Hitching Post Ranch

This ranch has the most wonderful accommodations and top-notch staff. They truly care about the horses and their well-being. They even offer lessons and trail rides. Clearly a hidden gem in the heart of Tucson.

When our horse sitter wasn't available and we were taking a lot of trips over the summer I decided to board our mini here, and I couldn't be happier! The owners are so nice, it's such a wonderful vibe, the location is amazing right in the middle of the city but at the end of the road right before it turns into rio vista natural park. Every time I visit my horse she is happy, relaxed and well fed. She loves it so much there I'm worried she's not going to want to come home.

This place is an undiscovered Tucson gem for horsemen--centrally located, wonderful care for your horses, great group of boarders, and adjacent to the River Park. I've had horses all over Tucson in the years I've been here and Gentleman's Acres is by far the best. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

Horse owners be careful. Pro is location. Con is owner likes to take it as his duty to slim down horses. Owner is nice at the start, but gets nasty mean when confronted. If you can, the drive elsewhere is recommended. If you can't, watch carefully that your horse is fed each meal and that the hay is good.

This place came under new ownership in 2019. Note that all reviews before that time are for the previous owner and are now invalid. Everything in this review is my own opinion, based on over three decades of horse experience and/or was witnessed by multiple people. The current owner knows nothing about horses, and had never been around them until he bought the property. Now, less than 3 years later he claims to be an "expert" trainer and horse broker. IMO, he uses abusive and traumatic "training techniques". None of his interactions with horses are based on teamwork, cooperation, understanding, critical thinking , or willingness on the part of the horse. They are based on hurting the animal until it complies. He does not even know how to correctly do training basics, like lunging in a round pen or teaching a horse how to walk quietly in a halter. He routinely works horses in the round pen for hours, forcing them to gallop one way and then other. There is no focus on collection, calmness at the gaits, proprioception, etc. He believes that a horse should never walk in the round pen, so he only worked them at the canter/gallop. On one occasion, he worked a horse for an extremely long time, and afterwards, that horse colicked and died. He claims that the death was not due to overwork. IMO, that horse was worked to death. He hosts abusive "trainers" to run clinics at his facility. During one clinic, the trainer hit a horse so hard with a whip that the whip broke. The owner ties horses and leaves them standing saddled, cinch tightened, for hours. He has been observed whipping horses to get them to load into trailers. As other reviewers stated on various sites, he regularly does not feed horses. He says this is because "they still have hay left", or because he believes they are overweight. This is done despite direct feeding instructions from the owners. Anyone who knows about horses understands that they are grazers, with small stomachs and large intestinal tracts. They don't eat meals and it is normal for them to eat throughout the day and to have hay left over. He also does not understand that healthy weight on a mini, healthy weight on a donkey, healthy weight on an Arab, healthy weight on a quarter horse, healthy weight on a thoroughbred, and healthy weight on a warm blood all look different. When confronted about not feeding the horses, the owner becomes irate, verbally abusive, and threatens legal action. The hay quality it terrible, the hay is not tarped, and it is regularly covered in dust. During the rainy season, drainage in the pens is terrible and the horses are standing 6"+ deep in water. The owner is currently advertising on the FB page that he's starting a 2 year old draft under saddle. This demonstrates his complete lack of knowledge about anything horse related. IMO, 2 years old is too young to start any horse under saddle, especially a large breed that will not finish growing until 4 or 5 years old. Doing so can cause damage to the horse's developing body that may be permanent. Additionally, IMO the abusive techniques being used are likely create dangerous behavior in the horse, and will result in the horse hurting someone and/or ending up in a kill pen. The owner knows so little about ranch management that he failed to spread the manure pile and a fire started, immediately adjacent to occupied pens. The employees also have no horse experience, and IMO would not recognize a horse emergency if one were to occur. IMO, this property is not owned by someone who loves horses, who thinks of them as sentient beings, with emotions and opinions and likes and dislikes. It's owned by someone who views horses as property, as a way to make money, someone who has no compunction about beating them, abusing them, and under feeding them. This is not someone who has the horses best interested at heart. IMO the owner is only interested in the money a horse can make him, and has no interested in the welfare of the animal itself. Does this sound like the kind of person you want to be responsible for your beautiful equine? Probably not. There are many boarding stables in town run by people who genuinely love horses. For your horse's sake don't board here!

I have had my horses there since I moved to Tucson on 10/29. The owners do a good job of keeping the horses clean. Fed properly and water buckets clean and kept full.

I currently board my two horses at GA, and have been a part of the barn for past 5 years. A very laid back and peaceful atmosphere. Nostalgic and rustic. Great horse care, clean Corrals and facility. Close to the Rillito wash, and sweet trails off the property. Rich and Sandy Young are super folks and offer a great place for your horse, mule, donkey or mini :)

This place is a Tucson landmark! The horses are all well cared for and the views couldn't be better. It's central location makes it an easy drive from any direction in town.

I really love GA for my mare, donkey, and mule. The facility is nicely rustic and well-maintained, the feeding program is individualized to take into account the different needs of my three equines, and the care is top-notch. Also, there is a real sense of community among the boarders which means that there's always someone to ride with--and there are some great trails around the property as well as the Rillito. The best thing about GA for me is its in-town location--I don't have to spend 30 minutes driving to see my animals, so that's 30 minutes I can spend with them.