Horseback riding in St Lucia

[wdphokie]

Anybody use the international pony club stables? How far is it from the pier?

[calypsoman]

It is about 1.5 hours away but the trek is amazing!!!

[NewJerseyNewbie]

Does the ride go into the ocean? Or is it just through the hills or trails? Also, do you know of any stables that are closer to the ship?

 

Thanks!

[rumpunchdancer]

I rode with the stables in the North and I also rode with Atlantic Shores Stables. They were both very different. Trim's will take you into the ocean but the beach was not so clean. The beach in the south with Atlantic Shores stables is way nicer. The water ride was up to us but we declined as we preferred to lounge on the beach chairs and enjoy the amazing beauty of this southern beach. I have photos if you'd like to compare our 2 excursions. You can decide which is to your liking. I'm confident you will choose Riding with Max at Atlantic Shores Stables. We know we did and it was well worth every penny.Oh by the way, the taxi took less than an hour to get us there.We returned to the ship with plenty time to shop at the market in Castries. You should give it a try. Hope this helps.

[NewJerseyNewbie]

Thank you that does help! We have been looking at some different places to ride. Did you have to wear pants and shoes to ride or were you allowed to wear whatever you choose? Because some of the places we looked at required long pants and sneakers.

 

If you have photos you're willing to share I'd love to see them! Atlantic Shores sounds much better and we will definitely look into it! Thanks again! :D

[rumpunchdancer]

:) Most stables require long pants for your own comfort as you will be rubbing against the leather. We found out sitting on a towel will help if you have shorts on. Wearing closed shoes makes it alot more comfortable. helmets were required for our protection(even though the horses were so sweet and gentle). I tried uploading a few photos but had some difficulty. Please forward your email and I will gladly send the photos. Again enjoy your vacation and you will fall in love with Honeymoon Beach with Atlantic shores stable. Oh don't forget your sunblock and tanning lotion.

[calypsoman]

I'm happy I was able to share my experience with you. Do enjoy yourself and make sure to take plenty photos of your stay in paradise. Go with an open mind and this experience at Honeymoon Beach will be cherished for a life time.

[Bick]

We were there last Wednesday and took the Calypso tour - ride to the beach, lunch on the beach and a steel drum player. Rhon, Max and Co were truly unbelievable with my family of 5. We are all novice riders and they were extremely helpful and considerate the entire time.

 

It's about an hour from Castries, but the drive was great with Rhon and Curt as our tour guides. The scenary was beautiful throughout the tour.

 

This excursion greatly exceeded our expectations and was worth every penny. I'd be happy to go into greater detail if you'd like.

[islandersx4]

Hi Bick and Rumpunchdancer, I'd love more info on Max and horsebackriding. sounds fabulous. what is the cost, how long do you ride, is lunch and beach time included. Do they pick you up at pier???

Rumpunchdancer please email me photos,,,thanks cathstol@aol.com all advice is greatly apprecciated...oh yeah is there a website???

[Bick]

Hi Bick and Rumpunchdancer, I'd love more info on Max and horsebackriding. sounds fabulous. what is the cost, how long do you ride, is lunch and beach time included. Do they pick you up at pier???

Rumpunchdancer please email me photos,,,thanks cathstol@aol.com all advice is greatly apprecciated...oh yeah is there a website???

 

The cost varies ($50 - $100 incl transportation) depending on what specific ride you want and your experience. You can ride the horses on the beach in the water if you'd like. Contact Rhon Stephens directly at rhonc@candw.lc and he'll customize something for you depending on the time you have available. Lunch and beach time was included in our 5 hour excursion, and he picked us up at the pier - Pointe Seraphine - and returned us in plenty of time to do a little shopping before we had to leave. It was a memory of a lifetime. Tell him I referred you - he'll remember us.

[islandersx4]

Hi Bick, thank you so much, I am really excited about this excrusion. I have a DD who's 11 and wild about horses. We all have some experience.

The price you quoted $50-$100, what does the low represent??? I would love some beach time, lunch, the whole package. The positive comments on this tour sold me. Thank you in advance for any further info and I will pass your name along. Cathy:D :D

[rumpunchdancer]

I will forward the photos to you...Like Bick suggested,email Rhon and he will customize a great package for you. Ask him to take you to latille waterfalls.:cool:

[islandersx4]

I can't wait, thanks for the information...............I look forward to seeing the pics. Cathy

[cruznqueen]

hi, i took everyone's advice and contacted Atlantic Shores to inquire about their packages. i heard back from Rhon today and the price he gave me seemed really high. He quoted me $125.00 per person for the Calypso Ride and $95.00 for the Beach Ride.

 

Are these his normal prices?

[islandersx4]

I also contacted Rhon today by phone....info I rec'd from Rumpunchdancer has convinced me. He apparently only does the Calypso rides on Sat. and Wed., we'll be there on Tuesday and he indicated they would accomodate us. I emailed him as our connection had a delay and that is so disconcerting. I'm eagerly awaiting his response. When are you going?? I will post any info I get and would appreciate your doing same. I was born and raised in Maryland....

Later, Cathy

[rumpunchdancer]

The information sent to me stated that the price per person for the Calypso Beach Tour was $85US. That did not include transfer from the cruise ship. The transfer is $120US per group. If that transfer rate is divided equally among the group you will have a cheaper transfer per person. So to figure the cost of the complete tour(which includes beach ride,lunch and a tour of the eastern coast of this beautiful island) divide $120 by the # of people in your group and add that to the Calypso ride rate of $85US. That will give you the rate per person which will then include transfer from your hotel/cuise ship,a beautiful beach tour,food,live steel pan music,and tour of eastern side of the island with a waterfall stop for photos. That is a very good price considering the amazing scenery. The same goes for the $55US beach ride(divide the cost of transfer by the # in group).Remember you get what you pay for...this ride is well worth the money we spent. We wanted our trip to be very memorable and Rhon saw to it that we had the most wonderful time on our Caribbean adventure!

[islandersx4]

HI Bick and Rumpunchdancer, Well I am sold and thank you both for the veru detailed info regarding this excursion...I think, given your descriptions that the cost seems fair. I eagerly await a response from Rhon. My next question (s) what did you tip? How sore were you afterwards???;) thanks, Cathy

[rumpunchdancer]

I can't remember how much we tipped...;) I was too busy thinking of my next visit to St.Lucia!

[Bick]

I think rumpunch answered your question. The "transfer" from the ship to the riding area is really understated. It's almost like another excursion in itself it was so beautiful. There were a couple times I half-expected to see a dinosaur peek it's head through the lush rainforest. I would have paid $150 per person (there were 5 of us), and felt like it was a good deal.

 

Cathy - I think I tipped $50...maybe it was more? We were all pretty sore that night, but fine by the next day.

[rumpunchdancer]

Which horse did you ride? I fell in love with the brown and white pinto. He was so sweet and gentle. and I love the way the lead horse pranced! he moved like he was the king of the island. Wish I had been in your group when you rode. You're so passionate about you trip. We plan on visiting again next year!:)

[cruznqueen]

:) Thank you for all the good information. You all did answer my question. I think I will go on the roll call for our sailing and see if anyone else wants to join us. We are sailing on the Galaxy from San Juan on February 2, 2006.

[Bick]

Which horse did you ride? I fell in love with the brown and white pinto. He was so sweet and gentle. and I love the way the lead horse pranced! he moved like he was the king of the island. Wish I had been in your group when you rode. You're so passionate about you trip. We plan on visiting again next year!:)

 

I was on a mare named Return, my son rode Loco, my wife rode Chester (who wanted to roll around in the grass when we were eating), and I forgot what horses the girls were riding.

 

Our group was just us 5. It was almost surreal having that whole piece of the island and beach to ourselves. I really could go on and on about this excursion.

[GypsyOBRN]

I rode with the stables in the North and I also rode with Atlantic Shores Stables. They were both very different. Trim's will take you into the ocean but the beach was not so clean. The beach in the south with Atlantic Shores stables is way nicer. The water ride was up to us but we declined as we preferred to lounge on the beach chairs and enjoy the amazing beauty of this southern beach. I have photos if you'd like to compare our 2 excursions. You can decide which is to your liking. I'm confident you will choose Riding with Max at Atlantic Shores Stables. We know we did and it was well worth every penny.Oh by the way, the taxi took less than an hour to get us there.We returned to the ship with plenty time to shop at the market in Castries. You should give it a try. Hope this helps.

 

I would love to see your photos with the Atlatic Shores Stables. Could you send them to me? GypsyOBRN@yahoo.com

 

Thanks so much! Beth

[islandersx4]

Hi Rumpunchdancer, I'd also love to see your pics of your excursion with Atlantic Riding Stables, cathstol@aol.com

Thanks!!! Cathy

[MurfAtHome]

:) Most stables require long pants for your own comfort as you will be rubbing against the leather. We found out sitting on a towel will help if you have shorts on. Wearing closed shoes makes it alot more comfortable. helmets were required for our protection(even though the horses were so sweet and gentle). I tried uploading a few photos but had some difficulty. Please forward your email and I will gladly send the photos. Again enjoy your vacation and you will fall in love with Honeymoon Beach with Atlantic shores stable. Oh don't forget your sunblock and tanning lotion.

 

We just booked the cruise to St. lucia. would you mind sending me the pics of the different stables? Thanks

murphsj@sbcglobal.net:D