Posted on December 2, 2016
My first full day at White Stallion Ranch began with a morning of riding! I met today’s steed who was a lovely chestnut called Camacho and we set off on a slow flat ride.
We were riding for about an hour and spent it mostly looking at the scenery and chatting merrily between ourselves.
Soon after we returned, myself and another couple of ladies made our way to the corral where we took our lope test. Everyone who wants to go on a fast ride needs to complete this test first. The wrangler wants to see that you have control over the horse, are able to regulate the speed by yourself and that you do not bounce around too often. Fortunately I passed! and so headed out on a fast mountain ride to the ‘Lookout’.
There was a steep climb to get to the top and the path was really quite rocky. However all you need to do is trust that your horse knows what he is doing and amazingly he does! Plus the view from the top is definitely worth it.
In the afternoon, I decided to join a vehicle/walking tour of the ranch with a local film history expert, Marty. It was great fun learning about how many movies had actually been filmed right here on the ranch. As soon as we returned it was time for the weekly ranch rodeo!
It was so much fun to watch the wranglers and family show us several different sports that are competed at the top level. We watched some barrel racing, team roping, break away roping and bulldogging. All the while the owner of White Stallion, Russell True, was a fabulous commentator, telling us all about the horses, people and disciplines we were watching.
Once it dropped darker (and colder) the rodeo came to an end and we headed inside for dinner.
I have already signed myself up for team penning tomorrow!
You can read about other days at White Stallion here:
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. In a few days she will be moving onto Tanque Verde Ranch. We look forward to hearing all about her stay.
