Horseback riding in Maui
 

I noticed several riding stables on Maui, does anyone have any first hand knowledge of which ones to book, and which ones to stay away from? What's the average cost? thanks

My sister and I took the Pony Express crater tour. We both had a great time, beautiful scenery. Don't remember exact price, around $120 each I believe, but well worth it.

My wife and I did a 2 1/2 hour ride at the Mendez Ranch on Maui last October. The people were very nice, the horses were decent and seemingly well cared for and they let you gallop the horses for a few short periods of the trail. Very exhilarating! The scenery could have been better but overall it was a nice trip.<BR>http://www.mendesranch.com/

I also did the Pony Express trail ride into Haleakala crater and it was amazing! Definitely a once in a lifetime experience and worth every penny! The group is small and the guides friendly. Check out the book "Maui Revealed" for another rave review.

topping

Mendez ranch is a must. Be sure and spend the extra bucks and have the lunch barbeque. The trip goes down towards the water with beautiful scenery. The Mendez family loves their ranch and the people who come to visit.

My daughter and I really enjoyed Makena Ranch's ride. It's south of Wailea past some great snorkeling, and the ride (we did the sunset ride) is about 2-3 hours long. The owner leads the way. The riders are well matched to the horses (my daughter, an experienced rider, loved her horse) and the ride goes way up above the water and then back down to the ranch. The owners are wonderful.

Definetly the Mendes Ranch. We loved it. The staff really cared for the horses - very important.

My family and I just returned from Maui and we chose the ranch ride with Pony Express. We chose the ranch ride because we are novice riders and thought it would be an easy ride for our first time. We were sorely mistaken! This ride takes you up and down steep hills,along rocky narrow paths,and the scenary was not impressive. We were led through a field of tall grass and told not to let the horses eat which was a constant struggle. My eleven year-old daughter was on a horse that kept biting the other horses. The guide decided that he needed to correct this horse by hitting the horse in the face with my daughter on it,which caused the horse to stumble backwards. This really scared my daughter and certainly angered me.This riding experience had left us with sore behinds and sour dispositions.