My name is Lily and I love trail rides! The goal of this blog is to help others find stables, ranches and more where they can enjoy riding a horse and explore places off the beaten path!
Horse Background
My interest in horseback riding stems from my mother. She grew up riding and competing in dressage and county fair competitions throughout her childhood and early adult life. While my family couldn’t have a horse due to living in the suburbs, my mom made sure to let me attend various horse camps growing up. My most memorable horse camp was when I was nine. This horse camp did a parade around the farm at the end of the week, and we were able to decorate our horses. My horse’s name was Echo, and she was a stubborn sweetheart! The theme I chose to do was “Hawaii”. I took a bunch of plastic leis and connected them to make a huge horse sized lei. My mom and I took a huge piece of green fabric and cut it to look like a grass skirt. I even wore my own fake lei and grass skirt. It was a lot of fun and a memory to last time!
Criteria for Researching and Reviewing Trail Rides
Trail rides through stables, ranches, resorts, and more are a great way to enjoy the experience of being on a horse without owning a horse. After sitting down and thinking why I like to trail ride, it came down to three categories: the horse, the trail, and the guide. The horses have done the trails day in and day out. They also know where they get fed so straying from the trail doesn’t do them much good. This leads to well-trained and easy-to-steer horses that can accommodate all experience levels.
The second criterion, the trail, makes or breaks a trail ride. Any trail ride is going to have you ride a horse. I’ve never been disappointed after a trail ride because of the horse. I’ve had to handle a few horses who are awful at sneaking bites of grass or greenery. And while I let them know quickly that I won’t let them do that, can you blame them? They are organisms programmed to graze all day. What have I been disappointed in? The trail. Personally, I don’t necessarily need a grand landscape or scenery per se but I want to feel like what I rode on, I couldn’t see with my car.
Lastly, but not the most crucial piece of criteria is the wrangler guide for your trail ride. I’ve had guides from all over the spectrum from talkative to quiet, grew up on a ranch to just a summer job, etc. Most guides work for tips, so they are already motivated to engage with you. I find there are typically two types of guide set-ups you can have: group vs. private or semi-private rides.
Trail Horses
The main reason you would embark on a trail ride is to be on a horse. Many trail riding companies personally or professionally train the horses to go on trail rides. In Colorado, the trail riding season is typically from April to September. That is 6 months doing the same trail(s) day in and day out with days off sprinkled throughout. The horse knows the trail and they know how to follow the horse in front of them. This allows friends or family with little experience to still be able to ride along too. While every trail riding introduction includes how to steer a horse, you never have to steer your horse if you don’t want to. There might be the occasional grass munching you’ll need to pull reins up or turning down the wrong path because it leads to the farm or stable and they know that is where the hay is. Like I noted, the horses have the trails memorized like the back of their… hoof? Anyway, if you or anyone in your party is not as comfortable with having to seriously manage a horse, just let the wranglers know so they can assign the appropriate horse. Know that some places will require you to be able to actively steer your horse if there is serious terrain. For the more seasoned rider though, the trained horse allows you to be able to look around to enjoy your surroundings and maybe even snap pictures as well.
At the end of the day, riding a horse is like speaking to an audience. If you show confidence and a positive attitude as a speaker, the audience is most likely to respond back with smiles, laughter, and positive engagement. If you mount the horse, give it some loving neck scratches, stay calm and collected, your horse will be more responsive to act the same way. I have been on a few trail rides where other guests panicked and blanked about how to do so which resulted in them falling off the horse. It is not something you want to happen ever, but if you truly cannot show confidence or a positive attitude, will you even enjoy the trail ride, let alone enjoy the powerful and wonderous animal that is a horse?
The Trail
The whole point of riding a horse in the backcountry is to explore and find new places not normally reached by human feet or vehicle wheels. While most rides are reasonably priced per person, a family trail ride can add up quickly. The last thing you want to think after a trail ride is ‘Was that worth it?’
The first thing to think about is the location of the stables. It is remote. It is near a highway. While you may enjoy the scenery of a forest, hearing cars drive by in the near distance can take you out of the trail ride very easily. Then there are places that are near landmarks like national or state parks that are very hard to determine if it is worth going on the ride. If you can’t find any information on their website, give them a call! Save the after-ride disappointment by calling them in your research phase and asking “I see you are located near XYZ state park. Do you have any trail rides that go in or near the park?” It is simple and easy and will save you money whether you decide to book with them or not.
Lastly, I put the trail and the trail ride price together. On average, most places charge $50 an hour for trail riding and additional hours are typically around $40 an hour. If a trail riding company is around the average or lower, but the location is not sitting right with my gut, I usually still book the trail ride as I see through the price that they understand the trail itself isn’t anything unique. On the other hand, if it is over the average, but I still hesitant based on the location, that is where I continue to do more research until I’m satisfied with all the information I’ve gathered to make a final decision.
The Wrangler Guide
Seventy-five percent of the trail rides out there are large group rides. You’ll have 7 or more riders all going out together. One wrangler guide in the front leading the horse train and another in the back acting as a caboose and making sure there are no stragglers. For much larger groups (15+), one or more guides will be thrown in the middle to help keep the trail ride smooth and have additional eyes on the guests. If you are near any of the guides, the trail ride is filled with fun conversation. However, if you are not near any of the guides, you miss out on a lot as they may try to yell general trivia facts or information, but most of the time they are too far away to be heard. The opposite can be true if you are trying to ask questions and they aren’t able to hear you.
Sadly, it is not as easy as switching around the order. Wranglers have a system for placing horses in a specific order. You are first assigned a horse based on your experience level and weight and who is in your group. Then you are put in order primarily based on which horses get along and the horse’s speed. Slower horses are typically in the front so the faster ones push the slower ones to faster. It also prevents gaps forming in the horse train that will break up the group. Ultimately, the wranglers have the best judgement for knowing what horses prefer and what spot they like in the horse train. The biggest thing to remember is that horses act like siblings. Yes, siblings get along, but they still like to pick on each other when mom and dad aren’t looking! Wranglers take this into consideration as well when determining the order for the group.
The private or semi-private just refers to much smaller groups. You and your group are by yourselves, or you have one other group in addition to yours. I find these trail rides much more enjoyable. Each group gets a wrangler guide to talk and ask questions to. You can build better relationships and I’m more likely to tip better when I feel that I got a personal trail ride tour. Sometimes, this might even mean seeing special trails or custom trail rides depending on the trail riding company.
Conclusion
My goal for this blog is to help you in your research for trail riding and adventure! By using this simple criterion of the horse, the trail, and the wrangler guide, you will be able to find an amazing trail ride that will produce memories of a lifetime! Whether learning about a trail from a review or general awareness for trail riding, I hope to share my experiences so that others can find that “scenic byhorse” and experience the outdoors, adventures, and beyond!
Learn more about Scenic Byhorse here.
Scenic Byhorse 