Tucson’s finest equestrian facility is now available for those seeking the ultimate in horse boarding. We cater to all riding disciplines: Dressage, Hunter/Jumper, Western, Trail, and natural horsemanship.
The owner/manager lives on the property and has 47 years of horse-ownership experience. She excels in teaching riders of all ages. In addition, our staff includes 4 full-time employees who are knowledgeable of all aspects of horse care. We have an open policy towards trainers, veterinarians, and farriers; boarders are welcome to provide for their own horse services or choose from those already serving the Royal Star community. We offer all necessary horse care, including feeding, exercise, blanketing, fly masks, fly spray, etc. and caretakers are present on the property 24 hours/day.
Our barn owner hand-selects the finest hay and purchases it in bulk to ensure a consistent feeding program.
On site trainer – Thomas Clover
Thomas Clover was born and raised in the mountains of Wyoming. His family has been involved in the outfitting business in and around Jackson Hole for more than three generations. Being in a packing family is much more than going on trial rides. This is where Thomas first started getting on green and unbroken horses. It was very common to hear “we got a couple new ones; not sure their story but you should jump on them and see if they are going to fit in with the outfit.” On the same note, taking care of a large heard of horses that spends most of its time wondering around open country will quickly teach a person how to work with their stock to accomplish their tasks. It was this early backcountry horsemanship experience that truly instilled a love of horses. It is purely just you and your horses.
After graduating from college with a degree in wildlife ecology, Thomas decided to pursue training colts and see where that would go. The seasonal changes in Wyoming make this a difficult thing to do year round; so after several years Thomas found himself drifting to Tucson to find work for the winter riding. He has now been in southern Arizona for three years working for himself as well as for the Bandalero Ranch, a breeding/training facility that specializes in reined cow horses.
His horsemanship centers itself around the understanding of communication between the human and the horse. If a horse understands what the person wants, most often he will do exactly what we want. On the other hand if we understand how our actions and energy are perceived by the horse we will be able understand how the horse will respond to our work with them. These principles are necessary weather we are starting performance horses or pleasure horses; Quarter Horses or Clydesdales; western or English disciplines. With this foundation a horse has the potential to go any direction because the basis for understanding is there.
Royal Star is located adjacent to the Saguaro National Monument – East, providing access to the finest trail riding in Southern Arizona.
Royal Star occupies approximately 20 acres atop a hill overlooking all of Tucson. Because of its optimal location, flooding is not a concern.