rockin' hk outfitters

I had my doubts about this one but we needed to fill some time while on a Tauck tour to winter in Yellowstone. Our first day was at Chico Hot Springs and we waited too late to do the dog sledding. I was casting around for something to do and someone at the resort suggested the surrey ride. The Rockin' HK Outfitters work with Chico out of their horse barn and the business is run by the husband/wife team of Heidi and Kipp Saile. They are very knowledgeable about the local history and very knowledgeable about horses. They also run horse rides from the stable. We were scheduled for a noon departure for a two mile surrey ride to last approximately one hour. Unfortunately, two in my party were a little late and we left around 12:30 pm. This would send some businesses over the edge, but Heidi and Kipp took it in stride, phoned their next group at one and said they would be late and proceeded to give us a great trip. They hooked the surrey up to two well behaved and well trained Belgians (King and Prince) and took us through some spectacular scenery with an accompanying travelog. At one point on the ride, I lost a mitten and Heidi jumped out and ran back to the place, and brought it to me. The cost is $45 per person. Among our group was a very young boy and Heidi took special pains with him to make sure he enjoyed the trip. When waiting for our departure, a family with three young kids came up to see the horses. They were too young for the horseback trip at. One, but Heidi took them all to the coral and let the kids feed the horses with oat bars she had stored for that purpose. This turned out to be a great experience and well worth scheduling when in the area.

We did a full day ride with HK in Yellowstone National Park. As a horse-owner and regular rider, it's always very important to me that the horses look healthy and well-cared-for. HK's horses were great: sleek and fat with no cuts or sores. All the tack fit well and our guide was very good with the horses. We were given lunches and lots of waters and gatorades which is really important at elevation. We had a great ride with very well-behaved horses. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that the ride wasn't terribly interesting. We went out and back on the same trail (no loop) and a long section of the trail was just crossing a valley. I'd have preferred more trees and hills and interesting things to see.

We booked a group horseback tour with Heidi and Kipp at Rockin' HK as a post-wedding activity. Yellowstone NP was closed due to the government shutdown, so we did a 3 hour ride in Paradise Valley, out of Chico Hot Springs and Day Spa (highly recommended hotel and spa!). Our group consisted of several first time riders, some beginner riders, a few moderately-experienced riders and my wife who is an advanced rider. Heidi, Kipp, Colie and Drew picked out great horses for every level of rider. The trail we rode on had prairie, mountain, forest and always breathtaking views of Paradise Valley. We had a party of eight and Kipp, Colie and Drew all came with us. We have had experience with other outfitters around Yellowstone, who would only put one guide with groups of as many as 12. Having 3 guides not only made it more fun and engaging, but I think we all felt safer, especially the novice riders because of all the expert guides around. During the ride, Kipp, Colie and Drew would take turns talking and riding with everyone. We really got to learn a lot about the area, a lot about horses and a lot about our guides. About half way through our ride we stopped on a mountain for a snack for about 15 minutes before finishing the ride along the side of the ridge back to Chico's. Based on our experience with other outfitters in the Yellowstone area and how enjoyable our ride was with Drew, Colie and Kipp with Rockin' HK, I would not hesitate to recommend them for a day ride in the park, or even a multi-day pack trip. The intimate level of care and attention to the guests really sets Heidi and Kipp's rides apart from everyone else.