Any experiences with HorseBack Riding??

[sk2680]

Has anyone taken part on a Horse Back Riding shore excursion (especially in Jamaica at Chukka Cove Polo Club or in Mexico because we are sailing the western caribbean...)
Would like to know whether everyone can take part or only people who have experiences in riding.

When is the best time to book an excursion? Bevore you leave (travel agent) or is o.k. to book it on the ship?

[stretch]

[i][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkred]The horses that they use for excursions are basically "pack horses" that are trained to just follow eachother. I don't know of any that require that you be an experienced rider. My suggestion would be to go ahead and go to the RCI website and browse through the excursions offered through them. We usually book ours through the cruiseline ahead of time for a couple of reasons, (1) The tickets are delivered to your stateroom and you don't have to worry about where you will pick them up. (2) When booking through the cruiseline, transportation to the excursion is included. (3) You are charged for the excursion when you book them and you don't have those charges to add on to your seapass account. (4)You may pay a little more going through the cruiseline, but if the itinerary is changed, or bad weather prohibits the excursion, at least you will receive your credit back immediatly to your seapass account, and if there is a delay in getting back to the ship, you won't be left standing at the dock. :eek: [/color][/font][/i]

[i][font=Comic Sans MS][color=#8b0000]Stretch[/color][/font][/i]

[bplazo]

We went horseback riding in the Caymans. The worst excursion that I have been on. I had never ridden a horse before and never will again. My husband was the only one that enjoyed it. My daughter and her friend found it boring also. It was expensive, over $200.00 and I was ready to get off that horse after the first five minutes.

[kjkohler]

I've never heard a good experience with excursion horseback riding. On our honeymoon in Jamaica (Negril) we did an awesome ride in the hills but we booked it through Swept Away, the all-inclusive we were at. Great time - teenager for a guide and tiny little stands with Red Stripe, etc. along the way. No helmets or kookity requirements like that. Then in, I think it was St. Thomas one year, we did a horseback riding excursion through the ship. It was awful - hot icky helmets that had been worn a thousand times, waiting on those who weren't ride-savvy at all, etc.

Unless you can find an outside person to book through, I would definitely not recommend it and haven't heard anyone yet who has tried or found that. Everyone I've heard about the beach riding from says it was awful as well.

[Meredith71]

If you are going to be in Ocho Rios, I recommend Hooves. My sister and I went with this past May and had a great time. We did a private ride, just the 2 of us and the guide. We had both ridden before even though it had been about 10-15 years for me. We got to trot a lot and canter on the beach and in the field getting to the beach. The guide was great. For the private ride, we did have to wear helmets because we would be cantering. For the group ride, you had the option to wear a helmet or not because you mostly do walking. Our guide, Michael, was great! They will pick you up at the pier and it is about a 20 minute ride to the house and stables and then they take you back to the pier.

They were great to work with but once you get there, some of employees act surprised because they do not get many cruise passengers. They work with the hotels in the area. There was another couple from our ship doing the mountain ride and they loved it too.

Meredith

[TerriDHair]

I second the vote for "Hooves". I booked a ride through them for our January 2004 cruise after reading about them here. I had never ridden a horse. Hubby and I were picked up at the pier and taken to the stables where we met our horses and our wonderful guide, Nicholas. We were offered helmets and declined. We had fun riding down the mountain toward the beach and after a short break we got to ride the horses in the ocean! My hubby, who is not necessarily easy to impress, rates that day as a top one as far as port days of all our cruises. This is the Hooves website: [url="http://www.hoovesjamaica.com/"]http://www.hoovesjamaica.com/[/url]

[sk2680]

thanks very much for your answers and your experiences with "hooves".
Did you book the tour before your departure or do you think it is possible to book a tour at the pier when the ships arrives?
I'm just worring that when I book a tour not through the cruise line I have no insurance and when I'm late at the pier the ship won't wait...isn't it so?!

[stretch]

[quote name='sk2680']thanks very much for your answers and your experiences with "hooves".
Did you book the tour before your departure or do you think it is possible to book a tour at the pier when the ships arrives?
I'm just worring that when I book a tour not through the cruise line I have no insurance and when I'm late at the pier the ship won't wait...isn't it so?![/QUOTE]
[i][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkred]Yep, that's right![/color][/font][/i]
[i][font=Comic Sans MS][color=#8b0000]You really ought to consider getting the insurance. For the small amount of money it costs, it sure is good for your peace of mind. Any number of things can happen to ruin your vacation if you don't have coverage. I'm not in the insurance business but it's just a good idea to take out a policy. IMHO[/color][/font][/i]
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[Meredith71]

You should be fine getting back to the ship. Hooves is there waiting for you when you arrive and the ride lasts about 2 1/2 hours. My sister and I went back to the ship, cleaned up a bit, had lunch and still went out shopping a little in the afternoon.

Meredith

[TBRay]

I can't help but chime in here. My wife and I did the RCI sponsored horseback ride in Ocho Rios and considered it one of the highlights of the cruise (with the Mayan ruins of Tulum as the other major highlight). About 45 riders take a leisurely stroll through a winding country road until you reach a beach area. Then they have a changing room where you put on bathing suits, and they take about 10 riders at a time THROUGH the surf. :eek: The horses are almost submerged but seem used to it. It's a thrill and a half IMHO. :cool:

My wife still talks about that trip. Neither one of us are considered experienced riders but had no problems with the excursion. Yes, it is a little pricey, but I considered it money well spent (my wife LOVES horses).

And of the 45 riders, they selected MY horse as the leader. That was a cool feeling leading the pack throughout the trip. :rolleyes:

[TerriDHair]

We had no problem getting back to the ship in time with Hooves, either, in fact we shopped for a while afterwards. Our driver on one non-ship excursion we took commented to us that if they're a reputable company they have a resposibility to make sure you are not late getting back to the ship as their reputation is on the line. That made sense to me and altough unforseen complications could happen, I am never too concerned about being late. I don't tend to schedule our activities such that we'd be cutting it too close, though.