Whinny for beginners

November 12, 2010 4:58 PM

Absolute horse beginner seeks carefully supervised riding experience for him & his little brother, somewhere in the Seattle area.

My 8 year old little brother has asked me to take him horseback riding and I'd like to indulge him. But I know nothing about horses except that they are very big whinnying herbivores that you nail shoes onto. I don't know where to start at all.

So: what kind of riding can a pair like us get up to? Ideally I'd like to get out for 2-3 hours on a weekend afternoon, see a little bit of scenery, and remain safe and supervised at all times.

Is this realistic? If so, can anyone recommend an establishment in the Seattle area that can do something like this?

posted by Sauce Trough to Pets & Animals (8 answers total)

There's Reber Ranch in Kent - there's a riding school there.
posted by milkrate at 5:20 PM on November 12, 2010

Response by poster: Just to clarify: this is a one-off special treat thing that almost certainly won't lead to ongoing lessons, so a place that's exclusively a riding school, like Reber Ranch appears to be, probably isn't optimal.

Think of us as tourists instead of students.
posted by Sauce Trough at 5:30 PM on November 12, 2010

Never been horseback riding. Yelp however, will help you out.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tiger-mountain-stables-issaquah

Tiger mountain stables sounds great. Guided rides, nice people, used by tourists, even!

Enjoy!
posted by rockindata at 7:23 PM on November 12, 2010

link fail.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tiger-mountain-stables-issaquah
there you go.
posted by rockindata at 7:25 PM on November 12, 2010

We thought we were just getting our 7 year old daughter a horse ride for her birthday. Now we own a horse. I'm just saying...
posted by COD at 7:50 PM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: You should be looking for guided/supervised trail rides, not lessons. A google search for "seattle trail rides horse ranch" turned up the Stillwater Ranch which offers just what you're looking for, and is just an hour outside of seattle. Here's their website: http://thestillwaterranch.com/
posted by smokingmonkey at 6:12 AM on November 13, 2010

Best answer: Many, many years (more than 40) of riding experience talking here. Tiger Mountain Stables sounds like the right place. The reviews on Yelp talk about well-kept horses that know their jobs, and attentive, experienced guides, all of which are vital to a good experience. The last thing you want to deal with is unhappy horses that want only to turn around and head back to the barn. The place where I board my horse offers similar trail rides on lovely horses that are also used for lessons and horse shows, and people are always thrilled with their experiences.


Do not dismiss COD's words of warning, though.
posted by Dolley at 6:12 AM on November 13, 2010

Dolley's hit the nail on the head - one more piece of advice... a 3 hour trail ride will leave your inner thighs (& potentially your bum) quite sore for a few days afterwards. Be prepared. :-)
posted by muirne81 at 12:43 PM on November 16, 2010