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A Childhood Dream of Cowboy Life Come True

By Joan Leotta

Did you grow up dreaming of playing cowboy, riding a horse into a Western sunset? Does it seem that being a wheelchair user might make that dream impossible? Not so anymore. Located on 240 acres in a stage-perfect Arizona setting featuring endless plains, spectacular sky, and purple mountains, lies Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, a barrier free dude ranch that specializes in making such dreams come true. (www.stgr.com, 1-866-444-4471)

Carrie Rynders, Stagecoach Trails’ owner and operator, says that the ranch looks like a scene from the Wild West. The ranch’s cherished isolation is guaranteed by its neighbor, a parcel of federal land that covers approximately 300,000 acres. “Our riding opportunities are endless and the views spectacular,” Rynders states. Owning and operating Stagecoach Trails—with accessible guest rooms and family activities that include riding—is a childhood dream come true for Rynders.

Transforming Dream into Reality

When Rynders was a child in the late 1960s, she loved cowboy stories and horseback riding adventure sagas like those she read about in Trixie Belden mysteries, one of which involves a dude ranch in Arizona. As an adult, after taking her own children on a dude ranch vacation, she began to pursue in earnest her girlhood dream, creating a dude ranch like the one Trixie Belden stayed at. The impetus for making the ranch accessible is Rynders’ daughter Amy, who has cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair.

When Rynders took a Colorado dude ranch vacation eleven years ago, she and her husband went with two of their three children, leaving Amy behind in Wisconsin because the vacation spot could not accommodate her. “We could not find any accessible ranches at that time,” Rynders notes. When they returned from the trip, the family began to explore the possibility of making such a ranch, and “Amy is the true inspiration for the accessible aspect.” Amy and all of the Rynders children were excited about helping with such an adventure, but the process was not immediate.

Rynders chose to wait until her older children completed college, and then began to search for the right piece of Western land. After a roller-coaster couple of years spent finding the right place, the right financing, and the right contractor, Rynders and her family settled on the Arizona spot. The ranch was ready for guests on December 4, 2000.

Says Rynders, “Our ranch truly is a family affair. The success comes with the help of each family member, including myself; my husband Dan; my children, Amy, Jeremy and Vicki; Jeremy’s wife Jodi; my brother Randy, who is our cook; and Dan’s parents, Romie and Donna.” Other members of the Stagecoach Trails family include local wrangler Joel, Vicki’s boyfriend Tony who moved here from Wisconsin and a pair of wranglers named Janet and Julie who are both former guests. They loved the ranch so much they both wanted to work there.

Horses at the Heart

Riding is the centerpiece of the ranch activities. Wheelchair users get onto the horses by using a special ramp for mounting and dismounting. Stagecoach Trails is an associate member of the North American Handicapped Riding Association, which specializes in disabled riding programs throughout the U.S. Once the rider is in the saddle, one to two staff members sidewalk (walks along side the horse and rider to insure a safe ride), or rides alongside on horseback to help if the rider seems unsteady or uncomfortable in the saddle. If a backup rider is required (someone who sits behind the disabled rider to give him/her support when upper body strength is poor), these rides need to stay within certain fenced areas of the ranch (due to insurance issues), but with 240 acres, this still provides ample room and a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the horseback riding experience.

The ranch has particular appeal to families that have a mix of children with disabilities and children without. Guest Jay Stager, who has brought his family to the ranch from Maine several times, notes that other places offering riding opportunities for children with disabilities often exclude their able-bodied siblings.

Stager relates that his 17-year-old daughter Irina, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, is no stranger to horse riding. Irina owns and has ridden horses at home and at a children’s camp called Med-O-Lark in Washington, Maine. But when Stager tried to find a place where the whole family could ride, he came up empty-handed—until Stagecoach Trails. Irina and her family went to Stagecoach Trails in February of 2003, again with her sister on her birthday that year, and has returned in August 2003 and April 2004.

It’s not just the ramps and special training that make the ranch so appealing. Stager notes that the family-style meals, the friendliness of the working “cowboys,” and the presence of another wheelchair user on staff combine to make everyone feel welcome. “We all like the place because of the beauty, the isolation, the complete accessibility, and the tone and style of the management.

“This is the only commercial place that Irina has felt entirely welcome and understood or accepted,” says Stager. “She wants to return a fifth time now.”

When you are not on horseback….

Says Rynders, “Since our ranch is completely barrier-free, all of our activities are accessible and are appropriate for all age levels. We just alter activities to match the disability when needed.”

The entire grounds at Stagecoach Trails provide easy terrain for wheelchair users. No areas require climbing stairs, and there are no curbs to navigate around. All 14 of the guest rooms are accessible, and many include roll-in showers in the bathroom. For guests who want motorized means of riding, the ranch has two-seater go-carts. The dance floor has enough room for wheelchair line dancing. The swimming pool and spa is equipped with a lift. And the simple pleasures of sitting on the porch or around a campfire, swapping stories, singing cowboy songs, playing games, or enjoying home-cooked meals require no adaptation.

The only special features not built-in at the ranch are accommodations for blind or hard of hearing guests. While the ranch staff is happy to accommodate these guests on an individual basis, the isolation of the ranch precludes having, for example, interpreters for the deaf on staff.

What’s nearby?

Stagecoach Trails guests can enjoy more than just the activities on ranch grounds when they come for a stay. The ranch provides visitors with information on easy day trips, including Lake Havasu City and the Grand Canyon. Some people combine visits to the ranch with trips to Las Vegas, which, is the closest city with a major airport and a 2 ½ hour drive from the ranch.

However, for many the stay at the ranch far outshines any day-trip options. Says guest Carroll Randall, a travel writer and tour organizer who specializes in tours for people with disabilities, “Just sitting on the porch [at the ranch], you can see the mountains and the view is so wonderful.” She adds, “I live in the mountains and am not easy to impress!”

Randall, who uses a wheelchair now due to MS, was delighted at the opportunity to ride horses at the ranch. She says, “It was a real thrill for me to mount a horse again—I had not been riding for years!”

For Rynders, operating her ranch and having her daughter Amy take on the role as an ambassador for guests with disabilities are labors of love. Rynders relates this story.

“I will never forget a wonderful note that was written in our guest book by a woman who had brought her disabled granddaughter to the ranch right after we opened. ‘After the glitzy lights of Las Vegas, we thought this would be a real letdown, but we found the true stars right here at the ranch.’ ”

Getting the Word Out

How do people find this gem in the desert? Rynders says, “Most of our advertising comes from our Web site. My son created and maintains it. Word of mouth has also been wonderful advertising for the ranch. Carroll Randall has taken brochures to trade shows geared toward people with disabilities, and we have been featured in several magazines, including STRIDES and American Cowboy.” The BBC has taped more than one feature on Stagecoach Trails, noting its unique status as an accessible dude ranch. “We’ve had a lot of guests from Europe as a result of those broadcasts,” says Rynders. She notes that since the December 2000 opening date, the ranch has hosted more than 5000 guests from all nations.

Being a part of a targeted community helps. In addition to its association membership in NAHRA, the ranch is also an associate member of the Dude Ranchers Association and of the Kingman, Arizona and the Lake Havasu, Arizona Chambers of Commerce.

Getting There

Although it’s a nearly three-hour car ride, accessible vehicles area available for rent at the Las Vegas airport. Ranch staff will also pick up guests for an additional charge. The contrast between Vegas and the Stagecoach Trails ranch is striking. Rooms at the ranch are simple, without the modern-day intrusions of televisions or telephones. The main room of the lodge, however, does contain a TV, and satellite and cellular phone communication is available. On the ranch, communications are human-to- human, human-to- horse, and human-to-nature.

The ranch’s greatest strength comes from its personal touch. “No one is singled out or treated differently,” says Rynders. We are very proud of our “very special ranch for very special people.” Our motto is, “You’ll come as guests and leave feeling like family.” For more information on the Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, see www.stgr.com or call 1-866-444-4471.

Edited by Mary-Louise Piner.

Copyright © 2004 The Solutions Marketing Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved