Scratch&Ride Experience – Oro Valley

If you want to spend some time brushing and saddling your horse before heading out on a trail ride, this “cowboy for a day” experience is the ride for you! This ride is currently only offered once a day with limited availability!

Saddle and Brush Your Horse

This is your chance to be cowboy for a “day.” Or rather, for an hour and a half. You’ll start off by meeting and learning how to brush your horse. Then our wranglers will teach you how to put the saddle on and get your horse ready to ride. After that, you will be helped onto the back of your horse and you and your fellow adventurers will head out to watch the world wake up.

Because we want you to get the most out of this cowboy for a day experience, space is limited. Although you will share the trail ride with any other folks who chose to join us on the trail, the 30 minutes before your ride is extremely exclusive. During this 30 minutes, the wranglers will teach you how to groom your horse and show you how to saddle your horse. This is one-on-one time for you and your steed!

This approximately 90-minute cowboy for a day experience is suitable for anyone aged 14 years and up (we sometimes can make exceptions for younger children who already have horse experience. Call (970) 657-5463 to ask!). The experience includes 30 minutes of brushing and saddling your assigned horse followed by an hour of exploring the desert trails. The horseback ride is suitable for children and first-time riders, who will enjoy the meandering walk through the valleys and hilltops outside of Oro Valley, Arizona.

The cowboy for a day, Scratch&Ride Experience starts out at the Westward Look Stables by Tattered Saddle in Oro Valley, Arizona – approximately 30 minutes from downtown!

Joining this hour and a half cowboy for a day experience and horseback ride is based on your ability to get on the horse with our instruction, and your willingness to follow direction on the trail. If you think you can do those things, we’ll take care of the rest!

Other experiences

While grooming and tacking a horse can be fun, it can also pose some physical challenges that simply riding a horse does not. If the person you are booking for is too young to enjoy this experience, you should know that the Corral at El Conquistador by Tattered Saddle does offer several other horseback adventures throughout the day. 

• A stunning experience, while still being beginner-friendly, is the “Sunset Ride.” If you’ve never seen an Oro Valley desert sunset from the back of a horse, here’s your opportunity! There are few things more memorable than the black mountains standing against a sun-soaked sky. Come alone or bring your friends and enjoy the company of our horses for an evening of peace and beauty.
• For those who enjoy bonding with and pampering their horse, the “Scratch and Ride” is a great experience. Available only in the mornings, this beginner-friendly Oro Valley horseback ride has an extra half-hour built in to allow you to groom and saddle your mount before we even get out of the stable! Don’t know how to do any of these things? No problem! We’ll teach you everything.
• If you’d love a longer ride, our “Oro Valley 1.5 Hour Horseback Adventure” is for you. Although this hour and a half horseback ride is still beginner-friendly, we suggest it only for those who have ridden a horse within the past year due to an epidemic of saddle-sore butts among first-time riders.