Why are horse rides by appointment?

We have been surprised that a few guests appear to be taken aback that horse riding is by appointment only and that we also ask guests to arrive punctually - there are a few reasons for this.
Firstly the horses comfort, they cannot stand around all day with saddles and bridles on - not only is it boring, but they are unable to graze, eat or drink while saddled up.
Once we are finished a ride, the horses are unsaddled and put into their paddocks, it is not possible to keep horses saddled all day waiting for unexpected guests. Our horses lead as natural a life as possible and are therefore not kept in stables or small pens, they roam large paddocks around the farm.
There is a limit to the amount of exercise a horse can do in a day, so we manage the number of trail rides a horse does in a day and even over a week.
If you arrive late you stand a good chance of your riding time being shortened to avoid delaying the next scheduled group for the day or intruding on the horses bre
As we are often out on trails or working on the farm so if you arrive without an appointment you stand a good chance of wasting your time and effort to drive all the way out, only to find us out on a trail somewhere!
We like to spend time with all our guests and give them a chance to learn more about horses, enjoy the breathtaking scenery and relaxed atmosphere - so please do make an appointment!

We look forward to welcoming you at Horse About soon!