Dragoon Mountains
Horse Camp Clinic, Arizona
"Introduction to Horsemanship"

Wild and rugged, in the heart of Apache territory, the ranch lies at the foot of the Dragoon Mountains some 85 miles from Tucson.
Are you a rider or merely a passenger?
A horse owner or a horse slave?
A wise horse purchaser or a horse trader's dream?
Are you buying your veterinarian's Rolls Royce?
Attend our Horse Camp, and become an informed horse owner.
Your horse will thank you!

Many people approach purchasing a horse in much the same way they approach buying a puppy. They don't realize a horse - besides being a significantly larger animal - has a mind of its own and its own unique agenda. Throughout this one week program, we'll present a great many highlights of horse ownership - and some of the pitfalls. Of course we will mix it up with lots of riding as well.

Well-trained quarter horses will take you on trails through a country of ever changing beauty, to the rugged Dragoon Mountains and abandoned mining camps, old Apache lookout points, deserted ghost towns and old burial grounds, along mountain tops and ridges with views of seventy miles in several directions.
Rides are divided according to the ability of the rider. Groups are kept small. There are mini-clinics each week for a charge. The wranglers also give lessons at no charge to guests.

2008 Rates include accommodations in cabins or casitas, all meals, daily riding
8 days/ 7 nights  from $1121
  see all rates details
Meeting: Pearce, Dragoon Mountain
Airport:  Tucson
Transfer: $230 for up to 6 people rt. between 8 AM to 8 PM. ($250 if traveling before 8 AM or after 8 PM)- to be paid locally
Horses: Quarter, Quarter mix
Tack:  Western
Pace:  All paces - there are loping rides available throughout the week. The all day excursions are at a slower pace due to the terrain
Level:  all levels
Min/Max:  2-12
Note:  Some all day excursions and overnight trips are at an additional charge
also see details on:
Riding Program
Off ranch Adventure Rides
Overnight Pack Trips
Lodge & Accommodations
Map of the ranch

During Horse Camp, we'll discuss the following:

• What to look for in purchasing a horse - ideal conformation and temperament
• Horse etiquette and handling - proper approach, handling, and grooming
• Basic horsemanship - how to control the horse, how to communicate
• Horse health management - necessary inoculations, worming program, when not to panic, and when to call the vet
• Equine nutrition and shelter
• Farrier science - examples of a well-shod hoof and a shoeing demonstration
• Theory of saddles and the correct way to pad and saddle
• Theory of bits and bridling

The ranch is famous for its riding program of trail rides, seasonal cattle work, riding lessons, horseback games and all-day adventure rides, for which riders and horses are transported to the trail head in the forest wilderness.
There are also history rides to abandoned ghost towns and old Fort Bowie as well as a horseback outing to the fabulous Chiricahua National Monument, the "Wonderland of Rocks." ($60 extra for trailering the horses)

CAPACITY 2-12