Thanks to Living Social we found this place....all the way up at the top of Cave Creek, you have to drive through a neighborhood and then a dirt road. This wasn't very clearly marked and the road on the Google Maps app on my phone looked like it ended in the mountains....thought we were lost at one point. We stopped by a stable looking place, but there was a lady tending the horses and she said it was a little further down...LOL, where were we?
Anyway, we found the stable and checked in with the guide. They ask if you'd like a safety helmet. If you decline, you have to sign a waiver. We signed the waivers and waited with everyone else for our horse assignment. After a few minutes a guide came out and told us to head to the stable to get a horse....we were on an elevated walkway so we could easily get on the horse.
Once we were all on, we went on a 90 min ride through the hills in the area. The weather wasn't too hot yet and it was in the morning, so it was relatively comfortable during the ride. It's the Sonoran Desert, so there's not much to look at besides Saguaro cactus, tumbleweeds, and other desert plants. Besides the occasional bird or ground squirrel, there wasn't much wildlife on the ride.
The guide was pretty cool and informed us of the plants in the area. The people we were with were alright and the horses behaved themselves.
Overall, it was a fun day out horseback riding. It's great for beginners and intermediate riders. Probably too boring for a more experienced rider.
Return Factor - 70%