Teen Boys Ranch Living
in Arivaca, AZ
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The Teen Boys Ranch Setting
Historic Working Horse
and Cattle Ranch
Founded 1878
Located in the rolling hills of Southern Arizona, Arivaca Teen Boys Ranch and Academy is a unique and historic ranch.
Founded in the 1870’s, this teen boys ranch is rich with history and stories. Old adobe barns and houses, built in 1890, are still used on the ranch. This creates a reverent and healing feeling on the ranch that is hard to explain. Arivaca Boys Ranch is an undiscovered secret and the old west is still alive on the teen boys ranch.
350 head of cattle and 50 horses graze on the 23,000 acre teen boys ranch. At night it is not uncommon to hear the coyotes howling. Deer, javelina, quail, and even an occasional cougar are residents of the teen boys ranch.
Round-ups are held twice a year as nearly 300 young steers are branded. The night air is full of the sound of bawling babies (calves) separated from their mothers for the first time. Round-up’s are done the old-fashioned way, with horses and lariats (see photos from September's Round-up and November activities).
The hills are combed on horseback looking for cows and their babies for a week before the day of branding. Currently visitors come from near and far (Europe) to be part of the Arivaca Roundup. Tortillas and beans are cooked up and served, and everyone feels like it is a fiesta… it is!
The teen boys ranch is at 3800 feet elevation. Moderate winters and summers create the perfect year around climate for “horse play.” Arivaca gets about 17 inches of rain a year. At times of the year, the rolling hills are green with high grass.
Evenings and mornings are always cool and pleasant. In the winter, occasional snow melts by noon.
This is a perfect environment for working with teen boys and horses in therapy.
The Community: Arivaca, Arizona
The community of Arivaca is located south west of Tucson. It has a small market and a medical clinic for immediate teen boys ranch needs. Green Valley is 30 minutes away and offers modern amenities. Tucson airport is 55 minute from the ranch.
We invite you to visit the teen boys ranch. Once you feel the serenity and peace of the Arivaca Boys Ranch, you will want to come back again and again.
The Horses:
Arivaca Arabians and
Half Arabs
Our Teen Boys Ranch raises Arabians, Quarter Horses, and Half Arabs.
 Among our Arabians you will find: Al Marah, Russian, Polish, and Varian blood lines. We currently stand the Aladdin son - Ali Din.
Our goal is produce easy-to-handle trail and ranch horses. Through our Equine program boys will be matched with a horse that best reflects their personalities and abilities. This will be his horse for the next 8-10 months. Through a slow process of “Natural Horsemanship,” each young man will learn about patience, communication, trust, and overcome fear. Learn why Equine Therapy is so effective.
Many people have asked if Arabians are too “flighty” for boys. It is just the opposite. Our horses are taught to be calm and relaxed. That is part of what makes this equine therapy so powerful. Arabs are very sensitive of their environment and the boys have to learn to be in tune to the horses’ subtle communications. Arabians are very people-friendly horses. Once you have established a trusting relationship, an Arabian horse will become very loyal and seek human interaction and approval.
We expect to sell some great trail and working horses in the future. Our horses are exposed to everything from cows to water to rough rocky terrain.
The Staff
Managing Partner
Ron Searle is over the Teen Boys Ranch and the Academy and will spend a good share of his time on the ranch. Ron has 26 years of experience in youth education (Instructor and Principal of Private Religious Education Schools) and business (Owner of The Diamond Consortium in Mesa.) He holds a degree in bachelors in family financial counseling from Brigham Young University and a Masters in Business from Arizona State. He also has 20 years of horse experience and 20 plus years of working with young men in church-related and Boy Scout activities. Ron’s desire to help young people and his love of horses has led to the vision of the Arivaca Boys Ranch and Academy over the last three years. Ron is the father of eight children and grandfather of four.
Clinical Director
D. Hyrum Wright, holds an EDS from University of South Carolina in Counseling. He has a Master Degree from Brigham Young University and a Bachelors Degree from the University of Utah. He currently has his own counseling practice. He is also our director of counseling services. He has 20 years of educational experience (current director of the ASU Institute of Religion) and 10 years of counseling experience. Hyrum has experience in “Natural Horsemanship” and is able to draw from his experience with horse to help clients. He has will helped develop both the curriculum for the boys and their parents. He will also help in training staff and counselors in “Natural Horsemanship” to augment their counseling. Hyrum and his wife have three children and currently live in Gilbert, Arizona.
Therapist
Glenn Banks, Jr., is a Licensed, Independent Substance Abuse Counselor and holds a Masters Degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Therapy from the University of Phoenix. He also holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Arizona State University. He has 12 years of experience working in the helping professions. He was a trailwalker for the Anasazi Youth Wilderness program. He became the Clinical Director for the dually-adjudicated youth program at Prehab of Arizona. He performed an internship with Empact SPC of Tempe, AZ counseling individuals, couples, and families, and at the same time, he worked for the Maricopa County Mobile Crisis Unit. During his 7 years working for ValueOptions and Magellan of AZ, he assessed individuals for SMI (Seriously Mentally Ill) benefits. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America and has been a Scoutmaster for 4 years. Glenn served our country for 6 years in the United States Air Force as an encryptionist; including service with the 106th Air Group in the Arizona Air National Guard.
Ranch Directors
Arivaca Boys Ranch is excited to have Mike and Margaret Stroud from Springerville, Arizona as directors who live on the teen boys ranch. Mike has 30 years experience in youth education and counseling. He developed an early “wilderness survival” program for troubled youth 30 years ago after training at Brigham Young University. Mike and Margaret have a lifetime of horse experience and "Horse Sense". They will provide stability to the youth in our program as the boys ranch's Mom and Dad.
Physical Facilities
Boyd Anderson oversees all the physical facilities operations and maintenance. He is responsible for the construction of the teen boys ranch, which includes bunkhouses, a school building, and horse facilities. Boyd brings extensive managerial experience as a current partner in AT Meridian Development and Construction. Boyd has 25 years of experience in commercial construction and holds a degree in Construction Technology and has done graduate work in architecture.
Interim Director and Administrator
Luke Hallows is getting our program up and going. Luke has helped direct two youth schools in the last 9 years as well as built two youth programs from the ground up. He has experience in training staffs and developing facilities for new programs. He also has experience as an enrollment counselor and will work with parents who are considering the teen boys ranch program. Luke loves to be around young men, and they love to be around him. Luke and his wife and four children live at the teen boys ranch.
Phil Winch mentors our clients at the teen boys ranch. Through his help and guidance they will get the one-on-one attention they need to overcome challenges. Phil is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he received his degree in psychology. He loves the challenge and excitement of working with young people, and has mentored youth for over a year both at a therapeutic ranch and a wilderness program. He also has experience with cattle and horses, having been raised on his family’s ranch in Utah. Phil and his lovely wife Elisha enjoy spending time in the outdoors, riding their mountain bikes, and growing potted tomato plants in their apartment.
Ted Snow manages the 350 head cattle operation. Ted has 50+ years of ranch experience and is an example of a true cowboy as well as “Grandpa” to all the boys.
Wranglers:
- Allison Kellis
- Don Conover
- Dallin Whipple
Arivaca Boys Ranch - General Partners and Board:
- Ron Searle - Managing Partner
- Boyd Anderson - Managing Partner
- Carter Poulsen - CFO
- Partners - Norm King, John Poulsen, Clif Pinckard
Contact us for enrollment information and scholarship availability.
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