As someone who has done a few trail rides before, I really appreciate that there is a guide at the front and back of the procession of horses. It helps to hear directions and have help if needed. The trail itself was a great one, and had us going uphill, downhill, and across water. It was very pretty scenery. Additionally, the horses were all gentle and good listeners. It was an easy and relaxing ride (the horses know what to do without much direction needed haha) and the staff was very friendly. We even had a little girl on our ride too, so even kids can ride the horses safely! They also gave us helmets to ride with which were very clean. Our horses Tank and Doc did a great job read more

Blue Bell Stables - My horse, Tank! - Horse Boarding Near Me - Custer, South Dakota

Our family of five have VERY limited horseback experience. I called full of nerves to make sure the trails and horses would be appropriate for my crew. After speaking with the owner, we booked the trail ride. It was super enjoyable and we made memories that we will all cherish from this trip. The horses are well trained and the terrain was just beautiful and no sheer cliffs, just a few hills that were easily navigable for the horses. read more

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Recently had the pleasure of taking a one hour ride here at Blue Bell Stables and it was an unforgettable experience. As the only riding stable within Custer State Park, they offer an amazing opportunity for everyone to explore the park's stunning scenery on horseback. From the moment we arrived, everything was very well coordinated. We signed our waivers and got our helmets. Each rider was carefully assigned a horse and once you got on the horse, you are given very clear instructions from the helpful staff. The ride itself was incredible. There were about 10 of us on the guided trail ride and we trotted through some really gorgeous landscape. The beauty of the park itself combined with their well-trained horses and professional staff made for an awesome experience. Couldn't recommend riding with Blue Bell Stables enough! read more

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Just finished the two hour ride with my husband. We went out with a group of about 15, including several families with children. Each seemed to be paired with the right horse; nobody had any problems with the trail ride. Our guides were informative and offered several suggestions for sitting when riding up and down steep grades and crossing French Creek. The scenery was spectacular. We saw a couple deer, wild turkeys and a huge snapper turtle sunning itself on a rock by the creek. I recommend this adventure for families of any age. read more

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Excellent wranglers. Knowledgeable. Friendly. Alert. Horses well cared for. Beautiful county.

We had an amazing time! Great staff and beautiful horses. Thank you for the great memories with my family!

Blue Bell Stables has a deliberate disregard for basic safety measures. They have a policy that riders and wranglers cannot bring water on the ride. Wranglers do not have any first aid supplies or emergency water. We had an incident on a 3.5 hour ride where we needed water and it was not safe to ride the horse. A member of our party had to walk over 1 mile to meet a crew member by the road to get a bottle of water because we were barred from bringing any at the start of the ride. Even then the company refused to let us bring the additional water for the hour+ remaining time of the ride. An incident report was completed and no one from the company or state park has reached out to us to discuss the issue. I am a healthcare professional and an avid outdoors person. I was shocked that the staff was not allowed to bring water as well as there are well established ways to manage horse safety and basic outdoor safety ie storing water in saddle bags etc. This is an OSHA issue as well as consumer engagement. I highly advise others to not use this company. I would give 0 stars, if that was an option. read more

My wife and I participated in a two hour ride with four other riders and two guides. A beautiful mellow ride through the French Creek Valley where we crossed the creek several times. The horses are well trained and tend to follow the horse in front of them without question, we watched two horses walk over pine trees, and a couple others were nipping and kicking at each other so the order of the ride is important. You do have control of the horse but they still have a mind of there own . My wife's horse ( who shall go un named ) decided to lay down on her.... she got out unscathed and hopped back on! Joey was a great guide, would just recommend a little more direction at the beginning of the ride from staff for novice riders to understand reigning , commands . Stopping, weight distribution on hills etc. we did see deer and had a genuine rattle snake encounter! Bring an apple for your horse read more

Blue Bell Stables - Two hour French Creek ride - Horse Boarding Near Me - Custer, South Dakota

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This place was amazing, super friendly staff, very welcoming! Knowledgeable and fun wranglers. The horses were beautiful and in great condition, nice tack, clean stables and fair priced rides. Really a great experience for the novice or experienced rider. This is a MUST in Custer! read more

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We recently took a half-day trail ride, with wrangler Hannah. It was great! Beautiful scenery, very efficient process, well-trained horses. Hannah was knowledgeable, well-spoken and fun! A wonderful experience! read more

Beautiful scenery through the Black Hills; it was rocky in some parts and we did cross a small stream. We took the 2 hour trail ride. It was chilly and sprinkling but that didn't bother us too much since it was only 2 hours. read more

My friend and I booked the half day ride with bluebell and it was awesome!!! We ended up being the only ones on the ride which was pretty nice and Kelsey our guide was awesome and from Texas which is always a plus! the scenery and trails are stunning. Shout out to my horse Chester who was so well behaved and beautiful. I could have rode all day if my body would have allowed me. I'm 27 I would say I'm in decent shape and I was pretty wiped out by the half day ride. Totally worth the money and being a little sore the next day!! Everyone was so nice and lunch was a great way to end the morning. I may end up doing another like hour ride before I leave back to Texas!! Thanks bluebell for a great day on your horses! read more

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We made a spontaneous stop at Blue Bell Stables on our way to the Wild Life Loop and it was well worth it. This was the first time our kids rode a horse and the staff was very courteous and knowledgeable. The scenery was awesome like everything else in Custer State Park! We would do it again in a heartbeat! read more

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Can't recommend this trail ride enough!! We took the one hour trail ride (perfect for our "city" butts), and it was perfect. Gorgeous scenery, kind and knowledgeable guides, and the horses were calm and sweet. Our nine year old was so psyched about it, totally made her vacation. Just follow your guides instructions and enjoy. Maybe you'll get lucky like we did and get to trot! Hold on to the saddle horn! read more

If you've ever ridden a horse before, you'll be disappointed with this tour. If you're a novice rider and/or have kids, you might love it. I'm of the experienced riding persuasion and really wish I'd gone with the 1-hour tour rather than the 2-hour one. The horses are higher quality than you get with normal trail rides. Unfortunately the guides were more vigilant. As with a normal trail ride, the horses are trained to walk tail-to-tail utterly monontonously. Because the guides are good, they politely ask you to get back in line if you try to have your horse walk side-by-side with your friend's horse and/or stop your horse to break it into a trot. Despite the spectacular scenery, I was dead bored after an hour. I wish Blue Bell Stables would create a less rigid tour for more experienced riders. read more

We took the two hour tour and were really impressed with the guide and the whole operation. It turned out the my horse was really spooked by the high winds when we set out. The guide called for a replacement horse that finished the tour with no problems. I thought it was great how they responded to a completely unpredictable situation. The scenery is beautiful. Popeye was fun to ride, showing a little personality but very responsive to my beginner's skills. read more

We stopped here while driving the wild life loop because we knew we wanted to go horseback riding while visiting South Dakota. I am so glad we did! The staff and guides were all so nice! Our guides were Alyssa and Noah. They were fantastic. They were friendly and great about pointing out significant things along the trail. Highly recommend this place! read more

If you value the safety of your loved ones I would find another place to ride a horse. On Sat Aug 29th we signed up for a 4 hour trail ride which was supposed to be single file riding on a scenic trail. The horse my wife was riding "Kate" nearly bucked her off and we found out later was notorious for bad behavior. The horse my 9 year old daughter was riding "Ben" broke into a full gallop and threw my daughter off. It was a miracle my daughter only suffered some bruises and cuts and wasn't severely injured. We later found out later that "Ben" was a former rodeo horse. A rodeo horse is not what I would call a mild mannered trail horse. I also believe the owners & mgmt of the stable knew about their problem horses especially when we heard the supervisor "Tim" tell our trail guide "don't tell anyone about this.....". Lastly, Tim the supervisor called me to offer me a refund. He was quite gruff, fairly combative and not the least bit empathetic. So again please use extreme caution if you decide to ride horses at Blue Bell Stables. read more

Never got to experience blue bell because we didn't plan ahead for reservations I suggest you do this but they were so helpful in suggesting another stable to go ride I highly recommend blue bell because they are very professional referring someone else when they were booked thank you. read more

My kids got head lice from the riding helmets The ride in itself was OK, but the trip went horribly wrong when three days after our ride I noticed head lice on my daughter, of course, they all got it. I have spend countless hours picking through my daughter's hair and washing laundry. When I initially called to let them know they were rather ho hum. When I followed up a week later, they were down right hostile and told me we must have gotten it from some place else as no one else had complained. They DO NOT treat their helmets, which children must wear, in any way between riders. So even if we did get it somewhere else, they know we have had head lice and they did nothing to prevent passing it on to any of their other customers. Our local riding stables sprays helmets between riders. I feel very strongly that this is where my daughter got lice and wouldn't recommend it to my worse enemy. read more