ARIZONA WORKING RANCH - USA

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Some people think the cowboy way of life has disappeared from the praires, gone forever with the cattle drives and the steam locomotives. But the Hassayampa Wilderness still provides nourishment for the cattle, a livelihood for your host family, and a unique horse riding holiday experience.

This is a real working cattle ranch. Experience life as a cowboy in the unforgiving deserts of Arizona, USA. Enjoy the hard work, the good times, the beauty of the land and the family atmosphere living the rustic lifestyle.

Take part in trail rides and day to day cattle work including moving cattle to new pastures, branding late calves, checking fences and gates and many different horse activities.

The family love the ranch so much that they bought it twice - once in 1972 and again in 1982, after their return from Alaska. They have always entertained friends and family but decided to open up their homestead to guests in 1992, so others could experience the life of a true working ranch.

Trip length 8 days / 7 nights, any arrival day It is also possible to book by the night for a minimum of 3 nights. Ride price detailed prices price promise From: Weekly Ranch Stay 2012: double pp £695/€869/$1,065 Per Night Working Cow Trip 2012: 5 -6 nights £109/€139/$169 Departure dates The ranch is open from 1st September - 31st May Approximate riding time per day 5-7 hours per day Riding ability required For roundups: Must be able to walk, trot and canter and mount unaided. For ranch stay: beginners welcome Group size 1-8 Meeting point (getting there) Phoenix, Arizona (PHX) For arrivals in Phoenix after 2 PM a night in a Wickenburg hotel is required. We recommend the Best Western Rancho Grande and the Super 8. Departing flights should leave after 2 PM, otherwise a night at a Phoenix hotel is required. Transfer Shuttle Service from Phoenix for flights arriving before 2pm. Please see notes for detailed prices. Single supplement detailed prices Compulsory when booking alone: Weekly Ranch Stay 2012: £37/€46/$57 Per Night Working Cow Trip 2012: £8/€10/$12

NOTES - ARIZONA WORKING RANCH

HORSES 
There are 20 riding horses on the ranch, mostly Quarter horses and a couple of Tennessee Walkers, ranging from 14-16 hands. 

ACCOMMODATION
The accommodation consists of a comfortable 3 bedroom, 2 bath bunkhouse with a shared living room and porch. 

FOOD
Three ranch style meals are served daily in the main house, and mealtimes are shared with the family. Substitutions are available on request and special dietary requirements can be catered for. Alcohol is not served but please feel free to bring your own.

CATTLE WORK
The family do day to day cattle work, moving cattle to new pastures, branding late calves and horse activities are involved in all of this work.
Cowboy crafts and old fashioned fun are presented with each person joining in as much or as little as their abilitiy or interests allows.

Every year in Spring and Autumn there are several round up weeks:

Spring Round Up
During the week before and after April 1 we ride along the river, gather our cattle, bring all the cattle to the house corral and brand the calves.
During Memorial weekend we make a "clean up", which means we bring in and brand the late born calves.

Fall Round up
During the week before and after Oct 1 we ride the 'dry side' and put the cattle back on the river pasture.

In October and November we wean the calves, separate them from the cows and send them to the sales.


SHOP
Nearby Wickenburg has a variety of shops and cafes including Western Stores and the Desert Caballeros Western Museum.

Wickenburg was founded in 1863. Henry Wickenburg discovered gold and named his mine the Vulture, which eventually became one of the richest gold-producing mines in Arizona. Henry sold 80% of his mine early on because he was afraid it would play out soon. For his 80% interest, Henry received $20,000 in cash, and a note for $65,000. The new owners soon claimed that Wickenburg didn't have a clear title to the property, and refused to pay the remainder of the price. Wickenburg spent most of his $20,000 trying to collect on his note, but never succeeded.
Henry Wickenburg, despite being denied payment for his mine, was not destitute. His farm prospered and his remaining 20% of the mining venture brought in some money. Wickenburg, unfortunately, had sold the Vulture Mine before anyone determined its true wealth. At the time, most gold strikes played out within a few weeks. It had probably seemed prudent to sell before the Vulture did the same thing. Wickenburg continued to prospect, but he was never again as lucky. He regretted selling the Vulture Mine for the rest of his life.
Wickenburg was a nice old boy who made many friends throughout the years. When he was seventy years old, in 1890, the Walnut Grove Dam on the Hassayampa burst and destroyed most of his ranch. Henry Wickenburg was too old to start over. He told friends that he was old and tired of living. Little by little, he donated most of his land to the town of Wickenburg. In 1905 he was eighty-five, and no longer able to live on his own. Wickenburg walked into a grove of trees behind his house, and turned his old Colt revolver on himself. The town of Wickenburg now surrounds his grave.

If guests would like to book a rental car after the ranch vacation, they can order it for noon at the Phoenix airport. The shuttle service brings them right to the rental car company.

Transfer prices
The shuttle service for 1 passenger costs $105 one way, $209 return. For 2 passengers it is $121 one way and $235 return for the car. Each additional person is $17 extra each way.

Please note that all our ranch prices are fully inclusive of taxes, charges and gratuities. Extras commonly charged locally at ranches, and which we include in our prices are: state taxes (2-8%), local town taxes (1-5%), accommodation tax ($1-5/night) and gratuities (12-15% is commonly expected as the staff are paid largely via tips). Our prices include all of the above and are guaranteed not to be affected by currency fluctuations once booked.

The weight limit for this ride is 16 st/220 lb/100 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.

FURTHER DETAILS
As we are specialists in our field we have extensive knowledge of all our products from details of accommodation and meals to number/size/type of horses to pace of riding ... and much more.
Should you wish to receive further details of this ride please click here.

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We have an extensive range of Western Riding holidays across the world. Please click on the link below to go to our listings page:

Western Riding Holidays

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	What you see on our web site is exactly how much your invoice will come to and this will not change once booked. Unlike some other companies the prices on our web site are fully inclusive of often hidden extras such as: VAT, Sales Tax, state taxes, city taxes, service charges, non-optional tips, fuel surcharges which can add 20% or more to the advertised cost. Prices are available in £ sterling, Euros and US$. Once invoiced, prices are guaranteed against adverse currency fluctuations. Contact us for package prices which include flights from the UK and see each ride for exact details of all items in individual itineraries.