During our stay at Grand Solmar, we decided to take a horseback riding tour. The ride to the location was about 30 minutes long in a van full of other tourists, mostly through desert landscapes. When we arrived, we were offered an upgrade to a private tour, as they mentioned there could be around 100 people on our tour. We declined to pay the extra $75 per person for the upgrade, and to our surprise, we ended up being the only ones on the tour anyway—a private ride at no extra cost!
Our tour guide, Tony, was fabulous. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the experience enjoyable. My horse, Don Julio, was very slow, and all the horses seemed quite overweight. Unfortunately, my husband’s horse decided to lay down on the beach, which led to a bit of a scare as he had to roll off quickly. We then had to chase down the horse to continue the ride.
As for the photos, we were extremely disappointed. The photographer rarely captured our faces or managed to get us together in a shot. Given the poor quality, we decided not to purchase the photos, especially at the steep price of $120 for all digital prints.
While the tour itself was put on well, it became clear that the horses are not cared for to the standards of what one might consider happy and healthy animals. The experience left me feeling uneasy about the treatment and care of the horses, and because of that, I wouldn’t choose to do the ride again. It’s a shame because all the workers, including Tony, were incredibly friendly and helpful.
Lastly, they offered food at the end of the tour, but I opted to pass. The food was sitting in chafing dishes, and I could see bees and flies all over it, even though it was covered. I just couldn’t muster the faith to eat it.
Overall, while the scenery and the guide were great, the experience was marred by concerns over the welfare of the horses and the disappointing photography. I’d advise others to think carefully before booking this tour if animal welfare is a priority for you.
Super fun ride with G-Force, just know there isn't much opportunity to match your skills with a horse, you pretty much are just given a horse to ride right off the bat and that's it, you start following the guide on the tour. For those that were experienced, it was a blast as each horse definitely had a personality, and you just dealt with it and had fun! For those less experienced, it was hold on and try to keep your horse from following the faster lead horses so you didn't fall off! Again, just know that it isn't that organized but the desert trails and wide open beach runs were a blast for most everyone anyway! Nice folks at G-Force for sure. Pics are very expensive if you go with their photographer who follows you on the ride, but they do get a lot of very good pictures if you want them, as we did.
Great adventure. I had not ridden a horse in 60 + years. But the horses were gentle and the beach and trails easy to maneuver. Our guide got my stirrups set just right so I am not sore the day after. We rode for a bit over an hour which was plenty. Our guide gave us a complimentary ATVvride on the beach on the way back to the hacienda. Horses are way better tha ATVs in my world