Corrals and Tack House

Corrals and Tack House. at Sahuaro Ranch…. , The corrals here are the remnants of the sprawling complex of corrals and pastures needed to raise the livestock that was always important to the operations of Sahuaro Ranch., In early years, horses and mules were the primary source of power for transportation, plowing, and other work. During the 1920s they were replaced by mechanized equipment, but the number of livestock actually increased as the Smith family began raising dairy cows, beef cattle, and later thoroughbred horses., The square corrals here were used to hold cattle for branding, shipment, and treatment; the circular corral, called a "breaking pen," was used to train horses. The tack house, which is the small shed adjacent to the corrals, was used to store medicine, harnesses, and other "tack," or horse gear., Other livestock enclosures on the ranch included the pens attached to the dairy barn and blacksmith shop, horse corrals near the Main House, and a fenced pasture in the pecan orchard., On the Ranch Today , The circular breaking pen, constructed in 1972, was the last corral built at the ranch. The horse corrals near the Main House were replaced by the rose garden, and the pecan orchard pasture is now a recreational area located to the west of the historic park., [Photo captions follow], [Top left] Horses have been important throughout the entire history of Sahuaro Ranch. The Smith family, who owned Sahuaro Ranch from 1927 until 1977, also used horses to help raise cattle. Here are Beau Boy and Lady-Lady. The narrow Tack House building next to these corrals held equipment needed for the Ranch's horses. (Photo courtesy of the Glendale, Arizona Historical Society)., [Bottom left] ...Sahuaro Ranch cattle from the 1930s. (Photo courtesy of Richard Smith).