Serenbe Trailriding

Well. I’m glad I got a ScoutMob deal versus paying full price.
Pros: gorgeous scenery, polite staff, horses were well taken care and that was obvious. In terms of the trail, the waterfall was breathtaking.
Cons: beyond the pleasantries, unimpressive customer service. Little to no conversation from our guide (s?). There was one obvious leader but the other two adult riders I’m not sure if they were staff or not as there was no introduction. It seemed like they were based on the familiarity between them and the leader. My boyfriend later told me it felt like we were flies on the wall for a ride they would have taken whether we were there or not. We would have appreciated at a minimum indications of where we were, for instance: this field is used for such-​n-​such or they plan to develop this portion of the woods or leave them as trails– what have you. My boyfriend has no experience riding and he was not even offered a tutorial. There was texting going on by the leader which is disappointing. We were asked to sign a waiver that reminded us that the staff is released from liability should one of us get hurt. Hm. I’m sure most trail rides are relatively benign and go without incident but there were two little girls who were part of our group and I don’t think it set a very strong example. Finally, the ScoutMob promised apple cider as a part of the package. A small detail, but a beverage would have been nice considering the soaring temperatures. We were offered the promised beverage neither at the beginning nor the end and when I asked one of the staff, he said he wasn’t sure and to ask the leader and she’s «full time». By that point, the other staff were fully immersed in cooling down the horses so it seemed like a lost cause.
My boyfriend and I wanted to do something a little different and we certainly accomplished that. We love Serenbe for lots of other reasons (their playhouse, the café, etc). I think this experience has the potential to be wonderfully memorable but in this case it wasn’t.

I’ve been riding for 20 years and I can say with confidence this is the best trail riding experience you will find in GA! This farm is beautiful! Horses are so well behaved and Ashley is, hands down, the best trail guide and horse trainer you will find. Cannot recommend this enough! Beginners and advanced riders will be completely satisfied.

We spotted the Scoutmob for the Serenbe Trailriding and thought it would be a perfect thing to do in the fall. We also decided to stay overnight at the Inn, so booked the trail riding online after our fried chicken lunch.
It was unseasonably hot that day and I worried I’d burn, but luckily almost all of the ride was in the shade. We were greeted by name upon check-​in and got our horse pariings. I was paired up with Maggie, who was a really easy gentle horse.
We were quickly on our way! My husband and I brought up the rear along with one other guide, and there was often space between us. At one point, Maggie wanted to chat with a horse on another side of the fence, and before I could pull her back into line, my pants caught on a part of the fence and ripped. Oh well! This is why you wear pants — more on that below…
The ride was very serene. Yes, there was some galloping, but for the most part, it was just a lovely tour of the Serenbe property. We saw an extension of Stone Mountain, a beautiful meadow, a small waterfall, a wide creek, and just beautiful woods. Super relaxing and enjoyable. You can tell that these horses are well-​cared for and maintained. That also made my heart happy. I’d definitely do the trail riding again when we return to Serenbe.
So clothing tips! I strongly recommend wearing jeans and boots. I wore cowboy boots and bootcut jeans. Luckily, my jeans caught on the fence, but if it hadn’t been my jeans, it would have been my skin. You may also want to wear something with sleeves as branches will brush up against you, so if your skin is exposed, you could get scratched up. Definitely don’t wear flip flops either.
Don’t bother with a hat — they will take it from you and ask you to wear a helmet instead.

I loved this 1 hour horse riding experience at Serenbe Trailriding. Making the reservation was easy on their website. We were greeted warmly at the barn as we checked in and got to hang out with a working dog and a friendly cat as we waited for the other patrons to arrive. Everyone was provided a helmet and then paired up with whichever horse Ashley and Cristina thought would be best for our skill level. They told us each horse’s name (Hi, Comanche!!!) and gave us an idea about their personalities. I thought that this showed that they love the horses and that they wanted us to enjoy the experience on every level. The trail was lovely with lots of flat areas and some hills. We saw a deer drinking from a stream during the ride, as well as some pigs at the end of the ride. I bet it would be beautiful in the fall to ride again and see all of the foliage change.