IN his distinctive Southern drawl, Rocco, the 63-year-old head cowboy at Arizona Cowboy College, tells us: “Two loops around your head, then let the rope go like a dart.”
Five attempts later and I’ve lassoed my first calf, albeit a plastic replica.
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“Yeehaw!” I whoop, channelling my inner Beth from Yellowstone.
Rocco turns and walks towards me, his spurs chinking in the dusty sand. “Do 50 of those in a row and I’ll let you try on a horse and with the real herds,” he mutters without a hint of a smile.
I laugh nervously as he hands me back the rope.
The sun is beating down and with a backdrop of desert, mountains and huge, towering saguaro cacti, it’s the perfect start to my first big, kid-free adventure here in America’s Southwest.
Stetson sessions
Established in 1894, the town of Scottsdale, which sits in Arizona’s Valley Of The Sun, was once the stomping ground of outlaws like Billy The Kid.
Now, there’s everything from boutique clothes shops to luxury spas, but there are still plenty of places to make you feel like you’ve just stepped into a Wild West film.
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After my crash course at Cowboy College – half-day experiences cost £120 per person (Cowboycollege.com) – The Rusty Spur saloon bar in the Old Town makes for the perfect place to continue my country-girl moonlighting.
I swig a local beer as a country singer performs to the Stetson-wearing crowd, then I head off for a rifle through the Old Town’s vintage shops, including the legendary Vintage By Misty (Vintagebymisty.com).
The next day, with my back sore from lassoing, I book a 50-minute Amethyst Awakening Massage, £125, at the Adero Resort spa, where I’m staying.
At this chic spot nestled in the desert hills there are two outdoor pools, a hot tub, tennis and pickle ball courts, as well as stunning panoramic views of the Four Peaks and McDowell mountain range by day and the incredible starry skies by night.
Spacious, modern double rooms cost from £156 per night (Aderoscottsdale.com).
But while my hotel robe and sunset margaritas are tempting, I’ve caught the cowgirl bug, so I stop by Scottdale’s Cowtown Boots.
This warehouse-size store has aisle upon aisle of the coolest cowboy boots I’ve ever seen – from £100 – then there’s also plaid shirts, rodeo-ready jeans and hats galore.
Oh, rodeo
Sufficiently suited and booted, I head to my first-ever rodeo.
Forty minutes’ drive north of downtown Scottsdale, there’s a small town called Cave Creek, where I find The Buffalo Chip Saloon And Steakhouse.
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As well as bringing in the crowds every Wednesday and Friday for live bull-riding nights, there’s cracking live country music and kids trying their hand at the affectionately coined “mutton bustin’” – AKA the children’s equivalent of bull riding, but on sheep – which is priceless entertainment.
The Buffalo Chip also backs itself for serving the best Texas-style barbecued meats, and the half a pound of smoked bone-in pork butt, £9.50, is mouth-watering.
With my body feeling like it’s 80% barbecue and 20% beer, I’m craving some exercise, and handily there are 400 miles of hiking trails within 20 minutes’ drive of Scottsdale’s centre.
I soon realise that the 1.14 mile Echo Canyon Trail up Camelback Mountain, is half hike, half rock climb, but the sweeping view of the Valley Of The Sun when I reach the top makes it well worth the challenging hour it takes me.
For a post-hike brunch, Hash Kitchen in the northern part of Scottsdale is a buzzy hangout loved by locals and home to the state’s largest build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, featuring a dizzying array of concoctions you can mix up.
With a live DJ and a creative menu of super-sized hashes and over-the-top pancakes, I opt for the enormous Ham(mer) Time sandwich of American cheese, crispy hash browns, fried eggs and hollandaise, £15, and of course, a classic Bloody Mary, £9.50.
Paradise picks
The Hermosa Inn, a boutique hideaway in Scottsdale’s Paradise Valley, was built in the ‘30s by flamboyant cowboy artist Lon Megargee and it still oozes character, with its 43 luxury casitas – AKA little houses – complete with roll-top baths, beehive fireplaces and private patios.
Six acres of lush gardens and breathtaking desert vistas of the Camelback Mountain also help to make it the perfect respite for my final stop.
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Its eatery, Lon’s, is often hailed as Arizona’s most romantic spot, thanks to its alfresco tables nestled among festoon-lit trees, and I tuck into divine chilli shrimp terrine, £16, and fillet steak, £55, under the stars.
Rooms cost from £271 per night (Hermosainn.com).
I wrap up my American adventure with a sunset horseback ride through Tonto National Forest, a 40-minute drive away.
There’s not a building to be seen for miles, just rocky desert hills, sandy paths winding around juniper trees and the iconic cacti slowly becoming silhouettes against the bright-red sunset.
A 21/2-hour ride costs from £199 (Windwalkerexpeditions.com).
Read more on the Scottish Sun
As the night chill starts to nip, I get off Rap my horse to find I now have a walk that John Wayne – and Rocco the cowboy – would be impressed by.
Yes, I’m in pain, but I’d do it all again…
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BTW
Plan your trip at Experiencescottsdale.com.
Return flights from the UK to Phoenix cost from £612.
Photography: Getty Images, Instagram/Hash Kitchen, John Woodcock