grand canyon apache stables

Did the 2 hour ride as a novice. Over all it was an excellent ride with many sights and sounds of the flora and fauna to take in. The experienced guide and handler was a plus. I plan to come back as a graduated novice to ride more adventures.

We took a 1 hour guided trail ride. This was a good alternative to riding the mules into the canyon. There were two guides with our group of around 12 people. We travelled slowly with one stop to make sure everyone's equipment was working properly. Our guides also paused several times to make sure everyone was okay. We felt very safe. My youngest son is ten and loved this. My sixteen year old thought it was great too. We're glad we gave this a try.

The horses were schooled properly and the Wranglers were no nonsense cowboys. Follow their rules and you will enjoy the ride and horses. Safety first is the best way to go. I ride Hunter Jumper horses and have two of my own. Have had them for 33 years and know the amount of money that I spend to keep them healthy and comfortable. I thought that the price was very reasonable so please don't forget to leave a nice tip. If you ride only English, forget about taking your left foot out of the stirrup! You will be asked "What kind of horses have you been riding?" The Wranglers don't do that in the West! LOL

My husband and I were worried after reading the reviews, but the kids were set on trying horseback riding. It would be the first time for both of them who are 12 and 9 so we went for it. The woman we made the reservation with and checked in with was very nice. When I called they made it clear that the ride is a walk through the Kaibab Forest not along the canyon. I did not think it was overpriced. One cowboy was in front of our group and one behind. They were very knowledgable and friendly. They are strict about the horses and how to stay staff on the ride but I was ok with that. My husband's horse kept wanting to taste some greenery but the cowboy explained that the bush was toxic to the horse. I was disappointed that we didn't see any wildlife on the ride but there is potential. We all had a nice time. I gave it 4 stars because you weren't aloud to really approach the horse or pet them . I think the other reviews were harsh calling the people creepy. Think how creepy some tourists are and maybe if that tourist was friendly to the cowboys they would have seen a different side.

We knew the trail only went through the woods, but never thought we would go at a snail's pace. Slow and boring. The path we were on was so worn there was a groove in the gound. Not much to see. If you've never ridden a horse before you might like this. But if you have ridden before this is plain dull. Expensive for what you get. Only a disgusting port a potty for necessities.

Let me begin by saying that my group and I enjoy trail rides, horses, and the company of cowboys, so this little adventure should have been fun. My husband, 10 year old daughter, a friend, 10 year old and I did the trail ride. My mother, another friend, two toddlers, one of which was my own, and my 6 year old daughter did the wagon ride. A woman checked us in, weighed us horse riders, and assigned us horses of various circumferences according to our body weight. Then, it was time to ride. The grizzled cowboys were reminiscent of Jack Palance, aka “Curly” in the movie “City Slickers.” Very authentic. Unfortunately, they also had his character’s personality: rough as steel wool, and not quite as friendly. After the brief instructions generally expected at a trail ride, we departed in silence. Now I expect trail rides to be slow. That’s fine. But silent? As I left my mother and children behind on the wagon, I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy. Perhaps the cowboys had names, but as we were not told them, I will henceforth refer to them as the Curly Twins. They led us into a typical forest – trees, grass, occasional wildflowers – you know the place. The terrain and scenery was unchanging. It was the kind of place you could easily get lost in due to the lack of interesting features. Who knew there was such boring terrain so close to the Grand Canyon? The trail behind us seemed to get swallowed up as we were led in silence deeper and deeper into the forest. The Curly Twins occasionally broke the silence in order to reprimand us for allowing our horses to eat. We were told to kick the horses as hard as we could to get them moving again. It was hard to decide what to do about the horses. We hated kicking the beautiful animals every few steps, but if we didn’t and the Curly Twins caught our horses eating, they’d kick our horses for us with a lot more force, and give us a progressively dirtier looks after each infraction. In the end, I chose to be my own horse’s tormenter and got quite a leg workout kicking my horse. My friend had less control of her horse, and it would periodically wander off of the trail to eat pine trees. At one point my horse bit her horse hard. Overall, the ride was extremely stressful. We may have seen a few too many horror movies, but being led by horseback, deep into the woods in silence seemed like the perfect lead up to an untimely demise. I had brief fears that I would never see my mother and small children again. These fears mounted heavier with each painful kick of my horse. After so much anxiety, we couldn’t wait to get off of our angry, hungry horses and have a cowboy cookout with the rest of our group who came by wagon. The cowboy cookout took place in kind of a sand bowl in the depths of the “forest of shadows.” The rest of our group from the wagon was already there, and apparently had been waiting for quite some time in a similar eerie silence for the riders to arrive. The Curly Twins took the horses back to the stable, leaving us with a third Curly who was even creepier than the first two. My mom brought hot dogs and snacks for the cookout. The deal is, bring your own food and the cowboys will have a cooking fire ready for you. Well due to wind or something, we couldn’t have an actual fire, so they provided a propane grill to cook our hot dogs on. We went ahead and cooked our food, but there were other people that had gone on the ride with us who hadn’t gotten the memo about bringing their own food. The others sat around bored while a third “Curly” just stood with his arms folded staring at the dirt smoking cigarettes which he flicked here and there despite the supposed fire danger. The other folks had to wait for our party to be done eating before they could leave. We offered them some food, but they declined. They seemed like they wanted us to hurry up so that they could go rustle up some grub for themselves. I would have felt the same way in their positions. We choked down our food, cleaned up after ourselves, and loaded up onto the wagon. I still had a Hansel and Gretel kind of feeling that the Curlys were just fattening us up for their own cannibal cowboy cookout later, but we did eventually arrive at the stables and escape the bizarre experience unscathed.

My sister and I just took the 2 hour ride through the beautiful Kaibab Forest. The horses were well trained and we went up and down many hills. Our wrangler, Merle was excellent. He was helpful, laid-back and very knowledgeable about the area and the local plants and animals. Half the ride we chatted and half just relaxed and enjoyed the horses and scenery.

Great horses, nice trail in the forest, but disappointed with unfriendly staff and slow pace of the "nose to tail" ride. The wranglers constantly reminded you about the rules of the trail instead of narrating the trip to make it more interesting. Too slow and silent for me. Also, no helmets were available for any of the riders. Enjoyed the cookout at the end, but again, no program or entertainment from staff. They provided the roasting sticks and a hot fire, but the rest is up to you.

The wranglers are very nice, but they walk the horses so slowly, it is really boring. You don't go to any real destination, just a trail through the forest. It smells amazing outside and is nice, but for the price, I want to see some overlook or something else. Even the kids were all bored. Too bad. The rim is so close.

For a first time ride where safety is paramount, this is a good deal. The wranglers go to great ends to ensure noone gets hurt, almost to the point of being a nuisance. The trails are scenic but look the same from start to finish. It's such a shame the trial can't include some view of the Grand Canyon, but it doesn't.