Horseback riding at FW worth it?

[mickeymom629]

I always like to plan something different for us to do (parasailing, fishing, mouse boats, etc.) and now my kids are all above age 9 to go horseback riding. It's $32 plus tax pp and I'm wondering if it is even worth it for my family of 6. That's a lot of money. I wanted to know if any of you out there have done this and if it's worth the money. My kids have never been on a horse (DS's 16, 14, 9 and DD 12) so it's not like they need to gallop, which I know you don't at FW, but is it "exciting"? By the way, my dd and I are chickens and we did not parasail.

We will be staying at the BWV (driving down in our own van).

 

[Disneefun]

We did this a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. We're like you and always try to do something off the beaten path so, having never ridden before, we decided to give it a go.

The horses are super tame and gentle -- the biggest problem we had with them was to get them to stop eating every plant along the trail!!! You never go above a slow walk with these horses, so it's not very "exciting," but it is fun and a nice afternoon. The trail winds through some nice, quiet parts of FW and the scenery was pretty. As to whether or not it's "worth" it, I can't answer that for you. If you or your kids want to try riding, then it's a good way to try. The guides are very patient and good at explaining things and the supervision is top notch. They'll also help you if you have problems -- like your horse is so intrigued by a plant that you just can't get it to move. Our guide told stories and some of the history of FW and WDW in general along the way. I don't know if they're all like that, but our guide was very good. We enjoyed it and would probably do it again sometime.

 

[tobrown]

How old do you have to be to do the horseback riding?
We will be there Xmas week and would love to try something
different.

Thanks

 

[pkitty]

When you horseback ride anywhere it's usually between 25-30$ per hour and that's without the benefit of WDW care and service so I'd say it is pretty reasonable.My DD rides (she's10) and I know she would love to do it just because she suffers from withdrawl while on vacation...so we may do it also.Just a suggestion about the plant eating...this is a habit so if you find yourself in this position pullup on the horses head (don't jerk) but use your strength...most horse are use to voice commands also so leg pressure is not always necessary...so try an encouraging "walk on" or "get up" or even a little kissing or clicking noise....you'll get better results in all likelihood...online riding lessons...what have I become!!!! Gidee-up!!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We did it for my son's birthday in July. All three of us had fun. I have never really been on a horse before, so I was little sore after I got off. My son had last ridden a horse when he was 1 yr old and rode with our friend. And pkitty is right about the eating thing. But if you can't get your horse to move, one of the guides will ride up to you and jump start your horse. There was a guide in front, one in back and the third kind of moved around. They offer you helmets to wear if you want one.

 

[pkitty]

Helmets are an excellent idea for everyone....in Canada helmets are required for all riders under 18 of age.Horses are beautiful intelligent loving animals but the are also 1200 to 1500lbs of instinct so even the most accomodating of animals can be triggered by instict (flight instict to be exact...run away at all costs if I'am scared by something...that something can be a leaf blowing by or grass even)So it would be prudent to wear a helmet if available.It's quite a distance to fall especially for kids.All that aside if you've never done it it's well worth your while...it's challenging but fun!!!!Have a great time!!!

 

[Miffy]

My dh and I did this in January and we really enjoyed it. We even saw some deer in the woods!

We had an entire long afternoon at Ft. Wilderness--the petting zoo and stables, lunch at Trail's End buffet (highly recommended), rented bikes and tooled around, horseback trail ride, bussed back to WL and took in the lodge (a great CM gave us a peek at an unoccupied room and we had the run of Artist's Point as they were preparing for dinner). The boat to and from WL/Ft. Wilderness is lovely and seemed like another Disney "ride"! Afterwards, we had a great evening in the MK.

Enjoy!

--miffy--

 

[mickeymom629]

It sounds like we should do it and I figure the month of December should be fairly good weather for this (not too hot).

Tobrown . . . you have to be 9 years old and 48" tall.

 

[circus slim]

My sister and my daughters did this. My sister is a fairly experienced rider and commented that the whole thing was very tame. My daughters loved it. They hadn't done much horseback riding.

One thing, it rained hard for several days, including the day we had scheduled the ride. The horses didn't go out in the rain but the folks there were able to reschedule them (twice!) for a sunny day!