Although I'm a
western writer, I've never stayed at a dude ranch. At least not until this
week, when my wife and I spent time at the White Stallion Ranch outside of
Tucson, Arizona. I discovered I had missed out on a lot of fun.
I had always assumed
dude ranches were for Easterners who wanted to experience a controlled Old
West. To a degree that's true. We found ourselves riding, eating, and drinking
with people from all over the nation, as well as from England, Germany, Sweden,
and Japan. Some were novices, but most were experienced riders who loved horses
and beautiful, wide open landscape.
It surprised me how many had been coming
back year after year. One reason many
returned to White Stallion was the ranch staff. They were always gracious and
at your elbow whenever you needed something. The ranch hands' politeness seemed
contagious. All of the guests were in a holiday mood and eager for the next adventure.
This was resort living, seasoned with bit of adrenalin. What a combination.
And the biggest
surprise … the adventures seemed genuine. This was especially true for the
popular riding lessons. The lesson occurred in a huge corral, and focused on
pushing skills to the next level. I had ridden a horse many times, but never
had a wrangler give me a private lesson. It made a world of difference, and I'm
sure my horse appreciated it.
It was a great stay.
We relaxed, ate too much, met interesting people, and became much better
riders. We intend to be back in the spring with friends. Maybe we can even get
the grandkids out here to race around the corral on a pony. It never too early
to help them become Western enthusiasts.
