the crosspatch

I've gone to the Crosspatch for a few years and overall the owners, Dolly and husband, have been inviting and the horses are wonderful. The last few times we have went, or attempted to go, the owners have been anything but cordial and pleasant. There was a fall festival going on in Ellicottville so we left an extra hour earlier than normal because it usually takes us an hour to get there anyway. Our appointment was at 4:00 p.m. which was a hassle to make in the first place. The phone number provided on the website is for the owner, Dolly's, personal cell phone which she never answers or calls back. After trying for about a week I was able to finally schedule the horseback riding. We originally had 5 people in the group but 2 people couldn't make it so we called to say that there were only 3 people attending; of course she didn't answer her phone so we left a message, we did this about 4 days before we were supposed to go riding. We were stuck in traffic in Ellicottville and at about 3:30 we called to say we were running late, again there was no answer so we left a message. At 4:05 we get a phone call from a different number and it was Dolly asking us where we were. I explained that we were stuck in traffic and were trying to get there as fast as we could but we were in a standstill. She gave me a horrendous attitude and said she knows Ellicottville and that we were probably not going to make it before dark, FYI I looked it up and the sunset for that day was 6:39 p.m. plus they offer trailrides as night so I wasn't sure what the big deal would've been. I told her we hoped to make it by 4:30 but that didn't happen.We finally arrive at 5:00 p.m. and they tell us it's too late and we cannot ride. Dolly then asks why there aren't 5 of us and when we explained what happened she said in a snotty voice "Never leave cancellations on a voicemail. We do not accept those. I always answer my phone and call those back who leave a message." I told her that that was obviously not true and she just would not stop with the attitude. She then said it was not her fault we were late and that we were just going to have to reschedule. She also said she tried calling us to tell us that we were going to be too late to ride and not to bother but we never reveived that call. We said we were going to call and reschedule because she has our credit card number but we never plan on going back. The horseback ridining aspect of it is wonderful and the horses are well taken care of but the owners definitley need an attitude adjustment before they start losing more customers.

Tiny cabin away from the main house, meals made over a fire at the chuckwagon, guided horse rides both morning and afternoon, drinking fresh spring water from the stream, stories around a campfire by real cowboys, peace, tranquility, and fireflies. All without leaving Western NY. AND without leaving your wallet empty. We had a wonderful time. There are day options as well. These folk participate in cattle drives in Montana annually as well as week long covered wagon trains in NY state.

We stayed for a weekend for our honeymoon summer of 2012. We had a cabin with complimentary bottle of champagne and made memories to last an life time. Our meals were all around a fire at the Chuck wagon, wrassled up by cowboy Jim while their granddaughter entertained us with trucks her dressed up dogs did. By day we explored the trails on guided horseback tours, drank from streams, and enjoyed being cowboy/girl living the country life. Stories around the campfire with fireflies all about ended each day. A MUST do. For the less adventurous, they have 1/2 day rides. For the more adventurous there are excursions we heard about lasting a week. They also go out west annually for a round up.

We had a great one-hour horse ride through the hills...got to see chipmonks & deer chilling in the woods...so beautiful! Holly was a wonderful guide along with her assistant, Sara, who came along for the ride. Definitely would recommend, but make advance reservations; surprised we were charged additional $10 each for a last-minute reservation. We called to check availability after we were referred to them by our lodging host, Dolly said she'd check availability and call back. When she called back to confirm she had guide and I confirmed pricing, she told me because it was last minute, it would be an additional $10 each. Check their website for details.

While staying in Ellicottville, we decided to take the short trip (6 miles) to the Crosspatch for some horse back riding and a wienie roast. It really turned out to be a great way to spend a few hours. . . the whole family enjoyed it!the ride itself took about an hour. We started out riding alongside a back country road which made me a little nervous . . . especially with the kids riding for the first time. however, this was just for a short bit and we were soon riding through some very pretty forest trails. We particularly liked when we had to cross across a couple small creeks on horseback -- that was really fun.Except for the little apprehension I had initially, I felt at ease for the remainder of the trip and felt that we were in very good hands with our guides. We rode single file with guides in the front and back - the horses, for the most part, cooperated quite nicely and followed their commands. Some of the horses seemed to be a little more stubborn but none were wild or out of control . . . the kids had absolutely no trouble controlling their horses and did well with the ride.Our ride was followed by a wienie roast . . . this was very nice as well. The kids enjoyed roasting some dogs. There were some tasty sausages as well which I opted for. There was also a spread of some cold salads, bags of chips, sodas/water, and some fruit. The Little family, including some of their grandchildren, and many of the guides ate with us . . . everyone was so nice and friendly. I honestly felt that we were part of the family! The boys were even encouraged to check out the grandson's new treehouse which they did-- they were running all over the farm and having a blast!!Overall it was a very good time and I would recommend the Crosspatch to anyone looking for some horseback riding in western NY. We might come back some time and try the chuckwagon supper.