As recent staff member at Silverado boys ranch,,I can tell you that what they tell you about there program is a fairy tale. The only thing RANCH about the place is the sign over the entrance to the place. There are no ranch activities what so ever for the boys to do at silverado. There are no horse's,no cattle,no sheep, no goats,no chickens,no ducks etc. They have no daily ranch chores to do. I know, I was a coach there for a little over 3 months. When I first was hired on I was looking forward to spending time with the boys and taking them on horse rides and teaching them about horse's and going camping and fishing and hiking, all sorts of activities. But that enthusiasim soon dwindled as I came to the reality that none of those things were going to happen.In my short time at Silverado I was allowed to take the boys out on only 4 different activities. The rest of the time I was expected to just sit in the cabin with them and escort them to breakfast ,lunch and ,dinner. And they were allowed a whopping 1/2 an hour in the evenings in the gym. Some times we got to spend an hour there. Most of the time the boys and there coach really had nothing to do! At first when I was hired on they had three horse's there.[If you could call them horse's. really they were nothing more than two bit nags. Ready for the glue factory.] But there was no equine program. I suggested that they get going with one and I would love to be a part of it, but that went in one ear and out the other. It never happened. And to this day it is the same. The coaches when I was at silverado were pretty good ol boys that really wanted to help the boys out and get involved with them. But the administration would constantly tie there hands, and never do anything but administer there form of disipline.[They called it treatment]. I got to know the boys in my cabin pretty well when I was there, at first they didnt like me,,,I know cause they told me so.But after I was terminated the first time and came back,,,they all told me how glad they were that I was able to come back. They all told me how mad they were when they heard that I had been fired. But the addministration at silverado does not care whether or not the boys get along with there coach. They are only concerned about the money they can rake in. If you are a parent considering taking your child to Silverado,,Think twice about it. Dont believe every thing you read on there website. Frankly you can send your child to any inner city program and they will get the same thing that they get at Silverado. You dont need to send them way out west just to sit in the cabin and watch tv.
