I’m going to provide some feedback here along with my experience.
First, the road to the ranch is extremely rough. It’s short but my girlfriend and I were nervous about damaging the car due to the road conditions. If there was a better way to get up to the ranch that would’ve been great. Mostly everyone drove a rental car and when we all got out we all were checking out cars.
The ranch is small and our group was about 10 or so. More than half the group were considered beginners and matched with a horse that fit that skill set. You’re an advance rider if you essentially horse back ride every day; not much different between intermediate and beginners in their eyes. We were provided helmets and saddle bags for phones and water which was very nice. Take 2 waters as it gets hot quickly on the trail. Staff was friendly and helped everyone on their horse; loading a group of 10 took almost a half hour which seemed like forever in the heat.
I wish the description of the tour was a little more detailed. If you’ve never rode before, expect steep mountains up and down which requires some work on the rider to allow the horse to do its job. This isn’t your typical “stroll on a nice flat ground.” No no no these horses will trot to stay close to each other and need to focus on their footing as the road is dusty, rocky and uneven. The beginners on the tour all were anxious as hell and didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as people who have had experience.
My horse was very calm and controllable. My girlfriend’s horse was a little more stubborn which made her nervous. The ranchers didn’t do too much besides keeping the group together; one led the group while the other stayed back. If you weren’t near the ranchers, I wasn’t, they just checked back once and awhile to make sure everyone was together. They were talking about some of the stuff around but I couldn’t hear anything. Not sure if it was conversational or they were actively trying to point out certain things. I would add another rancher into the mix as many people don’t have every day experience riding especially on trails like these.
There were 2 main spots for photos which was nice and the trail was very scenic. Wear pants and lots of sunscreen. This was the only day in Maui out of my 2 weeks that I got burnt.
Since you’re on horses with some stopping, don’t expect to be with your group the entire time. Some of the horses did need their space while others would decide to eat some leaves which led the horse to be a little farther from its original spot in line. Even if you’re behind or in front of the people you came with, it’s difficult to talk to each other so if you’re looking at this for a social activity I would pass.
At the end of the tour, the ranchers helped us off the horses and thanked us and immediately went to handle the farm. They provided additional water at the end of the tour but once you’re off the horse they leave you.
My biggest tip though is DO NOT MAKE A LEFT OUT OF THE RANCH. My gps naively told me to take a left which brought us onto the Kahekili highway. This highway was extremely treacherous, though beautiful, it was miles of single lane portions that were anxiety filling. Whatever way you came go the same route to avoid our mistake.