academy riding stables

My husband and I had a wonderful experience! The ride was beautiful through the Garden of the Gods, the staff was friendly and personable. I was a nervous wreck since it was my first time and the experience was one to remember. However, my only complaint was the guy named Pete. Pete was the head handler for the ride. He gaves us our safety briefing in a quick and hushed voice. Even though he repeated himself, I still couldn't hear him. I was already nervous but it was made worse since I couldn't completely hear his safety briefing. I had to ask the other handlers who were not with us (and one who was) to repeat the instructions. I'm sure they thought I was stupid since they probably thought I didn't listen to Pete. At the end of the ride, I asked my husband if he had any cash to give to the handlers who helped since I didn't have any. He said Pete was a jerk to him and wasn't going to give him any tips. When I asked him what happened, he said Pete would ask him a question such as, "Do the stirrups feel okay?" and when my husband responded with I think so, Pete scoffed at him like he should know better. This was my husband's first ride, so Pete then asked him, "Do you remember the instructions on how to guide the horse?" "Uh, yeah, it's..." And apparently, Pete didn't want to wait for an answer so he scoffed at my husband again and he went through the instructions. Wonderful experience. They did well with a larger group of 17 folks and a nervous nelly like myself. But be wary if Pete's doing the leading.

My husband and I had spent the week looking for a home in COS. On the last day, we decided to take a two hour ride at the stables! It was the second best decision we made all week (the first finding a house and deciding this was THE place to live)! We had a very informative guide, jumped a few rocks, and never felt like it was 'just another trail ride'. Definitely had some thrill seeking moments! We will be doing it again, taking all the kids. The staff was wonderful, gave extra care to those who have never ridden before, and gave respect to those who had experience on a horse. I highly recommend this is a destination adventure while visiting Colorado Springs! We will be doing it again in the winter. (Fun fact- I can see GoTG from my dining room window on a clear day, and it is always brings back memories of the ride!)

Wonderful-very knowledgeable staff-took our cub scouts here, they had a great time-nice trails. Even an area where the boys could have their horses gallup if they wanted.

First things first, horses seemed VERY well cared for! Happily munching on hay, affectionate, and strong, healthy feet! We were also informed that they have more than enough horses to give rides so they are able to rotate and give the horses a day off.Very pleased with overall care of animals which is HUGE for meOur wrangler Nate was very informative and made the ride a lot of fun.Me and two friends did the three hour ride and it was amazing!Those horses know what they are doing- completely took care of us :)Thank you Academy Riding Stables for a great experience!

I paid for a two hour horseback ride. We left early (I looked at my watch and it was 11:40 am-was to leave at noon). A storm was approaching in the afternoon. I said to my guide that I could do either 1 or 2 hours. She proceeded to wrap up around the hour mark without informing me. We may have returned 10 minutes past the 1 hour mark, but I was charged the entire amount for a 2 hour ride that didn't occur (they did comp me for the photo I didn't ask for). Very disappointing and would not use them again. The scenery during the ride (at Garden of the Gods) was lovely.

Being an adult rider with no experience, I felt very comfortable on the horse assigned to me. Fantastic spot right in a residential area!

We are a family of five and we did the 2 hour ride. We were the only ones on this tour and our wrangler Nate was fabulous. The staff was very attentive, informative and friendly. The horses were amazing and knew exactly where to go and were very well trained. this was the highlight of our trip!!

It's a beautiful area to ride around, but the staff is not very warm, friendly or helpful. It almost feels like it's an inconvenience that you want to ride their horses. It used to be such a good deal to ride there ($15/hour) about 7 years ago; totally worth it to go multiple times a year with all the kids, but now it's not nearly such a great deal anymore and we definitely ride there much, much less frequently.

Upon showing up to the Academy Riding Stables, you quickly find out that this group is well organized and very thoughtful. They new my wife and I were from out of town and that Colorado Springs was experiencing a colder morning than usual so they offered us jackets and gloves. We didn't need them, but it was a nice gesture. The grounds was nicely taken care of. They were timely and informative when teaching us the ins and outs of the trip. I rode Tank and our guide was Holly and she did a fantastic job showing us around the Garden of the Gods. We did the two hour trip and it was perfect. The horses are well taken care of and you can tell with the way that the employees interact with them, that a lot of thought goes into their well-being. It was my wife's first horseback ride and my 5 ride. We both enjoyed it and would do it again!

While you might be quick to judge by hanging around before the ride and watching the staff and horses, reserve your opinion until you get on the ride. We chose the 2 hour ride this time. It was filled with somewhat challenging rock climbing on horseback. Awesome rock formations and scenery! It was exciting and a nice change from the typical trail rides. This is a nose to tail walking ride, but going up and down such altitude changes, it's probably a good thing.

Where to even begin?! Reservation process is super easy, do book early. Check in was even easier, small paperwork, fast and friendly. There was only one other person on our ride, 3 of us total. Nate was our guide, he was great, and so nice with lots of good facts about the gardens. We did the 1 hr ride. I got Bruce, such a perfect laid back horse. My BF rode Tank, he was a good laid back horse too. All in all a great time, thanks!

My 14 year old son and I spent a morning hiking around GotG park, and then did the 2 hour horseback ride in the afternoon. We both agreed that we saw the park from a completely different perspective on horseback, and it was one of the highlights of our trip.The employees working at the stable are really great and customer-service oriented. From the lady who had us fill out the release waivers, to Walt, who assigned us our horses, and to Courtney, our guide- they all made us feel welcome and not like just another meal ticket or paycheck. My horse Indian was great. I love riding, but generally on these nose-to-tail trail ride who end up on a spiritless horse who can barely stay awake. Indian was alert and on point the entire ride. A really gorgeous animal!I wouldn't bother with a 1 hour tour. Spend the extra money for the 2 hour ride, it is definitely worth it! The only reason I give it 4 stars is because it is a nose-to-tail, walking-only ride and for an experienced rider it can be a bit boring (even though the scenery is amazing!).

Excellent staff will ensure the best experience possible. I rode the perimeter of Garden of the Gods, which was lovely, but rather boring. Think the next time I'll try going through the park instead. If horseback riding is what you want, definitely use Academy Riding; it's a great way to see this magnificent country!

We decided to see the Garden of the Gods on horseback and it ended up being one of our best days ever! Academy Riding Stables staff were so kind, they listened to our needs, talked to each of us before we got on our horses, made sure we were all comfortable and off we went. I feel like I had the ride of a lifetime on my horse as we rode on flat ground, up steps, down steps, up hills and down and then rock climbing-- all on the horses! At one point, I was uncomfortable because a dog was barking, the rocks seemed to steep and our guide Courtney stopped for me and encouraged me to just keep going and while scary for me, my horse knew what to do and we made it! All five of us were so happy with our ride and experience.

I had the pleasure of taking my family (wife plus kids age 13 and 10) on their first horseback ride thru Garden of the Gods with ARS. The staff was very nice and supportive and our horses were well trained. Holly - our guide - did a wonderful job. I was the last in the line of 7 horses and I could hear her just fine. Also, when the horses had a stubborn moment - wanting to head back to the barn early (the place where the one hour tour normally ends) she stayed patient and guided all of the horses back into line and onto the trail. She had her hands full and did great!Good experience for beginners. The ups and downs of the trail are handled well by the horses who really know what to do on their own.