Ponderosa Stables

Always great. The sunset ride is exceptional. You ride up south mountain and see the sun setting over the entire city of Phoenix. Dinner is included and delicious. We come to ponderosa stables every time we visit Phoenix.

My family enjoyed the 1 hour ride this morning. It was a relaxing ride with our guide, Jerry.
The scenery was beautiful and peaceful. We are heading back to Columbus and enjoyed our mini vacation in Phoenix, Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

Beautiful starlit horseback ride, delicious, no nonsense steak dinner, affordable price. Great time!

Decided to get out of the house and do something different since the weather is starting to get nice. Our guide was super funny and friendly! I will definitely go back for another ride!

Friendly staff, great horses. I did the 1hr guided trail ride. Perfect if you’re looking for an easy ride with a great view. I felt bad for the guide though. There were some obnoxious kids in the group and he ended up babysitting them more than anything. He was good with them though and tried to be as attentive as he could to the rest of us. Overall, it was fun and relaxing. I’ve already signed up to go again.

We went early morning on a Sunday, no crowds, just the two of us. A friendly greeting upon our arrival. Friendly and efficient staff. We were on our horses within minutes. We did a one hour ride, which was plenty, as we are beginners.
Beautiful surroundings, mellow trail, nice weather, our guide was excellent. She let us enjoy our time and supplied tidbits of info. A stop for pictures on occasion, and at the end with our horses.
This place lives up to its rating. Would not hesitate to recommend. We had fun at the Ponderosa!

A five star experience for me. I took the dinner ride to the steakhouse and had dinner.
Kind of a group experience but worth the ride. Views of the desert are pleasant and the horses are well maintained. A perfect first time experience. However all levels of experience can join.
They should consider taking photos as an option. Customers seem to have gotten the idea. Thought the bottle of water is a thoughtful compliment. Thanks Ponderosa.

«Ride like the wind, Bullseye! «- Woody
Watching Toy Story 2 too many times definitely brought out the Cowgirl side of me, YEE-​HAW! After arriving in Arizona, I wasted no time in booking my Horseback riding adventure.
Ponderosa Stables was something right out of an Old Western Clint Eastwood movie with it’s resemblance of an Old Ghost town from the late 19^th century era. Impressive.
Ready to ride with my laced up boots and sombrero, the only thing left was to saddle on up. Squirrel was his name but I referred to him as Mr. Ed.
Giddy up Horsey! We rode off into the Sunset to the Southern Mountains, feeling a worlds away with nothing but spectacular views of the Sonoran deserts scenery in front of us. So calm and peaceful with the only sound coming from the Bonanza theme song playing in my head.
The two hours came and went, it was more than just a ride, it was an unforgettable experience, amazing from beginning to end.
Until we meet again, Mr. Ed.

I’d been wanting to take my 7 yr old daughter horseback riding for the longest time but I was having trouble finding somewhere she could go with being so young.
When my family decided to visit Phoenix, I was researching things to do and Ponderosa Stables came up. I’m SO glad it did! They allowed children her age AND they were affordable. We booked online and it was so easy!
When we arrived in Phoenix we were counting down the days until our horseback riding adventure. I had booked for a Tuesday, so I thought! I received a call on Monday morning asking if we were still coming in and I saw that I had erroneously booked it for Monday. They were so understanding and kind and said, «see you tomorrow!»
We arrived about 8:45am for our 9am ride and the kids were so excited with the setup of the place. It looked like a little ghost town with saloons and such. We were greeted so warmly from everyone there.
Kya, the guide, was just coming back from an earlier ride and they rotated out the horses and get us all situated. They gave us bottles of water and sent us on our way.
Kya was so nice and informative throughout the ride and it really was a great time!
We certainly recommend Ponderosa Stables to anyone visiting Phoenix, especially for first time riders. They seemed to really love the horses and take good care of them and you can clearly see they love their «job».
Thank you for the best part of our trip.

This place is amazing! Dan, Jerry and the rest of the staff are professional and welcoming to all of their guests. We had such a wonderful time on our 2-​hour trail ride with our Cuban guide. I happily drove from Tempe and would drive from Chandler, Scottsdale, or Phoenix to ride here again. The ride was therapeutic for my soul and my body. My attitude is improved and my back and hips are all loosened up!

Very fun morning riding! Our wrangler was very nice, the horses friendly and well taken care of. It was a fun morning to get away from Phoenix and enjoy being outside!

I love this place. I went with my mother as we enjoy horse riding and try to go at least once every couple of months so when we moved to pheonix I looked around and found this place. The prices are amazing, I believe it was 55 for 2 hours per person. Which is perfect and the view at the end of the ride is worth waiting for you can see the whole valley. We stopped multiple times to get a great photo by the wrangler, while the wrangled spoke very very little english and I speak very very little spanish communication was very hard but we managed. As a tip if anyone jn your group is interested in volunteering let them know, all the wranglers there are volunteers, they allow you to earn money through tips while taking out rides.

yee haw! went on a 2 hour trot through the hot desert mountainy area! once again recommended by krystle and john. tour guide didnt say much but thats cool im all about soaking in some scenery and just starin at everything

If by guided trail ride they mean «your guide will be on his phone the whole time» trail ride– this is for sure everything they promised! Our guide Bob said less than 10 words to US the whole 2 hour ride (of only the two of us) but had several lovely conversations with his phone.
The horses are not well kept and one looked quite sickly. Several had mange spots and saddle sores and none looked well groomed.
We got very little instruction (luckily we knew what to do) and the whole crew at the ranch seemed unhappy to be at their jobs.
On the bright side, horses are animals and therefor incapable of being assholes– so they were sweeties, who I feel so bad for.
Definitely not worth 55 bucks per person.

I had a free day in Phoenix after a long road trip and wanted to do something outdoors, but not necessarily hike. I went during the middle of the week in the mid-​AM, no reservation, and had a solo ride with Wrangler Slim. My horse, Squirrel, was literally a bit squirrelly when we first started and had to be navigated by rope until we were on course. I sort of figured he was just trying to get back to the stable and would relax, and he did and had zero issues moving forward. Love you, Squirrel.
The ride itself is beautiful, and the South Mountains are spectacular and the park itself is the country’s largest municipal park. The wrangler told me about the park wildlife and even pointed out a gigantic ass poisonous snake sleeping in a rock. As I mentioned, I’ve only ridden once before, on a flat beach, so this ride was nice because it was different– as it is not smooth and there are a few minor uphill/​downhill treks. Dusty, for sure, so bring a bandana.
I honestly really enjoyed the people who worked there, as they were very friendly and cowboy-​like, but I felt a bit pressured to tip my wrangler, as well as write up Ponderosa Stables, both of which I had already planned on doing since 1. I enjoy writing a happy review (as well as a negative one, let’s be real) and 2. I know to tip for service. I think I did end up tipping more than I would have normally, but that’s just what it is now.
I can’t speak to how horses are treated or not, since I don’t know anything about it. I thought my guy was tired and hot by the end of it, and the wrangler mentioned he had his winter coat on and it was nearly 70 degrees, but don’t think he was suffering by any means.
One hour/​$ 40, not including tip.

Excellent place for horseback riding! My wife and I did horseback riding together for the first time.
We did the hour long one and our guide was friendly and cool. I must say the staff especially the front office cowboy and the cowboy roaming around the restroom are hilarious!
We enjoyed that whole experience.
Breath-​taking views along the way.
Prices are good.

This is a great place to take your children, family or just go to spend time away from the hectic city! My daughter goes there and the management (Dan) and all the wranglers I’ve met are so nice and knowledgeable about riding etc. The horses are well cared for and tame for any age rider (which I think is really important). They have this huge Clydesdale that you can ride as well (20 hands high!).
Dan (Manager) always has a smile on his face and we can tell he really enjoys his work and horses in general too. I saw someone post a 1 star review saying bad things about the horses, she must have the wrong place cause every horse I’ve seen and ridden are healthy and properly cared for or as I suspect she is just a disgruntled former employee (from what her post says).
I think the really cool part is the western looking façade that is the Ponderosa Ranch theme. It’s one thing to have horses and and another to really indulge the customer in what they are living in the moment, this place does it with style. They even have an evening dinner ride (that we have yet to do) and from what I hear, it is great so that will be next on our list.

While visiting Phoenix, my girls wanted to go horseback riding. My wife looked up a few places that were nearby and we happened by the Ponderosa Stables. This place has typically 4+ stars for a reason. They’re friendly, fun and priced reasonably. The horses are well groomed and appear to be well taken care of. The staff we encountered were all very hospitable and professional. Dan, the head wrangler, was easy going and kept my girls entertained while waiting for our ride to start. Pickles, our guide was great and offered our girls some treats to feed the horses after the ride.
All in all a great experience.
Keep on Unilocal’n!

If you enjoy sitting on a horse and watching the sunset. Go for it.
The horses were huge and neat. But the path was horrible and all dust. Wrap yourself.
Worth your money but me and my friends are disappointed. The horses just walk, we expected them to be fast.

I really enjoyed this experience. First, the prices for rides are great. We did the 1hr./$ 33 Ride. Second, The staff were understanding and accommodating. The manager, Dan, made sure we had all the info we needed to feel comfortable (we are beginners), and our guide made sure to customize the trail for our needs. What surprised me is that my friend and I were the only riders with our guide-​we got lucky and had a private ride!
If you’re riding in the summer, I recommend 7am or night rides. It’s too hot for anything in between.
FYI, we rode on Nebraska and Moe!