What You'll Get
Horseback-riding first came into vogue during Hollywood's Golden Age, when producers of Westerns realized that John Wayne was too heavy to be supported by a tapir. Make "The Duke" proud with today's Groupon to Arizona Cowboy College in Scottsdale. Choose between the following options:
- For $32, you get a 90-minute trail ride (a $65 value).
- For $25, you get a private 60-minute riding lesson (a $50 value).
Family owned and operated since 1969, the publically acclaimed Arizona Cowboy College has adapted the grounds of its working cattle ranch to school would-be wranglers in the noble ways of the old West.
Founded by real-life cowboy Lloyd Bridwell, the school strives to put new and seasoned riders back into the saddle, honing horsemanship skills and teaching a respect for ranching that carries over into every spurless facet of everyday life.
Ready rein masters aged 4 and older can opt to seek adventure in the form of a 90-minute trail ride that traverses through the diverse and rugged terrain of the Tonto National Forest, known for its breathtaking scenery, cactus-studded plains, and Roosevelt-less rock formations.
Those who elect to follow the lonesome lesson of the cowboy can select between English- or Western-style riding instruction during a private one-on-one with Arizona Cowboy College's expert equestrians. Senior instructor Rocco Wachman—renowned for his role in Country Music Television's Cowboy U—and his fellow gauchos excel at molding the habitually horse-shy into proficient pony partners. Absorb the British-based basics of equestrian jumping, dressage, and endurance riding, or choose to sink your boots into the Americanized arts of reining, roping, and cattle work.
Regardless of which mode you master, Arizona Cowboy College ensures each cow poke graduates with increased abilities, improved confidence, and a newfound sensitivity toward discouraging words.
Reviews
Arizona Cowboy College has been featured in azcentral.com, Sunset magazine, Horse and Man, Frommer's, and many more. Senior instructor Rocco Wachman also co-hosts the CMT show Cowboy U.
- Round up your posse and head to Scottsdale's Arizona Cowboy College, where more than a thousand wannabe Butch Cassidys and Sundance Kids have come since 1989 to learn the basic skills of cowboying: handling, catching, tying, grooming, saddling, proper mounting, roping, and of course, rounding up stray cattle. – David Lansing, Sunset
- This is no city slicker's staged roundup; this is the real thing. You actually learn how to be a real cowboy. – Frommer's
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Aug 23, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person, may buy additional as gifts. Valid only for option purchased. By appointment only; subject to availability. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Arizona Cowboy College
Founded in 1989 by fourth-generation cowboy Lloyd Bridwell, Arizona Cowboy College abounds with all the atmosphere one would expect from a real Western ranch, with one very modern distinction: it was the setting for CMT's reality show Cowboy U. The program highlighted the often-rocky journey of city dwellers and a fame-hungry pony who came there to win attempting to adjust to life on the range, all led by senior instructor Rocco Wachman and his teaching staff.
After years of handling horses and new riders of all ages, Wachman and company were well-prepared to wrangle reality-show contestants, and once the cameras stopped rolling, they went right back to the tough but rewarding business of ranch-running. At Arizona Cowboy College, that includes private and group lessons as well as trail rides through picturesque natural forests, with programs aimed at nurturing ranch hands, serious riders, and more casual horse-lovers alike.