sea horse ranch - private rides

We went on the 8 AM ride, which is not only a great value, but the horses were very fresh and eager to go out. Nice trail with plenty of challenges. The guide was friendly and knew the horses and their habits, so we were all paired well. The ranch keeps a large herd so I would expect great quality on any ride.

I took my husband & 2 girls ages 7 & 9 on July 3rd. The 8am ride was a great value & would do again. The guides had been very attentive to my 7 year old since it was her first ride. I can't understand some of the negative reviews. This is a horse ranch & not a 5 star hotel.

A two hour ride for only $50 (at 8 am only) is the best horse deal in town. It's an awesome ride, which goes around the ranch, through the creek, the length of the Half Moon Bay State Beach, down the cliffs to the beach, along the surf line, then back at the base of the cliffs, with a different trail to ascend back to the cliffs to return. They have 80 horses, and ten guys looking after them, including an on-site ferrier. I love the fact that this is a living space: the owner lives there and keeps chickens, and a dog and several cats. At 8 am, the horses are lively and spry. I've found the staff helpful and willing to teacher riding skills if you ask. I've gone 5 times, and will go again next week.

This is a good thing if you want to take your younger kids on a horse ride, but it ain't cheap and the horses are old and slow. Still if you have 8-12 year old kids they will probably love it. For me I like to ride my bike past the old slow horses. It will cost you a bunch to do this but your kids will like it. If your kids are a little older go down the the Bike Works on Kelly Street and rent bikes and ride on the bike path instead.

It is always difficult to discuss weight with people who want to ride. It is a touchy subject, to say the least. We have weight restrictions, explained in detail in our 'Ranch Rules' section of our website. These are purely and simply for safety reasons. Our maximum weight is 240 lbs., however, as explained on our website, we have put people weighing more than that on horseback if they are quite tall and their weight is evenly distributed. It is a weight relative to height issue. The more weight carried through the middle, the more difficult it is to fit the rider to saddle, and thereby establish balance.When customers call in to make reservations, I always ask them for their weight and height. My thinking on this is that it is ultimately kinder to have this conversation over the telephone than to have someone come to the ranch and then discover we won't let them ride.When this customer called, she made it clear she had an abundance of riding experience. However, she told me she was 5'2" and weighed 'about 185 pounds'. I asked her how her weight was distributed and she told me it was 'all in the middle'.. I expressed some concern about whether or not we could fit her to a saddle safely enough to establish her balance. She kept assuring me she was 'be okay'. I told her we would have to make a final decision when she got here. Because she was so short, I had some concerns. We went ahead and made the reservation. Within the hour, she called me back, very upset. She told me she took offense at what I said, and that she was going to 'rip' me on TripAdvisor. I apologized to her if I had hurt her feelings, but tried to explain that I was concerned about the balance not just for her, but for the potential soreness to the horse's back from an unbalanced, heavier rider. She just didn't want to hear it.

Went once with the boyfriend and twice with two friends on separate occasions for the Early Bird Special and had an amazing ride on the beach! I highly recommend it!

Took the two older grand children riding for the first time and they loved it. If you are looking for detailed instructions on horse back riding and safety, I suggest you go to one of the stables that charge a whole lot more so you can have 30 min. of instructions. Here there are only pictures with a typed explanation. As I'm an experienced rider, I spent significant time going over the basics BEFORE I ever took them. One change, is that it is mandatory for riders under 18 to wear helmets and highly suggested for adults. Good policy and although I've only ridden English with headgear, I chose to set a good example for the kids. As this was a first for them, we took the 1 hr. trail ride and it offers a completely different aspect then just going into the beach areas from a parking lot. The kids loved riding through a canopy of bushes and through a small stream. The guide was excellent on keeping an eye on the kids in our group and having those of us in the lead slow down or stop to wait for the kids to catch up. You will have a great time no matter which ride you take. Remember, your experience is up to you. If you think you will be treated with kid gloves and like royalty--forget it. This is a ranch and a business. The owner must look out for your safety and that of others including her horses. Once she sees that you know what you are doing, her demeanor gets a lot more relaxed. Always check what if anything is going on in Half Moon Bay the weekend you go riding so you can plan for traffic and still be on time. Consider that if you are late, other peoples ride is not going to be held up for you to get there. Now, mount up, ride and enjoy the beautiful views. Relax and be at one with your horse.

I normally check reviews before I do anything but didn't this time because I thought, "horseback riding, it should be fun." I called and made reservations. When we got there (few minutes late), the witch behind the counter just looked at my party, shook her head and said, "you're late!" She went on to say that she had given our horses up and that she'll go and check to see if there were additional horses.. She comes back to tell us there were. She points at the sign and told us to read their policy and safety. She spoke to us like we didn't know any English. After that attitude, we just looked at each other and said, "no thanks" and left. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Her lost. We just saved ourselves $600+. There were 10 of us.

I thought this was going to be iffy based on some of the reviews, but we had a blast. The lady that took our money will not be winning Miss Congeniality any time soon, but she was extremely effective and like I said...we had a blast.

So glad I heard about Seahorse Ranch from a friend. The price was affordable for the experience that we will never forget from our girls' trip. Definitely for adults as horses will get competitive and begin to gallop suddenly. Would be easy to fall off and not any instruction before horses begin. The views from horseback were amazing and going through the tree tunnel in the mud was incredible. Being horseback on the beach with the waves roaring in was a bucket list to not be missed. The photographer was the most helpful staff member. He gave tips about how to ride the horse and seemed to know the individual horse personalities. The photographs were worth buying - the CD is the best deal. Wear pants with zipper pockets and sunglasses. The helmet was pretty dirty - I'd recommend bringing your own if you have one. Parking is no problem and car is secure. The experience would be enhanced with guides who have stronger interpersonal skills and more positive mood, but the ride would probably be more expensive then.

Loved it!!!! When we got there they asked us if we knew how to ride horses. We said yes, as we have some of our own and ride frequently. Needless to say we both got two hot horses. But I wouldn't have changed horses if given the chance. It was a nice ride!!! Gorgeous views. It was nice because we were able to stay ahead of the group with our feisty horses. Our friends were with us and never really rode before and their horses were great! I was ready to go back in the afternoon and do it again. We will be planning a trip back soon and plan on bringing the kids too.

My husband and I had a wonderful time here over the Memorial Day weekend. i really liked Willa, the manager (owner?). She's a no nonsense gal with a wonderful sense of humor. She advised us to keep our keys, wallet, phone and anything of value in our front pocket for very obvious reasons otherwise our car would be the best place to keep them and gently convinced us to take a helmet. "Our horses are gentle but it's the little critter that may spook her that you may want to reconsider..."My horse, "Texas" was a beautiful, gentle animal. She was well groomed, clean and well behaved. Our guides, Jarvier (who spoke very good English, btw) and Jose were very patient and made sure our horses behaved. I was stung by a bee along the way, just below my right eye. Jarvier was concerned and asked if I wanted to return to the stables. I appreciated that very much.The trail before the beach was beautifully relaxing. I envied the owners of the homes we passed along the way and the scenery was pleasant. It's true, the ride on the beach was relatively short but the overall hour and a half ride was wonderful. I wouldn't take a minute of it back.A photographer met us on his Segway several times along the way and at the end of the ride we had the option of purchasing them. We took advantage of the weekend special and had 86 pictures burned for us on a DVD for $40. The pictures were sharp and well done. We had a great time at Sea Horse Ranch and would highly recommend it.

My wife was anxious and afraid of horses and the guide did a great job of settling the horse down and guiding her all the way. If she can do it, anyone can so don't be afraid it's worth the ride. Get a great experience of horseback riding in California on the beach. Many horses and beautiful ones at that. Maybe not for the very experienced horse people, but for foreign or rookies like us it was cool.

My 8-year-old daughter & I took a 90-minute horseback ride here. The route was beautiful! We rode along meadows with views of the ocean on once side, the hills on the other. The guides took us onto the beach too. Guides were careful to assess our experience level (nearly none) to be sure we had compatible horses. Horses were easy enough to control with a basic lesson on how to use the reigns. Upon arrival, the business may come across dirty and disorganized but they accommodated everyone in good time, and were very careful guides. Arrive early enough to avoid lines/waiting. Very enjoyable!!

We took a group on a tour through Sea Horse. The starting facilities left us worried the group was in for a sour experience as they are a bit run down and filthy. However, the group had a great time and loved the tour. It was a highlight for sure.