When we pulled up to the trashy, junk-laden property, we were greeted by a barking, growling dog, which a woman had to come control before it would let us step out of the car. The facility was filthy, with discarded items piled around the decrepit buildings and trailers. Most importantly, the horses did not appear to be cared for properly. As we left the stable we noticed that all the horses were kept in a muddy pen, and when I asked the trail guide if the horses had a pasture to graze in, he said no. In addition, we learned that the owner of the ranch refused to shoe his horses. We were told that his reasoning was "Because they need to be in pain when they walk so they won't try to run with guests on their backs." I was absolutely appalled that a horse owner would purposely not shoe his horses with the intention of causing them pain, and then put paying guests on their backs. The terrain is extremely rocky and covered in low, thorny shrubs, and during our trail ride the horses tripped and stumbled repeatedly. I fear that it might be because of this failure to care for their animals properly that the accident happened on our ride. My sister-in-law's horse reared back and fell on top of her, causing her to have to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Her horse was in the middle of a slow-moving line and nothing had spooked the horses in front of her, so I am afraid that the horse might have stepped on something very sharp or had something sharp in its hoof and reared back in pain.
I do not recommend this ranch. There are plenty of well-maintained facilities in the Gunnison Valley area that care for their horses, so please go to one of those and not this one. The views from the ride were pretty and the ranch hands were nice, but I would not put those things above the importance of proper care for the horses.
Одговор домаћина
Aug 2014
Heather, the person who wrote this negative review, must have done so without regard to a long standing personable and successful business, only to show her disdain regarding an accident her sister-in-law endured while riding a horse.
It's very unfortunate that this accident happened at the very end of their ride, a stone's throw from the facility. They all said what fun the ride was and complimented the wrangler for his good job. The state of Colorado requires everyone to sign a waiver relieving the owner of the horses of any fault since they have no control of the horses while in their care. This is required for any type of such activity, i.e. rafting, rock climbing, etc. Due to the lack of knowledge of horses by most people, the wrangler gives instructions prior to leaving on the ride, which includes pulling back on the reins. The other family members on the ride shared that her horse was eating grass and when Jocelyn pulled on the reins to stop her, she pulled too hard making the horse rear up causing her to fall. We are very sorry that she was injured, but in our 24 years of horseback riding on the same trail, this is only the 2nd incident we've had at our facility. I'm sure that Heather is very sympathetic to her injuries, as were our staff, but it is wrong for a person to falsify the facts and exaggerate about everything out of anger, which Heather did repeatedly. I called 911 immediately and then I personally called the injured person the next morning to see how she was and to show our concern. Our wrangler also called a couple of days later to find out how she was. The terrain in and around the Gunnison area is totally different than Georgia's. We have natural sage (with no thorns) which she referred to as "thorny shrubs". Our herd consists of many Mustangs who run wild with no shoes and our horses receive a Mustang trim which protects the pads of their feet. We most certainly DO NOT mistreat our horses as they have been a part of our livelihood for a very long time. We do culture camps with kids and ride many first timers all through the summer. I do not know what she referred to as trash around the buildings-just another exaggeration. I shouldn't have to explain any more as this was through no fault of ours. I'm sure people will see through her review as others already have and written good reviews.