I rescheduled (not canceled) our ride more than once. Once over a week before the ride, and once the night before because of rain (and I offered to have them keep my payment and also charge me for the rescheduled ride). I don't ride in the rain ever because I had a fall in my younger days while wrangling cattle in a rainstorm that resulted in surgery on my leg. I was quite respectful and cordial about rescheduling and there was no problem indicated when my emails were responded to - and yet Jimmy evidently felt the need to sternly lecture me in-person in a disrespectful manner. He scolded me like I was a child and not a paying customer. I had also emailed twice to ask if they had a public restroom available for use. I take medication that has the side effect of needing to frequently use a restroom so I needed to know if I should stop before we got there. My emails were not answered by Kurtz, but I found a review that stated they had a portable - which I was directed to when I asked before we started riding. While I was in the portable, Jimmy said to my daughter and 1 of the other 2 people riding with us "we have a regular restroom inside, but they spend too much time fussing with their hair and this gets them out faster". My daughter did not tell me this until we had left, which was probably a good thing for Jimmy. That statement was sexist and inappropriate in my opinion and quite presumptuous on Jimmy's part considering he doesn't know me at all. And I guess lying by omission is ok to Jimmy.
The atmosphere itself is fine and what I expected for an older horse set-up. The man at the office desk who greeted us did not smile and wasn't very friendly. Luckily the dogs were. We were told to take four "cookies" to give our horses - two before the ride and two after. They looked like dog biscuits which struck me as odd. Jimmy came out and gave us what sounded like a pitch I'm sure he has repeated thousands of times over the years. He tried several helmets on us and did not spray them to sanitize them after they were taken off. Not wearing a helmet was not an option. We watched a standard video. I was assigned Pokey as my horse because I was an advanced rider, and when I went to greet her and give her cookies, our guide Jill informed me that Pokey needed twice as many cookies as I was originally told and went in to get more. Before we left, Jimmy barked at me to get my heels down and toes up, which I found amusing. A rider should not force a heel position - the foot needs to rest diagonally in the stirrup so the ball of the foot takes pressure and the heel naturally drops - that way the ankle can act as a spring. And that's what I did :) He also told me Pokey was shaking her head back and forth because I was holding my rope reins too tightly. Again - not true. It was more likely the tack was ill-fitting or she simply was communicating her lack of enthusiasm for the work ahead of her. The ride itself was nice. Jill is a great guide - and several dogs accompanied us which was fun to see. I was warned by Jill that Pokey would try to eat apples off a tree and she would tell me when that was coming up. The autumn scenery was very pretty and we rode through both pasture and wooded areas. Pokey did stumble and hesitate at times - especially over rocks and curvy hills. And yes, when we got to the apple tree, she was VERY determined to stop and munch away. She got one - but I figured she deserved it - lol. My daughter is a novice rider, and her horse Daisy suited her. Daisy pretty much stayed right behind Jill's horse and seemed content to keep her head down and go through the routine.
I knew Pokey was an older horse, and when I got back to the corral and asked, I was told she was over 20 years old, but they weren't sure about her exact age. Jimmy also said "poor Pokey is mostly used for the men because they are bigger". I wasn't sure if that was a dig at my stature (I am a tall and larger woman, but well under their weight limit), but luckily I'm comfortable in my skin and just shrugged it off. Jimmy also said that Pokey needs to retire to just having kids ride her around the ring because her wanting to eat on the trail "is a problem". Honestly - I don't think that is the problem. I think Pokey is just an older horse with an attitude and stubbornness in her (which I admire and relate to) and she just needs to live life on her own terms in the pasture instead of being subjected to the repetitiveness, boredom, and demands of having the life of a trail horse. I also understood why she needs extra cookies to coerce her into working. The ol' girl just wants to chill - and I don't blame her.
Our experience was one of "goods" and "not so goods", but I decided to not let Jimmy ruin it for me - and I took the memory of the dogs, Jill, the beautiful clouds on a crisp day, the gorgeous colors of the trees, and the familiar feel of being in a saddle again with me as we drove away. read more