I scheduled a trail ride on short notice for just me, and Tam and Sarah were very accommodating…read more They got me in next day, easy as that, and listened when I told them my riding experience.
"Experienced rider" is a term that gets tossed around a lot when it comes to trail rides, and in general I think people say they're experienced in order to get an "exciting" ride, possibly with cantering or galloping, or to be given a lot of autonomy on the trail. The thing is, lots of cantering or galloping, letting riders do whatever they want rarely sets up a good ride, either for horses or riders, and as a former trail guide I'm all too aware of dealing with those expectations vs. what a trail guide can actually safely and reasonably do.
So to the "experienced riders" who aren't actually experienced with being a rider on a paid trail ride, your experience may or may not be relevant to your ride and to your trail horse. The guides don't know you, the horse doesn't know you, and you might not know trail riding well; like all horse events it's its own particular beast.
So, for me, I said I'd been a guide but I don't do much riding these days and besides that, I'm old and lazy and don't want a hippy hoppy happy bouncy horse, I want a nice horse with half a brain that does as they're told and has some common sense.
The horse they gave me was Serena, a lovely Percheron/Canadian warmblood whom they've used for beginners on trail all the way up to experienced riders. She was a perfect pick for me and the reason I've gone to all the detail I have here is to once again point out that the key element to having fun on a trail ride is having the right horse, a good guide, a fun trail and things going along according to your expectations. Accordingly, I had a lovely horse who quickly realized I more or less knew what I was doing, and adjusted her game to match my skill. She was fun, willing, had her own personality but when it mattered, did precisely what I asked. It took me a while to get used to her gaits but after a while on trail I learned to get her collected into both a trot and canter that weren't too bone jarring. (A little more muscle tone on my part might have helped too, AHEM.)
Meanwhile, Sarah's a wonderful guide. She had me ride Serena around the ring to assess my actual versus reported skill, and once she was satisfied I'd be all right, off we went.
The trails around Breakaway are *stunning*. Given my experience and enjoyment Sarah had me exploring some pretty dense forest with her, which was some fun challenging riding and incredible scenery including vast meadows, silvery-hued marshes, the mountains in the distance and finally my absolute favorite moment, what Sarah calls "The Cathedral," a stand of maples planted in long rows whose branches form vaulting pointed arches of green over dark naves of loam.
The ride was long and satisfying, with varying scenery, good conversation, some nice challenges like trailblazing and a bit of trotting and cantering. Sarah was at all times alert to me, what I was doing, Serena's behavior and the safety and well-being of all four of us, horses and riders. This is the epitome of an excellent guide.
The rates are very reasonable for the rich experience you get. An hour was fifty dollars and I tipped heavily, which is customary for such a great experience, solo, tailored exactly to my skill and what I wanted out of the ride.
Breakaway is not a "fancy" stable; it's a working stable. There are geese, sheep, ducks, dogs, ponies, mules and horses there, all of whom are well behaved and well cared for. All the horses I got to hang out with and pet (I really had to go introduce myself to their glorious Fresian!) were calm, inquisitive ranging on downright affectionate, which is always an indication of how well socialized and cared for they are.
In short, if you'd like a fun, scenic trail ride with horses and guides who know their stuff, this is the stable to call. Just be honest about your experience and what you want out of the ride, and you're sure to have a great time.
