I have been on many (6-7) horseback tours over the last decade. I really anticipated something great here in Maui at Circle M. What I got was average (at best), probably below average. 2.5 stars would be fair, but that's not an option and 3 stars is above mid and unfortunately I don't know that this was even average to what I have previously experienced.
The Pros:
- Great horses!! The horse I was on had the absolute sweetest demeanor!! All of the horses that were in my group knew their job and did it well. Wondeful animals and well taken care of!!
- The vegetation on Maui. Walking the trail with the surrounding Maui vegetation is gorgeous!!
- Kind staff. All of the staff were kind.
The Cons:
- Very, very.... slow. This horseback trek was one speed and that was barely above a crawl. I understand that not everyone can handle (or wants to) canter or gallop, but a slow trot would be nice! Even the walk however, was brutally slow.
- The trail... and maybe it is the trail for why there is only one speed... The trail was mostly straight downhill or straight uphill and VERY rocky. Honeslty, it seemed dangerous for the horses! But I am no equinist(?) to know what's necessarily dangerous for a horse or not.
- The envinronment.. While the vegegation is cool, we're on Maui! Short of a quick stop overlooking the ocean, the majority of the trek was on trail in the woods. Not a terrible thing, but don't expect an oceanside trail ride.
- The property. I think this place was probably really something once upon a time!! But it has been neglected for decades and it's beginning to show! I understand there are new owners. If they stuck half a mil into this place, it could really be something to marvel at again!
- The staff. Prior to the ride, there is a nice orientation on how to mount and ride the horse. Halfway through the ride, there is a very nice (an educational) speach from one of the cowboys, providing the history of cowboying on Maui. This was very interesting and done well!!
If you enjoy a little narration (however), maybe some facts about the trail, the environment, the island, the people, the sites (any of the above), throughout the ride... forget about it. Dead silence. This is surprising because there are (3) cowboys that go on the ride; one in front, one in middle and one in rear. They could easily provide a narration along the way. That said, you're not really seeing any kind of sites I guess, to point out.
- Lastly... group size. WAY TOO BIG of a group. I didn't count, but there had to be 15 in the group that we rode with. In my opinion (and comparing to every other guided trail ride I have been on), this was a good 50% more than I have experienced. I think if you keep the groups smaller, you may be able to provide more of a "guided" tour, rather than just walking down and up a rocky trail. You may also be able to cater to individual riders desires (as I have previously experienced)...
All-in-all, I think if you don't have much other experience with guided horseback, this will probably be a memorable experience for you! I love horses and riding and being in nature, so I did enjoy the experience and am happy I did it. Was it what I anticipated? Absolutely not. Was it worth the money...?? Maybe (a maybe at best), but I would not do it again.
Could they really have something spectaculer here? With an injection of capital for property maintenance and improvements and a hospitiality manager to manage and educate staff on guest experience...? Yes they absolutely could really have something spectacular here!!