One of my favorite activities to participate in is a trail ride on horseback. Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to own a horse and ride off into the sunset. My life path took me another direction, so whenever I get a chance to be on a horse, I go for it.
I first found Saguaro Lake Ranch Stable when I was browsing Tripadvisor. I was holed up in my Arizona Airbnb and was looking for some fun social distancing activities due to Covid-19 being in full swing. I often go on trips alone, so when I want to do something like hike, horseback ride, or go on a tour of the city, I usually hire a guide. With Covid-19, everything activity-wise has transferred to online, which to me, is disastrous because then you are not seeing anything but indoors. If you can participate in a safe, socially distant activity, I say go for it! Saguaro Lake Ranch Stable advertised their rides as 6ft apart, masks are worn while mounting and dismounting horses at all times, and they limited their number of guests to 7 per group at maximum no exceptions. That intrigued me, and I immediately booked a 7 am, 1 hour, and 30-minute morning trail ride.
The morning of, I had to wake up extra early to make sure I made it to the stable 30 minutes before the tour to fill out a waiver. Since I was staying in the inner city part of Mesa, Arizona, the stable was also another 30 minutes outside the city. I jumped into my car extra early and started the drive at around 6 am. As I left, the sky was still dark, and the sun was just barely making it over the mountains. The breathtaking views from the car were straight out of a movie. As the sun continued to rise over the peaks, it made the early golden hour shine down and showed off the desert charm around me. The cacti had looked like the paintings I had seen a day prior in Scottsdale. The drive through the Saguaro National Park tempted me to stop on the side of the road and take photos all morning, and I would have if I did not need to be at the ranch.
Finding the ranch was easy. Directions given to you through email were thorough and clearly explained. They have a designated parking lot for your vehicle, and it is secluded, so you do not need to worry about leaving your belongings in the car. I walked over to the main stable office (wearing a mask) and filled out the proper paperwork needed to ride. This process was also easy and not painful to deal with at all. The woman in charge of paperwork had an incredible personality and a cheerful attitude. You could tell she enjoyed her work and being around animals all day.
The next personal step I take is to look for any signs of mistreatment of the animals. I have been on some trail rides where I have been uncomfortable because I have witnessed misconduct or overworking of the animals. Due to those experiences, I have started to recognize what to look for when this happens. Some of the signs of mistreatment I look for are if the horses have direct access to water, if they look malnourished, how they walk if they are jumpy around the guides or stable hands, and the cleanliness of the stables. At the Saguaro Lake Ranch Stable, I did not find one issue. The horses seemed to be excited to go for a ride and cheerful when the guides went to retrieve them and saddle them up. I was pleased with what I saw around me.
Mounting my horse for the ride, Hank, was easy and effortless. He was calm, and they had a mounting stair platform. My guide respectfully helped me onto the horse (us both wearing masks) and then helped the other riders as well. He was interested to hear about where we came from and what our occupation was. He was a genuine man and was captivated by every word we said.
During the trail ride, the guide was well informed about the landscape and was able to read the vibe of the group. He wasn't over-talkative but also wasn't silent. He seemed very experienced and professional during the entire ride. He even helped instruct some of the other riders how to maneuver their horses to help keep both the horse and rider safe. I could not do anything by smile for the full hour and 30 minutes. The trail he took us on was exciting and interesting. We went up and down a canyon to loop back around back to the stable. The routes were nicely clear, and the cacti and brush barely rubbed against your legs. Since it was early in the morning, the temperature was not unbearable, but you are required to bring water with you anyways. The stable does not do afternoon outings, since temperatures can reach as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit and the horses would be in danger. The scenery witnessed on the ride was one of the most beautiful I have seen in my lifetime. The quiet nature of the desert and the serenity was relaxing and calming to my soul. This ride offered everything I could have asked for and more. It, by far, reached beyond my expectations.
Many of these experiences have taken a real hit economically due to the effects of Covid-19. That was a great way to do something fun while remaining safe during these scary times. Unfortunately, these activities are suffering due to the pandemic, and they need our help right now to feed their animals and have their businesses survive.
This trail ride was overall my favorite activity while visiting Arizona. It also was one of the safer activities I participated in, or at least it felt that way due to the precautions the stable was taking. It was a great way to escape my Airbnb and see the beautiful scenery of Arizona. Will I be returning for another ride? Of course, I will be. This activity is in my top five trail rides I have been on ever, and I was thoroughly impressed with everything I had witnessed. I will 100% recommend this stable to anyone visiting the Phoenix area and in need of exciting activity to do. If you would like to book a ride, I will link the website to the Saguaro Lake Ranch Stable here. This stable is one you should check out and is even known for having celebrities visit there from time to time before COVID! I cannot wait until I can return and take another scenic trail ride with Saguaro Lake Ranch Stable.
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