Bandalero Ranch is a state of the art equine facility located in Tucson, Arizona, offering the finest boarding facilities and world renowned trainers in Western, English and Dressage. Their breeding program is a mix of state of the art technology and decades of experience for both mare and stallion services.
Dr Alicia Lindholm offers full service veterinary diagnosis and treatment for your horses.
HEAD TRAINER – RICARDO NICOLAZZI
The passion for horses has always been a part of Ricky’s life. Growing up in Italy his family was involved in the race car business. His grandfather had one of the first Ferrari dealerships in Northern Italy. The family built engines, raced, and sold cars across Italy. This business usually attracts young boys his age, but his heart was always with horses, the ones with four legs! At fourteen he started working on a horse ranch in Tuscany, and traded his labor for the chance to learn about the horse business. The trainer was Marco Manzi. turning his passion into a full time job, working with Marco until 1994.
With the help of a horseshoeing friend, he started shoeing horses and learning the art of shoeing. Ricky began working as an assistant trainer for a major Italian team, CISAL QH, along side an American trainer, Don Boyd. He worked with Don from 1994 to 1996. Then in 1997 Ricky Nicolazzi, Marco Formantin and Martin Larcombe, became trainers for CISAL QH.
As a young trainer Ricky was inspired by winning the 1994 Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Reserve Champion. After many more successes in showing horses in the primary events, he was always a top competitor and finalist. In 1998 Ricky started as an assistant to Bob Avila in Oregon, and stayed until the end of 2000, when out of necessity he had to return to Italy. Working one year for CISAL QH and then three years as a trainer for AZ Ag Pollarini Piero, in Forli. The next two years was spent training for 23QH. Finally breaking out on his own training horses for the next three years until 2009.
Ricky says one of the highlights in his career was in 2007, when he qualified for the NRCHA World Championship in the Open Bridle Class. He not only qualified to make the trip to Stephenville, TX, he made the finals and finished in 7th place.
In 2009 Ricky accepted a training and management position for a new ranch starting in California, Pira’s Cows and Horses. When he started there were only a few horses at the ranch, and much of his and his wife Anna’s time, was spent building the physical facilities, organizing the ranch structure and training horses. Slowly through successes at shows, and clinics he put on, his clientele grew. After a short time, he had very trusting and supportive clientele. The business grew to over twenty-five Reining and Cow horses in training along with the ranch horses at Pira’s Cows and Horses. Ricky’s passion has been a dream come true, not only for himself, but his wife Anna, their daughter Aurora and son Riccardo Giorgio. In October 2016 the family made the move to Arizona to work along with Andrea Fappani.
In January 2019 Ricardo Nicolazzi finally realized his dream to train cow horses all day long in a gorgeous facility, Bandalero Ranch!
To learn more about this beautiful facility please visit bandaleroranch.com.
Be sure to check out their other site rogersheavensentranch.com