Horseback Riding on The Beach and Through The Desert!

Our ride was 4 days ago and I am still at a loss for words from what I experienced. My friends booked this excursion for me as a belated birthday gift and it was anything but a celebration. First, there is a non-disclosed park entrance fee which would be understandable if there was a park to enter. Second, wild unattended race horses galloped past us. Third, the saddles and bridles were in subpar condition. The horses were not offered water prior or post ride. An extremely decrepit horse went down on our ride and we all dismounted immediately. It was absolutely devastating to witness. I am not alluding to mistreatment of the equines but what I witnessed has scared me. The ride… three miles down a barbed wire highway, a rocky descent next to dilapidated buildings and MORE wild horses, and then the beach. I have completed horseback rides all over the USA and never was emotionally exhausted from the event. This company did not deliver what was presented in the itinerary. They are now being caustic in our request for refunds.

Where do I start…there is a required park/land use, parking fee that is not properly disclosed so expect to pay an additional $30/ per person upon arrival. Unfortunately that is not where the disappointment ends. Our tour took us along the highway with barbed wire on each side of the trail, littered with trash. One of our horses was knee knocked and in desperate need of seeing a farrier and in pain. Once we made it to the beach, from the poorly maintained trail this horse started to go down, 3 times. As a somewhat seasoned equestrian I knew this wasn’t right. The guide tried convincing us multiple times the horse was fine but once he saw the horse go down, all of the sudden it was just a stomach ache. I’ve never seen colic develop this way. We couldn’t leave one of our people behind, so we had to cut our trip short. If you continue you are only riding on the actual beach for about 15 minutes. Needless to say, this bucket list adventure was just a bust. Photo was before our ride had started, we obviously don’t have any from during the ride due to our experience.

Gorgeous views of the ocean and coast. My guide Gabriel was the best - I was the only one on the tour and as a solo female traveler I felt totally comfortable and safe with him. He took great pictures of me while riding. In my opinion this experience is 100% worth the cost - that being said I agree with other reviews that mention this may be more enjoyable for people with at least a tiny amount of riding experience. You don’t *need* any experience, but keep in mind you will be riding through different environments and there are lots of variables (cars on the freeway, passing ATVs, dogs, other horse riding tour groups, etc.) that could spook a horse or (more likely) a really green rider. But I would encourage anyone to try this out if they can keep a cool head - and PLEASE people, for your sake wear close-toed shoes! I was fine in loose shorts but leggings/pants are best too if you’re not used to the wear of sitting in a Western saddle for 2 hours. You are risking being very chapped and bruised if you don’t dress properly. I saw so many pictures of people riding in flip flops, dresses, etc. and I can only imagine the discomfort. Bring cash to tip your guide!