My partner, two friends, and I went riding here in August. I am the most experienced of the group having ridden and taken lessons, my partner has ridden a few times with me, and our two friends were the least experienced with one having never ridden a horse before. Upon arrival, we were met by an older woman who asked me if I was over 16. I was the oldest in the group (28, quite petite) and it was asked in our registration forms, so I was slightly insulted. I must have seemed so as she said that I looked young so she just wanted to make sure, but she could have also checked our registration forms. I'm trying to ride a horse, not buy cheap liquor.
It just kept adding on from there. While waiting for the restroom, which was an outdoor portapotty, the group of leads who were also waiting for the restroom told me that I didn't have to wear my mask - in a pandemic and as if I needed their permission. I responded that I chose to, thanks, and left it at that.
My friend, who is black and has locks, was unable to wear a helmet because they didn't have a helmet for her hair. They kept complimenting her hair and calling it beautiful, but it was still very off putting that they wouldn't account for ethnic hair. It was her first ride so I opted not to wear a helmet with her to make her feel more comfortable, although I usually wear a helmet for safety.
I thought that the ride was going to be semi-private and limited due to COVID, but it was a 10-15 person group ride. The way that they paired people with horses was absolutely senseless as they wound up separating groups that came in together. For example, I had a horse that had to ride all the way in the back, 6-8 feet away from the entire group because he didn't like other horses. My partner was at the front of the group. Our two friends towards the middle. Thankfully, my horse was an easy horse for me and our ride was uneventful, albeit slow and boring -- I knew from the moment I saw the size of the group there would be no opportunity for galloping. However, my same friend, who has never ridden a horse before and wasn't wearing a helmet, had quite an eventful ride as she was paired with a difficult horse that I wouldn't move or follow cues, was trying to bite at the other horses, and was an absolute wild card throughout the ride. I felt really bad and scared for my friend and wanted to swap horses with her because it was clearly an advanced horse for a novice rider. She should have never been on that horse in the first place.
The ride itself was scenic and beautiful. We saw a bunch of deer, but even in that, it was an advanced ride for novice riders as there were quite a few steep inclines and declines, and many unsafe areas for horses to trip with a rider, like my friend and I, who weren't wearing helmets.
If we were in the area again, I wouldn't go back for another ride. My partner had a good time because she chatted with the leader for quite a while and it was a good discussion, but from my perspective (all the way in the back, watching the entire group events unfold in front of me), it wasn't good. I would rate two stars for the experience itself, but I added a star because the horses do seem well taken care of. However, the riding experience wasn't for me. read more