houston's horseback riding

My family had a great visit to Houston's! There were 12 of us from Boston, including 5 kids (ages 9-70). Bobby & her staff were knowledgable & attentive to the needs of each level! The ranch was heaven... A true American ranch, set up for family & work, not a tourist trap at all! Thank you Houston's, I look forward to coming back!

My husband and I had a wonderful time horseback riding with them. The staff were friendly and knowledgable. Riding out to the Saguaro National Park was peaceful and memorable. The horses we got, Tom and Remington were very well-trained and friendly. :) :)X & L Wolf

My wife and I had a great two hour trail ride here. She was completely inexperienced on horseback but did great because of the caring professional staff at Houston's that took the time to help her and teach her the basics. The staff and owners are friendly and welcoming but obviously put safety first, as we would expect, and they did a superb job in fitting her to her horse, picking a suitable mount, and then placing her in the line up next to last, with a guide following her, talking to her, and giving her confidence.We had a wonderful group ride of about ten folks, through gorgeous desert, all at a walk. I am an experienced horseman, have raised, trained, and ridden a lot in my younger years, and I rate the stables, the care for the horses, the safe way they conduct the ride exceptional. This is just an excellent place and we will return again and again.ZB

Probably, the friendliest staff we have ever seen at a stable. Good solid horses. Nice ride thru the national forest, although being from Florida it didn't look like much of a forest.. The stable property is quite interesting as well with the old trucks, cars, and equipment.. Highly recommended! The ride costs $60 for about 2 hours.

As the reviews have said, Bobbi provides a wonderful riding experience. We opted for the private ride, 2 full hours of heavenly desert, mountain vistas, and informative communication with Bobbi about Tucson. Good, solid and well-behaved horses. We hadn't ridden in a few years but we managed with no problem thanks to Bobbi's helpful coaching ("heels down") and saddles that really fit. I never before encountered a riding stable that takes care to fit not only the horse but also the saddle to the rider. It makes a big difference to really sit comfortably. Go with Houston's.

Riding a horse through the saguaro national forest was on my bucket list, and I trusted this outfit to do a good job with well broke horses...they delivered! Worth every penny, our guide was tremendous, competent and always aware of potential safety issues. The ride was gorgeous

Houston's is the perfect place if you are looking for a couple of hours of getting out on horseback and riding through the Saguaro National Park, which in my opinion, is one of the best ways to experience the Sonoran Desert.When you first arrive at Houston's you might be a bit disoriented given that the horses are in the rear of the property and you need to park up front by the entrance. But, no worries, one of the wranglers is likely to greet you and show you the way. It's an interesting walk back to the horses as the way is littered with old vehicles and farm implements. In a way it's a bit of a walk through time. The "bathroom" on site is a clean port-a-potty. So, ladies, if you have an aversion to these things plan accordingly.Now to the horses... Houston's has got to have some of the finest horses around. No need to worry if you're a novice as these horses are very well trained. Unlike the wranglers at the ranch up the road, Houston's wranglers are a delight to work with and will assist you in every way possible. As you're going along the trail through the national park, they will point out some of the interesting features of the desert. You'll even have a chance to stop alongside a picturesque saguaro and one of the wranglers will be happy to take your picture while on horseback using your camera or phone.Note that the regularly scheduled rides are single-file trail walks. Perfect for beginners or just a close-up view of the desert. Don't expect to be loping or galloping.Houston's is the perfect place if you're looking to get out on horseback and experience the desert in a totally different way.

Friendly staff, beatiful horses. Myself, my wife and my two kids(13 and 11) had a great time, it was our first time riding and could not have picked a better place to do it.

My daughter and I are taking lessons and having the time of our lives. We have no criticisms of this stable. Highly recommend it.

We had a really nice sunset ride. I think our leader's name was Charlie - she was friendly and provided a lot of info on the flora and fauna we passed. The horses were well behaved and well looked after. A great western riding experience in saguaro national park.

Houston stables boast such peaceful serene ambiance in its farm setting. It sits in a riparian area next to Tanque Verde Wash and Saguaro National Park East. Houston's wonderfully fit, well behaved and healthy horses have access to wonderful scenic rides right out the back door. The owners and staff offer up such kind southwestern hospitality that makes the whole experience worth while. As a professional rider from the midwest I would recommend Houston Stables for all level of riders to experience a memorable ride in the beautiful Sonoran Desert!!

Very nice and comfortable tour with guide not to mention an exceptionally delicious meal provided at the end of the tours. The entire family enjoyed this tour.

I surprised my boyfriend with the 2-hour horseback trail ride for Christmas and I certainly do not regret the decision. Despite the weather being very cold that day (36 degrees F), visibility being low and some snow still sitting on the ground, we headed out on time at 9:30am. I grew up in the Tucson desert, but the trail ride provided me a perspective that I have never had before and my German boyfriend was even more impressed. The landscape is truly stunning and from horseback is such a wonderful way to experience it. I rode a horse named Ody and my boyfriend one named Cinco. They were both very sweet and took direction well. The guides who accompanied us were informative but not over-bearing and there were many moments where we were able to simply ride and enjoy the tranquility of the beautiful surrounds. I feel like the service from the time I called to make a reservation to the last photo they took of my boyfriend and I with Cinco was spot-on and I also think this place offers an exceptional value. For my boyfriend, who had never been on a horse before, they were particularly caring and he felt completely at ease on the horse. This is great for someone with little to no experience with horseback riding. Just a short tip: If you have issues with using a porta-potty, I would suggest using a restroom before arriving at the ranch. I would recommend it to family and friends without a moments hesitation.

We were a group of 4 including two 9-year-old horse virgins. The horses and staff were amazing: so patient, helpful, and encouraging. This was the highlight and most talked-about adventure of our Tucson visit. Our guide was Charlie and she did a great job of describing the plants we saw, telling AZ history, and encouraging the kids' fascination with horses. We will DEFINITELY do this again the next time we come to Tucson... And maybe again before we head home this time!They where very helpful and make you love horses more than you already do I would like to say that this was the highlight of our trip to Tucson! (From a 9-year-old.)

We took our young grandaughers ( age 8 and 6) on the 2 hour trail ride. Excellent choice. They were very good about picking out just the ride horses for each person and making sure you were adequately mounted with right size helmets etc. Adults can choose whether to wear a helmet or not. The leaders of the trail ride were very knowledgeable about the area and horses etc. The kids loved it and we did too. Beautiful place to ride and you can see a lot of the beautiful desert area. Would definitely go again.