We were a group of 4 for a 1hour ride. I have only done a few rides in my life (with a few lessons…read morewhen I was younger) so here's an honest list (take with a grain of salt): Pros: The women guides/staff who rode with us were very adept at picking just the right horses for our skills/experience and heights. No stirrup changes needed. Good instruction on guiding the English-style ride. They were very clear when we were about to trot and gave us clear instructions on how to hold on. The horses were very chill, had great and unique personalities. The views were amazing. The staff were good on the ride about checking our horses' behavior, and the staff made sure to get our phone to take pictures of us while riding, which was awesome for our memory book. Cons: The instructions when you arrive are not super clear. Who needs boots and why? One tiny sign, which we missed. The helmets are safe-looking (not falling apart) but are quite disgusting... they're "sanitized" after each ride but smell of old sweat... my forehead/hair still reeks, several hours later Perhaps because the horses are inside, everything is inside, the horses are very smelly. They were quite visibly dirty (not just recently-muddy-due-to-rain). And, again, I can still smell them strongly on my clothes, several hours later. Maybe that's "normal" but I've never had it happen on other rides in my past experience. So -- overall we really enjoyed ourselves, but the experience had some odd elements. Forewarned is forearmed: Bring something to wear under the helmet (that you can wash!?) and perhaps a change of clothes for the drive home. Then enjoy!

We had a great experience at the Killarney Riding Stables! They were careful to pair you with the…read moreright horse for your experience level. We took the 1 hour trek through the park. It was a beautiful day and the staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. We also saw a herd of Irish deer.

My wife and I had ridden a few days earlier up north and saw their sign as we made our way around…read morethe Dingle peninsula. Even without a reservatio , they were very accommodating. Exigent and friendly guides. Christine was lovely. There were adults with children in the group and made sure to check regularly that everyone w was doing well. The other house and the crew at the stake also were friendly and caring. Horses were beautiful and very responsive to the reins Wonderful memory with the 1 hour ride in mountain with amazing views of the bay

This is a must do when visiting the area! The owners are fantastic, super patient with beginner…read moreriders, and really nice! While the Irish weather cut our trip short, they were very accommodating and I hope I can come back to see the view from the hills!

Best carriage ride in the gap of Dunloe. Bob was very entertaining, told great stories and sang…read moresongs. This was a major highlight of our trip and I intend on going back to Bob when when we return. I included a link to a youtube video of some of the ride. https://youtu.be/IIryS1hjqck

Bob is great and makes the ride fun and enjoyable! We have been talking about it for years and will…read morecontinue for years to come!

On a beautiful day in mid June I drove out in search of Ballybunion Castle, a cliff fort on the…read morenorth coast of beautiful County Kerry, Ireland. I had wanted to explore Ireland on horseback but did not expect to come across a horse farm there. After I saw signs along the road for horse riding, I decided to ask some of the locals in town about it. Moonshine Lodge Equestrian Centre was recommended highly, and when I called it turned out they had room to take me out on a ride. The ride was amazing to say the least!! I had my own personal guide who rode with me at my comfort level. I'm an experienced rider who prefers easy going horses and relaxing trail rides. Equestrians of all skill levels and disciplines are welcome as well as nonequestrians wanting to experience their first ride. The farm itself is pleasant -- everyone is friendly and loves their job. The horses are well taken care of and the saddles and bridles are in excellent condition. We rode past open fields of horses grazing and stopped by locals' houses to water our horses and talk about life. We walked, trotted, and cantered along the way. I felt very welcome and comfortable, as if I were a regular part of the local area. We cantered on winding dirt roads and climbed lush green fields to a mountaintop view of the land, beach, and sea. It was one of those days one feels thankful to be alive and able to enjoy the beauty in life. I highly recommend!!

Went for a short horse ride through some of the Beara Way and down to the river. The owners were…read morevery helpful, funny and prepared - they even helped a neighbor with an escaped miniature pony, without slowing down the group ride. They were also wonderful with a nervous first rider, as well as helpful to my stable-owning mom. Definitely a great addition to any planned trip to the Ring of Kerry.

My daughter and I were on holiday from Hawaii in Aug. We went on a two hour riding tour to the…read moreocean and then into the mountains. Mike and his wife (owners of the farm) were professional and very nice. I was so impressed with the condition of the horses. The were well cared for and very comfortable around people. The price per hour was great as well. It was beautiful riding into the hills with wild flowers surrounding us. Best ride ever!

I had a really wonderful day riding at Dingle Horse Riding, which is just outside of town. They…read moretake great care in matching you to an appropriate horse which made me feel quite safe. Susan, the owner is knowledgeable and friendly and her staff are all competent and engaging. One horse went lame in the middle of our ride and they trailered out a new horse very quickly. Out guide Patrick was very good and knowledgeable about the area we rode through for the day; this included walking through streams going up over to the other side of the peninsula and then several cantors on the beach. Great day!! Highly recommended.

Wonderful staff of knowledgeable young ladies. Well mannered horses. Spectacular 2 hour riding…read morethough hills and along the beach. This was the highlight of our visit to Dingle. All level of riders are accommodated. Thank you so much! Kath and Kate.

What fairytale stay in an actual honest to goodness castle (Dromoland) in the Irish countryside…read morewould be complete without an obligatory horse ride? If you answered none, you are correct. Booking through the castle, it seemed like something simple to just check off the list of "Can you be believe we are actually doing this" after sitting on a horse for an hour or so of successfully not killing ourselves, and move on (perhaps to skeet shooting or falconry). We had not counted on the charm of Ballyhannon House & its staff which easily turned a cool thing to do, into one of the most memorable of the trip. A living embodiment of Irish hospitality Johnny picked us up at the castle, after being really flexible on the timing as we were a bit behind schedule, and took us to the stables where we filled out the appropriate paperwork, assessed existing skill level (read: none), and enjoyed a nice crisp glass of white wine (beer etc were also an option). Things progressed quickly from there as we got fitted for helmets, boots (my "wellies" were already g2g thank you very much), stored our purses, gathered our courage (read: finished the wine) and headed into a stone courtyard. Where (drum roll please) I promptly fell in love. No, there was not a strapping Irish stablehand lurking... I met my "safe for a 5-year-old" stud of a horse, Hector. Showing more faith in us than I believe we had warranted thus far, we got a quick lesson on how to make horse friends (protip: the spot between the eyes along the nose) and were entrusted to walk them them on into the indoor barn like space (arena?) for mounting & basic instruction. This is a good time to note that I have had a firm belief since childhood that I was meant to be an excellent horsewoman, if not for my prohibitive severe dust/hay/horse allergies. It was also a good time for me to mention this to our host, who was surprisingly sensitive to them and made sure to keep things short inside (the worst possible trifecta for my breathing passages) and checked in often to make sure I wasn't slowing passing out. Amazingly the combination of Benadryl, wine, and fresh-air gave me an opportunity to ride that I have never really enjoyed until this point (face hives were still included however). In the barn we: mounted up, learned stop/go and left right basics, posture tips & tricks, along with some horsie trust exercises (think eyes closed) and were pronounced fit to head outside. We mixed walking with some trotting action right out the gate and it helped us settle in early on for the trek. After a nice outdoor venture along country lanes we reached a point where our pre-negotiated time was coming to an end. Perhaps it was the absolute glee that I am sure was radiating off of us, but we were able to come to a new agreement on the spot that extended our time, enabled us to see even more of the countryside, and was more than reasonable on the pocket book (at that point I would have paid triple to keep the experience going, so they fact that I paid less than budgeted originally is another mark in their favor). This really let us relax and enjoy the fact that we were not only sitting on REAL horses, but were riding about the Irish countryside like it aint no thang. During the leisurely ride (where we demonstrated enough competency to be riding completely on our own, handle the occasional car, and get up to a decent trot alternatively) I learned about the generational business itself and the 18th century manor house. They have a fairly large amount (to my untrained mind) of instructional horses, along with racehorses on the property. They seem to do a lot of corporate events, kids, and tourist type riding opportunities and would be great for groups. Care was also taken to point out geographical and interesting views (and a sad swan) during the ride; which I appreciated, especially when we were riding along the edge of the castle property. Upon return I was loathe to say goodbye to my trusty steed, learned about my lack of leg strength on dismounting, and was offered after ride drinks/snacks. Johnny drove us back to Dromoland completing the door to door service, really putting an exclamation mark on how 'is this real life' the whole experience was. It is hard to top making a childhood fantasy come true (I was meant to jockey at Churchill Downs I am now even more convinced, and my friend's fiancé better look out... I see ponies in the future for that one) in such spectacular fashion (read: Irish FREAKING countryside). This will easily be a memory I carry with me for a long time to come, and it was the openness, hospitality, and skill of Ballyhannon House Horse Riding Stables that really enabled it to happen.

From the moment he answered the phone we knew we were in good hands with Johnny. Had an amazing…read morehorse experience at his stable. So thankful we had an afternoon to learn from his wisdom and provide an amazing first time experience for our kids. Recommend for anyone even thinking about being around a horse, stable or good people.

Such a wonderful place to take a break and ride a horse. The horses were well taken care of, the…read morestaff terrific, and the view on our ride was spectacular. Lovely, just lovely, worth every penny!