White Stallion Ranch by Hal Peat

How far do you need to look for a travel adventure that blends traditional atmosphere with all the latest amenities--and surrounding it all, has plenty of wide open space, mountains and plains? The answer may just be where many have long discovered it--among the western states of America's interior, where a stayover at a working dude ranch provides plentiful adventure in a unique setting. A favorite with travelers as far back as the 1930's, dude ranches still dot the map of the western states and Canada, while also comparing very favorably as an adventure destination with the most distant locations offered by today’s active travel outfitters.

Most Arizona guest ranches are open during the fall through spring months, lthough a handful remain open in the summer months. White Stallion Ranch, located just outside of Tucson, Arizona on 3,000 acres at the foot of the rugged Tucson Mountains and adjacent to the Saguaro National Park, is an example of a first-class southwestern ranch open during the fall through spring seasons that has a well-organized menu of activities, yet allows you to explore at your own pace and abilities among the scores of scenic trails. White Stallion has been family owned and operated by the True family for over 30 years now. It remains a working cattle ranch, in addition to its guest activity, with around 130 Texas Longhorns and some 75 geldings and mares. Nowadays, brothers Russell and Michael True have taken over from their parents and are constantly busy with new enhancements to the ranch property. White Stallion started out as an actual cattle ranch, and the original turn of the century Mission-style adobe building, with its big semicircular archway centered in the smooth-plastered wall, now serves as the indoor dining area. During the 1940’s, units were added to the guesthouses, and in 1965 Denver oilman Allen True and his family took over. Over the years, guests have come to White Stallion from over 50 other countries (with British slightly outnumbering Canadians) and all 50 states.

Like the other surviving guest ranches in this part of Arizona, White Stallion is located within minutes from Tucson, where there are plentiful golf courses and even winter skiing on nearby Mt. Lemon Then again, a stayover at any guest ranch is an ideal counterbalance to the pressures of communication, and the design here takes note of the fact. Accommodations at White Stallion consist of 33 elegantly rustic guest cabins, each with spacious, high-ceilinged wood beamed interiors and decorated with a contemporary mix of Native American, Mexican and Southwestern handicrafts and furniture. There are no phones or television to interrupt the silence of the surrounding desert here, and only the singing of the birds outside your casita window may break the peace now and then. Many of the rooms feature authentic fireplaces, whirlpool baths and sumptuous king-sized beds. Between the rows of guest cottages, an intricate design of high and low desert cacti and flowers create an oasis-like feeling, with giant saguaro, bunny-eared cacti, cholla, prickly pear, paloverde trees and creosote bushes.

The varied riding program at White Stallion is tailored to accommodate all levels of horsemanship, from novice to seasoned rider. Select your horseback adventure the evening before from the next day’s menu of events: there are approximately four rides every day except Sunday, from slow scenic rides (at a walk) for beginners to fast rides (walk and canter) and mountain rides for the more advanced horseman (cantering), and both level of rides take place at least twice a day. The wranglers are expert at matching a horse to a rider so that you can safely enjoy your outing. They can teach you to ride, or if you already ride, teach you to ride better. In between the daily schedule, different excursions are offered over the week, from half-day pack trips on horseback, to all-day rides and hayrides. Saturdays also feature a “breakfast ride” to a remote spot where a breakfast of blueberry and buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs and hash browns, all cooked on a brick stove, is served together with steaming coffee. While you are back at the ranch, there is frequent equestrian activity to either take part in or watch from the sidelines, such as the weekend mini-rodeos and team penning events in the ranch’s large arena area. On such occasions, dudes, dudettes and guests alike get to show off their roping skills in the saddle.

After a morning or afternoon ride, there is still plenty of time to take a few laps in the heated swimming pool, soak off in the indoor redwood hot tub, or have a massage from the resort masseuse. Other onsite activities include clay tennis courts, horseshoes, shuffleboard, basketball, volleyball, and of course plenty of opportunity for hikes out in the surrounding gorgeous desert hinterland. Another advantage to guest ranches is that they are ideal for bringing children along on: at White Stallion the younger generation are welcome to take part in most the rides (children have to be at least five to ride their own horse, although those under five can join on trail rides with a parent). An on-ranch feature both kids and adults enjoy here is the owners’ extensive petting zoo, which has deer, miniature horses, llamas, potbellied pigs, and pygmy goats. Evening activities include moonlight bonfires with cowboy entertainment. Of course, you may wonder about the menu at a present-day guest ranch like this. Is it all fattening? Not in the least, if you do have any particular dietary requirements, you can discuss them beforehand with the chef or resort director. In fact, most major foods used are either grown fresh (such as citrus fruit) or bought locally whole and unprocessed. The mesquite chicken, barbecued over an outdoor brick oven, is a dish not to be missed during any stay here, and for those who will allow themselves beef, barbecued ribs and Texas-sized Angus steaks broiled to order round out the dining experience in great western style and taste.

With a spectacular natural backdrop of mountains and landscape, White Stallion Ranch has also seen its fair share of big names come to recreate the Wild West for Hollywood, from James Garner to Henry Fonda and James Stewart. Celebrity guests at the ranch have included Lindsay Wagner, and the Sixties television series “The High Chaparral” was even shot on location here. However, on a typical recent spring weekend, the guests included a diverse cross-section of adventure-minded folks, including a number of families and friends who come out each spring from the east coast and midwest, a honeymoon couple, and a contingent of British women who were experienced equestriennes. “I grew up riding in my own country, and I’ve been on horseback in other parts of the world whenever I travel, but this is a piece of Americana with all the contemporary comforts I wait every year to return to,” one such active traveler from England points out. If you happen to be a confirmed urbanite who has never considered a ranch visit before, a first-time visit to a property like White Stallion Ranch will definitely open your mind and body to making this type of getaway an ongoing adventure, just as many others you will encounter here have already made it. Guest ranches such as White Stallion have a distinct feel, like a well-worn pair of cowboy boots, so your experience at the next such destination will always be unique. The West may no longer be quite as wild, but this is still the great where a horseback ride or a hike in its unspoiled beauty remains a special way to reconnect to your own spirit while also connecting with the cowboy past that lives on.