Title: From Wrangler to Owner: Chuck Pablo’s Journey at Koli Equestrian Center
Chuck Pablo was a wrangler working at the Koli Equestrian Center just after it opened in 2002. “In fact, the guy who hired me said, ‘I thought you were going to be the first to leave,’” Pablo said. He wasn’t. Now, he’s the owner and operator of a family business that includes his children and other relatives.
Pablo said the Gila River Indian Community and the previous owner had a disagreement about the management of the equestrian center, which is on tribal land just west of Chandler near Rawhide. The previous owner decided to leave, and the tribe loaned Pablo the money to take over. He’s been there 23 years now.
The Koli Equestrian Center focuses on fun experiences with horses. Staff takes groups and individuals out on 60- and 90-minute trail rides, as well as wagon rides. The center has an event space for birthday parties or corporate events. “Being out here, it’s like you’re in the middle of nowhere, but you’re 20 minutes from downtown, the airport,” Pablo said. “We hear people all the time say, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know you were out here.’”
Pablo said the tribe reached out to him to take over because he was lead wrangler at the time, having worked his way up to that position in only a few months. He said the previous owner helped him get started after he took over, leaving behind some equipment and telling him he could pay him later when he had the money.
Koli Equestrian Center offers horseback riding on trails west of Chandler. They do both group rides and private rides and can work with beginners who are getting on a horse for the first time.
Pablo said he had a similar arrangement with the man the center leased horses from. “I had a whole lot of support from the tribe, the previous owner, and from the community,” Pablo said. “We do bull riding mini rodeos for corporate events,” Pablo said. However, he said the center lacks an arena so they don’t host major rodeo events. They focus on letting folks get in touch with their Wild West roots. He said the center has 56 horses during the winter months. During the summer, they will send about half the herd to Mormon Lake Lodge because the demand for rides subsides and to get the horses out of the heat.
“We have a lot of people that have never been on horses out here, so our horses have to be very responsive,” Pablo said. He said the horses have been trained and they will go slow, letting the rider get comfortable before starting down the trail. Anyone 7 and older can ride. Pablo said for young children, he will make sure a wrangler is holding on to a lead rope and will guide them. “We did a Girl Scout group (recently), and one of the kids was a little nervous. I got a hold of that rope and just took her out, got her comfortable on the horse, and before we got halfway around … she was riding that horse by herself with a big smile.”
Koli Equestrian Center
6940 W. Broken Ear Road, Chandler
602-796-3495, koliequestrian.com
