, and also clean up after-wards.

There is a “Visit Smithville” sign at the ranchentrance with general advertising for antique stores,B&B’s, hardware stores and gas.

Rick also used trade and bartering (mostly free ridesand/or food) to obtain additional help with trail mainte-nance.

The day care center across the road is allowed to usethe ranch for nature hikes free of charge.

PeopleWhen Rick Phouts was the manager, a caretaker

who lived on the ranch helped him handle the day-to-day business. There was also a bartender, and Rickhired extra help for minimum wage on race weekendsand for special events. The staff was able to eat freeand drink at cost. Trade and bartering were the gener-al methods for reimbursing staff, and he often hadfriends help out. Diane Uhl is now the manager, andshe is hiring staff.

Risk ManagementAll riders must sign a waiver upon arrival. This form

is kept at the cafe and saloon. Helmets are required forall riders. Rick’s lease with Mr. Hill required that hehave an insurance policy as well. The insurance policyhas a $5,000 waiver, which means that the insurancepolicy covers 100 percent of a claim up to $5,000. It is a$300,000 policy with a $1 million cap. The cost is $700down and $360 per month. As mentioned above, raceorganizers must have separate insurance. Of the fewinjuries that have occurred at Rocky Hill, almost allhave occurred on race days.

FutureMr. Hill plans to build a lake and recreation area on

another 400 acres of the ranch. This will be a separateentity from the mountain biking business. However, itmay attract more mountain bikers to the ranch andprovide more publicity for the mountain biking enter-prise.

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AdviceMr. Phouts believes that good partner-

ships are a must in this business, especial-ly for ranchers who are not familiar withmountain bike racing, or whatever trailactivity they will offer. He also suggeststhat owners try to barter for help as muchas possible to save out-of-pocket expendi-tures.

✩BackgroundThe 33 Ranch is a 1,500-acre ranch located

outside Kenedy, Texas. It is owned and oper-ated by Matt and Stacia Jauer. Originallycalled the 33 Ranch, Stacia’s great-grandfa-ther changed the name to the Handy Ranch,which was the family name. Matt and Staciachanged the name back to the 33 Ranch whenthey took over the property. Stacia Jauer isthe third generation of her family to live onthe 33 Ranch, which has been in the familysince 1936. The ranch averages about 200 headof cattle (Herefords) and approximately 200yearlings annually. The Jauers have leases onseveral other ranches where they also keep cat-tle.

LandscapeThe 33 Ranch has a variety of terrain that

includes the San Antonio River and its associat-ed floodplain. There are steepembankments and gullies aroundthe river; hills, meadows, andMesquite thickets give the land atypical south Texas flavor. Ten milesof the 33’s trails are in the shadeprovided by hardwood forests in theriver bottom.

Recreational TourismStart-Up

The Jauers got involved withTexas Equestrian Trail RidersAssociation (TETRA) a few yearsago and met Craig Brubaker. Craig suggestedthat they offer horseback riding on their proper-ty. Matt and Stacia wanted to find a way tomaintain their ranching lifestyle in a mannerthat could also be passed on to their children,and trail riding seemed to be a way to help. In

February 1999 the Jauers began preparingtrails for horseback riding and had 24 miles oftrail as of June 1999. Some of these trails areold roads on the property, while other trails werecut specifically for riding. In April 1999 they hadtheir first trail ride with 20 guests, followed by atrail ride with more than 40 guests in May 1999.

GuestsThe Jauers attract people mostly from Houston

and San Antonio (but they have had visitors fromas far away as Uvalde), and these two groups pre-fer different types of trails. The Houston ridersseem to prefer easier trails, while riders from SanAntonio seem to prefer rough trails. The Jauersare beginning to attract some customers from outof state because of their promotion throughTETRA. Their customers appear to be very com-mitted to their sport. Despite very heavy rain andflash flooding the day before their June 1999event, 45 of the 80 scheduled guests showed upand wanted to ride.

Product and Programming

Traditional Matt runs the cattle operation. The Jauers have

also started breeding horses and hope to sell mostof their offspring. They have alsobegun advertising pasture boardingfor horses.

The ranch offers dove hunting dur-ing both seasons, September throughOctober and December throughJanuary. The Jauers have sponsoredhog hunts, but not on a regular basis.They will offer trail rides during thehunting season. Matt schedules boththe hunting and riding activities sothey will not conflict. They have deeron the property, but do not feel thereis a large enough base for hunting.

Trail-Based ActivitiesThe 33 Ranch offers guided horseback riding on

24 miles of trails. Unguided rides are occasionallyallowed at the owner’s discretion. Guests mustsupply their own horses for all rides. At first theJauers hosted only trail riding weekends; guestscould have four 2- to 3-hour rides (Friday night,Saturday morning, Saturday evening, and Sundaymorning). They now open some on a daily basis aswell.

Some trails are old double-track ranch roads.Matt and volunteers have also built single tracktrails. Their goal was to build trails that would be

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interesting for horse riders in particular, such as trailsthrough gullies and over steep embankments. Theybuilt bypasses in these areas for less experienced rid-ers. Approximately 80 percent of the 33’s trails areeasy, and any rider should be able to handle them.Trails are marked with surveyor tape, and yellow tagsare used to mark fence gaps that riders are allowed topass through.

One meal is included in the weekend package, and itis served on Saturday either at noon or in the eveningas fits the riding schedule. The Jauers have this mealcatered from various restaurants in town. They nor-mally serve food with a south Texas theme. The Jauershave found that meals served to a large group receivemixed reviews because it is hard to please everyonewith a limited menu. However, they plan to continueoffering a meal as most customers believe it adds to theexperience.

Weekend guests are also given a wagon ride. Thisappears to be popular, and helps convey a feel for life inthe early days of Texas.

The Jauers promote the natural habitat of the ranchas part of the product. When interviewed, they plannedto have a wildlife specialist visit the ranch to determinewhat species are onthe property. Matt hadsome concern that ifan endangered specieswere discovered itmight restrict the useof his land, but knewthat such a speciescould also be attrac-tive to guests. Thereare also cultural andhistorical sights on the ranch, including an oldhomestead and schoolhouse that date to the1870s.

The image they promote is that of a workingranch with trail riding opportunities. Most oftheir guests are families and they promote afamily atmosphere. They do allow alcohol in thecampsites, but strictly forbid it on the rides.

Facilities

The only lodging facility is a primitive camping areawith a grill and picnic tables. If an evening meal is notbeing served, Matt lights the grill and guests are wel-come to use it. The camping area is grassy and hasmany trees that provide shade and protection fromwind. Port-o-pots and water are placed at the camp-

sites on riding weekends, and a fire ring has been builtfor guests to gather around at night. Some guestschoose to stay at one of the motels in town.

The Jauers have set up an answering system ontheir phone that allows callers to select “1” for trail rid-ing information and “2” for hunting information. Thereis a prerecorded message, and/or callers may leave amessage. Before an event, a third option is added toprovide specific event information.

Price

Weekend rides cost $25 per person with a $50 capper family. This includes camping and the Saturdaymeal. Riders who come just for a day are charged $15,including the meal. Matt states that having 50 guestsper weekend is the goal to make a reasonable profit,but even on weekends with only 20 participants he hasnot lost money. He plans to offer an annual familymembership for $250 to $300. This membership will bemuch like a hunting lease, allowing riders to haveaccess as they wish on a year-around basis.

PromotionWord of mouth is the primary means of advertising,

but the Jauers have also distributed fliers usingTETRA’s mailing list. They mail fliers to guests afterevery ride, and have passed out flyers at other rides.They create a new flier for each ride. They also have aWeb site (33ranch.com) and an email address(33ranch@fnichols.com).

The 33 Ranch also set up a booth at the LonesomeDove Fest, which is held opening weekend of dove sea-

son near Karnes City. Thisevent provides good expo-sure to potential regionalcustomers.

PartnershipsTheir partnership with

Craig Brubaker has beenvery helpful. Craig was inmarketing for twenty yearsbefore moving to Texas and

helped establish a marketing plan for the 33 Ranch. Healso helped the Jauers link up with TETRA.

Don Knight, the neighbor who provides wagons forthe wagon rides, is another partner.

The Jauers network in the surrounding communitiesand belong to the Rotary Club in Karnes City. Theyhave developed a relationship with local restaurantsthat provide food for ranch guests. They also advertise

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through the Chamber of Commerce, andhave been listed with other area ranches inthe promotional material for the county’smain fair (the Lonesome Dove Fest) thattakes place at the end of September.

The Jauers focus on customer service andcustomer relationships for building clientele.They distribute customer feedback forms forguests to complete at the end of their ridingexperience, so that guests become partners inbuilding the business.

PeopleMatt and Stacia Jauer are responsible for

the day-to-day operations, with Matt takingcare of trail building and trail maintenance andStacia in charge of riding lessons. Matt man-ages hunters to ensure there is no conflict withhorseback riders. Some of his ranch employeesalso help with cooking on special occasions thatfeature theme meals.

Risk ManagementThe Jauers have a sign posted at the entrance

to the ranch that warns guests that Chapter 87of the Texas legal code is in effect. Chapter 87states, “An equine professional is not liable forany injury or death of a participant in equineactivities resulting from the inherent risks ofequine activities.”

They have a Texas farm and ranch homeown-ers’ policy, and for an additional $176 per year

were able to acquire $1 million dollars in liabil-ity coverage for the equine activities. Thedeductible is no more than $500. The policythey have does not cover food and lodging. Anaddition to the policy that would cover guestsriding the Jauer’s horses at the 33 Ranch is cur-rently too expensive. The Farm Bureau is in the

process of adding coverage options for rancherswho give trail rides on their properties. TheJauers’ agent was also told that the Farm Bureauwould not cover boating on or swimming in theSan Antonio River. This is a new area for insur-ance companies, and the details are still beingnegotiated so that more activities are included.Texas Cattle Raisers is also considering addingsimilar policy options.

The Jauers have riders sign a waiver, and rulesare distributed and reviewed before the first rideof the weekend. Matt believes that customer serv-ice is also a good way to manage risk.

FutureThe Jauers have decided to narrow their focus

and concentrate more on horseback trail rides.They will let their other leases expire and moveall the cattle from those ranches to the 33 Ranch.

Matt wants to further their relationship withDon Knight, and hopes to add wagon train ridesas a permanent part of the programming onorganized weekend rides.

A reservation system, a Web site, and perma-nent lodging, such as a cabin, are also in the plansfor the future. The old homestead will be repairedand used as a shelter or guest cabin, and the adja-cent barns will be restored to house horses. Moreexpert trails and additional campsites are slatedfor future development as well. Facilities andservices will be added as the trail riding enter-prise grows because Matt does not want to takeincome from the cattle and hunting businesses tosupport the trail riding enterprise.

Once pasture boarding starts, the Jauers planto charge $125 to $150 per year, per horse, andwill add facilities as demand warrants.

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QuestionsMatt would like more information on marketing,

including how to target certain people, how to maxi-mize their advertising investment, and how to attractthe sort of customer they desire.

AdviceAccording to the Jauers, the most important thing

is to be yourself. Part of the reason that people go ontrail rides is to experience the old West, and ranchesare part of that tradition. People want to experiencethe real thing, and a rancher will have more fun inthis business if he is true to himself.

The other important advice is to be patient. A busi-ness does not become successful overnight, so give ittime to grow.

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A

Q's

✩BackgroundThe X Bar Ranch is a 7,100-acre ranch

near Eldorado, Texas. Eldorado is about 3hours west of San Antonio at the edge of theTexas Hill Country. The ranch has been in theMeador family for five generations datingback to 1903, and there are currently threegenerations of Meadors working on the X Bar.Co-owners are brothers Ed and Jack, and sis-ter Edith. Ed and his family have been operat-ing the ranch for more than 50 years. His sonLynn works both with the traditional ranchingoperation and with the guest operations;grandson Stan handles the guest operations,which includes hunting, lodging and mountainbiking; grandson Chris is in charge of otheraspects of the ranch. The family also owns theMeador Land Co., which handles oil and gasleases.

LandscapeThere is a variety of terrain within the bound-

aries of the X Bar Ranch. Live Oak Lodge andthe cabins are located on a bluff looking overmuch of the ranch. The trails begin here, windingdown the bluff through the brush and mesquite.Portions of the trails are rocky, while other sec-tions are in meadows.

Recreational Tourism Start-UpStan had been living in Europe, and thought

that his home would be a place Europeans andAmericans from the East would find unique and

enjoy visiting. He also thought Texans would likeit as a place to get away from city life and relax.He began to lay the groundwork for the tourismoperation in May 1996. As he researched theextent of overcrowding in state and nationalparks, he saw a demand that he could try to meet.

In September 1996, the X Bar’s first payingguests arrived from Germany. Those were the onlyguests that year. The guest numbers have notbeen consistent, and vary from 10 to 60 overnightvisitors per month.

GuestsBecause Stan Meador has many connections in

Europe, many of the ranch’s guests come fromthere. Stan speaks Spanish and Dutch.

The X Bar is geared toward the casual travelerrather than the upscale dude ranch visitor. Theyalso target corporate groups who may use theranch for retreats.

Product and Programming

TraditionalAs a working ranch, the X Bar normally has

about 1,200 sheep, excluding lambs, and about200 head of cattle. Chris is responsible for thisportion of the business, but receives help from Ed,

Lynn and Stan when needed.

Turkey and deer hunting leases are apart of the business.

Trail-Based ActivitiesThe X Bar Ranch has trails that may

be used for mountain biking, hiking andhorseback riding, and offers guided trailrides. There are about 12 miles of trails,most of which are single-track. There aretrails for all levels of experience, andthey are marked by colored ribbons withred on the right side of the trail and yel-low on the left side. Trail riders can also

use the ranch roads. There have been no conflictsbetween bikers and trail riders, because mountainbikers have come only on race weekends. Hikersenjoy viewing the abundant wildlife on the ranch.

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X Bar Ranch✩

The ranch hosted a mountain bike race called the XBar Shootout, and another as part of the TMBA Fallseries.

Since the X Bar is a working ranch and not a duderanch, guests are not offered a set schedule of dailyactivities. Instead, activities are planned around theguests’ requests and the availability of family membersto accommodate their requests. Lynn Meador hostsmost of the trail rides and ensures that guests get toexperience daily life on the ranch.

Facilities

There are guestrooms at head-quarters, a lodge (Live Oak Lodge)and six cabins on the west side of theranch, and two stone cabins (theRound House about 11/2 miles fromLive Oak Lodge, and BuckhornLodge). There are also primitivecampsites near Live Oak Lodge. Thehouses have been on the ranch forseveral generations, while Live OakLodge and the cabins were build justa few years ago by a hunting lease-holder. When the lease was cancelled2 years ago the X Bar bought thecabins and lodges from the formerleaseholder.

Live Oak Lodgehas a full kitchen,couches, tables,chairs, satellite TV,board games, maga-zines, restroom, anda back porch with aview of the ranch.There is also aphoto album of fam-ily and past guests,and a scrapbook for guests to sign. Rules for the trails,rattlesnake treatment and avoidance information, andbrochures for other mountain bike ranches and areaattractions are also in the lodge. Many guests use thescrapbook to write thank-you notes to the Meadors.

The cabins offer a variety of accommodations, rang-ing from a double bed to a double bed/bunk bed combi-nation. Each holds up to four people, and has privatebathroom facilities and heating and air conditioning.

The Round House is a two-story circular stone struc-ture with a full kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom with

shower, living room, dining area, heating and air condi-tioning, and a fireplace. The Round House accommo-dates up to six guests.

Buckhorn Lodge, also made of stone, accommodates6 to 14 visitors. There are two large rooms—a livingarea with a central fireplace open on all sides and abedroom. There are three bathrooms, a kitchen, andheating and air conditioning.

In all facilities guests are provided with cookingutensils, flatware, plates and other items necessary forcooking and eating. Guests are requested to clean upafter themselves. This system has worked well thus far.

Continental breakfast is served in Live Oak Lodge ifthere are enough guests who would like this service.Occasionally the Meadors also host Bar-B-Que dinnerswith live entertainment, and other group dinners, at anadditional charge. These meals are usually planned fortimes when there are a large number of people stayingat the ranch. It is not economically feasible to servejust a few people. When they do have these meals, theMeador family treats them as family cookouts and eatswith the guests. These functions are usually held atLive Oak Lodge.

There is a swimming tank, and pits for horseshoeand washer pitching.

Price

Room rates are $50 to $90 single occupancy and $40to $80 double occupancy, with a two-night minimumrecommended. Children or extra persons are $20 to $50per night. Weekly rates are $345 to $555 single occu-

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pancy and $300 to $480 double occupancy.Children or extra persons are $135 to $215.Rates do not include tax, and they are perperson. This includes breakfast and all guestactivities except horseback riding.

Single day access is $4.00 per person perday plus tax, $3.00 plus tax for children 12and under. Camping is an additional $6 perperson, $4.25 for children 12 and under. Thereis a per visit mountain bike fee of $2.00 plustax; the fee is included in the lodging fee if theguest is staying overnight. For example, a fam-ily of four with both children under 12 wouldpay $22 plus tax for one day of mountain bik-ing ($6 per adult and $5 per child). If the samefamily stayed two days and one night, the totalfee would be $36 plus tax ($10 per adult and $8per child).

Guided horseback rides are $14.00 per personfor an open ride, and $20.00 per person for atrail ride. Open rides occur when the visitor isallowed to help round up cattle or ride freely onthe land. The Meadors use their judgement todetermine if a guest has the ability and skilllevel necessary for this activity. A guided rideusing the visitor’s horse is $8.00.

PromotionThe X Bar Ranch has its own Web site

(www.xbarranch.com) and has also been men-tioned on or linked to from many other Web sites,including Texas Trails (http://www.tourtexas.com/@txtrailhill.html) and Texas Forts Trail

(http://www.xbarranch.com/fortpage.htm).The Internet is their biggest marketing tool,along with word-of-mouth. They have beenmentioned in the Texas Travel Guide, TexasAccommodation Guide, San Angelo Visitor’sGuide, and materials from the Sonora Chamberof Commerce.

Stan has found that getting mentioned in localand regional newspapers is a matter of network-ing with the local press, and costs little but yourtime. The X Bar is often written up in Hill

Country publications. Stan is working on get-ting into Texas Parks and Wildlife and similarpublications. An article on the ranch appearedin Texas Monthly. Southern Living has also visit-ed the ranch.

X-bar has a glossy color brochure to send outon request. They also trade these brochures withother ranchers, and have put fliers in their lodge

for other ranches such as Bluff Creek Ranch.Their brochure can also be found in such places asthe nearby Sonora Caverns, and they will be dis-tributing their brochures to other locations alongthe Texas Forts Trail. The Meadors are planning amore targeted direct mail campaign and are com-piling a database for that purpose.

PartnershipsOne partnership is with an outfitter who rents

an old house on a section of the land near thelodge. He fixed up the house in exchange for sev-eral months’ rent, and handles the turkey anddeer hunting operation, which allows Stan and therest of the family to concentrate on other activi-ties. There is an adjoining cabin that the outfittercan rent to hunters, and he also leases the guest-house next to the main ranch house during hunt-ing season in order to provide more lodging.Profits from the hunting leases are shared withthe X Bar Ranch.

The administrative work is partially handled bythe Meador Land Co.’s secretary. She answers thephones for reservation and information requests,and also helps out at the lodges on occasion bycleaning cabins.

Partnerships within the family are also impor-tant.

The Meadors are members of the Texas NatureTourism Association, a subdivision of The TexasTravel Industry Association. They are also mem-bers of the Texas Guest Ranch Association, TexasHotel & Motel Association, and the TexasLonghorn Breeders Association of America. Stanbelieves that these memberships are worthwhile ifyou invest the time to network with other mem-bers. Another advantage is that they link yourbusiness to their Web pages. The membership feeis dependent on the size and income level of yourbusiness.

PeopleThis is an extended family business, with Lynn

Meador acting as “swing man,” Stan Meador han-dling the tourism enterprise, and Chris Meadorrunning the traditional ranch functions. EdMeador lends a hand wherever needed by his sonand grandsons. Chris and Stan also help eachother out as needed. Stan and Lynn are the twopeople guests deal with; however, other membersof the family have also visited with guests andhelped out with cooking, trail rides, etc. Stan han-

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dles all management and event planning, as well assocializing with the guests and helping Lynn ensurethat they enjoy their visit.

Risk ManagementA family member, usually Lynn or Stan, always

accompanies guests on horseback rides.

IMBA rules are posted and helmets are required forall mountain bike riders.

There is a regular farm and ranch liability policy, aswell as a separate liability policy for the guest ranchoperation that costs about $2,300 per year. This covershorseback riding, camping and other recreational activ-ities. The policy has a $500 deductible.

FutureThe Audubon Society visited the ranch to catalog

birds and the Meadors will be expanding the wildlifeviewing area around one gully that attracts birds.

They will be improving the cabins as income allows,increasing the number of campsites near the lodge,adding picnic tables to the campsites, and also addingRV hookups.

They want to increase the mountain biking and hik-ing business, and are looking for clubs that would begood partners in this venture. Their remote location,three hours west of San Antonio, makes this difficult.

Within the next 10 years, Stan would like to be ableto turn over the day-to-day guest ranch operations tosomeone else. The key is finding the proper person tomanage the enterprise. Part of the solution may lie inan internship program with the local high school and/orTexas Tech University. Stan plans for the X Bar to par-ticipate in these programs to help train students inguest operations and management. Ideally, one of thelocal students will enter the program and see this as agreat way to continue to live and work in Eldorado. Itis also another way to obtain publicity for the ranch.

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QuestionsStan is curious about the longevity of recreational

tourism on private lands. His concern is that rancherswill not be financially able to stay in it long enough toget the industry well established.

AdviceStan’s advice is to do your research and make sure

you will be committed to the business for the longterm, as it will take 5 years or more to earn a depend-able income from this type of enterprise. Make sureyou are prepared to offer constant care and service toyour guests. A

Q's

✩BackgroundThe Montgomery-Fulk-Walker Ranch is

located 26 miles south of Fort Stockton,Texas enroute to Big Bend National Park.Homesteaded in the early 1900s, the 60,000-acre ranch has been in the family for almost100 years. Joe Montgomery, the originalowner, left the land to his four daughters,resulting in a variety of names for differentsections of the ranch. The family also owns aranch in the Guadeloupe Mountains, andanother north of Fort Stockton. Scott Furmanhas been running the ranch since 1989, leasingthe Montgomery-Fulk portion of the land fromthat side of the family. He and his wife Kendalive on the Walker Ranch portion of the proper-ty. These two properties (Montgomery-Fulk andWalker) total 30,000 acres. The Furmans raisecattle and goats, offer hunting leases, and holdgas company leases, which Scott manages.Royalties go to the older generation.

LandscapeThe Montgomery-Fulk ranch, as it is common-

ly known, is more than 4,000 feet above sea levelin the Glass Mountains between Fort Stocktonand Marathon. The land is covered with mesquiteand cedar, and the many hills make it easy to losesight of familiar landmarks. Wildlife on the ranch

includes mountain lions, javelina, mule deerand turkey.

Recreational Tourism Start-UpKenda attend-

ed the TexasNature TourismWorkshop inAustin severalyears ago, anddecided thattourism was a

viable option fordiversifying theirincome. It wouldalso allow her tostay at home withthe Furmans’children.

Subsequently, Kenda participated in a pilot pro-gram that offered specific tour packages throughTexas Parks and Wildlife. Kenda received severalcalls in response to this program, and found thatmost people simply wanted a place to stay ratherthan organized activities. So, she decided to focuson a bed and breakfast enterprise. Scott’s great-grandfather’s first house is located about 2 milesfrom the ranch entrance, and it was renovated forthe bed and breakfast. The Furmans named itGlass Mountain Manor and opened in 1995.

GuestsMost of their guests come from Texas, although

they have had two groups from out of the country(England and Australia) and others from NewMexico and Illinois. Most of their Texas visitorscome from Houston, Austin, Midland, and theDallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. They have attracteda number of I-10 travelers

Product and Programming

TraditionalThe Furmans have about 400 cattle, 100

Spanish goats, and 50 Boer goats. Scott also keepsabout 15 horses. He manages the ranching activi-ties with the help of Jaime, their one full-timeranch hand, and other help hired as needed.

Trail Based ActivitiesKenda envisioned Glass Mountain Manor as a

bed and breakfast, with additional activities asrequested. Mostguests come simplyto get away fromthe city, or to usethe ranch as a basefor touring the sur-rounding areas,including Big Bend,Fort Stockton andFort Davis. Guestsoften hike, andsome bring moun-tain bikes. Thereare no formal trailson the property;guests use the

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Montgomery-Fulk Ranch✩

ranch roads or cut through the bush. Some guests liketo tag along with Scott as he performs his ranch duties.

Kenda arranges excursions for guests at theirrequest, including trips to the winery outside FortStockton. Scott and Jaime also escort guests on tours ofthe ranch and area, but this service is not oftenrequested as most people entertain themselves.

The Furmans’ home is 10 miles from Glass MountainManor on another section of the ranch, so Kenda doesnot prepare breakfast in the typical bed and breakfastfashion. Instead, when people call for a reservationKenda asks them what they would like for breakfast.She then stocks the refrigerator accordingly and guestsprepare their own breakfast.

Facilities

Glass Mountain Manor is a four bedroom, one bathranch house. There is a full kitchen and dining area,and a living room. They have cable TV, but no phone.The yard is surrounded by a three-foot high wall, witha Bar-B-Que, table and chairs available for guests touse. There is a watering hole near the house, andguests can watch wildlife drinking there in the evening.

Because there is only one bathroom, they rent thehouse as a whole, and not by the room. Each room inthe house is decorated in a different theme, for exam-ple, the cowboy room. This room has Scott’s great-grandfather’s chaps hanging on the wall. All rooms aredecorated with family mementos, and each bedroomhas a printed and framed ranch story hanging on thewall.

The kitchen and pantry are fully stocked with dish-es, pots, utensils, etc., and there are also standard sup-plies such as coffee, tea, sugar and other condimentsprovided. Kenda tells guests to help themselves, andthey do not need to clean when they leave. Most do, but

Kenda does not want people to feel that they have toclean up after themselves.

Investment

They spent a few thousand dollars renovating theranch house into Glass Mountain Manor, but otherthan that have not invested any money in their tourismoperation.

Price

The Furmans charge $75 per night for up to twoadults, plus $10 per additional adult, and $5 per addi-tional child under six. This price includes lodging andbreakfast, as well as hiking and mountain biking. Theycharge an additional $50 per person for guided excur-sions.

They have a toll-free number for reservations andinformation, and also have an e-mail address that peo-ple can use for reservations. Most of their inquiriescome from the Internet.

PromotionTexas Parks and Wildlife wrote a story on private

places in Texas, one of which was Glass MountainManor. They are also listed in the Texas Travel Guide,Texas Travel Passport, Texas Cooperative, and the BigBend area travel guide. They get calls from all of thesesources, but have found newspaper ads to be useless.

They do not have their own Web site, but have apage linked to the Fort Stockton tourist Web site(http://www.tourtexas.com/fortstockton/ftstockmotels.html).

They have a brochure/rack card that they distributeto travel centers around Texas. They have found theInternet and word-of-mouth to be their biggest sourcesof publicity.

PartnershipsThe family runs the ranch and all associated activi-

ties. Kenda refers people who want to horseback rideto Prude Ranch, but there is not a formal partnership.

PeopleKenda Furman was the tourist director in Fort

Stockton years ago, so she has good knowledge of andcontacts with the other surrounding attractions. She isalso an experienced marketer in this regard, and isfamiliar with the tourist industry.

Scott Furman handles the ranching activities (live-stock, gas and hunting), as well as assisting Kendawith the tourism branch of their business. He has an

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endless supply of family and ranch storieswith which to entertain visitors.

Jaime assists Scott with the livestock, andhas also helped with visitors by giving tours ofthe ranch.

Risk ManagementThey have a $1 million umbrella policy that

covers recreation. The policy is piggybackedonto the Walker ranch policy. They formed aLimited Liability Corporation, Round MountainEnterprises, which includes hunting leases, theBed & Breakfast, gas leases, and all traditional

ranching activities. This corporation setuprequires them to pay corporate taxes, but it lim-its their liability.

FutureIf and when the ranch house is booked often

enough for them to consider more facilities, thereis a cabin located near the ranch house thatcould be fixed up for additional lodging. How-ever, the cabin is in need of extensive repairsthat would total well over $10,000, so they willnot take on this task unless the demand is suffi-cient to make it worthwhile.

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A

AdviceDo not expect to make a lot of money

quickly, so be careful about your initialinvestment. You must also be people orient-ed, and be flexible.

References

Cordell, K. (1995). Outdoor Recreation in American Life: A National Assessment of Demandand Supply Trends. Sagamore Publishing.

National Survey on Recreation and the Environment. (1995). See: Emerging Markets forOutdoor Recreation in the United States. Cordell. et al. Available:www.outdoorlink.com/infosource/nsre/index.htm

Texas A&M University. (1998). See: Texas Outdoors: A Vision for the Future. Witt & Brown, etal. Available: wwwrpts.tamu.edu/tpwd/contrib.htm

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Appendix One: Sample Local Map✩

San Antonio

Three Rivers

Karnes City

Helena

Kenedy

Beeville

Goliad

Runge

YorktownCuero

Luling

Seguin

181 123

80

72

239

181

72

18133 Ranch

Helena

Kenedy

Runge33 Ranch

72

CR 331

CP&L

81

792

792

CR 326

80

181

From Kenedy go east on 72 for approximately 1 mile to 792–go north on 792 for 1 mile to CR 326–goright on CR 326 for 4 miles to CR 331–go right on CR 331 1/10 mile to gates on left.

From Helena go south on 80 to 792–go left on 792 to CR 326–go left on CR 326 for 4 miles to CR 331–go right on CR 331 for 1/10 mile to gates on left.

From Runge go south on 72 to CR 331–go right on CR 331 approximately 4 miles to gates on right.

33 Ranch Map

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✻Appendix Two: Sample Trails Map✩

Phase II

Birchham Creek

Earl's Way

Tough Breaks

CR 433

FM 2382

1217 ft.

Go West

Camp

Rustler

Armadillo Flats

The Oaks

Side winder

The Holler

The Breaks at Bar H Mountain Bike Ranch

Trails Map

Armadillo flats 0.6 miThe Oaks 1.5 Earl's Way 2.0Go West 0.3The Holler 1.3Rustler 0.6Side winder 0.3Tough Breaks 1.0

EasyModerateDifficult

RoadCreek

Helmets Required

X

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✩ Appendix Three: Basic Information on a

Landowner’s Liability When Offering

Recreational Activities on Private

Agricultural Land

These are guidelines and are intended onlyto provide basic information about whatlandowners can expect in terms of their liabil-ity. Anyone considering adding recreationaluse to his or her enterprise should seek specif-ic legal advise.

Liability depends on classification at thetime of injury: The following are basic com-mon-law classifications for people who might beon your land.

7) Invitees—This is the classification that fee-paying trail users would normally fall under.

8) Licensees—These people are social guests such as friends and family (permitted to enter without paying).

9) Trespassers—These people do not have per-mission to enter your land. However, if you meet certain requirements (see below) the law places invitee recreational trail riders into the trespassers category. This acts to reduce the level of care owed by the landowner.

10) Children—Unaccompanied by an adult, they have less ability to make their own sound judgements and therefore require a higher level of care (Attractive Nuisance Doctrine).

Statutory ClassificationIf certain requirements are met, Chapter 75 of

the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code saysthat recreational guests fall into the same cate-gory as trespassers in terms of what you, thelandowner, owe them in reasonable care. Ifyour land is agricultural land (as defined bystatute of Chapter 75, and it’s a broad defini-tion), and if guests are on the land for recre-ational purposes and you’re bringing in less thanfour times last year’s ad valorem taxes in fees,then in the eyes of the law you owe recreationalguests no more than what you’d owe a trespasser.

If you are bringing in more than four times yourad valorem taxes in fees, then you can still meetthese Chapter 75 requirements by carrying mini-mum liability insurance.

Minimum liability insurance coverage on agri-cultural land used for recreation is:

● $500,000 for each person

● $100,000 single occurrence for each injury ordeath

● $1,000,000 single occurrence for propertydamage

So, if a landowner is providing recreation for afee on agricultural lands and carries minimumcoverage liability insurance (as indicated above),the law equates the level of care owed those recre-ational users with that of a trespasser no matterhow much money the activity generates for theowner.

Keys to limiting liability regarding recreationalvisitors

1. Meet your common-law duty. If a person isclassified by law as an “invitee” or “licensee,”you must give adequate and timely notice ofconcealed or latent perils. If a person isclassified by law as a “trespasser,” thelandowner owes them no legal duty. The lawbasically says that a landowner may not will-fully harm a trespasser except in self-defenseor to protect property.

2. Comply with Chapter 75 charging limits.This means that you must know how muchyou are bringing in relative to how much taxyou pay. If you bring in less than four timesthe amount of the tax on your land annuallyyou may be less concerned about having theminimum liability coverage. If you bring inmore than four times the tax annually youshould have minimum liability coverage.

3. Carry minimum liability coverage as specifiedabove no matter what you are earning.

4. Get waivers (developed with legal advice) from allrecreational users.

Have a statement in the waiver that releases thelandowner from any acts arising “from thelandowner’s or sponsor’s negligence.”

In the waiver, make the release provision conspic-uous. For example, use bold face print and/orplace the negligence statement on a separate pageand ask participants to sign it separately.

5. Though not required when dealing with thoseclassified as “trespasser,” inspect your land on aregular basis to see if problem areas exist andeither warn people or make the conditions safe.

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Ranch NameWarning

UNDER TEXAS LAW (CHAPTER 87, CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE). AN EQUINEPROFESSIONAL IS NOT LIABLE FOR AN INJURY TO OR THE DEATH OF A PARTICIPANT INEQUINE ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM INHERENT RISKS OF EQUINE ACTIVITIES.

I, the undersigned, am aware the Ranch Name is a working cattle ranch, and that barbed wirefences, windmills, stock ponds, farm equipment, etc., may be dangerous. I am also aware that horsesand cattle can by nature be unpredictable, and even the most outwardly tame animal may be danger-ous under certain conditions. Horses and cattle may bite, strike, step on, push down, rear up, buck,run over, etc., which may cause injury or in extreme cases even death.

I, in consideration for participation in this trail ride/equine activity, release Ranch Name, ownersnames, all owners of the land on which this trail ride/equine activity and its associated events takeplace, and all other persons connected with this trail ride/equine activity and its associated events,and the representatives, officers, employees, agents, and assigns of all the above, from any claimsand/or liability of any kind, whether arising from personal injury, death, property damage or other-wise, that may result from participation of me or any member of my family, no matter what the natureor cause. I further agree to indemnify and hold harmless all of the above from any and all damages,costs, charges, expenses and legal fees incurred by the above resulting from any accident, injury, dam-age or loss incurred by any third party in any way resulting from any acts or omissions on my part orby anyone in my charge, whether such acts or omissions were intentional, accidental, or negligent. Icertify that I fully understand the risks involved with equine activities, including but not limited toobvious or hidden dangers on property on which the trail ride/equine activity is held, and freely assumethe risk that I or any member of my family may suffer, including but not limited to personal injury,death, or property damage, by participation in this event. I certify that I have read this release andagree to same and further agree to abide by all of the rules and regulations of the trail ride/equine activ-ity.

Signature ______________________________________________ Date ________________________

Name __________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________

Phone #__________________________________________________

In case of emergency, contact:

Name ____________________________________________________ Relationship ________________

Phone # __________________________________________________

Name(s) and D.O.B. of child(ren) if release is for minor

Name D.O.B.

___________________________________ ___________________

___________________________________ ___________________

___________________________________ ___________________

___________________________________ ___________________

___________________________________ ___________________Signature of parent/guardian providing release Name (please print)

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✩ Appendix Four: Sample Waiver Form

(Sample only. Any waiver should be developed with the assistance of a legal consultant.)

Potential Partners: Trail Constructionand/or Activity ProgrammingAustin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Clubhttp://www.io.com/austinridgeriders/index.html

Houston Area Mountain Bike Associationhttp://www.freeweb.pdq.net/fletch/hambra.htm

Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Associationhttp://www.texastrailriding.com/index3.htm

Consultants: Trail and Campsite Designand ConstructionTony BooneArrowhead Trails, Inc.P.O. Box 533Nederland, CO 80466-0533E-mail: ati@mountain-bikes.comWeb: http://www.mountain-bikes.com

Ken JohnsonTejas Tierra ServicesP.O. Box 11077College Station, TX 77842(979) 873-2552

Agency SupportTexas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentLand Conservation Program4200 Smith School RoadAustin, TX 78744-3292

Kathryn Nichols kathryn.nichols@tpwd.state.tx.us(512) 389-4735

Andy Goldbloomandy.goldbloom@tpwd.state.tx.us(512) 389-4737

Trail Construction GuidesA Guide to Trail Building on Public and Private Landsin TexasTexas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentComprehensive Planning Branch4200 Smith School RoadAustin, TX 78744(512) 479-4900

Trail Construction and MaintenanceOrder free from: USDA Forest Service Bldg. 1, Fort Missoula Missoula, MT 59804-7294(406) 329-3900

Liability InformationJudon FambroughAttorney-at-LawThe Real Estate Center313 WehnerTexas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TX 77843-2115

Study ParticipantsThe Bluff Creek Ranch, Warda, TexasPaul and Susan Nolan, Owners/Operators

The Breaks at Bar H Ranch, St. Jo, TexasBilly Hutson and Tia Hutson-Waltersheid, Owners/

Operators

Kelly Creek Ranch, Kerrville, TexasDean Dominigue, Owner/Operator

Montgomery-Fulk Ranch, Ft. Stockton, TexasScott and Kenda Furman, Owners/Operators

Rocky Hill Ranch, Smithville, TexasRick Phouts, Operator

The 33 Ranch, Kenedy, TexasMatt and Stacia Jauer, Owners/Operators

X Bar Ranch, Eldorado, TexasStan Meador, Owner/Operator

39➹

✻✩ Appendix Five: Trail Related Resources

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Produced by Agricultural Communications, The Texas A&M University System

Extension publications can be found on the Web at: http://texaserc.tamu.edu

Educational programs of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, ageor national origin.Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, andJune 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Chester P. Fehlis, Deputy Director, Texas Agricultural ExtensionService, The Texas A&M University System.700–New