St. Maarten-Horseback riding?

[mcoverv]

Has anyone gone horseback riding on St. Maarten? My DD (12) and I would love to do this. But have not been able to find any information on it.

If you have any information, good or bad, please respond. We are on the Sept 7, Magic and my DD is starting to freak because I do not have this booked yet. (Pre-teens are such a blast)

Thanks

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Bayside Riding Stables (or something like that) used to operate horse excursions. I'm not sure if they still do because they no longer have a web site, but they do have an email address if you'd like to inquire... <a href="mailto:baysideSarl@wanadoo.fr"><font color=blue>baysideSarl@wanadoo.fr</font></a>.

Many folks have used them and have had good experiences, but there have also been reports of a real horror story... I don't recall the details well enough to try to describe it, but I think there was a real dropoff in the use of this vendor after that report appeared on this board.

 

[mcoverv]

Thanks for the info! I will check them out before using them. She may not get to do this on this trip. Guess that just gives us an excuse for another trip!

Thanks again!

 

[jlima]

Didn't I read once that a family had booked this on their own and a horse threw their daughter and she broke an arm badly . . . and had a horrible time afterwards in the St Maartin hospital, missed a flight out, got back on the Magic & flew home from St Thomas, to get adaquate medical attention for their daughter . . . I think they posted this in their trip report, last August.

 

[mcoverv]

Dave

I checked out the company you sent the e-mail for. I sent them an e-mail asking about their stables and if they could give me any prices.

Here is the reply they sent with a copy of what I asked them.


Start of reply:
I’m sorry but our riding club is reseved only for european people and latinoamerican people

We don’t like US people and his bad politic and our horse don’t like american style and prefer French and european style

We prefere to see us people in states

bye



-----Message d'origine-----
De : Vervaecke Family [mailto:mcoverv@kc.rr.com]
Envoyé : lundi 2 septembre 2002 02:49
À : baysideSarl@wanadoo.fr
Objet : Horseback riding



We will be visiting St. Maarten on Sept 10, 2002. My family and I wondered if you still did horseback riding tours.

If you do can you give me some idea of the cost and what is included as well as the times you have available for that date.



Thanks Crystal Vervaecke


I am not sure about you but I can see why people have steered clear of this place! The funny part is we are Belguim, but I would not ever use a company that treated anyone like this!

Thought you might want to know so you didn't send this out to anyone else. Thanks for trying to help, I think we may just pass on this this year.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

<font size=5><b><i>Wow!!!</i></b></font>

 

[dbond]

We rode with them in the spring of 2001, my ds was 6, the horse they gave him kept trying to eat grass, have you ever tried to pull the head up on a horse that is determined to eat grass? I was afraid he was going to get his hand caught between the reins and the saddle horn when that horse yanked his head down and crush his hand. He was not strong enough to handle that horse and they wouldn't let him ride double. My horse was a biter, I had to ride in the back and stay back from the others because he would bite. I am a very experienced rider as well as my kids, so we were able to handle these problem horses just fine, but I was hesitant to recommend them to unexperienced riders and children. I'm not surprised they began to have problems with guests.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by Dave_from_Marietta
Bayside Riding Stables (or something like that) used to operate horse excursions. I'm not sure if they still do because they no longer have a web site, but they do have an email address if you'd like to inquire... <a href="mailto:baysideSarl@wanadoo.fr"><font color=blue>baysideSarl@wanadoo.fr</font></a>.

Dave,

Where did you get this e-mail address, and are you certain it is the correct e-mail address for the Bayside Riding Club on the road to Le Galion Beach in St. Martin?

Through a few Google and AltaVista searches, I found various sites that mention the Bayside Riding Club, usually without an e-mail address, but a couple with a different e-mail address:

At http://sxmtripreports.com/land_sports.htm --> Bayside Riding Club, Orient Bay, Route du Galion, e-mail: bayside20@hotmail.com ; phone: 87 36 64 (f)

At http://edm.sxm.free.fr/list-adresses.htm --> BAY SIDE riding club; Lieu: Le Galion; Tel: (+) 590- 873- 664; Fax: (+) 599- 578- 822; @: bayside20@hotmail.com

I didn't get any matches for the e-mail address that you posted.

I'm not saying that one address is right and another is wrong. For all I know, neither is correct, or perhaps both are correct. But if the address at wanadoo.fr is not correct, then, of course, the nasty reply didn't really come from the Bayside Riding Club.

Has anyone phoned the Bayside Riding Club to confirm their e-mail address? Or their policy regarding doing business with Americans?

 

[akterrye]

I found the following information on several stables on experiencestmaarten.com:

"Horseback Riding:
Horses have been on the island since the 1600s and were among the only means of transportation for early residents. Today, as then, riding is an excellent way to experience St. Maarten/St. Martin’s secluded beaches and hillsides. Stables here have flourished in recent years, offering excellent facilities, daily rides, leasing and boarding. Bayside Riding Club (Tel: 87 36 64), on the way to Le Galion Beach, features a daily beach ride and pony rides for children. OK Coral (Tel: 87 40 72) at Coralita Beach offers a 2 1/2-hour beach ride. Crazy Acres (Tel: 599/544-2793) offers lessons and boarding. Lucky Stables (Tel: 599/544-5255) has horses for beginners and experienced riders, as well as expert guides who will take you on a one- or two-hour ride that features winding trails and a gallop in the Caribbean surf. You’ll even find stables offering romantic night rides, with stops for champagne and toasted marshmallows on the beach."

I also found:
Caid and Isla: in Anse Marcel, phone: 590 87 45 70 (f)
The Crazy Acres Riding Center in Cole Bay has horses and ponies. Rides cost about US$50 (Monday-Saturday 9 am-2 pm; phone 42793). [Recommended by the Travel Channel]

On Anguilla (6 miles from French St. Martin):
Cliffside Riding Center (Tel: 497-3667) in North Hill provides English- and Western-style riding for novices and experts alike.

Hopefully, one of the above will meet your needs.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by Horace Horsecollar

<i>Originally posted by Dave_from_Marietta </i>
<b>...they do have an email address if you'd like to inquire... <a href="mailto:baysideSarl@wanadoo.fr"><font color=blue>baysideSarl@wanadoo.fr</font></a>.

Dave,

Where did you get this e-mail address, and are you certain it is the correct e-mail address for the Bayside Riding Club on the road to Le Galion Beach in St. Martin?</B>

Horace, their web page used to be a page tacked onto the Club Orient Web site. After I started getting 404 errors on that bookmark, I emailed the webmaster at Club Orient and asked if they were still in business or if Club Orient was no longer doing business with them. This email address is what I got.