Posted on December 3, 2016
Today I had my last ride at White Stallion Ranch. I had another lovely horse called Pinto to say goodbye to as well as all the lovely people I had met. It was a bittersweet goodbye as I had made real friends at the ranch but at the same time, I was so excited to visit my next destination – Tombstone Monument Ranch.
Vaya Con Dios means ‘Go with God’ in Spanish.
On our way to Tombstone Monument Ranch we stopped off in Tombstone itself. The whole place is built as an ‘old west’ town with carriages, saloons and cowboys wandering the streets. The local people all wear western gear and wander around, not forgetting of course the re-enactment of the gunfight at OK corral.
There is absolutely no disappointment as you drive up to Tombstone Monument Ranch (which is only about 2 miles from the town). The rooms are built on a street made to look like the ‘old west’ and each of the rooms are individually decorated and named! I was shown to my room, ‘Wyatt Earp’ which is beautiful but I don’t know which bed to choose!
After I had settled in, it was straight out to the corral to meet wranglers Mike and Dave. They really are the funniest guys and made me feel right at home in the first couple of minutes! I was introduced to my steed for the day, Cheyanne, a gorgeous coloured horse.
This afternoon’s ride was about an hour and all at walk. It’s important that everyone does a slow ride to begin with so that the wranglers can check people are ok on the horses they have been given. The terrain was so different from what I had seen at White Stallion Ranch, firstly because there was no Saguaro cacti – they don’t grow above 4,000 feet in elevation and Tombstone Monument Ranch is at about 4,400 feet (1,400m) and secondly because it was far more undulating.
After we had got back, it was time to head in and rest a while before dinner. Tonight it was steak night and so no one went hungry! I can’t wait for tomorrow – I have signed up for an all-day ride to Fairbank Ghost Town. You can read about it here:
You can read about my previous days at White Stallion:
We All Have a Competitive Streak
Becky Clarke is a Travel Consultant with In The Saddle and is visiting Arizona to experience the riding at White Stallion Ranch, as well as their sister ranch Tombstone Ranch. She will also visit Tanque Verde Ranch. We look forward to hearing all about her stay.
