Apache Country Ranch, USA
Horses
Type of horses:
Mostly Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Arabs and Paints
Nature of horses:
Happy, intelligent, well schooled and calm
Height of horses:
14.2 - 16.2 hh
Weight limit:
230 lbs
Tack type:
Western
Weather
Current Conditions:
Fair, 29 C
Forecast:
Thu - Scattered Thunderstorms. High: 32 Low: 26
Fri - Scattered Thunderstorms. High: 32 Low: 25
Full Forecast at Yahoo! Weather
(provided by The Weather Channel)
Pricing
Ranch based stay
2010 rates: High season: January 1-14, March, April, May, September, October, November, December 16-31
Weekly rates per person:
Cabin: Single £1186 Double £977
Casita: Single £1298 Double £1074 Treble £984
Deluxe Casita: Single £1644 Double £1452 Treble £1240
Daily rates per person:
Cabin: Single £195 Double £163
Casita: Single £208 Double £179 Treble £147
Low season: January 15-31, February, June, July, August, December 1-15
Weekly rates per person:
Cabin: Single £1070 Double £859
Casita: Single £1186 Double £974 Treble £913
Deluxe Casita: Single £1538 Double £1346 Treble: £1192
Daily rates per person:
Cabin: Single £176 Double £141
Casita: Single £192 Double £160 Treble £135
Additional charges:
Chiricauhua optional day ride: £42 trailer fee.
Fort Bowie optional day ride: £42 trailer fee.
Team Penning: £16 cattle fee.
Private lessons: £32
Group lessons: £10 per person
Target Archery: £10 per 30 arrows
There are also local bar charges for alcohol drinks.
Price does not include flights or travel insurance.
Availability/Booking Form
Ride Description
A guest and working cattle ranch in the heart of Apache country where the philosophy here is "rugged outside, but pampered inside". At 5000 feet in the heart of Arizona's old Apache country, the ninety acre guest ranch headquarters is surrounded by the ten thousand acre cattle ranch all set in the hundred square miles of the Dragoon Mountains National Forest.
While the grounds and the lodge building reflect the feeling and air of the Old West, the guest accommodation is first class with many amenities found only in excellent hotels. When you return from working cattle, from a brisk ride or an entertaining day of sight seeing, you will return to total relaxation - a refuge from the stress of everyday, with warm, friendly, personal attention, good food and all the other comforts which make a good vacation become perfect. There are several rides to choose from each day with up to seven hours of horseback riding available included in the rates.
Twice a year in April and October guests may join the twice yearly cattle round up
See Programmes.
Food & Accommodation
The ranch rests in the heart of Arizona's old Apache country and the ranch buildings are nestled among plentiful groves of Arizona oak, manzanita and mesquite with wild grapevines. The eighty seven acre guest ranch headquarters is surrounded by the ten thousand acre cattle ranch all set in the hundred square miles of the Dragoon Mountains National Forest.
There is a choice of top class accommodation.
The Deluxe Casita is approximately 600 square feet with a king size bed and is furnished in a colonial style. The bathroom has a tub with a shower and a separate dressing room. Outside on the deck facing the privacy of the canyon is a hot tub. This deluxe casita with its spectacular views, its own spa/hot tub and spacious living area is perfect for that honeymoon, anniversary celebration or just plain self indulgence!
The casitas consist of a bedroom with king or queen bed, a sitting area or room which can double as a second bedroom, double entry bathroom with tub/shower, private porch and sun deck.
The cabins are pleasant and spacious single rooms with queen bed, full pull out bed, bathroom with shower, private porch and sun deck.
The lodge is a comfortable room with a private bathroom. It is smaller than the other accommodation but is pleasant and very private. Perfect for chilling out. It is about half a mile from the ranch.
All the accommodation have a stocked mini bar and coffee makers and, for your convenience, also hair dryers, bath robes and pool or hot tub towels.
The rooms are comfortably furnished in authentic Western style and offer magnificent views of the mountains. There is also a pool, hot tub, games room and a vast film and book library. All accommodation and facilities are non-smoking. There are no laundry facilities on the premises.
Meals which are served in the ranch's private dining room are exactly as Grandma would have cooked them - tasty, plentiful and nourishing with everything homemade from the thick hearty soups to the delicious home baked breads and desserts and rich, creamy ice creams. Breakfast is cooked to order, while lunch and dinner are served buffet style with second and third helpings encouraged.
Activities
There is a pool and hot tub, a games room and a vast film and book library. Table tennis, pool and darts can be enjoyed. There are beautiful trails to hike, old Indian village sites and ghost towns to explore, many species of birds to watch and plenty of sightseeing with Tombstone, Bisbee, Old Mexico and the Chiricahua National Monument nearby.
There is an 18-hole golf course approximately seven miles (10 km) from
the ranch. There is no tee time, and fees are very reasonable. Golf clubs and carts are available for hire at the pro shop. Open at 7:00am daily.
Other activities available include the opportunity to try tour hand at single action Target Shooting and an Introduction to Archery program. Both of these activities incur a small additional fee at the time of participation.
Further Details
Languages: English
Health requirements: None
Age limit: No children under 12
Tuition: Tuition is available at an extra charge.
Included: Accommodation, three meals per day and snacks, unlimited tea and coffee, horseback riding and all other ranch activities. Rates are per person and include 6.05% state tax and gratuity of 15%
Not included: Transfers, flights and insurance.
Travel Information
The ranch is one and half hours drive from Tuscon airport (85 miles). Car hire is cheap and strongly recommended.
Transfer from the airport can be arranged at the additional cost of $350 return.
Check in: 16:00 hrs
Check out: 14:00 hrs
Airport: Tucson
Programmes
Ranch based stay
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This programme offers a wide range of riding opportunities, including scenic trails, tuition for novices and challenging rides for experienced riders. You will be guided through some of the most beautiful country you have ever experienced, where the extraordinary scenery changes every few minutes. These trail rides are for all levels of rider ability, besides there being wonderful photo opportunities for those wishing to capture the beauty of the desert on film. Morning rides are long enough to truly enjoy the scenery, with as many rest or photo opportunity stops as the riders desire, with stories of nature and local history shared by the wranglers. All guests take a morning trail ride as an introduction to their horses, western riding techniques and the desert to mountain terrain which varies from soft sand to colourful Arizona limestone - before joining other riders in the programme. Afternoon and sunset rides are shorter in duration. Your responsive, sure footed horse will take you to abandoned mining camps and old Apache lookout points along mountain tops and ridges, with views of up to seventy miles in any direction. In this high desert country of ever changing beauty, the clip clop of your horse's hooves and perhaps the lonely bellowing of a range bull may be the only sounds you hear apart from the wind sighing gently through the grass. More experienced riders are offered rides which cover more difficult trails and offer the rider several opportunities to "lope" (or canter) through this amazing country. After the introductory morning trail ride, guests will be lope checked in the arena to demonstrate their ability to sit well and control the horse at an increased speed before signing up for the Advanced Ride the following day. Not all the time on these rides is spent loping - there are times when the terrain presents enough of a challenge! The day ride covers an extended distance on a variety of trails with a lunch break and rest stops throughout. The ride destinations rotate every two weeks to vary the riding experience. There is also a weekly Ranch Adventure Ride where you and your horse will be trailered to the trail head for an incomparable riding expedition. These trails too last all day returning to the ranch in plenty of time for dinner. There are history rides to abandoned ghost towns and Fort Bowie as well as horseback outings to the fabulous Chiricahua National Monument - the Wonderland of Rocks. Group riding lessons are offered Monday to Friday 8.00 - 8.30 am. These are excellent if you have never been in the saddle or even if you just want to brush up on your technique. You will learn the proper seat/riding position in a Western saddle, correct use of legs/hands, basics of sitting a trot in a Western saddle and basics of stopping and turning your trail horse. For those with an interest, tuition can also incude a range of other subjects including saddling and unsaddling, roping, vetting and tack. On Tuesdays (weather permitting), an optional trail ride to the spectacular Chiricahuna National Monument (additional fee), one of America's least known but most beautiful National Parks, is on offer. The trail passes by a recently restored homestead through rolling meadows of ranch country and up a steadily-ascending trail - each switchback reveals ever more breathtaking scenery until you arrive at the near lunar landscape of Bib Balancing Rock. The trail is challenging but not daunting and is an outing you will never forget. It might not be possible in winter because of possible snow on the trail. On Thursdays, weather permitting, another optional day long ride to Fort Bowie is available (additional fee). The fort was built in the 1880s to protect the Apache Pass where many a wagon train was attacked by Red Indian braves and although it is now fast disappearing, crumbling back into the earth, it remains a fascinating and nostalgic reminder of the tough pioneers who won the American West. The ride follows the Butterfield trail, retracing the old stagecoach route from a wagon train massacre site on the top of the Apache Pass all the way to the fort itself. Throughout the year traditional festivities such as Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year are celebrated with a variety of fun activities and delicious festive food, which may appeal particularly to any non-riders in your party. |
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| Minimum group size: | 1 |
| Maximum group size: | 15 |
| Ability description: | Beginners to experienced. |
| Type of ride: | Trail |
| Total riding time: | Half Day and Full Days |
| Departure dates: | To suit |
| Pricing: | See Pricing |