Experienced riders only
Exclusive Beach Rides
These are not tourist trail rides. They are private beach rides for people who can already ride, on the northwest coast near Isabela.
Who this is for
Exclusive rides. Not a group trail tour. You are riding with me, not following a guide in a line of ten other people. That is why there is a bar to get on, and the bar is honest riding ability rather than a waiver you tick.
- You can walk, and control the horse at speed, without being led.
- You have ridden enough to stay with a horse that spooks.
- You are comfortable riding on open ground, not in an arena.
Who this is not for
If you have not ridden before, or only a handful of times, this is not the right thing to book. Say so when you get in touch and I will tell you straight.
If you have never ridden, the useful things here are a photo session, where somebody holds the horse the whole time and you do not need to ride at all, or coming to meet the horses.
What it costs
Priced per ride. Call or message for a number. It depends on the day and on what you want to do, so there is no posted rate and I would rather talk to you than guess. Call or send a message and tell me your riding experience honestly. That is the fastest way to a straight answer.
The horses
This is a small herd at Hacienda Los Ponce in Isabela, not a string of rental horses. Which horse you ride depends on you and on the day. You can read about all five on the herd page, and three of them are also available to rent for shows and events.
What you are actually riding
The Isabela coast is not a postcard beach.
If you are picturing a wide strip of flat sand, picture something else. This is the northwest coast, and it rides differently.
Rock and paths, not open sand
There is very little sand along this stretch. It is rocky, and it is threaded with paths. That is the ground the horse is working on, and it is a large part of why the ride asks for a rider who can already ride.
The paseo
This is a route Kellie rides, not a trail laid on for visitors. The hero clip at the top of this page is filmed from the saddle on it, so what you see is the view you get rather than a promotional angle of somewhere else.
Open ground, changing footing
Footing changes underneath you and there is no arena rail to fall back on. A horse can look at something on open ground in a way it never would in a school, which is the whole reason the bar above is set where it is.
Why the bar is where it is
This is a safety line, not a sales filter.
Plenty of places will put anybody on a horse and walk them along a beach in a line. That is a different product and it is a reasonable one, but it is not this. On an exclusive ride there is no lead rope, no guide at the horse's head, and nobody in front of you setting the pace. If the horse moves, you have to be able to stay with it.
So when the question comes back about your riding experience, it is a real question. Answering it generously does not get you a better ride, it gets you a worse one, on ground where that matters. Tell me honestly what you have done and I will tell you straight whether this is the right thing to book, or whether a photo session or coming to meet the horses is the better use of your morning.
If you are close but not quite there, that gap is exactly what the training program exists to close, whether the horse in question is one of mine or your own.
Everyone who rides signs a release of liability at the stable before getting on a horse. You can read the whole thing first.
Ridden before and want a beach ride? Tell me your experience and the date.
