For the steep price ($165 per person, tips bot included) I was hoping to give my daughters access to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Unfortunately, our guide could not handle the stress of having my 8 year-old daughter in the party. At one point she hit my daughter's horse and called it "stupid horse". She later apologized for that behavior but the damage was already done. My daughter could sense the stress in her guide and felt guilty for it. That in itself killed the experience for me. During the reservation process I had stated that my daughter was eight and that she was beginner stage in terms of horse back riding experience. In my opinion the company should have been prepared for such eventuality and should have sent us a guide and horses that are known for handling well young kids. read more

What a wonderful vacation experience! Over the phone Carmen made arrangements for our large party all to ride out of Bradenton. The horses are so gentle and were extremely easy to handle. We had a group of 6, including a 10 and 15 yr old. The adults and kids both loved the ride! We all enjoyed feeding the horses carrots afterwards. The handlers and guides were very friendly and take amazing care of the horses. This is a must do when in the bay area! Thanks for a great morning! read more

We were excited to ride and it exceeded our expectations! The horses are so beautiful and amazingly gentle and easy to ride! Just an all around beautiful day and adventure! Marquee was our guide and she was super sweet and informative, read more

Awesome experience from beginning to end! Knowledgeable guides match you with a horse depending on your experience and comfort level. (My son had never been on a full sized horse before.) The guides explain everything ahead of time. Riding on a horse while it is swimming is simply amazing. So much better than doing a "trail ride." The photo package was reasonably priced and send via email the same day. We've already downloaded our pictures. We will cherish these memories for years to come! read more

Jen and her team were amazing. My daughter and I had a Great time, learned a lot and it was a totally unique experience!

Riding and swimming with the C pony horses was a blast. Check in was easy and efficient and the expert staff was friendly and informative. The horses were gentle and easy to handle. This is a great adventure for all riding abilities. read more

Beautiful horses, friendly guide, wonderful experience overall. BUT horses are horses and I found riding through the water with tons of floating horse poop and pee to be quite disgusting. My horse was last in line and it was all I could do to keep myself from getting sick. Bleh. I also felt sorry for the residents who've got dogs and kids swimming in the same waters. Instead of going to grab lunch, I drove home to shower. Not sure salt water is great for the horses either, but they do look clean and well cared for. read more

Did this ride for my 50th birthday, with my husband and friends. The horses were beautiful, well taken care of, and were matched with us based on our riding experience. Our guide, Brooklyn, was fun. We didn't get to go to the sand bar though, and we all wished we could have rode on the beach a little more. Overall, it was a great experience. read more

I signed my sister and niece up for this today after googling and looking for horses on the beach when another company fell through. Needless to say it was the experience of a lifetime for them! They are both frequent hunter/jumper riders so they're used to being around horses, this is something great for anyone who loves horses beginners or otherwise! Carmen was generous, kind, and easy to work with, texting and emailing and also sending all the photos/videos after since we purchased the photo pack. Amazing not just walking on the beach with horses but getting on and swimming with them out in the sea amongst stingrays and wildlife; not many other people can offer that! A great day and I would definitely recommend this to anyone! Definitely use CPonies over anyone else in the area! read more

This was a wonderful experience. The horses were so well behaved (I am terrified of horses). They literally swam in the water. We saw a family of dolphins, pelicans and just truly enjoyed the entire experience. The staff was amazing and our pictures turned out great! Amazing day! read more

So much fun!!!!! Highly recommend C ponies for your next adventure. We are from the Midwest and beginner level experience and the ride was so relaxing and fun! Caroline and Nicki were the best guides made it enjoyable and great instructions for riding and swimming with the horses! Definitely get picture package it's so worth it! Our horses were well behaved and had their own personalities (Shamu, Dreama) read more

I don't see how my ride could have been better. I rode Skittles. I learned a little about each of 6 horses on our ride. Skittles is a speed racer when swimming. She followed my directions to pose for pics. Remember that this is not a controlled environment like a Disney ride, it's real. We saw small hammerhead sharks & sting rays. One horse tripped and fell, but all was fine; they fell in water, more exciting. I was kinda hot and would not have mined a misstep so I could go in. Carmine offers helmets, floatation devices, I think those r free. We walked in deep enough water to keep us pretty cool in blazing sun. The swims were amazing. You put the reigns on the saddle horn and hold the horses mane. One horse "snorkeled", put her nose in up to her eyes. Other horses purred and moaned cuz the water was so cooling. I think the challenge for Carmen and the horses are inexperienced riders who don't follow direction. To slow or stop, pull back your fists towards you hips or lap. Some people pull up over their heads confusing the horse. I saw no danger. I had a bit of anxiety finding her. Exit on the North Fishing Pier & go opposite of rest stop at the stop sign. Look for a large horse trailer on the waters edge. Btw I did have the Platinum ride & postponed once due to weather. I do recommend a hat, something more than a swim suit as the sun is so intense on the water. Polarized sunglasses to see the sea life. read more

AWESOME!!! AMAZING!!! The most fun you can have in the water. This was an absolutely amazing experience. Carmen and her ladies keep their horses well groomed, well fed, healthy, and happy. The horses are beautiful and gentle. I have never done anything like this but I would most certainly do it again. I am not a rider of horses and I was fine and had a blast. I rode GYPSY. She was lovely and loved to play in the water. Splashing and snorting. My mom and I went out with Carmen and three other riders. Everyone stayed together. There were no issues. The horses follow direction well and so much fun was had by all. DEF do the photo package! Carmen has a neat recorder/photo device and will take pics and video of you while you are out and then download all the pics to your smart phone, via Bluetooth, once you get back to shore. Make sure your phone has data space and download RE CAMERA app before you go. I took a water camera and got some great shots. Also brought along a gopro, just for fun. Carmen did not mind at all. You can wear bathing suit or shorts and shirt but you will be submerged. Do wear water shoes. I wore a hat. Some people had polarized sun glasses on and were able to see things swimming in the ocean that I was unable to see. There is marine life. But that just added to the experience. If I figure out how to upload photos and or video to this review, I will. DO THIS!!!!! you will not regret it and you'll have memories for a lifetime! read more

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Part of my New Year resolution was to start having adventures again so I started here. The horses are beautiful and well cared for. However, the price is way too high for what you get to experience. Carmen actually offered a lower price of $100 to someone who was not going to ride... because she had one more horse to rent out. This discount is unfair to offer to one person and not another-especially in front of other paying customers who paid $165. By the time you saddle up and get the "mini- instruction" lesson its really only about 45 mins riding time. I was so excited to start the New Year getting back on a horse after a bad accident 4 years ago. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous. It started off well until the horses started swimming. I was very nervous and apparently did not let go of the reins as instructed- although not intentionally...all related to nerves and a little panic!! Carmen had us stop.... then she began berating me in front of the other riders stating... "You were drowning my horse and injuring my horse"...this did not stop with one sentence of what I did wrong...she literally berated and yelled at me in front of the group for at least a minute as if I was deliberately trying to hurt the horse. I would never intentionally harm an animal especially a horse as a former horse owner-and apologized to her again when the ride was over. Carmen had a right to stop me and explain what I did wrong...as she must look out for the welfare of her animals and the rider.....However, to continue in the tone and manner she treated me... was wrong. When you have horses with all levels of riders, these things can happen and the way she acted towards me after the ride was not much better. I apologized again...paid for our photos and left with my friend. My friend stated she was "embarrassed" for me by the way I was treated. I have to say what started as a great experience was ruined by the manner in which I was treated...she just made me feel awful. I feel Carmen could have handled this better. I thought about getting this as a gift certificate for my sister, but after the way I was treated and also considering the actual time in the water for the price, I would not recommend it. Beautiful place to ride, beautiful well cared for horses but no excuse for the treatment I received. read more

We had a wonderful time riding the horses in the bay. A wonderful experience! My husband was concerned because he's not experienced but Ashley did a great job helping both of us navigate the horses and feel comfortable. I would do this again! read more

This is by far MY BEST EXPERIENCE ON A HORSE!!!! I am 56 years old and have been blessed to have had horses in my life for over 50 years! This was one of my MUST DO BUCKET LIST DREAMS!! Stephanie was our guide and made this experience one of the BEST IN MY LIFE! My husband also joined me with 4 other guests . It appears that most of them had little experience on a horse but Stephanie made every second, easy, safe, and enjoyable! I absolutely will be doing this again in the spring with some lady friends! Please don't hesitate to go on this adventure if you have the chance, ALL THE HORSES are rescued and taken care of with the utmost care! Thanks Stephanie and MERRY CHRISTMAS where ever you may be!!! read more

Horses are well cared for, didn't get pictures. The water is an inlet not the ocean as described. The horses "cheated" during swimming periods (the employees words not mine) It was about an hour long with only 10 minutes of swimming, rest is just trotting in water and resting the horses. Beautiful day too. Water wasn't clear to see any wildlife, fish etc. Price was a bit steep but it was a unique experience. read more

Amazing afternoon swimming in the bay with C ponies!! The horses were beautiful . We had dolphins swimming in the same area with us. An incredible experience read more

This experience is unbelievable! My family went today and Nikki and Nicole were awesome guides. And Myah on the shore was super helpful and kind. The love they have for these horses shows through and through. I have been horseback riding before but this is unlike any other ride. Each horse has their own way of swimming. My horse while swimming was elegant and felt like I was flying. I would recommend this to anyone! read more

My 15 year old granddaughter and her 16 year old friend, both experienced riders, had the time of their life!! Great instructions. Friendly staff. Wonderful care and concern for the horses!! read more

Had the best time. Exactly what I needed. The horses are great and healthy. Carmen is a great person and a terrific guide. I will definitely go again and I recommend this to all my friends and co-workers. So great to relax and be with horses in the water. Carmen was very knowledgeable about the animals in the ocean. Found lots of shells. We saw puffer fish and other sea animals. Carmen took the best pics and videos so that I can remember it for a lifetime. read more

AMAZING! CHECK IT OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST!!This is the 4th ride that I have been on and I will continue to take this adventure every time I'm in FL. Both locations, St Pete and Bradenton are great. You will not be disappointed . Carmen and her staff are all well trained and show pride in what they do with these amazing Drum and Gypsy horses. The staff will assign you to your mare on experience level. Skittles is my favorite! She even likes to take selfies. Now book your trip, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! read more

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I cannot speak to the actual ride, just the business practices. We signed up for a sunset ride. I understand the cancellation policy, and we would have had one less rider, but the weather caused by tropical storm Fred was so bad we couldn't see outside it was coming down so hard and we were still told to drive all the way from our rental to sit for 30 mins so the weather might clear. I was also told that every rider needed to sign a spiral notebook (since I said we would have one less) and that's the only way I could be refunded. This business took advantage of a situation their policy did not dictate prior to the inclement weather. I would post the pictures of the policy before and after my attempted ride but I just want the rest of my money back for a service they cancelled because of how bad the weather was. We were also told a refund could not be given until the ride time, which they kept pushing back until they realized it was going to keep raining for the next two hours (mind you this was a sunset ride, time was limited anyway). They also told me it was up to my comfort level if I wanted to ride these things in the storm. What if someone has kids and they don't want to waste their time driving through a storm like we did? I emailed the place and have been given no response. I again cannot talk to the service, just the owner. Very very shady. I have the proof. Beware and shop around, especially during the rainy season. They clearly didn't have a solid policy and my trying to give them a heads up was used against me when the weather made them cancel. I literally got an email the day of with a totally different policy. They must think I wouldn't look. They still have my 200 bucks and will not return my email or call. read more

We had a great ride near sunset! They will work with you for special occasions. We had a private ride for our anniversary and it was amazing! Beautiful horses and pleasant guide. They also take many pictures and video which is well worth any extra money. Highly recommend, enjoy! read more

Went to the St Petersburg location.. amazing ride with trainer Jen. Brought 3 granddaughters who had the best time and an experience of a lifetime! read more

The last time I was on a horse, I was a teenager (and that was some time ago). The fact that I basically had no riding experience was not a hindrance to this tour. These horses are great with people and the staff at the Bradenton site for our ride today were wonderful. Shout out to Nikki and Mckayla. They were friendly and helpful. I only had the comments and information from the CPonies website, along with photos, to go by for what to expect. Believe me ... if you have never ridden a horse in the water, these comments and the photos do not give justice to the experience. Nikki was our ride tour guide, and the horses were wonderful. (Yes, I know I said that already ... it's worth repeating) The experience ... truly is something you need to experience for yourself. This company handled everything. You have the option to add on a photo package, and I highly recommend it. The staff takes photos while on the ride allowing you to leave your camera behind. After all of these words and my five-star rating ... Would I do this again? Hands down, YES! I will be sharing the experience with friends and co-workers alike. Highly recommended to give C Ponies in Bradenton your business if you're are looking for something different to do. One word of advice, go prepared as you would for swimming - because you will be swimming on the back of your horse and most of you will be wet. Oh, so fun! read more

Absolutely AMAZING!! Once in a lifetime memory. The guides were wonderful, they took gorgeous pictures during the ride and video. You literally swim with gorgeous Gypsy Vanner horses, which are so rare! We even say a little shark and baby stingrays. This was truly fantastic and they are the BEST!! read more

Had so much fun the other day with the family, if your in the area and want something fun to do I highly recommend

I booked this experience last year for my birthday and again this year for my birthday. It was the best gift I could give myself! I loved the ride, the horses, the water and the guides were excellent! This year we had Nikki, Steph and Victoria. They were wonderful, helpful, friendly and accommodating. I just loved this all around. They are concerned for your safety and also that you have a great time. Which I certainly did. Gypsy Vanners are my favorite horse and they rescue these beautiful animals as well as the Gypsy Drum. Awesome experience! You won't regret going on this adventure. It's definitely a must! Thanks for such a great day! read more

We had an absolute blast! We were driving past one day, saw a few folks on horses out in the bay and said WOW we gotta check this out! We made a reservation and when we arrived we we're paired with another couple for the ride. We had so much fun, from meeting our horses and instructor(s) (we had two instructors, Jen & Nichole, both fabulous!) to walking out, spotting some clams, eventually swimming and posing for some photos, the whole experience was a blast! Horses were well cared for, patient, and instructors were extremely knowledgeable and encouraging for us Novice riders! Thank you Jen & Nichole for a great experience and an amazing memory. read more

CPonies was a magnificent experience. Both staff and horses were true professionals. Highly recommended amongst anyone living or visiting the St. Petersburg area! read more

I received my C-Ponies adventure as a birthday present. It has been over 40 years since I rode my horse to the bay. Needless to say I enjoyed myself more than I can express is words. Carmen was very clear about how the ride would go. She took lots of pictures of the ride for me to enjoy forever! The horses were in beautiful shape and very easy to ride. Both Carmen and the horses were extremely patient with all the riders. I would highly recommend this experience for anyone that has ever wanted to ride a horse in the ocean. I hope to get a 'Stable Girls' trip set up for this next year so that 'us girls' that used to spend so much time swimming in this bay with our horses can take a little trip down memory lane. Thanks Carmen and Stella (The beautiful darling that I was allowed to ride ) read more

The horses were sweet and beautiful. We walked out to the sandbar on the horses. We saw sea urchins, a conch, a school of fish, sting rays and baby hammer heads. The guide chased one of the hammer heads toward us with her horse so we could get a better look. read more

This was an excellent opportunity to spend time on the horses and make memories with my family. The horses were gorgeous. The guides were knowledge and helpful. The only reason I'm not giving them 5 starts is I wish we rode on an actual beach and not on the side of the causeway and also wish there was more time swimming for the price of the ride. read more

Two of us took the St.Pete ride with Keira as our guide. The horses are simply beautiful; beautifully healthy, happy and groomed with the perfect temperaments for their jobs. As we are inexperienced riders Keira was very capable in teaching us the basics of what we needed to know. The horses took us for a lovely ride in the water the entire time, just without us really getting wet.The sunny, spring day was a little cool, especially in the open water with some wind, so we were grateful to have taken windbreakers. It would have been lovely to actually swim with the horses; something they do when the water is a little warmer, but with bay temperature at 64, it really was too cool for us to contemplate. Their website says they don't swim the horses until the water is 70 degrees, though they did offer to let us swim with them if we had wished. (we are from Florida, so bbbrrrr) If you go, be prepared with clothing options and bring a change of clothes. The photo package was worthwhile. The nearby rest area was closed for remodeling when we went, so make you make your rest stop before arriving and/or be prepared to change clothes if needed in your car. We will return for that swim in warmer weather. read more

We went to Florida over Presidents' Day weekend for a relaxing vacation and while we were there, we decided to find a place to ride horses on the beach. CPonies is $183.00 a person after taxes, which is very expensive but I thought it would be worth it since they offered the chance to swim with the horses. I was so WRONG!! So to begin, this place isn't located on the water. The owner has you meet her at some random rest stop off of the highway that is located on the ocean. On our way there, we got lost because we aren't from Florida and there isn't an actual address to type into your GPS, so we decided to call the owner for some help. Carmen (the owner) answered the phone and sounded very irritated that we needed directions to this rest stop. Once we arrived at the rest stop, Carmen and her crew were there getting the horses ready to ride. Nobody acknowledged us or even said hello! It was only about 60 degrees outside so my sister politely asked her if we were going to be getting wet today and Carmen rudely snapped back at her saying, "We won't know until we get down there!". We filled out quick paperwork and my sister had a simple questions and AGAIN Carmen snapped at her! Once we started riding, the horses were biting each other and my sister got a horse "Jewel" who was very disobedient and would stop walking whenever she wanted. Eventually the gal who was leading the group had to give my sister a crop whip to hit the horse with (which she felt highly uncomfortable doing). Spanking the horse with the crop didn't really work either and the horse eventually had to be tied to the gal leading the group to force her to keep moving. After walking to the sand bar, the guide told us that we could make the choice to swim with the horses briefly but it is very cold. I'm the only one in the group that decided to swim with my horse because this is the main reason I came! Swimming with my horse was exciting but scary at the same time because they swim fast and I felt like I was going to fall off..but still it was a cool experience. Once we got back from the ride, everyone patiently waited for their picture/video package. About 15 minutes later, Carmen told us that there was a technical issue and none of the pictures or videos would work. Everyone was pretty upset about this and instead of offering a discount, she responded by saying, "What do you want me to do?". Wow really? Overall, I regret wasting my money at this place and do NOT recommend it. Carmen is extremely rude and treats you like you're an inconvenience. For the amount of money she is charging, the experience and customer service should be much much better. Save your money and go elsewhere!!! read more

My mom and I Had a fantastic day with Carmen, her crew, and beautiful horses. Swimming on horse is an unexplainable experience. It's absolutely AMAZING!! If you're a horse lover like I am it's a must do!! read more

Overpriced for what you get, it was storming when we went, the wait was no big deal but we did not get our full time it says 1 1/2 hours it was just a little over 1 hour. (paid for the premium) The website says no experience needed but Carmen made a comment that things go so much smoother when everyone is experienced knowing my 17 year old daughter was the only one without experience. My daughter felt so bad she felt like she had ruined it for everyone else. Also they seemed like they were ready to go was told they would go over safety on the way out not before they started out. My daughter was told she needed to control her horse but was never told how to. There was a guide that tried to make my daughter feel better which I am thankful for. Maybe if the owner could be a little more sensitive to kids with no experience since she advertises no experience needed. The horses are great, other then feeling singled out my daughter said she would have enjoyed it. read more

Most fun I have had in years. Went with my Sister who is a horse trainer and has a ranch. I haven't ridden as frequently as I would like. Instruction and explanations were informative and questions answered professionally. The RIDE WAS SUPER! Hot Florida day in the water on a horse. Put this on your bucket list. Even if you have never ridden. These majestic horses are sweet and well trained! Worth every penny! I will be back next year. read more

Let me just say that I wish I could rate the experience with the horses and the guides separate from the experience with the owner, Carmen. I'll start off with the experience and the guides... one of the best experiences we have had in our lifetime! My daughter booked this for my 49th birthday for the family and it's definitely something we will never forget and won't stop talking about for a long time! Well worth the money! The horses are well trained, cared for, and our guide Nikki did a great job talking with us all for a few minutes to be sure who to pair up with each horse. Nikki was patient, very knowledgeable and lots of fun! Unfortunately, when Madison booked our appointment she EMAILED AND TEXTED my daughter 12:30pm but booked it internally for 12:00pm. We called to say we were running 15 to 20 mins late and when we did, we were told the appointment was for 12:00. We tried numerous times to let the person on the phone know we were told 12:30 but no one would accept that or believe us. That is until we sent a screen shot of the text and email messages. We were then put on the phone with Carmen, the Owner. (I still can't believe given the way she spoke to us that she is the owner, but actually after reading some of her responses to the less than favorable results on here I see why as she is very defensive and it's always the customer's fault. I won't be surprised when she responds to this review that way either. But as I said in the beginning, buyer beware if you have to deal with Carmen for anything. Upon getting on the phone with Carmen, we attempted to explain the issue with the error of Madison scheduling the appointment for the wrong time, and right in the middle of trying to explain this to her, she proceeded to tell us to (AND I QUOTE) "shut your mouth and open your ears and check your attitude". Hmmmm, seems to me an owner of a business who's employee made a scheduling error should be the one listening to the customer and after having the nerve to say something as unprofessional as this, is the one who might need an attitude adjustment. Once she received the screen shots of the text and email messages proving the error was on her employee's part, she than began to tell us that if we were going to be late, we wouldn't get the full ride because they couldn't wait. (we were stuck in traffic and completely out of our control) Oddly enough, when we did arrive 20 mins late, we still ended up having to wait because per the girls at the trailer and horse site, we still needed to wait for another person. So we waited and they never ended up showing up so we finally were able to get on our ride. Again, I can't say enough about Nikki! Amazing guide and took incredible pics. Carmen is definitely lucky to have Nikki to keep her business going because if the business had to count on the way Carmen treats paying customers, it wouldn't sustain. After the 2 phone call with Carmen, she did tell us that she was "frazzled and trying to figure out what happened". Not sure if that was her way of trying to apologize or not, but she never did. What Carmen said and how we were treated by her, it completely and 100% unacceptable. Again, if you don't hit traffic and run a little late and don't have your appointment time scheduled incorrectly by the employees to where you need to deal with Carmen, you will be okay. But if you have anything that requires you deal with Carmen, like I said, BUYER BEWARE!! read more