02/18/09

Great Date Night for Valentines

by hslacker

Talk about a different Valentine's day. My boyfriend reserved a ride through this ranch last week. We came up to the ranch and were matched with two other couples and a guide and spent two hours riding up to Mt. Hollywood. As the sun decended upon LA, we made our way back to the ranch where they had a catered bbq dinner waiting for us with live music. So much better then a crowded restaurant! We ended up hanging out with our guide and two other couples during dinner. What great fun. I would only recommend a couple more layers of clothes as the temperature got down around the low 50's. Thanks Sunset Ranch.

• Pros: Friendly guides, amazing scenery
• Cons: have to park down the hill since there is no parking at the ranch

02/12/09

what are these people talking about?

by dppch

I read the below write up and know for a fact that its completely bogus. I have ridden at Sunset Ranch numerous times and they totally do NOT abuse their horses. Whenever I go up there, guides and guests are always brushing the horses and giving them a carrot out of the 50lb bag sitting by the tack shed. Those horses, yes, are rental horses and of course its somewhat of a tough life. But they DONT run their horses, they shoe all their horses, they adopt out their older horses, and they DO provide them with the best life they can for being volunteers. In the speech they give before EVERY ride, they go over all the rules of the park and with the horses. They DO match all of the riders abilities with the horses. Thats the first thing they ask is your experience. They would never put you on a horse that you could not control. YES the get a little stubborn and will try to eat the grass but they are HORSES. Besides, it gives them character. As for the crazy lady, if she was not wearing a helmet, in a line, with other horses, then she was NOT a guide or a guest. It was a privately owned horse and those people are allowed to ride at their own discretion. The guides would not allow that to happen on their ride...trust me...Rules are rules. So, if you want a relaxing scenic ride, I would totally recommend the 2 hr to Mt Hollywood. Its great. Horses are happy, people are happy. If you have never ridden there, give it a try. If you havent, and know nothing about the place, dont write reviews on something you know nothing about. Go up and ask a question next time, and maybe you will get an answer you didnt expect. Hope to see people up there real soon!!

• Pros: beautiful scenery, happy horses, nice people
• Cons: parking

01/26/09

If you like your life and if you like horses, DO NOT GO!

by Cherinoute

I stopped at the ranch the other day after a hike in the hills. I love horses and having moved to LA only 2 years ago, I had heard about this landmark but never had the opportunity to have a look at it. What an horror!

These people abuse their horses and they are completely irresponsible with clients. It is very dangerous for the riders. They take people of all levels on the same ride without explaining them the basics.They don't even try to match the experience of the client with the temperament of the horse. They do not observe any safety rules. They make you wear helmets but the helmets are beaten up, which means if you fall, they are useless.

The horses are filthy and they stand all day long with the saddle on their back. They do not look underfed as I've read in some reviews but on the contrary they are fat. They clearly need exercise and a horse that lacks exercise is a time bomb!!! A particular incident shocked me. During our hike, my husband and I crossed the same woman on a horse twice. She looked completely stoned as if she had taken a cocktail of alcohol, pills and illegal substances. She was over excited and out of it at the same time. She had no control of the horse and the animal didn't know what to do. You could see he was going following the trail because he knew he was supposed to do so. Luckily he wasn't responding to her commands at all or they would have both ended in the ravine or run over hikers. When on our way back to our car we stopped at the ranch, there she was. The same woman on the same horse but this time in the big pen. She was being crazy, pulling on the reins as much as she could, yelling at the poor animal that was now completely scared. Worse, a group of people, apparently ranch staff and friends, were encouraging her!!! Unfortunately there was nothing we can do to release that poor animal but I swore to him I would spread the word. If you like horses and if you like your life, DO NOT GO!

• Cons: Abuse horses - Unsafe for riders