THE HORSES GET THE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT AT THIS UNIQUE ARIZONA BED AND BREAKFAST

The human guests only get breakfast, but the equine guests get two meals a day! The horses eat first, too. "Horses eat slower than people. We feed the horses first, then come down and feed the people," said Deborah Scott, who runs the unique Bed and Breakfast, And The Horse You Rode In On, with her husband, Will.
The humans' accommodations are, however, considerably more luxurious than those of the horses.

Located in Southeastern Arizona's high desert uplands 65 miles east of Tucson, And The Horse Your Rode In On is situated in more than 600 acres of grasslands in the foothills of the Dragoon Mountains, land of the Chiricahua Apache Indians. It has ten roomy guest stalls for visiting horses, most 21 feet square, with one large stall 21 by 42 feet. There are also four beautiful Southwestern double-occupancy rooms for human guests.

Each guest room is named for a horse that has been a part of the lives of the owners, attorneys Will and Deborah Scott. Two of the rooms have king-size beds with a half-bath and shared shower. The other two have queen-size beds - one with a private bathroom and shower, and the other with a private full bath and attached sitting room. All are decorated with original work by Western artists. Rates range from $70 single/$75 double occupancy to $80 single/$85 double occupancy. To insure a complete escape from civilization, there are no televisions on the premises. A common room is the setting for games of scrabble or cards during the evening. Guests can loll in the outdoor spa as they watch the spectacular light show of the star-filled night sky. Although no alcohol is served, guests are welcome to bring their own. For the convenience of guests, smoking is allowed only on the patio and outside areas.

And although guests are served only a full breakfast in the dining room, they have kitchen privileges that include a microwave, an indoor/outdoor barbecue grill and a refrigerator with freezer - as well as dishes, glassware, silverware and utensils. A nearly inexhaustible supply of lemonade, cookies and a variety of hot and cold teas is constantly available to suit weather and mood.

Horses are boarded for $6 per night, which includes paddock cleaning. They get two meals a day of alfalfa and pellets, plus a scoop of oats at breakfast on the days they'll be going for a long ride. Or owners can bring their own feed, although there is no reduction in rate. If horse and rider need to "renew" their relationship, there is a large round pen for reviewing lessons in horsemanship. Bridles and saddles can be stored in the tack room where they'll be kept in shape and ready for easy access when it's time to ride.

Guests can hike, bike or ride from the inn's corrals over its property and adjacent State and Federal land, including the Coronado National Forest named for the early Spanish explorer.

Just across the valley from the inn is the Chiricahua National Monument. Here 27 million years ago a volcanic eruption a thousand times greater than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens laid down 2,000 feet of ash and pumice, which over the eons eroded into the fascinating spires and unusual rock formations of today. The Chiricahua Apaches took refuge in this rugged country during hostilities with the whites before. Geronimo surrendered in 1886,
Plan on a full day to explore the dramatic Cochise Stronghold, a three-mile ride up a peak in the Dragoon Mountains where the Apache chief fought the white man. As you ride through the high desert grasses, mesquite and juniper, you are likely to meet deer, javelina and a myriad of jewel-toned hummingbirds. During winter months, thousands of Sandhill Cranes come from as far away as Siberia to the delight of human snowbirds.

Guests who don't bring their own mounts can still enjoy a ride by contacting nearby Lope Along Ranch. Non-riders can enjoy a round of golf at Shadow Mountain Country Club, just a short drive from the inn.

Other area attractions in an hour's drive or less include The Amerind Foundation, a private, nonprofit archaeological research facility and museum devoted to the study and interpretation of Native American cultures; Tombstone, "The Town Too Tough To Die;" the town of Willcox, with its museum of western star Rex Allen; the Historical Museum at Fort Huachuca, the ghost towns of Gleeson, Pearce and Courtland; and the quaint mining town of Bisbee, where you can take a tour of the famous Copper Queen Mine. Colossal Cave and the newly opened Kartchner Caverns are spelunkers' musts. There's also the verdant Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, next to the rolling plains where - believe it or not - the movie "Oklahoma" was filmed. (They imported the corn "as high as an elephant's eye.") And of course you'll want to visit Old Mexico to shop in the many captivating stores of the border towns of Nogales and Agua Prieta. An indoor/outdoor barbecue grill.

And The Horse Your Rode In On is open year-round, with the peak season from September through May. Winters are mild, - all you'll usually need is a light jacket, although nights can be chilly. Winter days you'll want to dress in layers that you can peel off as the day warms up. Although summer nights are cool, days tend to be too warm for riding any time other than mornings.

Co-host Deborah Scott, a native of Massachusetts, has practiced law in Tucson since 1981. Now, with the advent of the electronic age, she can do most of her work out of her office in Dragoon, with trips to Tucson only when necessary.

Her husband, Will, maintains his residence in Tucson but spends as much time as possible at their B & B.
"Will likes to talk, I like to cook and putter around the house so we split the work 50-50. I cook, clean up, and do the paperwork, and when he's here he does the talking," Deborah jokes. "Actually, we work well as a team, getting what needs to be done in the shortest amount of time.
"Will and I often talked about opening a B & B in Tucson," Deborah says. "We had the room, but the CC&Rs in our neighborhood wouldn't allow it. Then, when the kids went off to college and the area around us was becoming more built up, we decided we wanted more room with fewer people and less traffic. That was when we found this place.

"We'd had trouble riding due to the ever increasing development in our area in Tucson, and we figured there were other people in the same situation. That gave us the idea of starting a B & B that included horses - a Bed and Breakfast for you - And The Horse You Rode In On. Instead of trailering a horse every time you wanted to ride, just trailer down our way and ride from our corrals."

To their surprise, guests are now coming not just from Tucson but from all over the country. People traveling cross-country with their horses like to stop where they can be close to their animals, instead of leaving them at a corral while they find a hotel. Some even ship their horses so they'll be with them as they vacation in this Arizona paradise.

Will grew up in Ohio and got his law degree from the University of Arizona, where he later was an instructor. Now retired, he was the senior partner in one of Tucson's most prestigious law firms and now is a trustee managing various private and charitable trusts with several million dollars in assets.

Among his many jobs while working to earn money for school, he was a blacksmith - not shoeing horses, but blacksmithing for that "iron horse," the Southern Pacific Railroad. The love for the four-legged kind came later.
And now he and Deborah delight in meeting the many different breeds of horses that arrive as guests. And, yes, they welcome the owners, too.

EDITORS NOTE: Photos available on request. Specify if you prefer prints by regular mail or e-mailed as jpeg attachment. Contact Jess Riggle (520) 296-0919 or e-mail: jessriggle@aol.com

And The Horse You Rode In On
Bed & Breakfast
Your Innkeepers: Deb and Will Scott
2400 West Dragoon Road, P.O. Box 158
Dragoon, Arizona (AZ) 85609
Phone: (520) 826-5410
Fax: (520) 826-1078
Email: info@horseyourodeinon.com







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