jake's horses

On a whim, my girlfriend and I called Jake's after picking up their flyer in a saloon. They were able to book us a same-day 2 hour tour (I am sure you need to book ahead in the Summer months) and get us on our way. The 2-hour tour was perfect for novice horseback riders such as ourselves and found the entire experience to be romantic and fun. Gallatin National Forest had some great vistas and beautiful scenery. Our guide was extremely friendly and knowledgeable of the area. We even met Jake and he really seems to take good care of his horses and puts a lot of care into the ranch. High recommend and would do it again, no problem.

We were there off season, so my wife and I were alone with the guide for a 90 minute horseback ride. The guide was great. We love to go horseback riding, and although neither of us are experts we are far from being new to it. All too often when in a group everyone is treated like a beginner. We got a quick review of riding and off we went into the countryside. It was cold and starting to rain and sleet, but we saw some good views of the surrounding mountains and countryside and even a few deer. Looking forward to doing this again next time we are in Big Sky.

My wife and I took the 2-hour ride recently and had a really great time. The mountains and rivers/creeks nearby were amazing and our guide, Kelsey, was fun to talk to and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed it.

Jake's Horses has offered adventures to Big Sky visitors for decades. I have been on many rides, most recently a full day ride from the corral into the Gallatin National Forest. My guide, Lexi, an enthusiastic young but experienced horsewoman, gave me another good adventure with my beautiful gal pal for the day, Macy the shiny black horse. We crossed the Gallatin River and several streams, rode through pine forests, meadows, and up and down some rocky and occasionally steep trails. Lexi gave me some lessons on encouraging Macy, who did not care for certain mud puddles. The lessons worked and we made it successfully. Macy and both I felt more confident. Lexi was also careful to check and adjust my saddle, and coach me down the steep sections of the trail. We had gorgeous views of the Madison Range, including Lone Mountain at Big Sky and the Spanish Peaks. Midday in warm weather is not the greatest for wildlife viewing, but Lexi spotted a young bull moose in the forest. That was cool! We also saw many birds, including a red tailed hawk, Clark's Nutcracker, gray jays and other birds that I am not clever enough to recognize. It would be a good ride for birdwatchers. Jake's offers horses and adventures for visitors of varying level of experience. I have always had a good experience there, a well conditioned and trained horse, and a good wrangler. There are mounting blocks if you are a short person like me, and need a step up to get onto your horse. And, if you need to get off during the ride, your guide will find you a side hill or a downed tree to get you back up. Small saddle horn bags are provided for your lunch or water, but as is usually the case for trail rides, you cannot have a backpack. If you have limited riding experience or have not ridden trails in the Rocky Mountains, I recommend that you choose a shorter ride, since the terrain can be a little intimidating. Do not expect your horses to canter or even trot much on a mountain trail. Walking is plenty of adventure, and you will see much more than you would if you had to follow the trail on your own two feet. Also, Jake's corral and registration area is a minimalist place, because the focus is on getting visitors out on the trail, not hanging around a lodge or ranch house. Bring your lunch, water, etc. leave everything else in your lodging. You will only be there for a short time, while getting mounted up and receiving some basic instructions from your guides.

On Saturday, September 20th, I went on a two hour ride at Jake's. When filling out the necessary liability papers I indicated that I had been on many rides. I am knowledgeable about horses and riding, having owned horses for many years. When I was matched up with a horse I was given a huge draft horse. Kelsi, the trail guide, told me he needed constant urging to keep up. She asked me not to kick him because his sides were already bruised and gave me a lead rope and said just to keep swatting him when he slows down. The gentleman who was there, who adjusted my stirrups, then told me to kick him with all my might when he slows down or tries to eat grass. They explained the reining is different on this horse as he is used to pulling a wagon. While on the ride, which was absolutely beautiful, Kelsi kept yelling back to me to "smack him on the butt as hard as you can", which I really don't think I should have to do. So, my ride was very slow, several yards back from the rest of my group, and frankly, frustrating. This horse was not appropriate as a trail horse. Why should I have had to spend my ride kicking (which I did not do) and "smacking" my horse just to get him to move out and keep up? This horse should be saved for the wagon rides and not used for your trail string. The other two in our group enjoyed their rides very much. It was a lot of money to pay to have a negative experience.

My husband and I booked a 3 hr ride with our guide Tim, he was awesome and the horses we had were very good. It was a beautiful day, couple small passing sprinkles but still a great experience to be able to ride in the mountains. It was just the 3 of us, great opportunity to talk Tim's ear off, enjoyed the conversation and knowledge he shared.

We booked a 2-hour ride with Jake's company after a morning of whitewater rafting. We happened to be the only two people on the ride (we came after the high season).I ride once every other year and have done so in places tropical to city riding but this by far was the best, most peaceful and beautiful ride I've been on. Makes me wonder what you get to see and explore with the longer rides that they offer.Being that we were a bit tired from our earlier adventures we didn't get into too much conversation with our guide so we can't really comment on that.But our horses were fabulous. I rode Buffy and my husband rode Chloe who were both very serene and would go as told with the slightest adjustment. Only thing was Buffy liked to eat a lot so I had to keep correcting her on that - but I can't blame her - I would too if I got to traverse that area.Even if you've been riding a million times - but never in Montana - this is an experience you shouldn't pass up.

Had a great experience. I had Ted as a horse and although he liked to stop for snacks he was a great horse.

We booked an all-day ride with Jake's Horses in August of this year. While neither of us could be considered expert horse riders by any stretch, we are comfortable around horses and had done a little riding. But it had been years. Julie was our guide...and what a ride it was. Just the three of us, my husband, Julie and me, riding Digger, Jumper, and Charlie. We rode all over the back country, up and down, through forests and on ridges... just north of Yellowstone Park, took in incredible views, chatted nonstop, and continually were in awe of the strength and smarts and obedience of the horses. It was a fabulous day. Julie was extremely competent and knowledgable and fun. Never mind that the late afternoon rain and lightning meant we had to walk our horses out to the trailhead the last half-mile. We wanted a real experience - and that was part of it. We highly recommend Jake's, and thank you to Julie for making it so fun and adventuresome.

Our guide was great -- Taylor was excellent. Our kids are 7 & 9, and another company in town wouldn't allow the 7 year old to ride alone. Jake's put him on a great horse (he was a little nervous at first) and loved it! Would definitely go back to Jake's again in Big Sky. Small group of no more than 8 - so just our family and one other on the ride. Went up into the hills and had great views of the mountain. Taylor took group photos of us on the ride. We all had wonderful horses without any issues. My daughter rode Buffy and my son rode King George. I rode Orchid, and my husband rode Traitor.

Our group, which consisted of 2 families, including 5 kids in the 9 to 13 range had an unforgettable evening at Jake's horses as we took the fantastic ride and dine package. The ride itself was unbelievable as we crossed the Gallatin Rive (twice!) climbed a few mountains and rode through fields of wild flowers. Hands down the best horse riding experience us east coasters ever had. The wranglers were great, choosing appropriate horses for everyone and the steak dinner on the trail was perfect and concluded with unlimited S'mores, which were a hit with entire group. This is a must do activity if you're in the Big Sky area during the warmer months.

Our family of 4 did the two hour trail ride in the afternoon. We've only ridden horses a couple times before so are pretty much novices. The staff did a great job of first covering safety issues & making sure we were aware of some of the inherent risks that come with horseback riding. They grouped us up w/ another family of 4 and we were off. Our guide Ginny was terrific. She did fantastic job of continually asking if everyone was doing OK. She and my wife chatted pretty much the whole ride. Ginny shared a bunch of great info about the area, horses and the life of trail guide. Didn't see much for wildlife but did see a couple deer. The meadows, stream & peaks were beautiful. The ride lasted about 2 hrs exactly and we had a terrific time.Tips-If somethings doesn't feel right while on the ride ask your guide for help. Plan for quickly changing weather- it's the mountains & things can change fast.

In our experience with trail rides, the success of the ride is completely dependent on the friendliness of the guide. We had two guides for a one hour ride and I wish very much that I could remember their names because they deserve a big shout out! We had a group of four adults and five children (ages 6 to 11). The only experience any of us have are riding trails on vacations such as this. The guides were very friendly, attentive, patient and fun. The entire staff was friendly and made us feel very comfortable. The landscraping is so beautiful. Thank you Jake's Horses for a wonderful experience!

Small group, highly skilled coach/group leader and off we go!Horses are well trained and easy to handle (unless you get a mule). We had wonderful time although we never sat on a horse before.Trails go through the woods and meadows and patient observer may even see some wildlife (we saw a bear!!).The ride is completely safe and easy, even for beginners. At the booth there are some drinks, which are quite useful for after-the-ride shaky knees: only 2 hours on the horse will make your muscles hurt : )Be aware that there are horse flies around and that they bite: take a insect-off spray.Also useful: wear a sunscreen or a hat: weather is not really predictable.

We did a 3 hour ride that included amazing views. Our guide, Ginny, was great - incredibly kind and easy to work with. Horses were very well cared for easy to ride.