River Valley Ranch

I didn’t fall off my horse. Next time I will bring an apple to thank my horse.
My small group had reservations that had maybe been lost which was no big deal in late April, but the staff said they can get busy in the warmer months and in early fall. I had been optimistic about the weather and put on my sunscreen, but it was really quite cold.
Things to know:
We started 45 minutes late. Which was a little bit of a bummer, and we ended up 15 minutes late to our dinner reservation.
There’s not much of an orientation, or much guidance on the trail bc the guide is in the front and only the first and second riders can probably hear anything.
There’s no stool to get on the horses. The staff will help you, but if you’re short or heavy or not particularly flexible, this might be stressful. My friend (who is tall and sporty) fumbled her mount and the horse was spooked and she ended up taking a tumble.
At the beginning of the ride, you need to trust the horses won’t fall down several steep hills (the mining project has a pit of doom feel to it) Luckily we got past this area before one horse and rider had an incident that left the rider on the ground. I didn’t see how it happened, and she got right back up on the horse… and the horse TOOK OFF. He wanted to go back to the start. The staff really didn’t want to let the horse off the hook bc it would teach a bad lesson, and the rider was a bit shaken. Eventually her horse had to be tethered to the guide’s horse… and although the guide’s horse was ok with this for most of the ride, when they had to unconnect at the end near the pit of doom, the guide ended up on the ground and his horse took off.
And yet would I go again? Yes.

This was an awesome experience! Went on a Sunday in the fall and the property was really beautiful, aside from a mining project when you first start. My horse was well behaved and the staff was really nice. We had 3oclock reservations and didn’t realize how far away it was from the cities so ended up getting there a little late. No problem, they had split the group in two so we went with the second group. Our guide was a little young so she didn’t have much to say on the trail but we talked amongst ourselves and got to trot quite a bit. Definitely worth way worth the money!!!

It was 90 degrees out, our horses were a little lazy, but who can blame them!
My husband and I took an hour ride. It was a lot of fun and they have wonderful scenery. It was a little confusing at first when we showed up. I was unsure which building to go to. So we just walked up to the girls by the horses and were greeted. They get right to the point here. The owner gave us a sheet to sign, we paid her right there and we were on our way to our horses they had waiting for us. Although it was hotter then hell it was a pleasant ride once we got into the shade. Overall it was a very nice time and for 25 bucks a person it was totally worth it!

Wonderful experience here for my first horse back ride! It was just my wife and I although a gaggle of Girl Scouts went out before us, and the place was very kid friendly. At the same time we got to have a great romantic one hour tour of rolling hills, forrest and riverbanks (or areas that looked like riverbanks due to recent flooding). Guide was very knowledgeable for two beginners like us. The horses were gorgeous and so easy to ride. I recommend this as a fun date, a great mental health break, outdoorsy time or all of the above!
And don’t let the woman who takes reservations scare you. She may be brusque on the phone but all staff there are friendly and fabulous. I forgot gloves and our guide was kind enough to lend me an extra pair of hers!
And you can’t beat the price at $ 25 a head for a private guided ride for an hour, which to me was the perfect amount of time. My legs were just beginning to tell me how out of shape I am when we were suddenly back to the ranch. A perfect afternoon all around so much that we’re talking about when we can next go back.

I took my husband horseback riding for his birthday last weekend. We had a really great experience. We ended up arriving at a time when we were the only people ready for a trail ride, so it was just the two of us and a guide. She was able to customize our ride by staying close to the river and going to this high look-​out point, which they don’t typically do for larger groups or groups with children.
River Valley takes reservations and walk-​ins which is great for the flexibility. Saturdays are usually busy. It is $ 25 per person per hour. They do take private two-​hour reservations at $ 50 per person… but I tried to inquire about this on the phone and the woman who spoke to me wasn’t very helpful. I didn’t find this out until we were already back from out ride.
While we were on our ride, our guide went down a path to avoid a group coming towards us, the other guide, an older woman, yelled at her in front of both groups of guests. It was very awkward for all looking on. The guide who took us out, boards her horse at the ranch was just helping out as they were short staffed that day. The same woman brought it up again when we returned from our ride. It was very unprofessional and quite rude towards someone who was helping them out when they needed it. She should have addressed her when we were back from our ride and not in front of paying customers.
Also — they board and rent horses for pretty minimal. They seem quite dedicated to their animals and treat them well, which is a great reason to give them business.