I would urge careful consideration before trusting this company with your family. Mellisa seems to…read morelike to use her tour as an excuse to harrass strangers in the woods. A very unwise decision considering she has customers in tow and you're up in the sticks alone. Cross the wrong resident and it may be your last ride. I park up an old logging road that ends at an arroyo on my days off, specifically because nobody hikes a dead-end, and she has brought no less than 6 tours within inches of my vehicle only to turn about 50 yards up because the road ends at an impassible drop. "Oh, I guess we have to turn around." I can forgive a couple intrusions as innocent mistakes. I can respect a tour that gives others a wide berth. I cannot forgive this behavior. Six times is no mistake. She only comes up this way in an attempt to intimidate me to vacate 'her' woods. I'm not leaving. I don't cowtow to entitled bullies. I have been extremely patient with the blatant intrusion and rude comments. Bring your tour again and invade my privacy and I'll sue for harrassment. You don't own the public lands. And stop felling trees to cut trail for your horses. Three are newly downed near where you park your trailers with a ton of manure all around and a new trail where they used to stand. The county would likely not be so forgiving as I have been.

Melissa is an excellent wrangler. We had a private ride through an arroyo and up a mountain she…read morewould point out the geology and flora and fauna of the area. She has been a horsewoman all of her life and has rescued her horses and dogs and rehabbed them from dark fates. It is nice to know that she gives them second chances at life. My horse, Early, was a good boy and a pleasure to ride. If you want a nice scenic ride in a beautiful area and to feel good about helping horses, this is the place to go.

What an incredible experience this was. Addie was awesome -- truly exceptional. We hadn't ridden…read morehorses in a long time, but she made us feel completely comfortable from the moment we started. Time flew by so fast. It turned out to be the perfect birthday present, and Letty and I were so happy with everything. I even made a little trade with Addie: if she taught me how to ride a horse, I'd teach her some salsa steps. I'd say it worked out pretty well! Honestly, I forgot I was even riding a horse -- that's how much fun we had.

Incredible time on a few hour UTV tour! Our guide was a lot of fun, knowledgeable, and passionate…read moreabout the area. We rented a six seater. So much fun!!

Took the 2 hour trail ride with the family today and we all had a blast. Nicole was our trail guide…read moreand she was awesome. She made us feel very comfortable with the horses and knew a ton of stuff about the area and town. So many beautiful post card views from the ride.

Great views on horseback! Great staff that was helpful, experienced and fun! The 2 hour ride was…read moresteep, and ended with a great view of the valley. My friend had not ridden in 30 years, I have horses at home, and we both enjoyed the ride! Saw wild turkey, deer and a mouse.

Today we went to Fishtail Ranch to enjoy a horseback ride. They were so wonderful, and attentive to…read moreour needs (short people raise your hand!). They made sure that the shorter individuals in our party were set up with saddles to match the needed stirrup height. Our guide Eli was amazing! The stable is full of incredible horses and we had zero issues with behavior. Our ride was about 2 hours long, and winds through some of the most amazing scenery around! This is a must stop location for a fun family adventure!

I booked a 5-day, 2x1 archery elk hunt at Fishtail Ranch for September 20-24, 2026. It was my first…read moreelk hunt. The 2 stars are for the scenery and for the staff who cooked and cleaned up after us. They did a great job all week. Not getting an elk is part of hunting. My issue is how the hunt was run. We saw 3 elk the first morning and 3 the second. After that, repeat hunters were moved onto those spots, and we were sent to areas with no elk. We didn't see another elk the rest of the hunt. After those first two mornings, it was easy to tell when elk were close or had been spooked. Later in the week the guide said several times that he heard elk, but neither my hunting partner nor I heard any movement. Most of the hunters in camp were repeat clients, some coming back for 15 years or more. They obviously love the place, and I understand an outfitter taking care of its regulars. As first-timers, though, we got pushed to the back of the bus. The hunting days were short. We were back at the lodge by about 9:00 am for breakfast, lunch was at 3:00 pm, and we didn't head back out until 4:30 pm or later. When I booked, I was told the ranch had 30,000 to 35,000 acres. In camp, each guide I asked gave me a different number. I was told that 10,000 acres had no elk and wasn't being hunted, and that some of the property had been sold. The groups hunting the one area with elk kept running into each other, while we were sent elsewhere. One of the guides told us he knew back in August that the season wasn't shaping up well. I booked a month before the hunt and wasn't told. Lee, the owner, said the success rate was 25%. The guides and the other hunters in camp told me 3 elk had been killed all archery season out of 56 hunters, about 5%. Lee wasn't very friendly to us during our stay. Before we left on the last morning, I told him in person that I was disappointed with the trip and why. He defended the 25% number and didn't address the rest. We left before the final morning hunt, and we won't be back. Questions to ask before booking with this outfitter or any archery elk outfitter: 1. What is the total acreage, how much will actually be hunted this season, and how many hunters will be on it my week? 2. How are hunting areas assigned? Do repeat clients get the better areas? 3. If we get into elk, will we go back to that spot the next day, or could it go to another hunter? 4. What does a typical hunt day look like? How many hours are spent in the field, and can I stay out all day? 5. What was the archery success rate this season and each of the last three seasons, counted as bulls recovered divided by total hunters? 6. Has the area been in drought this year, and how has that affected the elk? Will you tell me before the hunt if the season is running poor? 7. Is my guide local, and how long has he hunted this property?

Great guide and nice expedition. They were a little backed up due to road construction and the…read moregroup ahead of us getting there late but they bumped us back to the next available time slot and it all worked out. We've been on horseback tours before as a family and this was definitely the most laid back. The guide got a nice group photo at the end and was able to give us some history of the area along the ride.

This was the best thing about Angel Fire. Skiing was fun and my kids loved this trip. But after…read morehaving done this horseback riding with my 6 and 4 year old, we definitely all agree Dillon and Olivia made our trip so much better than it already was. They even played Ispy with my kids while they rode horses through the snowy beautiful mountain.

What a fantastic horseback adventure with Big Al and Blake. Al picked us up at the entrance to Taos…read moreSki Valley in the "Pope-mobile" -- his 4-wheel drive truck with a tall camper. I have to say that Al is as nice as the day is long. He is interested and interesting. He is eager to hear where we came from, as well as to share his history in the Taos Ski Valley. He is one of 34 year-round residents of the area. After signing waivers, he drove us roughly 30 minutes up the mountain to his horse camp at 10,500 ft. in the mountains. He assessed us for experience and fit us in duster-sized rain slickers, to keep us both dry and warm in the mountains, he said. We didn't hit any rain, but there were grey clouds on the peak next to us and lightening in the distance, so the slickers were obviously a good idea. Next he gave us a lesson on horse handling and safety, and had each of us practice on his saw horse models. Then he and Blake helped everyone saddle up and we were off...Big Al at the front and Blake at the back. We had a great 2-hour ride through the mountains with beautiful views of Taos Ski Valley and Wheeler Peak on the Bull of the Woods Trail. At the 12,000 foot summit, we were close enough to touch the last snow of the season (if we were't on horseback) which thrilled the kids on July 3. It was a glimpse of the mountain usually restricted to expert hikers...truly a privilege. Every one of our group of six are convinced that we had the best horse. My daughter was on Rio and I was on Blanco (the best I'm sure), the rest of our group were on Badger, Ace, Milagro and Payday. These horses are obviously used to riders of all experience level--were we handling them or were they handling us? The ride ended back at the horse camp. On the literature they advertise a 15-course snack, which for us was a big variety of sodas, snack cakes (twinkies, little debbie, etc), granola bars, peanuts, snack crackers, cheezits. We sat and snacked and truly enjoyed our visit with Al and Blake. On the way down the mountain, we asked Al what would be for dinner had we chosen the ride that ended with a chuck wagon dinner. He said: Shrimp cocktail Mozzarella/tomato salad Pasta Grilled pork loin Apple pie with maple syrup However I'm sure the menu changes occasionally. Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it would be good. Our ONLY disappointment of the day was that we didn't get photos of us on our horses. Once we were riding, it was hard to manage a camera, as you always had one hand on the reigns and one on the saddle horn. It would have been nice to get a group picture, or even to stop at the more scenic places. Besides that, we were thrilled. Now for the 411: 2 hour ride with snack was $65 plus tax or $70 per person all in. 2 hour ride with chuck wagon dinner was $85 plus tax. Overnight with dinner and breakfast is $145. We saw the bunks and camp and it seems like it could be a really fun adventure. Overall...6 thumbs up from our group of 6. Thanks Al, and thanks Blake. It was all you said it would be and more.

Don't do his snowmobile tours. He goes VERY slow, the exhaust fumes are nauseating and he's…read moreunpleasant to be around. Go to Red River. Much better experience.

A great place to stay with or without horses. Adjacent to the Carson National Forest, a beautiful…read morearea for hiking or horseback riding, Taos Horse Getaways is a jewel compared to most "horse hotels.". The owners have constructed two "casitas" and a cabin which they have appointed tastefully and completely. They are very well stocked with appliances for a short or extended vacation. There is a flat-screen TV in the living room with a large selection of DVDs to view and several shelves of interesting books to read if you wish. That's right beside the wood-burning stove that would be a delight in the winter. Bring your pets as well as each unit has an adjacent large enclosed chainlink fence kennel which is both covered and protected on one side to hold your dogs in comfort while you're out wandering the forest trails. Of course all horse owners will want to know about the equestrian facilities. They're excellent! Large paddocks with electric and water hookups. Each unit has a large run-in shed, gate access is easy, and the paddocks are easily visible from inside the living quarters. Large stock tanks are provided. There is ample space for your trailer and easy turn-around drives. Finally, all of this would be diminished if the facilities were old and in need of updating and repair as so many horse resorts are. But they're not. Everything is well maintained and and in excellent condition. The owners are dedicated to this place and it shows.

I hoped to make a visit to a riding ranch, especially one featuring a a Certified Therapeutic…read moreRiding and Posture instructor. My research on the run came up short and I should have known better, but it was worth a try. I left a voicemail with Christina inquiring about a last minute reservation for the next day. Christina called back (voicemail) leaving a very kind and considerate message that she currently only travels to the clients locale and schedules group sessions. Okay, jealous we don't live locally to take advantage of this unique service. Christina provided us with alternate riding ranches in the Santa Fe area. We were able to connect with one and reserve a ride (tomorrow). Thanks Christina! If you reside in the Santa Fe / Albuquerque region and have your own equine and riding facilities and have a physical, postural, and/or mediative need/interest...the services provided by Buckaroo Balance can deliver. I'm betting you will not be disappointed. http://www.buckaroobalance.com

Christina is an excellent instructor and versatile in so many different aspects of horsemanship,…read moretraining, and ranching! Quick to share her knowledge and skilled in communication.