Rolling Hills Ranch

Three lady friends and I went on the moonlite ride last Friday and we had a fun-​filled evening. The staff were friendly and funny and I even garnered a new nickname from T-​Payne (Shawn, Sean? cannot remember his real name) – PJenks. The moonlight ride was surreal and beautiful and magical and I cannot recommend it enough.
In terms of an earlier review, there were only 2 couples on our ride. All the rest appeared to be groups of friends – largely ladies, like my own lil gaggle. Come with a pal if you are single and introverted or shy, and come alone if you are gregarious and social and want to meet cute ladies.
The ride begins at 9 and it is a 90 minute ride, so it is long-​ish, but it goes fast. You do not need experience to do this ride and no special gear required. You can use one of their riding hats for safety, or you can forego it and sign a waiver. I wanted to look sporting and official, so I wore a velvet cap! There is a ceremonial «release of the horses» where they go to pasture post-​ride, a wonderful, photo and video moment if you’re into that kind of thing, and a hayride over to the adorable little shire they have set up for the barbeque. There is yummy food, a bonfire, picnic tables, tiki torches, and amusing staff who cracked me the hell up.
The staff did smoke cigars the ride. I love cigars so I took no issue with this. My heart went pitter patter every time I saw a staff member running a horse in the dark distance across a field or up a hill. I kept whispering to Captain that I was ready to run whenever he was. I’m clearly one of those nerdy girls who had her nose stuck in a book about a horse growing up.
I would love to return here to really learn to ride.

Enjoyable and you could tell the horses have been well trained. However The deal is $ 25 for an hour. My group of four (ranging from first time riders to intermediate riders) were back and off the horses in twenty minutes. Very upsetting especially when you pay for an hour. Also a person in our group had lost their hat and she was forced to walk and get it herself when staff is littered through the course with walkie talkies. Why they couldn’t had asked staff to get it I still don’t know… Again no problems with the horses but it’s the business side of things here that made us not want to come back.

I’m in the area from out of town and have always wanted to go riding. None of my friends or family had much interest so needless to say I have never been riding. I found this place online and jumped at the opportunity.
What an awesome experience! They take you through the basics of steering and you’re off with another rider from the business. They stay by your side and let u enjoy. At no point did I feel pushed to do something out of my comfort level. Amazing first ride at a great price.

I go here about every two weeks since I came here for college. My horseback riding experience is limited due to me not being able to take lessons, but I do know the rough basics and we always have our friend who is an advanced rider with us if we do have any trouble. Our crew got a Frequent Rider’s card when we first came and we’ve been using it ever since. We actually are almost at a free ride!
When I first came here I was put on Pepper who was a lovely horse and he was very spirited. But he must be getting older due to his lag in getting up the hill in a timely manner. The second time I came I rode back to the barn after getting him up to the top of the hill because he seemed very worn out. I asked for a new horse and they put me on Jerry. I believe Sean was his name and he said «You’ll like Jerry» and gave me a smug smile. Jerry was VERY spirited. He bolted up the hill like he hadn’t been out all day and ran past all the other horses. I absolutely fell in love with him. After a few times riding we all got put on new horses due to all of ours being out, and I came in contact with Forbes. He’s my new favorite since they shipped out Jerry on our last adventure there. Forbes is a large boy who has a great spirit and loving temperament. Sometimes he can be stubborn but he is a great companion to ride with.
Any level of riding can come here and feel comfortable on their horse. They will gladly give you the horse you rode last if you request them. The staff is very nice and if you are knowledgeable with the trails, you can go out on your own but staff is out there when you need them. Sometimes your group will be added with one or two stray riders who just want to ride with friendly faces which we’ve done before and each person was pretty nice. Though I do agree with Larissa G. when it comes to the staff smoking on the job. It would be great if they did it while riding back or in between groups. The horses are VERY well cared for, aside from sometimes I’ve noticed they’ve had matted manes or tails due to bristles getting caught. I’ll take the time while we’re mounting to pull some of them out.
There is a great amount of space for parking and the cost of only $ 25 is an AMAZING deal for the freedom you get with the horses. This is the only public riding stable that I have found that is great with the horses, great with the customers, and has a BEAUTIFUL view of the land. Any pictures you take here will be great especially at the top of the hill. We have had many great times here and would come back every day if I could. We’ve wanted to come to a Moonlite Ride but were unable to due to availability. I wish that there was more days for students like my group who are breaking the 21 age group but not quite there yet. I’ve heard the Moonlite Rides are to die for. I couldn’t give more of a great review if I wanted to but I hope this review comes in handy for anyone looking for a great ride on a great budget!
**Update**: MAKE SURE YOU SECURE ALL YOUR ITEMS YOU CARRY WITH YOU WHILE RIDING! It is almost guaranteed that you will lose something. I actually bring a small pack that I clip onto my belt loop with a zipper to put all my valuables in, including my phone so I’m able to take pictures along the ride. Putting things in your back pocket is a bad idea, same with your breast pocket. The best pocket to put something in would probably be your front pockets seeing as you can feel them more and see them if you just glance down quickly to make sure its still there. We’ve lost cell phones, money, a wallet, and such but were able to recover almost everything when we went back to look for it. And the staff will allow you to go and look for your belongings as needed.

I think this is a fantastic place and am so happy that there’s somewhere close for me to go when I want to go horseback riding!
Rolling Hills is a very appropriate barn for anyone looking to go on some laid back trail rides. Riders of all levels will do just fine here (for reference, I took English-​style horseback riding lessons for about seven or eight years). When I came here for a ride they gave me a «difficult» horse due to my experience level, and we got along great. Lesson being that even the «difficult» horses are really mellow by normal standards, hence why I say that casual and advanced riders alike will be fine.
The hardest decision you’ll have to make is whether to go during the day or go for a night ride horses. Day riders have much better views of the hilly and wooded area and may even be able to work in a trot or canter since they have a clear view of the trail in front of them. If you go for an evening «Moonlite» ride (which, I want to note, you need to schedule in advance), you’ll get to enjoy a great atmosphere and a walk along wood trails lit by tikki torches. Moonlite riders also get an amazing BBQ fireside dinner afterward (I want the recipe for the tender ribs that were served, they were amazing!).
A couple things keep me from giving this place 5 stars. The staff sometimes smoke during the rides, which ruins the fresh air smell in the woods and meadows; I didn’t feel comfortable asking them to stop, unfortunately. But all the staff would have to do is NOT ride directly in front of everyone else when they light up! So this is a major drawback for me, as I’m hyper-​sensitive to cigarette smoke. I’m also not sure why they told me to show up at 8:00 to my evening ride when I made my ride reservation; we didn’t even begin mounting the horses until 8:45 or 9:00, so I stood around awkwardly for almost an hour waiting for the rest of the people to show up. On that note, one more thing: bring a friend to the Moolite Rides if you’re single like I am. This is apparently unofficially a couples activity, and as a result I was alone in a giant group of couples.
Don’t get me wrong, my ride was fantastic and I’d come back again, but there’s still a little room for improvement here, I think.

This was so fun!!! It was my first time riding a horse in years.
The place was easy to find and there is plenty of free parking. It costs $ 25 to ride for an hour (cute riding helmet included!).
The first staff member I met (a.k.a guy with the short blond ponytail) was so nice! He was really friendly and helpful, as were the other staffers, and riders!
My horse Gus was friendly and calm. The horses are also well cared for and healthy, something VERY important to me. Will definitely be back! Thanks guys!