Buyer Beware - Disappointing & Unprofessional Experience
We…read morehad a very frustrating experience with this trail ride service and want to share so others can make an informed decision.
My husband, my 4-year-old, and I booked a trail ride. On the intake paperwork, we clearly noted that it would be my husband's first time riding. The plan was for me to ride with my child on a horse named Tilly, and my husband to ride Millie.
When we arrived, both horses were visibly agitated and not cooperating. Tilly, the horse I was supposed to ride with my child, was acting skittish and did not seem comfortable being ridden that day. For safety reasons, the owner canceled the ride--which we completely understood and supported.
However, there were several concerns leading up to that point:
My husband (a first-time rider) was assigned a horse we were later told had never been used on a trail ride before
Both horses appeared unsettled, which made the situation feel unsafe from the start
The owner seemed visibly stressed, was raising her voice, and spoke sharply to her employees, who appeared uncomfortable and intimidated
Instructions were unclear and inconsistent, and we were not properly guided through how to handle the horses
The business advertises a 15-20 minute riding lesson prior to the trail ride, but the instruction provided was minimal and not clearly explained
When I struggled to direct the horse, it felt like the blame was placed on me rather than providing proper guidance
Helmets provided were extremely dirty, with caked-on dirt and no indication they had been cleaned or sanitized, raising concerns about basic hygiene and safety
After canceling, the owner verbally told me twice that I would receive a full refund via Venmo by the end of the day.
Unfortunately, that refund was never sent.
Instead, after we left, I received a message offering riding lessons (minus a cancellation fee). To be clear:
We did not cancel--the business did
We did not agree to lessons as a substitute
We did not agree to any partial refund or cancellation fee
A full refund had already been clearly promised
This experience left us disappointed, uncomfortable, and out money for a service that was never provided. It also felt like the situation was unfairly shifted onto us, despite the cancellation being initiated by the business.
I recommend asking detailed questions about horse experience, safety protocols, instruction quality, sanitation practices, and refund policies before booking.
