red ridge riding stable

This place is great! The people that work there are very friendly. It was my husband's first time being on a horse. My only problem was that we did a personal ride, and was hoping to get to canter/run on the horses, but my husband's horse was being lazy. Not the people's fault! Definitely will head back to ride again next time we are in Wisconsin Dell. Worth the drive, the money, and the experience! It was even better because the leaves were changing color and was beautiful outside. You get to feel the horses a bag of treats ($5) but is really fun. They have a lot of horses and they're very friendly.

We had a great experience on our ride here. My husband and I are fairly experienced riders although our group had some novice riders. We all had an enjoyable trip! I can understand how some guests felt that the owners come off unfriendly but we had a pleasant time. I believe Cindy and our guide Jackie are really nice but they're not there to schmooze guests, it's a business and their livelihood. Once you actually talk to both ladies they were very nice and not at all unkind. We had a gorgeous day to ride, Jackie was a great guide and our horses were lovely! I wish we had stables like this one near our home.

WE had a GREAT morning at Red Ridge. After a very short (10-15 minute) drive from Lake Delton, my daughters immediately started playing with the ten or so barn cats until it was time to ride. We also went and saw a new foal and its mother. This stable is unique in that it offers rides for different ability groups. My daughter & I had an advanced ride that let us gallop - very rare. My wife and other daughters took the slower ride but still loved it. The horses were all friendly and well behaved. They let you bring in carrots and apples for the horses; this is almost unheard of elsewhere. The bathrooms are porta-potties but they were very clean and well stocked, not at all unpleasant. If the woman in charge seems a bit gruff, she's really very nice if you take the time to chat with her...lot of moving parts in a horse farm. Lyle our tour guide was very personable and enjoyed talking about anything at all. Approach with the proper attitude: you are on vacation!! Take time to enjoy it, pet the horses and wander around the farm afterwards. We booked 10 AM rides and went to Culver's for lunch afterwards which was great. I suggest they build a small proper office with a counter, some "hard" bathrooms, and a little gift shop and that would cure about 90% of any negativity in reviews, which I suspect may have come from the "L.L. Bean" set.

we took our granddaughters for their solo ride. both had ridden double with us before elsewhere. It was a very busy time with lots of customers and more continuously pouring in. Cindy was handling the front as best as she could trying to accommodate everyone in a timely manner. She may have seemed brisk to some, but she was very focused, thus efficiently getting everyone's needs met. Cindy asked everyone's riding experience and we decided to put leads on the kid's horse. This worked out great and they loved that they "rode" the horses by themselves. The horses were gentle and easy going and at no time were the kids frightened. We did not get to trot, very large group. Jenna was great as leader. maybe next time we can trot some, but good thing we didn't with little kids and some adults in our group had never been on a horse before. definitely will return.

My boyfriend and I went riding here for our anniversary and we absolutely loved it! It was busy so the woman in charge was running around and trying to get everything in order but we didnt mind. We were placed on very well behaved horses and taken on a beautiful trail ride through the forest and fields. We had a $3 off coupon so it was only $20 for each of us and for an hour trail ride it was definitely worth it! All I know is the next time we are in the dells we are going back. I highly reccommend that if you want to go horseback riding this is the place to do so!

Positives:Great sceneryWell-fed and cares for horsesClean stablesGood priceCons:Okay service Unprofessional atmosphereRiders not paired well with horsesMy best friend and I planned a nature day with hiking, kayaking, and horseback riding. It's a 40 minute drive from the Dells but an easy drive. The place was easy to find. As a businesswoman, I saw some things that were left to be desired. Reservations would've made interaction with the staff easier and less strained. The owner was very go, go, go and yelling at her employees continuously. During our ride, one of the riders was inexperienced and had difficulty controlling herself during the horse trot portion. The guide was unhelpful easing her fears and did not make things as enjoyable as it could have been. My horse was pretty well behaved but had a tendency of riding close to my friend. He did get kicked in the face once. Luckily my friend was an experienced rider and could control her horse when he was freaking out when the lady ahead of us was having difficulties. Overall, I would not go to this ranch again unless they were taking reservations and asked riders how experienced of a rider they really are. I recommend for experienced riders.

We have been to other stables for riding, but this one provides service beyond just getting you on a horse. They offer full instruction at all levels, camps ect....great experience!

It's abit of a drive (through lovely country) to get to. The staff was friendly, professional, and efficient. (we were mounted in no time) The horses appear well taken care of, the guide was knowledgeable and genuine. The trail ride is fun and beautiful. They have alot going come the fall and we will be back.

After reading some of the past negative reviews this place received in the past I was a bit concerned about what our experience would be like. I am also in the hospitality business and understand the benefits and costs involved with reviews. Since we were visiting in November there were not a lot of places open and it was my 8 yr old daughters dream to ride a horse, therefore I booked with an open mind and realize that we all have an off day and maybe the bad reviews were a result of one of those days. I contacted the owner via the telephone and we booked our ride for the following day. Upon arrival we saw what appeared to be the owners walking around the stable and as past reviewers have mentioned, we were not greeted and were a bit unsure of what we were supposed to do. I took my family to the stable and we were met by Cindy ( I think that was her name) and I have to admit she did not come across as overly hospitable. However, after a few minutes after she realized we were animal lovers and pretty laid back people who live in the woods they both warmed up to us. They saddled the horses, which were very friendly and well taken care of and off we went. Cindy took us on a great ride, told some fun stories and she was very accommodating to our needs. The ride was through their beautiful farm and, even though it was a bit chilly we had a great time. My advise is to understand that these people are open 7 days a week and 365 days a year and probably do sometimes suffer from customer burnout. I know I sure do in our business.

This was my first "solo" trail ride. I made reservations for the advanced ride to have an opportunity to canter. I was the only rider. Amber, my guide was great. After letting her know that I had only cantered "accidentally" before, but wanted to do so intentionally, she said we could do that. My horse Snorty was a sweetheart and was very responsive, and when it came time for the canter, I had a good ride! Amber was very friendly as was Cindy the owner. The horses are well cared for and very people oriented. I will definitely ride there again !

We have been visiting Red Ridge Ranch once or twice a year for the past 7 years. My daughter has been able to ride her favorite horse there each time we visit, which I think is absolutely amazing! The trail is absolutely beautiful, the horses are very well looked after and the rides are a very fair price. The haunted hayride at Halloween is great as well. Remember, this is a ranch and the "office" is in the front of a barn, so expect a little dust as dirt while you get to know the horses!

Our family of 4 were keen to go horseback riding on our trip to the Dells this summer and we spent alot of time considering where to go by looking at reviews on different web sites - to be honest none of the reviews were that great.We selected Red Ridge as the reviews tended to suggest the riding was good even if the service was not so great. This was pretty much our experience although I would say the lack of customer service made the ride much less enjoyable than it could have been with a bit more effort.We found the place quite easily and the horses we saw in the paddock looked in good shape which seemed a good sign. Once inside the front gate though, it was unclear where we needed to go or who we needed to see as there was no signage to indicate a reception area etc. We walked to the entrance to the barn and waited for maybe 10 minutes before the lady who was working in the barn decided to come and speak to us - although she knew we were there. She was doing chores so we thought well fair enough putting the horses first maybe? The area at the front of the barn seems to serve as a reception with a messy desk, some hats and a drinks maching that looked like a health hazard. The whole thing looked really unprofessional this is where we started to feel a bit less confident- it was a mess. The lady asked what ride we wanted told us to fill in the release form - we had to hunt for these ourselves on the sawdust / cat covered desk. Riding hats (or maybe bike helmets in some cases?) were available but were in a poor state of repair. I know they are not always used in the States but no British riding stable would let riders venture out with out a good quality riding hat, so that was a bit of a concern. We were just told use em or not.We were offered the souveniers that were for sale (tshirts / horse shoes etc), but it wasnt a hard sell as some reviews had suggested. We bought the horse food which was just as well, more of that later.....I can related to the comments about horses not being paired well with riders. We were a party of 4, my husband is an experienced rider, I and our two children of 9 and 6 are novices. We were asked about the children's riding experience but not our own. My husband was given a big horse that liked to bite the other horses and was told to keep it away from the other horses. I was given a horse we were told was very sensitive and needed a light hand or it might run away a bit (sorry what?) My son who is 9 was given a horse that needed to be kicked repeatedly to even get it going and my 6 year old daughter was given a horse as big as my own and had to sit on an adult saddle. She is only little and could not reach the stirrups and no provision was made to assist with this - despite my husband suggesting she might put her feet into the stirrup leathers as a possible solution. The in-charge lady asekd if my daughter wanted manage her own horse (at 6 and having never been on a horse) but seeing she was so unstable we asked for her to be led. Despite all this, things started well and we had a nice ride out across the farm land and we were able to manage the horses well enough despite the health warnings. However half an hour in my daughter was struggling, she couldnt post as she had no stirrups and was finding holding the reins and staying balanced hard work and quite tiring. The guide then took the reins from her. Now she had nothing to hold onto only the saddle horn and started to worry about falling off. The guide was leading her horse but was not really paying attention to where it was going and proceeded to lead her through low hanging tree branches twice almost knocking her off the horse. on the second occasion and she cried for the last 15 minutes of the ride. Not good!! At the end of the ride we tried to get her down off the horse as the mounting block was in use by the next party to go out and I have to say it was a good thing we had those horse treats as the horse was clearly expecting to eat and needed to be bribed to hold still while we got her down - no help was offered with dismounting by the guide. Needless to say we didnt tip!PositivesLovely routeSmall group sizeFull hour long rideNegativesService and attitude of the staff is not fabAppropriate provision is not really made for younger children Administration arrangements are poor.Portaloos smelled horrible we didnt use themNo food and drink available but maybe just as well.

I decided to have a girls horseback ride outing and selected Red Ridge based on an excellent prior experience here. For background, we had one experienced rider, one occasional rider and a newbie. The scenery is beautiful and the price is fair, but that is where it ends. First, I was appalled at how rude the manager behaved towards customers and her staff. Highly inappropriate to tell your staff that they are wasting time and not doing their job by yelling it across the barn/staging area. The pressure from the manager to buy her $5 ziplock bag of horse treats was obnoxious. I do not appreciate being looked at and scolded with "You don't want to feed my horses?" Uh, I believe I said no and perhaps I had a reason for this. I succumbed just because this woman was such a witch. The ride was fine, but our leader was constantly correcting people and telling them slow down, hurry up, more room, less room, etc. There didn't seem to be much thought or time put into people's riding abilities and pairing them with appropriate horses. I have done rides across the US, including in the mountains, and never experienced a leader like this. Nothing positive until we returned and she wanted to tell us about all the great things they sell and tours they host. The horses seemed well cared for but out of control. This included one horse galloping away through the crowd after a person dismounted. This was a dangerous situation and could have ended badly. I can only assume the horses are overworked. It's really too bad but I don't think I'll return here. There are other country stables and I'll be checking them out.

My husband, myself and our granddaughter wanted an advanced (as advertised) ride. We called on the phone and this crabby, cranky, rude woman answered. She had no time to help us with making a reservation, pricing, or how to get to the stables. Unbelievably rude! We found the stable and knew instantly when we heard her talking who she was. My husband and granddaughter went for a ride and I stayed back. While waiting in the shade I heard this woman tell her employees that everyone needed to come up with more "money makers". Overall, we were not impressed. Horses were good but there are other stables to go to that are not rude at all.

After reading reviews, we chose to drive the 20+ miles to Red Ridge Riding Stable rather than use riding stables in the Dells. Our choice was based on the fact that we wanted a trail ride through forests and nature and were not interested in animated or manufactured scenery, which is part of some of the other rides we reviewed. We called and were told that reservations were not necessary, that rides would start whenever 'we showed up.' All true! The stables were easy to find and we were not disappointed with our choice! Red Ridge has a stable of over 100 horses, so they have horses for every type of rider. My husband and son had never ridden before; my daughter and I had. We all were given appropriate horses. The trail ride was through forests, by a river and fields, very lovely. Truly felt out in the country, which is what we wanted. Instructions were clear for the 'newbies,' and those of us who wanted to were able to trot some. It was clear to me that the owners and workers knew the horses and took good care of them. We are very glad we chose Red Ridge and would go there again if in the area.