If you're stuck in a holiday rut and are tired of resorts, stressful sight-seeing schedules, crowds of tourists and poor service, then it's time to try a ranch holiday. At a wild west ranch you'll enjoy spectacular scenery, the solitude of nature, scrumptious home-cooked food, new unpretentious friends, action and relaxation, plus cowboys, horses and hot baths all rolled into one.

Horseback riding is at the heart of any ranch holiday. Although the romance of a western ranch was captivating, my husband and I worried that we might not enjoy an entire week in the saddle. Our kids, however, begged for the "horse-riding" holiday and in the end, they knew best. Our week at Colorado Trails Ranch was a resounding success for us all. The homestead is located just outside quaint and colourful Durango and near Mesa Verde National Park in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado.

Every day our girls had a different adventure. The supervised youth programmes include riding, fishing, archery, tubing on a mountain lake and even a camp-out in the nearby forest. They made new friends from all over the country and, amazingly, we never heard "there's nothing to do" or "I'm bored."

Julieclaire, age nine at the time, was horse crazy. She mounted her steed Prince on the first morning and trotted into kid paradise. Our six-year-old, Annalyse, who had never been on a horse, was matched with Dr. Pepper - a huge and mellow thoroughbred who was chosen to match her ability. She quickly learned the basics and we watched her self-confidence soar.

My husband and I often retreated from the riding activities to enjoy time together. We swam in the heated pool, soaked in a hot tub, learned to fly fish and shoot skeet. Best of all, we kicked back in our willow rocking chairs on the porch of our cosy log cabin, a good book in hand, and basked in the tranquility of the secluded mountains.

As a family we enjoyed the perfect balance of time apart and time together. We joined other guests for a sunset hayride and cook-out, sang cowboy songs by the blazing campfire, rode our horses at sunrise to a streamside flapjack breakfast, went whitewater rafting and attended an authentic cowboy rodeo in town.

Best of all, our dude ranch vacation was extremely restful for me. For one week I relinquished my role as chef, chauffeur and social director. I didn't drive a car or go near a supermarket. Someone else planned and cooked three meals a day with fresh vegetables and tons of desserts. Instead I learned to canter on a beautiful Appaloosa through mountain meadows filled with wild flowers. Now that's a real holiday!

Visit www.colotrails.com for more information.