totsonii ranch

My husband and I loved our trail ride into the canyon. Levi the owners was great, very friendly and our guide was brilliant. Really enjoyed his stories and company on the ride. The canyon is beautiful and is a must on horse back. My husband and I were fine But I think you should be an intermediate rider as there are some rocky decents.

My husband and I got to Canyon De Chelly in the evening and drove out to the ranch then to see the place and we made arrangements to go the next morning to three turkey ruins; an area only accessible by horseback or on foot. Shorty met us and he takes care of the horses; very nice guy that cares about the animals. The culture and attitude is very different from ours and the horses are not pampered pets; but they seemed well cared for. Our guide was Nate; very nice and informative. He asked if his nephews could ride along with us that morning since the school bus never came for them. Adrian about 9 years old rode his own horse and his three year old brother rode with Nate on his horse. Those boys were so nice to be around; the little one was all giggles when we rode at more than a walk. The horses were calm and well mannered. We also had a couple of dogs that followed along for the trip. The dirt road getting there is bumpy washboard, but it was ok. The scenery in the canyon is wonderful; and it is so peaceful there; we plan to go back again and ride another trail.

My wife and I had this trip planned for some time. A travel article in the New York Times about Totsonii convinced us to book our three (3) day, two (2) night horseback camping trip into Canyon de Chelly. Our trip was May 12-14 and the weather was just great; warm days and cool nights.We brought our own tent, sleeping bags, and air mattresses. All of our gear and our suitcases were delivered to the camp sites by 4x4. We had saddle bags on the horses during our ride for a sack lunch, camera, and plenty of bottled water. Levi made the arrangements for us and answered all of our questions beforehand. Levi is a former Marine who served in Baghdad and he shows those leadership skills. Nate was our guide who provided an excellent introduction to the canyon and the Navajo people. (Read a little about the Navajo before you go (At least know about the "Long Walk"); it will make your trip that much more rewarding.) John was our cook and he did an excellent job providing us three meals a day. We were camping, but the food was fresh, plentiful, and much appreciated after a long day in the saddle; about 6 hours a day. (Nate helped out at breakfast and made the best pancakes I've ever had.) We also met other family members Lee and Waylon and John’s wife at one of the campsites.And then there's Shorty. One of the other Navajo outfitters told us that Shorty was "In charge" at the Totsonii Ranch. This statement proved to be a fine example of Navajo humor. We told Shorty of this fact and he visibly straightened up. He quickly got a good laugh out of it as did the Navajo family members. Shorty is not to be missed. He is of indeterminate age but could be easily a hold out from Kit Carson's last raid. Our horses were native Mustangs, Mohawk and Jay; small, unshod, best buddies, strong, agile, unspookable, well behaved, and a joy to ride. Nate had a horse that hadn't been ridden much for a couple of years but he did a great job bringing him to the task. The ride into and out of the canyon was steep and rough but the horses were more than up to it and had our confidence. We have some riding experience but it is not necessary. This is the best way to see the canyon; the way the Navajo have done it for centuries. Nate pointed out the plant and animal life, geologic features, Anasazi and Navajo pictographs and even some pottery shards (that we left on-site, of course). Nate described his family’s land in the canyon, which we camped on the first night, and his childhood growing up on the canyon floor. Watching the sun set and rise in the canyon was dream like. Spending two nights in Canyon de Chelly was a real privilege. Take the time to do this trip. Or, take at least a 4 hour horseback ride down into the canyon. You’ll discover why Canyon de Chelly is a sacred place to the Navajo. My wife and I will most definitely return to explore more of Canyon de Chelly; of course, with Totsonii Ranch as our guide.

Did the white house ruins ride. 6.5 hours which was longer than I wanted to be on a horse. Our guide was very nice but not particularly informative of the history, but was interesting to talk to as she is a Navajo who still has family living and ranching in the Canyon. We got to trot and canter a good,bit, that was fun. Bring food and extra water of your own.

Three of us had scheduled a morning 4-hour Spider Rock trail ride, but the wind was picking up hourly. By 8:30 when we arrived, it looked like we'd be eating sand at least part of the time. Levi met us and said he wanted us to really enjoy our ride, so if we wanted to cancel, that would be fine with him. Mind you, his one other rider, a VERY tough gal, was still going, so he wasn't just opting out. This thoughtful guy was passing up over $400, just to please us! The mustangs used here are born and raised in the desert, trained by Navajos during the winter, and best suited to this job. Definitely not as fat and pretty as our horses at home, but ours couldn't cut it here. This is gorgeous country, and the canyon ride would really be a great way to see it and learn more about life on the Rez. Can't wait to go back and try again.

I had planned this trip for 5 months with a girlfriend. We are both very experienced riders and horse owners and really looked forward to the two-night trip through the Canyon on horseback. We have mixed feelings about this one. The location is magnificent and horseback is definately the best way (for me) to enjoy this. Our guide (Nate) was wonderfully accomodating and we felt he was knowledgeable, helpful and we really enjoyed his company for the three riding days. His judgement was insightful on where to go and he was obviously very good with the livestock. I am not sure where the healthy, robust horses were though. We all had smallish,lackluster rather thin mustangs and I really professed concern about the quality and fit of the equipment (very old saddles that would have been better off being used as a restaurant display.) The manager was no where around and I had submitted a substantial deposit, so I went ahead and rode, but I would expect that the equipment would have been in better condition considering the terrain that is covered. Nails poking out of the saddle seat for an 8 hour ride is unacceptable and I actually had a horse that got so sore we had to switch for the 2nd day. A littlle more care in equipment and saddling would have solved that problem. The horses are mustangs and I try not to compare these with our well fed, sassy, midwest livestock. The Totsonii horses have jobs and they do it well. They are ideal for this type of ride and even do it barefoot (amazing)! Since we had a two-night camping trip, they supplied everything but the sleeping bag, which was fine - I have the best equipment and prefer to supply my own whenever possible. The tent that was given us to use had definately seen better days - it was very small (not really big enough for two of us) and the bottom zipper no longer functioned. This allowed spiders and camp critters in at night to seek warmth - not a good thing in a dry desert environment. I was not happy about that. Also, if I had been advised in advance, I would have brought an air mattress or sleeping pad for comfort. Sleeping on rocky ground is not ideal at any age! Our new friend (and Cook) Victoria was fabulous and we really looked forward to seeing her and her brother in the afternoons and they took good care of us. In a nutshell, the Canyon (Magnificient), Guide, Nate and cook Victoria (Fabulous), Horses and equipment (need improvement). Also, after the ride was over and it came time to pay the balance, it seemed to be a disorganized free-for-all and it took a while to sort it all out. I had agreed on a set amount, but was never told that the balance would be paid in small pieces (in cash) to several people - I was not happy about having to do that. I had asked about that in advance, but Levy never bothered to answer my e mails. I believe that he needs to spend a little more time managing and putting some time and money back into this business. I got the distinct feeling that it wasn't planned out - everything seemed to be an afterthought (although I had 6-months reservations in advance). I would do this again, and I hope to someday, but I would not want to send a deposit unless I was positive we would not have an instant replay of the equipment and payment issues. And I would like to see the animals in a little better condition.

It should have been one of the highlights of our USA-trip, a ride in Canyon de Chelly. But unfortunately it didn't work out this way. The reason for this was that we had our doubts about the equipment and the horses and cancelled the ride.Maybe hard to explain or understand, but we own and ride horses, care for them a lot, and our first impression of the ranch and the (working)horses was not quite what we expected. I've recently rewritten this review, because I felt my first review was, in retrospect, too harsh on the Totsonii Ranch and it's owners.

If you make a trip to Canyon de Chelly....this is a must do trip! I would recommend a 4 hr trip to Spider Rock. Animals were healthy, guide was great, and experience was Nizhoni (Navajo word for "Beautiful") Have fun!

My husband and I went out for an overnight with two days of riding in Canyon de Chelly. Levi and his family were wonderful hosts providing excellent, healthy horses to ride. I am very sensitive about the treatment of horses and there was nothing I saw that made me feel any concern about this ranch. I rode a friendly mustang named Mohawk who was glad to give me a nice gallop when I asked and showed me some wild turkeys I missed in the trees. We enjoyed a private tour of the gorgeous canyons with our guide,John, and our only regret is that we didn't book a longer time.The canyon is a wonderful adventure and our guide knew the best places to wander and had many interesting personal stories to share along with some historical sketches. Meals and accomodations are camping style: simple, but good. It is possible to bring your own meals and gear which are brought to the site by truck while you ride but we preferred a simpler trip and we were not disappointed by the accomodations provided by the ranch. It was clear that efforts would be made to provide for us if we had wanted to bring more "stuff" but it turned out to be better to leave it all in the car!To start, we spent the night in Chinle and went to the ranch in the morning as we had a long drive from Phoenix after a 5 hour flight from the east coast. Chinle is deep in the heart of Navajo Country but the drive through the deserts was beautiful and remote. The weather in the fall is ideal.

Taking the 4 hour spider rock horseback ride into the Canyon de Chelly. Horses and guide were ready as advertised. Guide Cedric extremely knowledgeable both with horses and the plant and tree life along the way. Being we were experienced horse riders really helped as the trail was washed out the night before, and 3/4 of the way down, we had to dismount and send the horses ahead. As the trail became worse, we opted to turn around for the horses safety, and come back up the trail. Cedric had no problem with our decision, and made the remainder of the trip an extremely entertaining occasion, with stops along the way, and stories of life on the reservation, as well as his growing up with horses. Hr even deducted from the original cost of the trip, as we didn't get to Spider Rock.

Started out by emailing for reservations, so reservations were set before arriving.Got there appx 10 minutes before the ride, my horse was being saddled and my husband's horse was being led out of the correl. ( The horses were fresh and seem well taken care of.) Out comes a guy named "Shorty" who looks like a miner out of the old west, giving us saddlebags for our water. And to give us our paperwork.John is our trail guide and it was just John and us, not the large group plodding along. We only scheduled a 2 hour ride, however Totsonii offers all the way up through over night rides. On the first part of the ride we talked some about the land, the horses, walking and trotting. Was shown a sweat lodge, and a hogan. Half way through the ride we are at the rim of the canyon - at Bat Trail. At this point we dismount, tied the horses and walked to the canyon rim. John talks about the "Long Walk" of the Navajo people, talks about what the Navajo land encompassed prior and what the reservation encompasses now. What points (rocks) are sacred to the Navajo people. Then we continue on our ride. Going back we got to get the horses into a full gallop (which you never get to do at a traditional riding stable in the midwest).Totsonii Ranch transports 1000 gallons of water every other day for the horses and they have to haul hay in by the truck load.Talked about a couple of ledgends, about the culture shock of leaving the canyon to go off to college, about traditional Navajo weddings, and family. We enjoyed our ride very much.

Good place to ride. They let us set up a sunset ride for 3 people, so expected 4 horses on the ride. But 2 mares brought their foals with them and a couple of yearlings decided to join us. Very unusual experience to have them along, fun to watch them play and kick and nip at each other, this is what made the ride special. This made our novice rider a little nervous since there was a bit of jostling for position occasionally. When we stopped for water, the foals stopped for milk. If you go, ask if you can get foals and yearlings along for the ride. Dirt road was no problem but I am told that passenger cars have allot of trouble in the rain.

Canyon de Chelly is spectacular, and the horseback ride's slow pace, exciting narrow steep stony path and peaceful and quiet ambiance is as close to being part of the surroundings as possible (in a touristy 4 hours!). We rode the Spider Rock trip - and it was stunningly beautiful. 4 hours in the saddle was enough to make us city folks a little sore, but not enough to spoil the rest of the holiday. Having seen Spider Rock from the bottom it becomes even more spectacular from the rim viewing points afterwards. Totsonii ranch's horses were all great, strong, fit and healthy and they knew the way and were all experienced in managing us 'novice tourist riders'. Our fabulous, knowledgeable guide looked after us and his horses, with plenty of rest stops for both and gave masses of info on the canyon. TAKE WATER and SNACKS and wear long trousers/pants.

We had a great 6 hr ride with a super cool guide. We appreciated that our guide was so mellow and laid back, providing information but also letting us absorb the experience in a quiet space. We took the White House to Spider Rock route. The trail in and out was pretty intense-- we are not horse riders, so it definetly pushed our comfort zone to experience steep terrain! The horses were total pros, clearly well used to traversing the canyon slopes.We took our own lunch and drinks, and the ranch provided handy saddle bags for our stuff. I was happy I wore my camelback and had a big hat as the weather was quite hot. Overall, the trip exceeded our expectations, charged a reasonable price, and was well worth the saddle-soreness the next day. Thanks Totsonii!

Did the 6 hr ride from White House ruins. The guide, John was excellent and horses all did great. The canyon ride was gorgeous.Remember to bring food and water.