If you’ve never sat on a horse, that first moment in the saddle can feel a little awkward, even intimidating. But for one young wannabe cowpoke, it was more like a dream come true. My college-age son’s girlfriend, Lana, has loved horses forever. But she never had the opportunity to ride one. Over winter break this year, she unlocked that new level at Alisal Ranch.

Tucked away in the sun-kissed hills of California’s Santa Ynez Valley near Solvang, the 10,500-acre family-owned property is an old-fashioned place to stargaze, fish and canoe on a 100-acre lake, and shoot arrows at decoy elk and boar. It’s also home to a stable with over a hundred magnificent horses.

Jack is a sweet, chestnut-colored stallion with a touch of grey between his gentle eyes. When Lana first swung her leg over and carefully set her feet into the stirrups, Jack looked back with a kindly, “You’re doing just fine, girl” kind of nod. Alisal has more than 50 miles of trails for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders age seven and up, and the ranch gets even first-timers out on two-hour starter rides. That might sound like daunting for a newbie, but Ben, the genial wrangler, made it a manageable introduction, and definitely one to remember. Out on the trails, you get to see wild turkeys, coyotes, eagles, foxes and more than a few adorable cows, which makes even a greenhorn feel like an extra in an old Western.

If Lana was anxious, it was hard to tell. The giant smile on her face told a different story as Jack clip-clopped up a golden slope past ancient sycamores to take in the epic view (you can spot the Reagan Ranch — once known as The Western White House — on a hilltop across from the property.).

Alisal meets riders wherever they are in their ability. Kids as young as four can take 30-minute riding lessons in the controlled environment of the corral. There’s a one-hour starter ride for those who aren’t quite ready to commit to a longer outing, a three-hour picnic ride with lunch carried in your saddlebags, and a new three-hour distance ride, for those craving higher views or to see more wildlife. Horsemanship 101, for any level of rider, pairs you with senior wranglers to improve your individual riding skills in an arena setting (there’s even an obstacle course if you’re willing).

One of the most popular offerings is the morning breakfast ride, 45-minute to one-hour horseback ride each way with breakfast in the middle. Think of it as flapjacks on horseback, an outing that lasts approximately three hours, and is open to non-riders, too, who can take a hay wagon ride to brekkie instead of a horse.

Alisal’s been around longer than California’s been California, but opened as a luxury working ranch in 1946 and owned by the Jackson family ever since. Today, it’s a stylish dude ranch with benefits: 18-hole golf, tennis and pickle ball courts, axe throwing, mountain biking and a spa. The accommodations are too rarefied to call “glamping”—especially the more recently remodeled estate houses lining the front driveway. For example, the 1,620-foot wood and stone Turner House, with Ralph Lauren fabrics and Pendleton accessories, sleeps ten and has claw-footed bathtubs and wood-burning fireplaces.

Meanwhile, up on the trails, Lana found herself bonding with Jack while also gaining confidence in herself after tackling an adventure she’d put off for too long. It’s one thing to read about horses or to play with those adorable little Schleich collectibles. It’s quite another to be on the trail in a place like Alisal Ranch and let out a great big ‘yee-haw!”