Colorado Horseback Trail Rides

The maximum weight our largest horses can carry is 230 lbs (not every horse can carry this much) and all riders must be under a Body Mass Index of 34 to insure horse and rider safety. Be advised:  a rider who is under 230 lbs may still be unable to ride if their height/weight ratio is too high. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure for human body shape based on an individual’s mass and height. As it relates to horseback riding, as a rider’s BMI increases, their center of gravity gets higher, thereby reducing the rider’s ability to stabilize themselves in the saddle. Because horseback riding is a physical sport, it is critical that we evaluate each rider’s BMI when determining if he or she can safely negotiate the mountainous terrain in which we ride. Physical fitness is one of many factors that determine your ability to safely participate. We reserve the right to decline service to any individual that, in the opinion of the management, cannot be safely accommodated.

Of course, because horses are not bicycles. We can take children ages 8 and older on trail rides and 12 and older on cattle drives. We do not take minors under 13 on trail rides without an adult nor do we take minors under 15 on cattle drives without an adult. As much as we love cookies, we cannot take bribes to allow underage children to ride, even if they own a horse and qualify for the Kentucky Derby…liability insurance writes the rules. Unfortunately we do not have trips for children under 8 years old, however we do have a comfortable cabin with indoor and outdoor picnic tables when an adult needs to stay behind with the younger children. They can explore the outdoors, go for a walk, play horseshoes or try their hand at the roping dummy.

Because we care about safety, we do not recommend our rides for most mentally or physically disabled adults or children. Please note that neither our horses nor our guides are certified in equine therapy. It is VERY important that you consider this fact before booking with us and we’d be happy to discuss your particular situation to determine feasibility or refer you to a local therapeutic riding stable. We understand this is a sensitive subject but we would hate to disappoint anyone who showed up to ride and didn’t realize that we cannot safely accommodate their needs. Just because the person has successfully participated in therapy riding in the past does not mean they can independently and safely ride one of our non-therapy horses out on our rugged open range environment. Our job is to provide a safe and fun environment for everyone on the ride and when a guest requires constant one-on-one attention, it affects the safety and experience of the other guests in the group. If you neglected to inform us or were not honest regarding the disabled guest, we will still have to charge you for the time slot you reserved even though the guest isn’t able to ride.