Waking up the next morning and getting my first true sighting of the ranch and surrounding area was just lovely. After breakfast you set off on your first 'slow' ride. They are very safety conscious and there are plenty of wranglers, volunteers and mounting blocks around to ensure you mount and dismount your horse safely. The 'slow' rides only ever involve walking so are suitable if you have never been on a horse before. The 'fast' rides involve a mixture of walking and loping (cantering). To go on a 'fast' ride you need to pass a short test first which involves you loping behind a wrangler in the arena and you must stop your horse when they signal to you to do so, whilst they carry on loping. To be honest the horses are so well trained, I think most of them know the signal and would pretty much stop on their own. Anyone who wanted to do the fast rides were all able to pass the test. You keep the same horse for the week and I think we all became quite attached to our own horses even Guinness, who had a great dislike for all the other horses but was fine with humans, was very popular with the whole group. There are a variety of rides for you to choose from and Russell the ranch owner comes to the dining room every evening to tell you about the rides for the following day and sign you up for what you want to do, this way they always have your horses ready for you to go out. You can change your mind if you wish. The breakfast rides and the wine & cheese rides were very popular.

There are also opportunities to go out walking so you do not have to spend the whole week riding. Our lovely tour manager arranged to hire a car & drove some of us to the Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum. It is an outdoor museum and it is well worth a visit as you get to see the wildlife and vegetation that live in the desert ( never seen so many types and such massive spider cacti). Entertainment is provided every evening but most people were exhausted by then after a days riding, fresh air and of course jet lag.

The ranch itself feels a million miles away from civilisation and is run so competently. Food is served buffet style, with the exception of the cooked breakfast which you order from the waitress. There is plenty to eat and the food is excellent. There aren't any kettles in your room but you can get hot and cold drinks all day long from the dining room, you just help yourself. There is an honesty bar in the main lodge, where again you help yourself to drinks, complete a paper slip and settle your bill at the end of the week. A glass of wine was only $3. You really could go on this holiday and not spend anything all week. A few of us did pay for a lesson ($20 for 1 hour) and a massage ($65). There is also a swimming pool and hot tub onsite, which was very popular after a day in the saddle. You certainly do not need to have any experience riding a horse to enjoy this holiday as they cater for all abilities. You equally do not need to own any of the riding gear, you just need to have a shoe with a heel. The wranglers do not wear riding hats but they do have hats available for the guests. It is your choice if you wish to wear one but I would check your travel insurance as many are invalid if you are not wearing a hat. The horses are so well trained everyone felt very safe all week but I'm not sure going hatless would be worth the risk. My only criticism of this holiday is that it is too short. I think if we had been there for 10 days it would have been perfect. In reality you only get 5 full days riding, and it we had been there for longer we could have had a full day out to see what Arizona has to offer. My final piece of advice is if you do go make sure you do the team penning. This was the highlight of the week, working in a team with the wranglers to herd cattle into the penn was a fantastic experience and such a laugh. I throughly recommend this holiday and would love to go back. Here's hoping JY look at doing some more ranching holidays......

A lovely review. I have never been on a horse let alone near a horse, but having read your review would like to do this trip one of these days.

Jaya

I would love to do this because I have long wanted to go to Arizona. I rode, but many years ago and only ever managed a slow canter. :thumbup:

Can you tell me roughly how much time you spent in the saddle each day and did you ride on different tracks each time? And was it nose to tail each time or could riders spread out to avoid the dust?

I'm thinking about doing this trip and would love to know more first.

Regards

Deb Nurse

What a fantastic review it all seems like great fun was had by all...I am a Sagittarius who are meant to be great friends with horses, but although I love to see horses they do scare me, but if they didn't I think after reading your review I would book this tour...

Cindy

A lovely review. Perhaps I should add this trip to my long list of places to go.

Regards Julie

Hi Taffy, thanks for such a helpful review.

Can you tell me roughly how much time you spent in the saddle each day and did you ride on different tracks each time? And was it nose to tail each time or could riders spread out to avoid the dust?

I'm thinking about doing this trip and would love to know more first.

Regards

Deb Nurse

Hi Deb Nurse

The rides vary in length so the amount of time spent in the saddle is really up to you. The shortest rides are about an hour, the all day ride is the longest at about 7 hours. Most people mixed up the shorter rides to fill their day. Some of the rides do go out on the same tracks but then follow a different route once you get away from the ranch. The mountain rides all cover different parts of the mountain and they offer a slow or fast version.

The wranglers like you to be about a horses length apart however the horses just find their natural pace. On the fast ride you are put in order so that the slow horses lope at the back of the group. On a slow ride the wranglers let you go wherever you like in the group. With regards to dust obviously it's a very dry environment and you need to drink lots and take plenty of sun cream and moisturiser with you. But I didn't have any issues with the horses generating dust when we were out riding.

Happy to answer other questions you may have. I have done a few JY holidays and this has been the most relaxing and enjoyable.

Taffy

Regards

Deb

Sally

(Posted from hot and sunny Guatemala - and yes - Bob, Roger and I are having a brilliant time)

Nice to know that you, Bob and Roger are having a brilliant time. Hope I get to read the review (does not matter who posts it!) before I fly out on 2 March.

Jaya

Glad you're all having a fab holiday. Can't wait to read the review when you get back.

Taffy

Great review Taff, so glad to hear it was a good holiday.

Sally

(Posted from hot and sunny Guatemala - and yes - Bob, Roger and I are having a brilliant time)

Glad your having Fun!! Has Bib got his shorts on?

Can't wait to read the reviews...

Cindy

What a fantastic holiday. Met my fellow travellers in the lounge at Heathrow before flying to Phoenix. Was a very long flight and as the plane was full it wasn't particularly comfortable. It was a further 90 minutes by minibus before we arrived at the ranch, by which point everyone just wanted to go to bed. However you have to complete a short form on arrival as they match you up with a horse for the week based on your height, weight and riding ability.

Waking up the next morning and getting my first true sighting of the ranch and surrounding area was just lovely. After breakfast you set off on your first 'slow' ride. They are very safety conscious and there are plenty of wranglers, volunteers and mounting blocks around to ensure you mount and dismount your horse safely. The 'slow' rides only ever involve walking so are suitable if you have never been on a horse before. The 'fast' rides involve a mixture of walking and loping (cantering). To go on a 'fast' ride you need to pass a short test first which involves you loping behind a wrangler in the arena and you must stop your horse when they signal to you to do so, whilst they carry on loping. To be honest the horses are so well trained, I think most of them know the signal and would pretty much stop on their own. Anyone who wanted to do the fast rides were all able to pass the test. You keep the same horse for the week and I think we all became quite attached to our own horses even Guinness, who had a great dislike for all the other horses but was fine with humans, was very popular with the whole group.  There are a variety of rides for you to choose from and Russell the ranch owner comes to the dining room every evening to tell you about the rides for the following day and sign you up for what you want to do, this way they always have your horses ready for you to go out. You can change your mind if you wish. The breakfast rides and the wine & cheese rides were very popular.

There are also opportunities to go out walking so you do not have to spend the whole week riding. Our lovely tour manager arranged to hire a car & drove some of us to the Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum. It is an outdoor museum and it is well worth a visit as you get to see the wildlife and vegetation that live in the desert ( never seen so many types and such massive spider cacti). Entertainment is provided every evening but most people were exhausted by then after a days riding, fresh air and of course jet lag.

The ranch itself feels a million miles away from civilisation and is run so competently. Food is served buffet style, with the exception of the cooked breakfast which you order from the waitress. There is plenty to eat and the food is excellent. There aren't any kettles in your room but you can get hot and cold drinks all day long from the dining room, you just help yourself. There is an honesty bar in the main lodge, where again you help yourself to drinks, complete a paper slip and settle your bill at the end of the week. A glass of wine was only $3. You really could go on this holiday and not spend anything all week. A few of us did pay for a lesson ($20 for 1 hour) and a massage ($65). There is also a swimming pool and hot tub onsite, which was very popular after a day in the saddle. You certainly do not need to have any experience riding a horse to enjoy this holiday as they cater for all abilities. You equally do not need to own any of the riding gear, you just need to have a shoe with a heel. The wranglers do not wear riding hats but they do have hats available for the guests. It is your choice if you wish to wear one but I would check your travel insurance as many are invalid if you are not wearing a hat. The horses are so well trained everyone felt very safe all week but I'm not sure going hatless would be worth the risk. My only criticism of this holiday is that it is too short. I think if we had been there for 10 days it would have been perfect. In reality you only get 5 full days riding, and it we had been there for longer we could have had a full day out to see what Arizona has to offer. My final piece of advice is if you do go make sure you do the team penning. This was the highlight of the week, working in a team with the wranglers to herd cattle into the penn was a fantastic experience and such a laugh. I throughly recommend this holiday and would love to go back. Here's hoping JY look at doing some more ranching holidays......

HI  Taffy what a fantastic review , so much so I have booked for next April so hope you wont mind if I ask a few  questions as and when I think of them, firstly would be the dress , I dont ride so dont own boots or cowboy hat . Any tips you give me would be much appreciated , Norma

I'm so jealous, this is one holiday I would love to do again. I didn't own any riding gear before this holiday so I just wore jeans which is what the wranglers all wear. A few of the ladies on the holiday did take jodhpurs and riding boots with them but if you don't already own them there really is no need to spend money buying yourself some.

Have a look on the White Stallion Ranch website: http://www.whitestallion.com/ if you get chance. 

There is a suggested list of clothing to take with you which I found very helpful (Look under the 'rates' heading at the top of the page and then 'plan your trip'). 

Any more questions just ask, happy to help if I can,

Taffy

(sorry Norma for butting in on your post but I'm booked to go on this holiday next October which seems ages away :-(). 

Taffy, can I ask, you mentioned riders taking jodhpurs etc, did you all wear riding hats?  I'm a rider myself so have all the right stuff but just wondered what people actually wear.  I know insurance usually requires you to wear a hat so I'm thinking of taking my hat and boots but then will wear jeans etc instead of jodhpurs.  I've already looked at the ranches website and liked their facebook page so it's nice to know that's a good list of what to take.

It is so nice to hear that you'd go back as that is always an endorsement for a holiday.  I've looked at this holiday for many years through the specialised riding sites but was always put off as with them you have to sort your own flights and sometimes your own transfers and I much prefer it to be all done as one package as with JY.

I'm thinking of going to a place in the New Forest around April who do western style riding to get practice in for the different style of riding before I go I hear its probably not such an issue for non-riders.

I'll be keeping an eye on threads and hope Norma can post a review when she returns.

Donna

With exception of one lady we all wore hats. I think everyone who already owned a hat took their own and the rest just borrowed one for the week.

None of the experienced riders struggled with the different style of riding, probably because there is such a laid back atmosphere and the horses are so well trained. I've heard about the place in the New Forest, that also looks very good and well worth a visit. Would be interested to hear how you get on there.

Taffy.