Paardrijden Playa Larga

The guy that picked us up was very nice and the car was good for our family. The horseback ride was just average. It was listed at 2hrs and last maybe 1:15, we never went through a coconut grove, just down the road and then along the beach. The beach was beautiful with huge crashing waves which was very nice. The horses were quite dirty but plodded along safely. Out of all of our excursions this one was our least favorite. The horse guide did not speak any English which is fine but didn't allow us to ask any questions about the horses which my kids would have liked.

I will start by saying I had a great time. The trail ride was beautiful and they catered to all experience levels. I am an experienced rider and horse owner, and they let me canter on the beach. They also catered to another family with all beginners. The ranch’s tour guide Ramon was also very friendly and informative. When picking a horseback tour in Zihua, my group and I compared what appeared to be multiple different horse riding tours online, wanting to pick a business that looked like they treated their horses well (well fed, not too skinny or malnourished in the pictures). However when we arrived, we realized all these rides use the same ranch, just different tour companies. So while transportation is arranged by a separate tour group (which by the way was a nice experience by Ketavi, which I am posting this review for), the horse ride itself is put on by just Rancho El Riscal. Once you get there, you’ll likely be joining a group(s) from another tour group or resort. The horses at this ranch were too skinny. They are taken on multiple tour rides per day, which makes sense as it’s a business, but they burn a lot of energy doing so. They also didn’t offer any water to the horses after the ride. When we brought up our concerns during and at the end of the ride, the tour guide from the ranch explained it’s just seasonal (dry season = less foliage for them to eat). And that we should try to promote their business to other tourists so they can get more $ to take care of the horses, since they have so many. This didn’t sit well with us. In addition, during our horse ride, we passed another private ranch (not used for tours) and we noticed their horses looked  healthy and well fed), so it’s certainly possible to keep horses well fed during this season. While we had fun, I’m embarrassed to post pictures online because our horses were too skinny. I felt bad riding them. If the ranch just took better care of their horses, this would be a 5 out of 5 experience. Direct feedback for Rancho El Riscal: Tourists want to ride healthy horses. Treat your horses better, and more tourists will come! You might not think this is important or noticed by tourists, but it is. Thank you.

We were picked up at our hotel by Fabian, and he was an excellent guide for the trip to Playa Larga. We took a private horse ride for two people through town, in the beach, through the coconut plantation and forest. Our guide, Raymond, was full of interesting information. It was a very peaceful and relaxing few hours.