TRAK - Therapeutic Ranch For Animals and Kids

Unexpectedly came across this place while shopping at Green Things. The sign out front stated they offer riding lessons and a petting zoo. When I called to inquire, Tess, explained the many programs they offered along with a toddler friendly animal farm section. They had a section of bunny rabbits, chickens, ducks, mini horses, sheep and goats to pet and feed- toddler loved this part. Hours are from 7-11am then 4-6 pm during the winter months. Shocked to see this place was not on TripAdvisor's top things to do with toddlers while in Tucson...would highly recommend.

Our son has come here for a once a week three hour session for about two months and loved it since he was able to pet and play with the animals. They are very reasonable about what you are allowed to do. He enjoyed it so much that we scheduled his fourth birthday party and they have a closed off section that you can rent where you can pet rabbits and chickens and goats and then towards the end whoever wants to ride the horses with assistance is able to do so. and everyone seemed to have a great time, and there were a lot of assistance (Zoe was great!). going to Wildcatz but considering the total amount there was going to be about $1200 and this was about $300, it was a no-brainer.

I discovered TRAK quite by accident while visiting Green Things Nursery. Volunteering at TRAK has turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. At first I planned to help with ranch chores one or two mornings each week. But within a month, I had committed to helping with summer camp. Connecting kids to animals, helping them discover their own innate value and goodness, was wonderful. TRAK's founder and executive director, Scott Tilley, is as gifted at working with children as he is at working with animals.I started riding more than 60 years ago, but I find myself taking horsemanship riding lessons at TRAK. These lessons are far and away the best I have ever had. TRAK is more than just a ranch. TRAK is a community that welcomes all without regard to age, race, gender, ethnicity, and ability. All are invited to be themselves, and to engage in lifelong learning and growth.

The ranch is GORGEOUS and the animals are sweet and friendly. Ms. Jordan leads the most wonderful Tiny Trailblazer class for toddlers. A mix of animal activities and preschool practice. ** If your child loves animals, SIGN EM' UP! I have my kiddos in a bunch of programs, and this is by far our favorite. Low stress phenomenal teacher and such fun to learn about and play with the animals.

We don't live in Tucson anymore, but I asked for some suggestions for the week while my kids were in town. This had good recommendations and reviews. The kids goto a fair amount of summer programs- and we have come to distinguish (we think) between ones that are run well but kids maybe bored and then one where the actual experience is not good. The kids had some very specific examples--which is why I'm writing. That said, I am not a first hand witness to this as I wasn't there.The boys generally had an issue with not actually being near any animals most of the day. Rode horses for maybe 30 minutes a day (which might be fine and standard, this is more an observation). A lot of arts and crafts, and a recurring theme was that this wasn't organized (also, why were they doing picture frames- again this is more an observation than a direct critique maybe we didn't realize what we were signing up for). Also not much picking up any animals- they were supposed to handle chicken but after 3 kids did it the staff told them to move on. No explanation. A little bit of petting, sweeping of hay, cleaning of poop. Overall, stuff I guess you'd expect but point being it seems very disorganized and not the precurser to something more "fun". Back to the disorganization, a lot of standing around on part of the staff (some of whom looked to be 15 or so but can't confirm). It was mentioned more than a few times that the staff was on their phones (to the point of telling the kids not to bother them) and in more than one instance the task at hand was done by going on Instgram to look up how to do it. Also, I was specifically told that when my son asked one of the kids not to be rude, the was told to shut the eff up. Again, I wasn't there- but in my opinion and knowing my son I believe it. Another boy corroborated it as well.Now the animal part - they loved. It sounded like it was more senior counselors (not teenagers) who showed them the animals-- and they were very happy and enjoyed it. Lots of smiles-- and very patient counselors in that part. Also, its hard to ignore all the positive experiences for all sort of children- not just those there for the summer- at TRAK. So I hope that the folks at TRAK either see this review and maybe supervise the younger counselors more, or I find out that my kids made the whole thing up (sort of kidding, due to aforementioned specificity of complaints).

In my opinion TRAK is the only horse ranch to go to if you are interested in safety and learning about horses. Scott Tilly who owns TRAK is truly an animal whisperer and is superb with horses. I am writing this review after a friend had a very unfortunate experience at another very well-known horseback riding ranch where her daughter was bucked off and hurt. Scott understands that you must care for horses in a very particular manner in order to have them in a good frame of mind for strangers. He knows how NOT to tax the horse beyond it's ability to be kind and gentle and compliant. Safety is first and foremost for Scott and his whole team. Scott knows how to hire and train the absolute best horse women and men to help him. Like any excellent organization he only buys 5-10% of the horses he evaluates. Why? Because he can spot a good horse for the public and especially for children, and such horses are rare. Then, after he purchases only the right horses, he pours hours and hours of expert training into them and takes top tier care of both the horses and their equipment. When you go to his ranch the first time, before you ever get on a horse, you have to learn about the animal, what scares them and how to bond with them. You also learn how to groom them. Then a half hour later, and only after you have shown Scott that you can properly interact with the animal, you mount your horse for a well-managed ride. He has a wonderful large corral. After you have been on trail rides (you can only walk on the rides unless you own a horse or take a lot of lessons) you can be in the corral and canter, that is once Scott has confidence in you. My granddaughter who is 11, attended horseback riding camp this past June and loved every minute of it. This past vacation she went riding and I could tell just watching her how comfortable she was managing her horse and cantering around the corral. TRAK stands for Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids and they often bring in mentally or physically challenged kids to help with the animals which is therapeutic for both animals and kids! So, all, in all, I just can't say enough good about Scott and TRAK. It's the best!

TRAK is awesome! Great camps and great riding programs!! Great place to volunteer for the whole family.