In Arizona, I side-stepped rattlesnakes on a sun-soaked spring ride, the horses neatly picking their way through giant saguaro cactus, and shivered beneath an azure autumn sky in Oregon, a frost sparkling on hard blue juniper berries. I have swum, too, astride a sturdy trail pony, across a swollen canyon creek in the Wells Gray National Park, British Columbia - and in Montana bawled at the beef on a cattle drive.

If that's not whetted your appetite then nothing will. Jump into a pair of blue jeans, stick a Stetson on your head, and most of us, if we're honest, are game for a bit of wacky Western fun. It's how we go about that's the problem - and whether you're a full-blooded horse rider, seeking new kicks, or simply a greenhorn with a hankering for some silver screen action.

The options depend largely on your own personality. You can forget your four-legged friend, get out the golf clubs, and swing into action at somewhere such as the Tanque Verde in Tucson, Arizona, a perfect example of what is dubbed a resort ranch where accommodation is tip-top and generally highly individual, in this instance with Spanish style casitas.

Even so, this old-time cattle guest ranch with its swimming pools, saunas and tennis courts, still has that subtle Western aura. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, bacon, eggs and pancakes provide a nose-twitching experience of what ranch-style holidays are all about.

Better still saddle up a suitable horse, riding to a backdrop of craggy desert peaks; the wranglers (cowboys to you...) will assign one according to skills. If you ride reasonably well, ask about an early morning or late evening ride when numbers will be down. They can get busy in much the same way as trekking at home. And, yes, there are rattlers about. You can learn about them at the nature centre, another side to the Cote family's aim to attract as wide an audience as possible.

Also family run is the Mayan in Bandera, Texas, the so-called Cowboy Capital of the World where the big-hearted Hicks have created a traditional "dude" ranch, the turn of the century term for cattle ranches which took in East Coast "dudes" as a profitable sideline. You might not get much horse riding in, but you'll have a whoopee of a time from shows with high kickin' gals to square dances and wagon rides. And the thought of those giant sized steaks have me dribbling even as I write...

The fact that both are featured by the mainstream UK tour operators, as well as by specialist companies who have a much wider choice (see useful ddresses) gives a clue that an increasing number of Clint Eastwood wannabes are donning high-sided boots and ten gallon hats, mainly thanks to box office hits such as City Slickers and The Horse Whisperer. The family appeal, especially when say only one or two members ride, is very strong.

Horse lovers, however, might be better at a guest ranch, taking 40 guests, and often less, where riding is more the focal point. Activities are more ad hoc, from horseshoe or cow chip (to put it discreetly) throwing to trout fishing. Nightlife, too, may be little more than a campfire singsong. Many may not have a bar, or frown on booze generally, though some allow you to bring your own. This applies equally to some larger dude ranches which, with up to 200 guests, are anxious not to lose their family image. All, however, are well appointed, with central heating or air-conditioning, are appropriately rustic in design and furnishings, and with restaurants serving plenty of good home cooking, though with diet conscious cow persons catered for.

Continues........

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