I brought my family on vacation and my wife and kids love horses so we ended up here. I was a bit nervous because it was my 8 year olds first time on a horse alone, but I tell you what, the staff noticed her hesitation and anxiety and took action. He talked to her and got her comfortable with the horse before we started the trip. He even put her behind the tour guide for safe keeping. The tour was about an hour long and it was beautiful. The horses were so well behaved and mellow tempered, I would recommend this place for any beginner. I would defiantly return.
My family and I thought it would be exciting to go four wheeling at big rock dude ranch, that was a big mistake. The lady working the counter told us that we would not be able to go all the way up the mountain as a result of recent rain. When I told her I wanted to talk to my family to see if we still wanted to go she began to become pushy and aggressive assuring us that we would have a great time no matter what and barely giving us time to talk. After talking, we decided to go forward with the ATV ride. We were charged $73.00 (not the $56.00 that is advertised on the website) for a mandatory tip and taxes. When we got on the 4 wheelers we began to go around a field (horse pasture) loop after loop after loop. At first I thought it was just a practice lap, after a few laps i realized this was all we would be doing. Not only did we not "go to the top of the mountain" but we didn't go on a mountain at all. After a few laps we were bored and I could tell the guide was as well. When we finally got back to the ranch the lady from the counter was begging us to buy a photo. She first said it would be $20. When I said no she lowered the price to $10 and then $5. When I continued to say no she begged us for a donation. When I said no for a fourth time I could tell she was angry. I couldn't believe the lack of professionalism from this lady and this company. This is a money eating tourist trap. Save your money and DO NOT go here.
I would not recommend this place. They are high priced. There is no view while on the trail. They cycle their horses right off the last ride with no more than a five minute water break while you are sitting on them. I felt really bad for the horses. Our guide did not speak to us even once during the hour trail ride. The website is not up to date on the pricing and doesn't mention the added fee if you need a larger horse. I was definitive not impressed that all the staff are smokers and do so around the animals and customers.
Our entire family couldn't recommend this establishment more! We arrived shortly after they opened and were greeted by several friendly faces. For $30 per person (check local coupon booklets to receive $5 per person) we were taken on a guided horseback ride through the mountains, received a bottle of water and a bag of feed to feed the petting zoo animals. The petting zoo is small, but was perfect for our 5 kiddos. There is also a wonderful kitchen on property with a small but delicious menu. The best part of this excursion was, of course, the trail ride. The employees chose the best horses for each person in our party from our 5 year old daughter to my 6'4", 250lb hubby. They were all perfect! Daniel, our guide made sure we all felt safe and attended to. The trails were well maintained. Although steep at times, the horses knew what they were doing and where they were going, so even a novice, like myself, will feel comfortable. We even saw some wild turkeys on our ride! They also take each rider's picture and offer those for purchase. 14 thumbs up from this family of 7! Don't forget to tip your trail guide!
We drove to a couple of other stables in the area and being a horse lover I was disappointed in the condition of the horses and the property and refused to contribute to a business that does not take care of the animals and the property. At one place the horses were in a large lot full of manure mounds. We drove to Ponderosa and it was beautiful and the horses were fat and clean and all had shoes on them and they had a big shelter in the pasture for the horses to get shade or out of the rain. This place was immaculate and the trails were well maintained. We did the horse trails and the ATV ride and had a blast. Everyone was really nice. My only concern is that my horse was tired and panting some and when I got off they put someone else bigger than me right on him to get ready to head out again. I would prefer they give the horses more of a rest. They said they had 75 horses so a rotation of the herd each hour would be nice for the horses. Typically all riding stables do this though. I highly recommend this place for your family. I could have spent the whole day there.
Ponderosa Riding Stables is a US Travel Agency based in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Ponderosa Riding Stables is located at 909 Little Cove Rd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863, USA.
Please contact with Ponderosa Riding Stables using information above: Address, Phone number, Fax, Postal code, Website address, E-mail, Facebook. Find Ponderosa Riding Stables opening hours and driving directions or map. Find real customer reviews and ratings or write your own review.
Find Travel Agency in Pigeon Forge