Guided trail rides? Experience?

Question

Hi everyone!! Well while i was on vacation, i went on a guided trail ride with my family. I own a horse, and thought it would be fun cause i ride my horse all the time. On the ride, the trail guide said he only has been riding for less than a year.

Then worse happened, there was a thick bush and i totally crashed the bush and went flying off the horse. Sure i was all scratched up and all, and boy did i feel stupid!

Another thing that happened on the same ride was after i got back on after fallling, the guide couldnt control his horse and kept it trotting not knowing how to stop it. With his horse trotting, all of the 6 horses behind began trotting really fast with very very beginners on them.

my question is:

What is you experience with guided trail rides?

Also how many of you have fallen off on a guided ride?

Do you think most of the guides have much experience?

thanks!!

Answer 1

Guided rides was how I got my start with horses.  We would make sure that all of our vacations had outfits around that offered trail rides.  I've never fallen off one of the horses, but I did have one once that was constantly kicking the horse behind it.  Most of the guides I've had have been either part of the outfitter's family, had rodeo experience, or were otherwise fairly knowledgeable.  As was already stated, these guided ride horses often seem robotic with no personality.  After enough times, the rides become pretty boring because they make you stay in line, nose to tail, walking VERY slowly.  The one exception was a fabulous guided ride we went on in Waterton Lakes National Park (the Canadian side of Glacier National Park).  The place was called Alpine Stables and was on the edge of Waterton Village (also beautiful!) by the Prince of Wales Hotel.  As long as we stayed close to the group, we could ride around to explore.  We saw several grizzly bears and other animals -- none of the horses even flinched.  I highly recommend trying them if you are ever in that part of the woods.

Answer 2

Hey Holly ^.^

I've never been on a guided trail ride but i've gone on trail rides with family and friends. I've never fallen off but i've gotten scratched up a bit since I was riding my herd bound broodmare and my moms doofus of a friend was riding my gogogo Appy Disco so I had a ride that day.

And about the experience, if that guy didn't know how to stop his horse than you should've said something. Thats just not smart to first off have a horse that is acting up on a trail ride but also to have an unexperienced trail guide.

But all in all I don't see any need to have a 'trail guide' if you have a good horse and feel confident on your horse---but it's still a danger if your next to a person on a trail ride whom has no experience--or very little. That can call for some very big problems.

Answer 3

I've only ever been on two guided trail rides.

One was through some desert in Arizona, and another one was through some canyons in southeast Ohio.

I was pretty young in the first ride in Arizona, so I don't remember it all too clearly. I just remember being so happy to be up on a horse, and in the desert (at the time, I was very much in love with the idea of a desert). It was pleasant-no problems with the horses or anything. It was me (i had maybe 2 years of riding under my belt at the time), my mom (who rode from when she was 8 until she was 22), and my cousin (who didnt ride). We all had a great time, and our guide was very funny and kind.

The second trip in southeastern ohio was amazing! It was a very small family owned business-the woman had a little farm going on, a few goats, a cow, chickens, and a couple of horses. She was extremely friendly, and you could tell she knew what she was doing. it was me and three other friends-none of them had ever ridden before. We all had a blast. It was way cool-she took us down steep ledges and narrow paths, through a few creeks and whatnot. Very very wonderful experience. Toward the end, we had to ride through a field to get back to the farm-and she let us all gallop. Everyone had a great time, and the only injury was me getting  poked in the eye by a stick (go figure).

I think it just depends on where you go. Most folks I feel know what they are doing-as both the guides I had did, but of course everyone is new at some point in time and has to start somewhere, so you're bound to run into a 'green' trail guide here and there.

Answer 4

Ive only been on two guided trail rides. one up in canada and another colorado. The horses act like robots! they follow each other in a perfect straight line. nobody has evr fallen off on the guided trail rides ive done. I think the guides have a lot of experience. They should not let somebody be a guide if they have been riding for less than a year. that could be very dangerous.

Answer 5

Okay, back in the late 60's and very early 70's I worked as a guide for Sea Horse Ranch, Half Moon Bay, CA to support my horses.  Earl Caudle made sure we all had experience and also had grown adult males normally riding bird dog for most of the trail.  A "Bird Dog" was a wrangler who sat out on the trail and would take the ride to the end of the trail from where us "wranglers" took them and assist with any problems us "kids" had with any of the riders.

We had VERY few wrecks at Sea Horse and normally it was the RIDER's fault when they did happen.  The WRANGLERS or guides are there for your protection AND the horse's. You'd be amazed at the things rent riders do to some of those horses.

Sounds like this stable doesn't have a CLUE how to train their guides.  Even now that Earl has sold his place and the new owners have had it over a decade it's still run basically the same way if not more careful.  My best friend took me there for what was my 41st year anniversary riding there last year for my birthday.  I noticed that the bumps were taken out of the trail, there's a little bicycle path and cutesy fence on the beach side of the trail.  The guides now are Mexican and no habla English too well, not the kids or the old time cowboys anymore.  The tack is in dire need of repair (One saddle didn't even have fenders) and they didn't allow you to take cell phones or cameras with you (So they could sell you a CD of the pictures their guy on the scooter took.), but basically it was the SAME trail just more idiot proof.

I've found that at the lower end rental stables they tend to have the lesser experienced staffers, throughout the years.  The Mexican, could ride, but his interaction with the riders was minimal unless you happened to habla Espanol...HeHeHe

Answer 6

Well, when I went on a guided trail ride, it was nothing like that at all... they put me on a big horse and I ended up banging my head on a branch overhead... haha. They also took us between two trees and a thing sticking out of it gave me a bruise the size of a mug on my thigh. The guide that I had lived on the property, owned and ran the business, she had been riding for a very long time.

You should have told the person in charge of the business about the incident and suggest that maybe the guide get some more horse training before he is allowed out on the trails again.

Answer 7

when i have been on them the horses acted like robots lol if you tryed to get them to go faster they wouldent and if you tryed to stop it and pull on the reins it would pull its head totely back and wouldent stop (sorry about the spelling)

Answer 8

whoa... not good i'm sorry you fell thats gotta hurt. and yeah most trail horses know the trail so well they could do it with or without a person

and most trail guids have been riding for there whole lives, because most trail guids OWN the horses.

That is VERY VERY dangerous if you don't know how to control your horse it's very dangerous... but of course horses are always going to be horses and you can always expect something unexpected..

I went on a trail ride on the beach one time

the horses were just regular calm horses, mixes or Quarter horses, perchons, and small pony grades.. well the trail guides were no older than me and most were just college studentslooking for a summer job.. the horses did NOT like them i could tell my horse did not like the girl handleing him.. but he responded very well to me i'm not sure why though.. maybe she didn't know how to handle him or something but this other mare my freind wasriding she pinned her ears and trotted away from every worker there,.. horses know things and see things we don't and that just told me that those people knew nothing about horses and really didn't care about them... and i watched one guy didn't even know how to saddle a horse, and the little girl riding fell off because the girth wasn't even tied right and the saddle slid under the horses belly..she wasn't hurt physically but emotionall i doubt she'll ever get on a horse again

also it depends on what group you ride with some place are so family freindly and safe the owner's are the trail guide riders and know there horse inside and out THAT is the kind of stable you want to ride with

but sadly most trail riding places are just nice barns filled with well cared for but grumpy horses run by people who just want money

oh and i've never fallen off of a trail horse, but i'm sureit will happen sooner or later haha it happens to the best of us =)

Answer 9

When i went on a trail ride, it was with a bunch of other people.

And first the horse in front of me that my sister was on kicked a bit.

Later that ride, my horse ended up galloping off the opposite way.

And the man was yelling at me "pull back!".

And i tried but nope.

he only spoke Spanish so it was hard to understand him.

It was soo scary galloping off like that.  But now that i remember it , it was really exciting and i felt so free. =)

I cant wait till I learn to gallop. Or even Canter. :D

Oh and by the way, i never went back there again. We found a nice other place with a great view and really great horses.

I was like 10-12  , i think.