See What Our Customers Say
I could not be more grateful for Chance having the retirement at Challis Creek Ranch that all horses are frankly entitled to. Chance came into my life 16 years ago, when I was 11 years old. Chance (now 24 years young) has been happily retired at Challis Creek for about 10 years. He was a handful when he first joined the herd, but he has settled in and found his friends. As a Southern California native, I was initially worried about the Idaho climate. After speaking with our vet about horses and climates, my fears were assuaged. Jack Challis did a masterful job of navigating the ups and downs when Chance first moved to Challis Creek.
Jack passed his wisdom on to the new property owners, Doug and Jodee.
Challis Creek is a perfect balance of letting the horses “just be horses” and giving them the care that they need. I have tremendous peace of mind knowing that Chance is happy and well taken care of, and highly recommend retiring your equine family members at Challis Creek
- Marie Masters
"Horse Heaven", another name for Challis Creek Ranch. And what good fortune for us when we found your website!! The perfect place for our two old guys, Boon & Valentine, after many years of working hard for us and playing hard with us!! Our two old geldings are just one rung on the ladder below our kids, and we wanted their retirement to be everything they deserve. Challis Creek Ranch offers that and more. Along with the perfect setting, acres of pasture, and being part of a herd of horses just being horses, they were also gifted with a new family that gave them the best of care. We are thrilled that they get to spend their final years in "horse utopia"! Many thanks and much appreciation to Doug, Jodee and Griffin!!
- Karen & Larry Axley, Skull Valley, Arizona
In 2008 my 10 yr old QH, Colonel, had surgery for a suspensory ligament injury and we tried everything to bring him back. Stem cell replacement, shock-wave therapy, and lay up. Unfortunately, even with all of our efforts, he would probably never be 100% sound again and it became apparent he needed to be retired. I live in Southern California where everything seems to be at a premium - land, quality care and feed, safety, etc. After conducting much research, Colonel was sent to a couple of California retirement facilities; one near Temecula and then one North of Santa Barbara and neither seemed to work out. I was driving to see him on a regular basis, partly because I missed him so and partly because I needed to know the facilities were providing the care that they promised.
After 18 months it became mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting trying to ensure Colonel was being properly cared for. And it was breaking my piggy bank as the expenses were always significantly higher than originally quoted.
A friend of mine at La Canada Flintridge Riding Club mentioned she currently had her young horse retired in Idaho at Challis Creek Ranch for 3 years and that she was very happy and satisfied with the service and quality of care. But I hesitated because Idaho seemed so far away. She explained that each horse is given their own webpage and each month it is updated with pictures and stable notes. She said she's never had an issue with the billing as accurate statements and invoices are posted for each individual owner to access. And, I was pleasantly surprised to find out the price of the facility was within my means!
After several emails communicating back and forth with Jack Challis the decision was made to send Colonel to his ranch in August 2011 and I've never been happier! It is such a relief to know that my horse is so well taken of and in such a great environment. Each month I look forward to seeing his pictures and reading about his activities. My friend and I just got back from visiting our horses at Jack's place for a few days and we had a great time! Jack keeps the ranch meticulously clean and safe and the horses are healthy and happy. For anyone who is looking for quality retirement care for their horse at a very reasonable rate, Challis Creek Ranch is the place. Feel free to email me if you would like as I can't say enough good things about the ranch and about Jack!!!
- Chris C. - Glendale, CA
When my daughter Rachel, was 10 years old, at Christmas time, we gave her a rescued PMU baby horse named Tiara. Rachel chose her sweet little bay baby out of the baby herd brought down from Canada at 6 months old. Tiara was the low mare on the totem pole in this herd of twenty-five and Rachel just had to save her, that is just how Rachel is. We signed "adoption papers" promising Tiara a "forever home", a commitment I feel strongly about and wanted to teach my children.
A couple of years later, when Rachel was just beginning to be able to do a little riding on her mare, Tiara was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis in a crooked hind leg, meaning that she should not be ridden at all. (Of course she had not been vetted prior to our adoption, we were rescuing her.) Our vet didn't have the heart to tell us to put her down, Rachel and I were crying too hard already. So we decided to make her our "lawn ornament." No problem that we had never had a horse at home before or that we lived on a rather small fully landscaped terraced property. It was a difficult learning experience for us all. And it was lonely for Tiara. I really wanted her to have a "horse" life on a big tract of land, in a herd, much as she had briefly experienced in Canada (before she was separated from her mother and sent to a feed lot to fatten up for slaughter).
Enter Jack Challis and Challis Creek Ranch in Challis, Idaho. Jack's valley is the most beautiful peaceful place I have ever had the privilege to be in. Jack babied our baby (Tiara was only 4 at the time) and slowly eased her into the herd, onto the pasture grass and through the first cold winter. He followed every overprotective motherly suggestion I had about her care and never made me feel stupid about it. He posted stable notes about the weather, her feet, the pasture, her place in the herd (still at the bottom)...all the little things that I wanted to know about, that any loving horse owner needs to know about to feel secure about their horse's well being...and he posted the most beautiful photos of her in this natural herd environment...and he keeps taking pictures and posting them every month. Really, look at the shots on his website, they are stunning.
So I still feel very connected to her even after not seeing her or touching her, or breathing her breath for three years. When she loaded the trailer bound for Idaho, I thought I would never see her again, but this connection that Jack facilitates on his website has actually drawn me closer to Tiara. I flew to Idaho last month to visit her. I have never flown to visit a horse before and would have told you it was crazy to do so. But I did. Jack let me just hang out in the pasture with her for two days. It was the most amazing horse experience. I highly recommend it. By the way, Idaho is really beautiful, it was my first time there. During my visit, I got a chance to see how Jack runs things... this is a very tight ship, let me tell you. Jack has thought of everything and is obviously very handy with tools and equipment, and maybe a bit obsessive compulsive too..8 There is not a heap of junk anywhere on the property, something I always notice in the country! There is nothing broken. There is not a single horse uncared for. I have no idea how he does it, but he does. If I owned a horse ranch, I would hire Jack to consult or run it for me.
Oh, and about the cost, what I pay Jack for Tiara's care, including everything, is about the same as what I pay for one horse's timothy hay in southern California. You can't beat that!