Arizona Horseback Experience

My daughter and I did a three hour ride. The scenery is beautiful. It's a trail ride but the horses do break into a trot here and there. It was her second time riding so she was thrilled. If you haven't ridden before this ride might be tough because of the length and type of terrain covered.

Absolutely wonderful for first time riders. The horses did not move faster than a slow walk except for a 3-5 second trot through an empty creek bed. The scenery was beautiful and the guide was friendly. I also rode the horses on Fort Huachuca (open to all citizens) that was also fun and a little more affordable.

We did a 3 day, 2 night wilderness camping trip with Ron, and a 10 year old and a 65 year old. This was a real wilderness experience and it's very difficult to find this experience anywhere in Arizona. Most places are set up for busloads of tourists coming through and at best you get to ride to a pre-set up camp. On this trip, we road about 8 hours a day, set up camp, took down camp and then rode again to the next locaiton. My daughter loved the fact that she got to trot, canter and even gallop a lot! She is a pretty experienced rider and they really tailored the ride to what we were looking for. The food on the campout was great! The horses are spectacular and really well cared for. Ron was fairly quiet but overall a fine guide. Certainly safety was always the top concern. As per another reviewer here, we did get haggled about tipping which surprised us given the expense of the trip, and the guide was the owner of the ranch and not a hired staff member. However, i highly recommend this type of experience --especially for the day long or overnight trips. I woudl recommend 2 nights min if doing overnight.

We recently completed a ride with Arizona Horse Experience. It was an unforgettable experience! Not only was the scenery absolutely incredible, but the horses were all well trained and a pleasure to ride. Toni, our trail guide, was very personable and friendly! She was extremely knowledgeable with regards to the local history , wildlife, and vegetation. The trails we rode were both enjoyable and, at times, somewhat challenging. Overall, we had an exceptional experience on our five hour ride! We would highly recommend Arizona Horse Experience if you want an authentic, Old West riding experience!

What a gorgeous ranch. I called the afternoon before and quickly got s call back. Owner Ron asked good questions geared towards discovering our riding abilities and scheduled the ride. Upon arrival we were greeted pleasantly by the owners and introduced to our guide, Toni, who led us on a lovely ride in varied terrain on the huge 26,000 acre ranch. I own and run a big horse show barn in Texas and have ridden all my life. I was delighted with the quality of the horses and tack and the obvious care the owners and guide put into their business. We had a wonderful time and will definitely be back.

Great trail ride! Ron and Tony are awesome guides and the horses are really well cared for. The winery tour was fun. Well worth the drive from Tuscon

We just did the winery ride with Ron and his most well-behaved team of horses. Ron has a big heart and cares deeply for his horses and his customers. I rode Jasper and my husband rode Joshua...and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the wine tastings! We will be coming back with friends and family who also want to ride. I highly recommend the Arizona Horseback Experience to anyone who is an experienced or beginner rider. Ron and his horses will take good care of you!

Would go back just to hangout with Scotty the dog! Amazing for first time and experienced riders. The real deal, not a sad trail ride. Horses were happy and healthy and Ron was a great guide with plenty of fun facts and a harmonica!

This is the best trail ride I have ever taken, and it was well worth the hour drive from Tucson. We chose to do a three-hour ride at 1:00, and that was the perfect length of time for us, leaving us happily tired at the end. Ron and Marge took special care to ensure that we were properly matched with the horses we rode, and that we were well-prepared for the ride.This was a private ride with no other people besides my husband and Ron (our guide). We learned a great deal about the ecology, history, and culture of the area as Ron would stop to point out trees, flowers, and other plants that we passed, and share his wealth of knowledge. We rode through very different kinds of terrain during our three hours, from stony gullies, to wooded passes, prairie-like plains, windy hilltops, and quiet forests. The horses are his babies, and he always took care to make sure we understood to trust the horses, and to ensure that we and they were comfortable throughout the ride. If and when we return to Tucson, we will come again for another ride.

My wife, brother in-law, his wife, and I did the 3 hour trail ride with AZ Horseback Experience. This was real horseback riding on actual ranch horses! You had to actively control your horse throughout the entire ride. It's not like most touristy places where you get a really tame horse that is on automatic during the whole ride. The ride begins with a hands-on 15 minute tutorial of how to control your horse, such as turning, slowing down, stopping, speeding up, etc. I rode Joshua, who liked to bite the butt of the horse in front of us! So I had to always pay attention and correct if we got to close. My wife rode and fell in love with Ezekiel, who is a beautifully gentle horse that treated her well. Then two of the guides, Ron and Joel (I think), led us on an amazing tour through the Arizona countryside, up and down hills, across riverbeds, all with amazing views of the mountains and other beautiful desert scenery. It was a truly authentic horseback riding experience. Despite the adventurous rugged experience, we were definitely in good hands. It was near 100deg on the day we went out, and my wife was unfortunate enough to not stay hydrated before and during the ride, so she actually came down with a pretty bad heat stroke halfway through the ride, at the furthest distance from any civilization! Ron called back to the ranch, and within 20 minutes Marge came to the rescue with a 4x4. They had extra water, a wet towel, and rushed her back to the ranch. Joel, who stayed back with us, was in constant phone contact during their drive back. Once my wife returned back to the ranch, they monitored her condition as she rested up, ready to call for medical assistance if necessary. Luckily, she quickly improved once she was back in air conditioning and rehydrated. I felt very happy and relieved with how they handled the situation, so while she hung out playing with the dogs and cats back at the ranch, Joel led the 3 of us back on horseback and we were able to enjoy the rest of the ride. Ron met us on our way back, and played some soothing old Western harmonica tunes was we enjoyed the end of our day.I'd recommend this place to anyone, much more so than the typical touristy places in Tucson. It's well worth the drive to Sonoita for an authentic experience!