Sounds like everyone involved in North Texas Horse Country Tours is riding for the Denton County brand.
Together, tourism promoters and ranchers centered in the Pilot Point-Aubrey area have worked hard to raise the special tours to the level of a top attraction in North Texas. Six tours are scheduled throughout the year and each draws visitors from far and wide.
Presented by the Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau, the horse-country tours give you the opportunity to watch cutting horses in action, see real cowboys rope calves, enjoy hunter and jumper exhibits and learn about reining events, among other attractions.
Dana Lodge, director of sales for the bureau, said viewing the variety of horse disciplines is just one of the many things that make North Texas Horse Country Tours different from similar events across the country.
“This is probably one of the only things that Denton County has that brings motor coach business to our region,” Lodge said. “They are coming from all over the world, all over the United States, staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants and visiting our museums.”
In addition to watching modern-day horse operations in action, visitors sample barbecue off the back of an 1896 chuck wagon at one stop, helping them savor another distinctive Texas flavor.
The North Texas Horse Country Tour developed in 2004 when the Texas Historical Commission was offering a small grant of $5,000 to support good ideas. The goal, Lodge told us, was regional promotion. One of the keys to success is cooperation — individuals working together for the good of the entire area.
Kim Phillips, vice president of the Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau, wrote a proposal to get the grant, Lodge said, and she was awarded the grant for partnering Denton with Fort Worth, an epicenter of cowboy culture, and Pilot Point, which has the largest concentration of horse ranches in Denton County. Many also are located around Aubrey.
The bureau had one year to create a self-guided driving tour of horse ranches in Denton County, which was popular, but organizers found that participants wanted to go behind the scenes, officials said.
Organizers contacted ranch owners and asked if they would allow the bureau to bring tour groups into the ranches, and they were met with open arms, Lodge told us.
Today, more than 75 ranches in Denton County participate in the effort.
The North Texas Horse Country Tours satisfy a growing appetite among visitors who want to experience a bit of real Texana — the riding and roping that they have seen portrayed in films and on television.
Thanks to those involved in one of Denton County’s most unique and interesting industries, they find exactly what they’re looking for and the region’s economy has continued to benefit as a result.
Sounds like everyone involved in this project is riding for the Denton County brand.
