We heard from another couple that they loved it, it may be my husband and I owning horses that we felt different.
It was hard to find where to check in, we finally did check in the front desk staff seemed annoyed we were there and told us simply to drive up the hill, nothing more. We arrived early as we were told to with our reservation yet they were not organized and did not get us on our 2 hour 9 am trail ride until 9:45 am. Many of the others on our group ride had filled out waivers but their system lost them so they had to redo them. The guide spent a lot of time talking about safety but in my opinion as a horse owner of 30+ years did not actually focus on true safety.
Horses looked well taken care of as in they eat well but the wranglers horse has clearly been abused by someone. Another group participant raised his hand to show how tall a horse was near the horse and he pinned his ears back, raised his head, and backed up as if he were about to be hit which means its something that has happened to him before. None of the wranglers were around so I calmed the horse and showed him no one would hit him by letting him smell my hand. I truly hope it was a previous home that abused him but I saw another review claiming they have seen ranch hands hit horses, but I personally did not see that happen. Horses did not seem to have any water expect one place and were left to stand for hours at a time. One horse drank for 5 minutes before we went out but when I asked the wrangler if the horse had been on a ride yet that morning he said no, so I am guessing when the horses are brought up at 5 am (wrangler told me that they are brought up that early) they left without water until their first ride at 9 am which is very dangerous for a horse. Wrangler also said they had over 120 horses last year but some of them died due to colic and killing each other. If that is true my guest is they coliced due to not enough water yet many rides and the horses that killed each other should not have been kept in small waiting pens together. Very negligent if the horses truly killed each other.
Ride was only 1 hour and 15 minutes despite advertising 2 hours, entire group was early and on time so it was not due to the group that the ride was started almost an hour late but poor organization on staffs part. Wrangler seemed annoyed I told him I own two horses and told me I would be treated like I had never ridden before since he didn't know I own horses. I got lectured for direct reining instead of neck reining even though the horse responded well to it and another wrangler even told my husband if they don't respond to neck reining just direct rein. We took pictures at the end when there was only 5 minutes left on the ride and the horses wanted to get back. My horse did not want to walk away from the group or home for the photo which is why I had to direct rein him. Wrangler seemed annoyed with riders who had no idea what they were doing and did not want to have to lead their horses for photos despite being so close to the end of the ride and any horse person knows a horse is not going to want to leave the group or walk away from the direction of home.
Wrangler insisted no one dismount without help from a wrangler which ironically put the horses and riders in actual danger. Horses all insisted on drinking water as soon as they got back and were fighting with each other by pinning their ears and trying to bite each other and fighting with their riders to get to the water trough by not standing still (which the trough was basically empty and slow to refill). My horse was tall and he was dancing even after I let him have a drink to go back to the water and I almost hit my head on the top of the barn where the water is trying to control him at a stand waiting for 1 of the 2 wranglers to allow me to dismount my horse.
Pretty views of course and the horses were actually sweet and well behaved, 1 star as I am concerned for the horses and riders safety.