May 7, 1986

Meanwhile, Back At the Ranch...

    “Ponyland” it’s not. You won’t find make-believe cowpunchers squaring off at high noon in the middle of a simulated Wild West. And you won’t bring the kids here for the mechanical bull.

    Vered Hagalil is not an amusement park, but a guest farm in the central Galilee for horseback-riding enthusiasts, experienced or not. Here the pure pleasure of riding is not overwhelmed by pretensions.

    Rustic and intimate, relaxed and informal, Vered Hagalil is the ideal getaway for city folk. You can take a tour for anywhere from a half-hour to a few days, on the grounds of the ranch or along trails winding through the countryside.

    The only dude ranch in the Middle East (and presumably the only dude ranch in the world with mezuzas on the doorposts), the ranch is the expression of one man’s vision. The lush hillock might still be a lifeless, nameless strew of rock on the Tiberias-Rosh Pina road if Yehuda Avni hadn’t needed a challenge.

    Avni (ne Edward Stone of Chicago) came for a look at the infant State of Israel in 1949. His visit turned out to be a homecoming. It took Avni over a decade to find his niche and another six months to claim it. His wife – and the government – were a little too pragmatic at first to share his dream, but ultimately, the authorities granted him a lease, and Yehuda and Israeli-born Yona became pioneers, clearing the land to raise roses.

    Making the Galilee bloom is one thing, but Avni has a thing for horses.

    “I love horses, I love people, I love agriculture,” said the rancher-innkeeper-farmer.

    He doesn’t mention any soft spot for food, but considering the reputation of Vered Hagalil’s restaurant ... well, never mind the thoroughbred Arabian steeds for a moment: the burgers and steaks are magnificent.

    It’s hard to imagine how Avni finds time to tend his hay, fruit trees, fodder, mangoes, avocados, lichis and olives. The white-haired, sturdily-built 60-year-old is perpetually occupied with his other loves.

    Bettine Ferrand brought a group of four tourists from England to Vered Hagalil for a week of riding through the Galilee. Her company, Cox and Kings of London, organizes riding tours throughout the world, and when they heard of Avni’s operation, they came on an inspection tour.

    “We were completely satisfied with the facilities, the horses, the Galilee countryside and especially with Yehuda and his staff,” said Ferrand. “Yehuda is absolutely wonderful. He thinks of everything.” (Such as the time he hid a case of beer in the Kinneret in advance of an excursion, and then stopped at that spot so his panting Japanese guests could refresh themselves – and “by chance” discover the beer: your basic Holy Land miracle.)

    Geraldine Morgan-Wynne, 32, was one of the four jodhpur-clad riders on the trail mapped out by Avni. She was comforted by the fact that the riders were never out of touch with home base.

    “We’re in constant touch with the ranch via walkie-talkie. It’s a marvelous idea, not used in other countries.”

    John Broughton-Taylor, 55, agreed. He had been on riding tours in Hungary, Portugal and at the Loire. He likes to change the scenery every trip, but said he couldn’t wait to get back to Vered Hagalil. “The facilities are super, the horses well-schooled and in excellent condition. The land is gorgeous, and he people here look so happy – they’re so friendly.”

    After a full day of riding, the ranch’s guide-escort, 23-year-old sabra Ohad Cohen, contacted Avni to arrange for the evening’s accommodations: a lake-side camp-out. Avni hooked a trailer to his jeep, loaded with food and supplies, and set out to rendezvous with the group.

    Thick juicy steaks on a roaring campfire, chicken soup, vegetables, and coal-roasted potatoes hit the spot – not to mention a bottle of whisky.

    And what’s a campfire without a guitar? Ted Deduke, a friendly born-again Christian, was in charge of preparing and cleaning up after dinner – and providing a post-prandial singalong.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the new manager was learning the ropes – as it were. Carol Rosenblatt is known to Israelis for her Yamit restaurant The Beachhouse. Her place in local lore was established when Yamit was dismantled and she yelled her famous “I didn’t leave Miami to live in Egypt!” – an enduring epitaph of that chapter of Israeli history.

    Carol is assisted by Karl, the handyman. Handyman indeed! Karl – or more correctly, Prince Karl of Leiningen – is a true-blue member of the German aristocracy who came for a vacation and tucked his title into his jeans pocket to become a humble ranch-hand.

    Karl, Carol, Ted, Ohad and the rest of the staff didn’t have to be taught hospitality. They’re just that kind of folks, like Avni himself. When the Six Day War called him and his wife away to join their units, the ranch was left unattended for three weeks – and unlocked. A note on the door invited passersby, mostly soldiers and journalists, to make themselves at home.