StoneCreek Ranch Offers Guests Cutting Horse Excitement, Real Riding
September 8, 2005
StoneCreek Ranch Offers
Guests Cutting Horse Excitement, Real Riding
*****
By Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Watching Arvell Bass so at home astride his cutting horse as he demonstrates the nuances of horseback riding to his guests at StoneCreek Ranch and Resort in Mountain Home, it's hard to imagine he ever lay hiding from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, the life-changing event that brought him to Arkansas.
While Bass grew up on a farm in Wisner, Louisiana, he made a career as an oil man working in locations such as Alaska and South America. On Mother's Day in 2002, he was stationed at a drilling site in Columbia when rebel forces attacked, killing some of the workers and shooting down the company helicopter in the process of landing to change out the crew.
With bullets whizzing through the air, Bass hid in the middle of a sandbag bunker behind his office trailer near the perimeter fence as he listened to the guerillas inch closer.
"I could hear them loading their guns and rustling around in the grass probably 30 or 40 feet behind me," he explained. "Another 10 minutes and I think I would have been gone."
While there were military policemen on site, the rebels weren't deterred until the Colombian military showed up in a helicopter mounted with .50-caliber machine guns.
"It lasted an hour and twenty minutes and I've never been so scared in my life," Bass said.
Deciding there was more to life than a paycheck and eager to do something he loved for the rest of his life, Bass shifted back to his roots. With his wife Karry and their two daughters, Bass opened StoneCreek Ranch and Resort in January of 2004. The guest ranch focuses on horseback riding vacations with its indoor and outdoor arenas and trail riding. There's no merely plodding along with horses nose-to-tail at StoneCreek, where adventurous guests can also experience cattle sorting, the cutting horse experience or even a cattle drive.
Bass said anyone can try sorting cattle, even beginners. "You might not get your cow out but it's still fun," he grinned.
Riding packages include lessons in horsemanship. Beginners to advanced riders alike learn gentle methods to control any horse. Bass is a sort of horse whisperer, exuding a spirituality when working with the animals, no longer breaking horses with the bucking technique he originally learned. He excels at coaching people in the art of horsemanship as well.
"I'm living my passion," Bass said.
Guests can take a stab at cutting (keeping a sorted cow from the herd) with or without the use of real cattle. A fake cow dangles from a pulley system running the length of one wall of StoneCreek's rectangular indoor arena. Bass remotely controls the cow dashing it back and forth along the wall in short and long bursts as a rider tries to stay with it, pretending to keep it from getting past the horse to the rest of the herd.
While all of the ranch horses are trained to work cattle, Bass owns five highly-trained, competitive cutting horses from championship bloodlines.
StoneCreek Ranch consists of 80 acres, although Bass has access to 2,000 acres. The couple with their two daughters, live in a home overlooking the meadows, ponds, creek and guest facilities.
Two wooden cabins with modern amenities, front porch swings and screened-in back porches nest amid the trees at the end of a lane. On the second floor along one side of the barn arena, "cowboy apartments" are separated by a community kitchen and balcony. The soft, muffled sound of a horse's whinny permeates the cowboy rooms and kitchens, which have windows overlooking activities in the arena.
"Most people really do like staying in the barn," Bass added.
The balcony is open to the arena on one side and a breezeway, horse stalls, storage and office rooms on the other. Filling the air is a pure, sweet smell like a mixture of fresh cut grass and sawdust.
On the balcony, guests can sit at the rail looking down at the arena's chocolate earthen floor, raked with grooves like an old vinyl record, as they watch Bass give guests lessons or train a horse.
The large arena serves as a starting ground for riders. As guests gain confidence and skill, Bass takes them out for rides on the rolling hills and open pastures.
In addition to horseback riding, StoneCreek guests can also enjoy farm activities, water sports and fishing on nearby lakes and rivers.
The couple chose Arkansas because they used to vacation in The Natural State. "I like to water ski in that cool, clear, clean water," Bass added. So, it's no surprise that he incorporated water sports, such as skiing and wake boarding, into the ranch's offerings. StoneCreek is a short drive to the White and North Fork rivers and Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes.
Ranch packages can include meals, although each cabin has a kitchen and the cowboy apartments have a community kitchen. The ranch welcomes families, but also caters to groups for reunions or other gatherings.
StoneCreek also offers leadership conferences for corporate groups and organizations. Bass, along with a conference facilitator, draws correlations between training and riding horses and leadership development and team building skills. The idea came from StoneCreek guests over the past year. "I must have heard 100 people say, 'Wow, this would work with my family or these methods would work with my business,'" Bass explained. "There are a lot of life lessons involved with horses."
StoneCreek celebrated its year anniversary in January. "We had about 500 [visitors] through and expect to double that this year," he added. The couple is currently building a conference room and eight private guest rooms on the other side of the barn arena and expects those accommodations to be completed by the end of October for a total occupancy of about 32. Construction of a swimming pool is planned as well.
The ranch is located between Gassville and Mountain Home at 626 Circle B Lane. For more information, phone (870) 424-7433, 1-888-203-7433 or visit www.stonecreekranchresort.com.
####
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"
StoneCreek Ranch Offers
Guests Cutting Horse Excitement, Real Riding
*****
By Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Watching Arvell Bass so at home astride his cutting horse as he demonstrates the nuances of horseback riding to his guests at StoneCreek Ranch and Resort in Mountain Home, it's hard to imagine he ever lay hiding from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, the life-changing event that brought him to Arkansas.
While Bass grew up on a farm in Wisner, Louisiana, he made a career as an oil man working in locations such as Alaska and South America. On Mother's Day in 2002, he was stationed at a drilling site in Columbia when rebel forces attacked, killing some of the workers and shooting down the company helicopter in the process of landing to change out the crew.
With bullets whizzing through the air, Bass hid in the middle of a sandbag bunker behind his office trailer near the perimeter fence as he listened to the guerillas inch closer.
"I could hear them loading their guns and rustling around in the grass probably 30 or 40 feet behind me," he explained. "Another 10 minutes and I think I would have been gone."
While there were military policemen on site, the rebels weren't deterred until the Colombian military showed up in a helicopter mounted with .50-caliber machine guns.
"It lasted an hour and twenty minutes and I've never been so scared in my life," Bass said.
Deciding there was more to life than a paycheck and eager to do something he loved for the rest of his life, Bass shifted back to his roots. With his wife Karry and their two daughters, Bass opened StoneCreek Ranch and Resort in January of 2004. The guest ranch focuses on horseback riding vacations with its indoor and outdoor arenas and trail riding. There's no merely plodding along with horses nose-to-tail at StoneCreek, where adventurous guests can also experience cattle sorting, the cutting horse experience or even a cattle drive.
Bass said anyone can try sorting cattle, even beginners. "You might not get your cow out but it's still fun," he grinned.
Riding packages include lessons in horsemanship. Beginners to advanced riders alike learn gentle methods to control any horse. Bass is a sort of horse whisperer, exuding a spirituality when working with the animals, no longer breaking horses with the bucking technique he originally learned. He excels at coaching people in the art of horsemanship as well.
"I'm living my passion," Bass said.
Guests can take a stab at cutting (keeping a sorted cow from the herd) with or without the use of real cattle. A fake cow dangles from a pulley system running the length of one wall of StoneCreek's rectangular indoor arena. Bass remotely controls the cow dashing it back and forth along the wall in short and long bursts as a rider tries to stay with it, pretending to keep it from getting past the horse to the rest of the herd.
While all of the ranch horses are trained to work cattle, Bass owns five highly-trained, competitive cutting horses from championship bloodlines.
StoneCreek Ranch consists of 80 acres, although Bass has access to 2,000 acres. The couple with their two daughters, live in a home overlooking the meadows, ponds, creek and guest facilities.
Two wooden cabins with modern amenities, front porch swings and screened-in back porches nest amid the trees at the end of a lane. On the second floor along one side of the barn arena, "cowboy apartments" are separated by a community kitchen and balcony. The soft, muffled sound of a horse's whinny permeates the cowboy rooms and kitchens, which have windows overlooking activities in the arena.
"Most people really do like staying in the barn," Bass added.
The balcony is open to the arena on one side and a breezeway, horse stalls, storage and office rooms on the other. Filling the air is a pure, sweet smell like a mixture of fresh cut grass and sawdust.
On the balcony, guests can sit at the rail looking down at the arena's chocolate earthen floor, raked with grooves like an old vinyl record, as they watch Bass give guests lessons or train a horse.
The large arena serves as a starting ground for riders. As guests gain confidence and skill, Bass takes them out for rides on the rolling hills and open pastures.
In addition to horseback riding, StoneCreek guests can also enjoy farm activities, water sports and fishing on nearby lakes and rivers.
The couple chose Arkansas because they used to vacation in The Natural State. "I like to water ski in that cool, clear, clean water," Bass added. So, it's no surprise that he incorporated water sports, such as skiing and wake boarding, into the ranch's offerings. StoneCreek is a short drive to the White and North Fork rivers and Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes.
Ranch packages can include meals, although each cabin has a kitchen and the cowboy apartments have a community kitchen. The ranch welcomes families, but also caters to groups for reunions or other gatherings.
StoneCreek also offers leadership conferences for corporate groups and organizations. Bass, along with a conference facilitator, draws correlations between training and riding horses and leadership development and team building skills. The idea came from StoneCreek guests over the past year. "I must have heard 100 people say, 'Wow, this would work with my family or these methods would work with my business,'" Bass explained. "There are a lot of life lessons involved with horses."
StoneCreek celebrated its year anniversary in January. "We had about 500 [visitors] through and expect to double that this year," he added. The couple is currently building a conference room and eight private guest rooms on the other side of the barn arena and expects those accommodations to be completed by the end of October for a total occupancy of about 32. Construction of a swimming pool is planned as well.
The ranch is located between Gassville and Mountain Home at 626 Circle B Lane. For more information, phone (870) 424-7433, 1-888-203-7433 or visit www.stonecreekranchresort.com.
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"
Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"