THE RANCH EXPERIENCE

We've got your goat! (literally). Training our goats, mini-donkeys and other animals will advance your skills like nothing else. The small (12 max) class size guarantees you plenty of personal coaching from Ken Ramirez and multiple animal training sessions each day.

Have fun, become the best trainer you can be and part of our Ranch family in this one of a kind, five-day immersive learning experience. Suitable for novice through advanced trainers.

Next Course:
Stay Tuned for 2022 Dates!
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Join Us for Our Next Course:
Monday, September 8 - Friday, September 12, 2025

One spot just opened up for our September 9 - 13, 2024 course! Register now before it's gone!

Catch the Early-Bird Savings on 2025 Courses!
Register by March 6 and save $200! $1,950 $1,750

Note: This is a Tuesday-Saturday

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Register by February 12 and save $200! $1,950 $1,750
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This course is currently at capacity. If we are able to accommodate more attendees, we will contact those on the waitlist on a first-come, first-served basis. Being on the waitlist does not guarantee a spot.
Click "New Registration" and fill out your information. On the "Session Registration" page, click "Add Name to Waitlist" and then keep following the prompts to finish signing up for the waitlist.
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What's Included
GROUP PRICING
2025 Schedule

Course Focus

The focus of this course is skill development through training, interaction, and other forms of relationship-building with The Ranch animals.

Each student will be assigned a Ranch animal and will have the opportunity to build a relationship with their animal, initiate new training, assist in maintaining already-established behaviors, and help with the care of the animal. Each student will also have the opportunity to work with a few other animals.

Students will watch and assist each other with training as well as receive personalized coaching from Ken and the Ranch team. All animal interactions will be under the guidance of Ken Ramirez and the Ranch team.

A typical day will also include a few hours of classroom time, which will be focused on the skills and tasks used working and training on the Ranch.

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Course Focus - Protected Contact Week
(September 8-12, 2025)

Like all Ranch Experience courses, the focus of this course is skill development through training, interaction and other forms of relationship-building with The Ranch Animals.

The focus described in the previous section and the curriculum described below are the same as any other Ranch Experience course, but for this week only, there will be one additional element, the opportunity to practice protected contact skills! The main difference is that during your hands-on training time, half the time you will work with animals in free contact and half the time you will focus on developing the skills needed to work in protected contact!

Very few courses can offer students the opportunity to practice and learn protected contact training skills. These skills are invaluable to trainers working in a zoo, dog trainers working with aggressive or fearful dogs, and for many trainers who want a safe way to start working with large animals such as horses. Ken will guide you through some of the key elements of working in protected contact and suggest ways to overcome roadblocks and get your training on a successful path. Register now>>

Curriculum

You will choose a skill-development focus area for training sessions with your animal when you register for the course. All training sessions will include foundational-skills practice and will be customized to provide specific opportunities to help you build skills in a single focus area.*

In the classroom setting, all skill-development areas are covered for all students.

Foundation Skills

Highly beneficial for everyone, no matter your skill level, but a must for beginners. You will focus on the timing and use of the marker signal, reinforcement delivery, clear communication to your animal, targeting, and stationing.

Medical Behavior Training

You will focus on the skills needed for husbandry training. You will have training sessions that include desensitization techniques to be more successful at training medical behaviors. These techniques may be focused on increasing tactile acceptance, getting used to new equipment, or specific medical behaviors, depending on the needs and skills of each participant.

Group Training

You will focus on the skills needed to work with multiple animals at once. You will have training sessions that include stationing, fairness, and uses of the marker while working with several animals at once. If instructors find that individual skills still require additional practice at the foundational level, aspects of group training may only be discussed and not practiced.

Zoo Skills

You will focus on the skills needed to work in a zoological setting. Many of these skills are also useful for domestic animal trainers. You will have training sessions that include protected contact work, gating/shifting/kenneling/entering a trailer, and recalls.

Teaching and Coaching Skills

You will focus on the skills needed to teach foundational skills and to coach students through those skills. You will have training sessions that include skills such as uses of video documentation, record-keeping, language/communication, and people-management skills.
*Important: For the safety and wellness of both animals and students, if we determine that an individual’s skills require additional practice at the foundational level, aspects of that student’s skill-focus area will not be practiced unless the foundational skills reach an appropriate level.

Is The Ranch Experience the Right Course for You?

Here Ken Ramirez shares his thoughts on the advantage of working with other species while getting real-time feedback from Ken and other coaches.

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