Our incredible equitrekking adventure was about to come to a close for the year 2020. We enjoyed the beautiful fall colors in multiple states over multiple weeks. After our stay at Midwest Horse Camp, we were essentially done riding until we arrived in Arizona. The horses were probably glad for a brief respite. They worked hard in October!
I wrote last week about our brief stay at Natchez Trace State Park. Our plans to visit friends in Nashville fell through, so we simply overnighted and moved on. However, we were able to fill that suddenly-free day by visiting friends in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Holtzman Horse Motel
We found Holtzman Horse Motel in Benton, Arkansas. Judy is the owner, and she has been teaching riding lessons for many years. They have boarders and many horses of their own. There are two pastures full of horses! I was able to walk my squirrelly dogs around the pasture perimeter. The contented equines gazed at us with curiosity.
The stalls were roomy, clean, and safe. They had a level spot for us to park our LQ, with water and 30 amp hookups. Judy was treating a nearly-recovered pup with Parvovirus, so we kept our well-vaccinated crew away from that kennel. We were very comfortable leaving the horses there while we went out for dinner with our friends from Little Rock. We spent $60 for two horses and the LQ hookups.
Interstates I-30 and I-40 are an absolute nightmare. Trucks are everywhere. We experienced an incident with another vehicle (not a semi) that I have never, ever experienced before. Because traffic was heavy and semis abundant, passing was challenging. We were in the left lane, waiting for a semi to pass another semi. A guy in a small car blasted up to the right of us. He figured out he was trapped, or so we thought… The next thing we know, he is coming over to our lane, literally forcing us to brake or run off the road! I couldn’t believe it! Never have I seen such a brazen, reckless example of driving. I guess I am naive… I got his license plate number and called the sheriff, but they didn’t have anyone close enough to catch him.
Lugo Ranch
Our next stop was Lugo Ranch in Hutchins, Texas. My sister-in-law lives in the Dallas area, and we had plans to visit her. We spent two nights at the Lugo Ranch. We arrived on Halloween in time to enjoy the tail end of their Halloween party. The flies got more of the food than we did, but we appreciated the opportunity! It was at this location that we learned that the Cameron Peak Fire that had been threatening our Colorado home was 85% contained.
This facility is a second location for the Lugo Ranch and still a bit under construction when it comes to accomodating layovers. It is located immediately adjacent to a huge FedEx facility. Cindy Lugo is the proprietor. We unplugged her LQ to plug ours in. Water access was a bit challenging so we filled our tank and ran off our pump. The stalls were roomy and safe and the barn is beautiful. There were quite a few boarders and horses-in-training in residence.
There were some loose barn dogs, including a cute little Aussie pup that was found under our trailer a few times.
Cindy required advanced payment and a contract that was available to download from her website. For two nights, two horses, and the LQ hookup we spent $216.09.
Open Heart G Farms
Our last layover before arriving in Arizona was Open Heart G Farms in Anthony, NM. We spent one night there and paid $75 in advance, $25 per horse, and $25 for the LQ hookup. We arrived when it was dark. The facility is right off the interstate. However, as we exited the interstate the smell of cattle was unmistakable! It wasn’t until we left the next morning that we realized there were numerous dairies in the area! The cattle smell was not evident on the farm, just as we left the interstate. There is a railroad track right next to the farm, and I did hear trains at 1 AM and 5 AM! Alan heard nothing…
We were instructed to park on the outside of the fence that surrounded the property. There is a feed store at the ranch. We were adjacent to an orchard.
We had several options for the horses at this facility. Ultimately, we opted for a large paddock. We could have opened an interior gate, essentially giving the horses two large paddocks, but the other facility had a shelter. The shelter was not two-horse friendly when one of them is a stinker to the other one! The weather was balmy so we just left them in the paddock without a shelter. They were happy to walk around.
Lazy Horse Ranch in Pearce, Arizona
We arrived at our permanent winter location on Election Day. There is much to tell about this location, so check back weekly for great places to ride and stories about life in Arizona!
Another informative article!