Horseback riding on Maui
 

I'm interested in feedback from people who have done this. Who would you recommend and why? Thanks!

I've been to the Mendes Ranch (www.mendesranch.com). Great price, great guides, great location. I was a long, excellent ride. The sites were beautiful and views excellent. They're a family own (several generations) and they give you a lot of history along the ride as well. Enjoy!

I meant to say, "it was a long, excellent ride," not "I." ha

You win for funniest typo of the day!

messiage to Penaddict: YOU GO GIRL!

Thanks. I figured that would be interpreted wrong. (red face)

My daughter and I did a sunset (two or three hour) ride with Makaha Stables on the (obviously) Makaha side of Maui. The horses and the owners were absolutely wonderful. I don't know what the other places cost, but this was $130 per person a few years ago.

i just wanted to give a big thumbs up to Makena Stables. the sunset ride that i took (no sunset, and it rained a bit)a few weeks ago was wonderful. the horses are beauties and well trained and well cared for. Helene and Pat are terrific: very professional and very nice. just a great experience all around.

We drove by Makena stables, and the horses there looked fine. However, there is an outfit called Pony Express whose horses looked pretty sad--we passed them when we were hiking on Haleakala.

stellaluna, a group of us will be on Maui in March and 5 of us are interested in riding. We have all ridden a bit, but wouldn't go so far as to say we are "experienced." We want the opportunity to trot and canter, not just walk behind a guide for 2 hours. Can you tell me a little more about your ride with Makena? Thanks!

Hi Marilyn,

The trail ride that i went on did not involve anything other than walking. to be honest i was kind of hoping that we might get to break into a canter a few times. however, the scenery was so cool that it really didn't matter that much to me in the end. i don't know if this is the case with the other rides that are offered by Makena Stables, but if you want to make sure you get to do more than walk your horse i would definitely contact them ahead of time to find out. what mattered to me most was the condition of the horses, the personality and knowledge of the guide(s) and the scenery: all were excellent. i am an experienced rider and find it very frustrating to be on a horse that does little more than follow the tail of the horse in front of him! the horse i had the privelege of riding was a gem. all of the horses that i saw at the stables were beautiful, healthy and full of spirit.
i would say go for it!

Thanks, stellaluna! I have a list of stables on Maui and was planning to email several in advance to see whether we could do a bit more active ride than the usual walk. (I will eliminate Pony Express from the list after Rachel's post.)

My motivation for learning to ride at this rather late point in my life is to be able to ride in places like Hawaii and Mexico with some confidence. Sitting on a walking horse is something I could have managed quite well without lessons, so I'm really eager to try out my new skills (limited as they may be!).

I just read my earlier message and realized I wrote Makaha (which is on Oahu) rather than Makena Stables. My daughter and I own horses and ride frequently and Helene and Pat were absolutely fantastic in matching horses to riders. My daughter's horse had been killed in an accident the year before and they went out of their way to be especially wonderful to her. They're just wonderful people with great horses and a beautiful location.