Cabins, horses, wranglers and the dinner bell, on one calendar.
Malvavisco runs the office of a guest ranch: who sleeps in which cabin this week, which horse each rider gets, which wrangler leads the ride, what the kitchen serves and what goes on the family’s bill.
Works with what the lodge already runs on
The stay is the ride, not just the room.
Hotel software can sell a cabin for a week. It cannot tell you that Dusty is already on the morning ride or that the farrier visit takes three horses out on Thursday.
Horses as assets
Each horse gets a row on the assets calendar. Rides are scheduled with the horses they need, and a horse cannot be booked for two rides at the same time.
Assets on the calendarWranglers with skills
Give each wrangler their skills and languages. Assigning the advanced trail ride checks that the wrangler can lead it, and flags a clash before breakfast.
Guides, horses & boatsFull board without double charges
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and the cookout picnic can be part of the stay. The kitchen plans them from who is on the ranch, with allergies flagged.
Kitchen & mealsOne bill per family
Cabins, rides, the saloon tab and the gift shop all land on the same booking, charged to one guest or shared across the whole party.
Payments & invoicesWhat Malvavisco does for a guest ranch, and what it doesn’t
The gaps ranch buyers ask about first, packages, child rates and online booking, are in the table too.
| Feature | Malvavisco | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Cabins and lodge rooms by the week | Yes | Arrival and nights set the departure; assign cabins for the whole stay or night by night. |
| Horses as assets, with overlap checks | Yes | Each horse has its own calendar row and can’t be on two rides at the same time. |
| Ride scheduling with wranglers | Yes | Rides sold on the booking are scheduled later with a wrangler whose skills and languages are checked. |
| One ride for riders from several bookings | Partly | Each booking’s ride is scheduled on its own; shared rides aren’t built yet, so one wrangler can’t lead two bookings’ rides at the same hour in the schedule. |
| Farrier days and lame horses | Yes | Maintenance blocks take a horse, wagon or cabin out of service for a date range. |
| All-inclusive meal counts | Yes | Included meals are counted per day from who is on the ranch, with allergies in the kitchen’s daily brief and no second charge. |
| Saloon and gift shop on the bill, with stock | Yes | Point-of-sale sales post to the family’s booking and move stock once. |
| Family and group bills | Yes | Charge one guest or share charges across the party, with one printable invoice. |
| Deposits, payment schedules and reminders | Yes | Deposit and cancellation policies, with emails when a deposit or balance is due. |
| Pre-trip questionnaire and post-stay survey | Yes | Ask what you need before arrival; send a survey and your review links after. |
| Packages (one weekly price) | No | Set a nightly rate plus per-person prices for rides; anything priced at zero shows as Included. |
| Child and age-based rates | No | Every guest counts as one person at the same price. |
| Online booking engine | No | Families can’t book or pay on your website through Malvavisco. |
| Channel manager | No | No sync with Booking.com, Airbnb or Expedia. |
| Waivers | No | Riders can’t sign liability waivers in Malvavisco. |
| Livestock and herd management | No | Malvavisco schedules horses for rides; it keeps no herd, breeding, health or pasture records. |
What the team sees, from the barn to the campfire.
- 06:30
Breakfast for everyone on the ranch
The operations board lists today’s guests, included meals and dietary notes for the kitchen.
Kitchen - 08:00
Horses and wranglers
The assets calendar shows which horses go out on which ride; the crew calendar shows which wrangler leads it.
Assets - 11:00
Cabins turned
Housekeeping marks cabins clean, then inspected, while guests are out riding.
Housekeeping - 17:00
Saloon and gift shop
Drinks, boots and souvenirs go onto the family’s bill from the point of sale.
POS - 20:00
Tomorrow’s rides
Plan the morning ride and the cattle drive on the calendar and print the grid for the barn.
Calendar
How Malvavisco fits a guest ranch week
What it does, step by step, and the parts that are still missing.
Weekly stays and cabins
Most ranches run arrival-day to arrival-day weeks. In Malvavisco, arrival and nights set the departure, prices come from your nightly rates, and cabins or lodge rooms are assigned for the whole stay or night by night. The calendar shows places, crew and assets by week, month or a six-month season.
Rides, lessons and activities
Trail rides, riding lessons, fly fishing, the cattle drive and the cookout are services with your own per-person prices. After the booking is made, each one is scheduled with the wrangler or guide and the horses or gear it needs. A price of zero shows as Included on the bill. How horse and wrangler scheduling works.
Horses and their days off
Every horse, wagon or vehicle can be an asset. Maintenance blocks take an asset or a place out of service for a date range, so a lame horse or a cabin under repair is never offered.
Meals for the whole ranch
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and picnic meals can be included in a stay and planned by the kitchen without a second charge. Dietary needs from each guest’s profile reach the kitchen’s daily brief.
Families, groups and their bills
A booking holds the whole party, whether it is a family of five or a company retreat. Charges can go to one guest or be split across the group, and the printable invoice reflects what was paid.
Before and after the stay
Reminder emails go out when deposits and balances are due and before arrival, from English, Spanish or Portuguese templates. A pre-trip questionnaire collects what you need to know, and a post-stay survey and review links follow the visit.
What is not built yet
No packages or child rates. Every guest counts as one person and is priced the same, and a week of riding can’t be sold as one package price. Set a nightly rate and per-person prices for rides; anything priced at zero shows as Included.
No online booking engine. Families can’t book or pay on your website through Malvavisco; your team enters bookings from calls, emails and proposals.
No shared rides across bookings yet. Each booking’s ride is scheduled on its own, so one wrangler can’t lead riders from two bookings at the same hour in the schedule.
Seasonal rates and minimum stays are also on the list of things not built yet. To see how other guest ranch systems handle packages and online booking, read the best guest ranch software compared.
Malvavisco suits your ranch if…
A good fit
- Rides, lessons and activities are part of every stay
- Horses are scheduled on a whiteboard or a spreadsheet today
- Meals are included and the kitchen needs the numbers early
- Your staff work in English, Spanish or both
- You want the saloon and the gift shop on the same bill as the cabin
…and it may not be the right fit yet if:
- You charge children a different rate (age-based rates are not built yet)
- You sell the week as one package price
- Guests must book and pay online on your website
- You sell through online travel agencies and need a channel manager
- Riders must sign liability waivers online before they arrive
Guest ranches ask us
No. Ranch management software tracks cattle, pastures, breeding and feed for a working ranch. Dude ranch or guest ranch software runs the guest side: cabins, rides, horses, wranglers, meals and the bill. Malvavisco is the second kind; it schedules horses for rides but keeps no herd records.
Yes. Each horse can be an asset with its own calendar row. Rides are scheduled with the horses they need, and Malvavisco stops a horse from being assigned to two rides at the same time.
Not as one package price yet. You set a nightly rate and per-person prices for rides and activities; anything priced at zero shows as Included. Included meals are planned without being charged.
Not yet. Every guest is counted as one person and priced the same. If your ranch depends on age-based pricing, tell us; it is on the list of things not built yet.
No. Malvavisco is the staff side of the ranch. Your team enters bookings from calls, emails and proposals; there is no guest booking engine yet.
Yes. The point of sale adds charges straight to a booking, and anything that needs preparing goes to the kitchen or the bar as a ticket.
