The surfside ranch was a great riding experience! I was a little bit worried about how the horses would look like but they were all healthy and neat. Our guide was super nice and helpful. And I have to say it was NOT one of those riding in a circle or always the same way ride. I really loved it there and will definitely come back!
Best horseback riding experience ever. The people were very hospitable. Our guides Cynthia and Lara were superb and they were always on the lookout if everyone was doing alright. The horses were healthy and well trained and we got our horses based on our size, weight and experience. The trail was great too, we technically went to the Mexico border. I will definitely come back here!
We had a wonderful experience! This is a great way to celebrate a small, outdoor family gathering during covid.The trails get pretty dusty, so if youre planning a horseback riding excursion, Id wear a handkerchief (like the old cowboy films) and sunglasses.The kids also enjoyed the guinea pigs, goats, llama, pigs and chickens afterwards.We rode Valentino, Cooper, Sally, Jack & Kahuna. 🐎
Wonderful experience with wonderful customer service! Will definitely be our new go-to place. Fully recommend for all parties of all ages.
Cynthia was our guide and she was an absolute delight to have show us the trail. We got horses appropriate for our size and went through this amazing hike with stunning views. Definitely will be coming back again and would recommend for birthdays, dates, or any or occasion :)
This ranch is different than all other places Ive been. It was way more casual and not nearly as strict about how to get on horses, how to ride them. If you have gone horse back riding before and have some experience, this place is great! Its not a boring follow the leader type of ride. I had Sue as our guide and she was able to take us basically to the Mexico border! She also knew a lot about the area and constantly made sure I felt safe and comfortable on my horse before doing picking up speed a bit. She also took pictures on her phone and sent them to me later, so that was great! Would love to go back and tour with Sue again!
We did the 2 hour ride and it was incredible. The guide was very friendly and helpful, and he had some good stories about the area. The lady and the girl that got our horses ready for us were genuinely kind. A very pleasant experience. We definitely recommend to everyone and we will also be going again sometime. Thank you Surfside Ranch!
Giving them one star only because they agreed to refund my money. Very disappointed as I had booked in advance. My god-daughter was very excited to check off an item on her summer wish list. I booked a one hour guided trail ride for 4pm. At 3:15pm as I am driving to Surf side ranch I receive a call and text to please arrive at 5pm. I didnt see the text or missed call until I pulled in to their driveway. I probably would have been ok with hanging out in the car until 5pm if I had been greeted with courtesy and given an honest explanation of their set back. Instead I was standing there since 3:30pm because we arrived 30 minutes early to be on time and see the horses, etc and I was never greeted. I had to walk up to a young lady to ask what was going on and she was in a rush to take off on a ride that was scheduled for 2pm and it was almost 4. I was left standing around on my own because the owner had gone out to the store and there was no one in the office... Long story short unprofessional service. As a business owner myself it does not matter what you are going through you treat a customer with courtesy and show interest in their business. I felt really bad for a family with kids who was waiting around for a pony ride. I could not believe they were charged $3p/p for carrots to feed the animals after waiting an hour for their pony ride. I would have given them free carrots to entertain their kids feeding the animals while they wait for the ride as a thank you for your patience!
My friend trains the new horses. But aside from that. Theres Horse back riding. There is a mini farm animal zoo sorta speak. Theres Corals with horses, lamas,Billy- Goats, Rams, pigs, Roosters, Ducks,geese, chicks, Chickens, Rabbits, mini Saloon, Here people can rent the area for Birthday parties, or just rent a Pony as many as you need. And theres trail guides and its fun for the kids adults and seniors are all welcomed. Plenty of parking. Trails are by the sea. Fun for all.
I scheduled a ride a month in advance. The day before, I contacted them to confirm and they didn’t have our reservation. They rescheduled for the next day, which I thought was so cool … until they canceled it the morning of. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY WITH THESE PEOPLE if you actually want to ride!
My experience was incredible, the people are very helpful and kind, they have horses that are for beginners and experienced riders. They give detailed instructions on what to do and how to handle your horse. One hundred percent worth the money - definitely try it. The ride was an hour in a half long. We rode the horses down a trail to the beach. Went around 5 o’clock which was absolutely perfect cause he got to enjoy the beautiful sunset. And returned right when it began to get dark! Very romantic for couples. Took some amazing picture for memory keepsake. Highly recommend!!!!!
Took my girlfriend here for her Birthday, and it was amazing!She was kind of nervous about the whole thing and the instructor reassured her and was very patient with everyone (as we were all beginners).You get to see the border from the trail in a Red Dead Redemption esque scenery trail, would definitely do again.Make sure to get your feet comfortable in the stirrups and ask for help from the instructor, or you will definitely regret it.
Awesome experience. The horses are very good natured and well trained. The guides are great!
What an amazing experience!!! Whether if you’re a local or someone wanting to explore the area, definitely add this ranch to your bucket list!! Eileen was an amazing tour guide and she took us on such a gorgeous trail ride through the enchanted Jurassic trail 🤗
A true ranch. Not a pretentious $ grabbing place. A lot of fun for the family!
They were great I had the best time with my family and it felt like a very low stress situation and the horses were very well trained. I highly recommend it.
We did the 1 hour trail ride. Sue was an excellent trail guide who taught us riding basics, took some great pictures, and made the experience memorable. I highly recommend the experience especially since it is so close to San Diego.
We rode for an hour trail. Our sons first time riding with reins on a horse. The guide helped him with trotting and he loved it!No beach ride with just an hour. No beautiful scenery, either. Just desert wilderness and graffiti on neighborhood walls and concrete pieces. See pic of the most scenic view on our ride.The great experience was horseback riding.
Such a great experience! Great location. Great horses (SO well behaved!) The host was sweet and saddled us up to go with our awesome trail guide. He was always looking back and checking on us and even let us trott for a little bit when I asked, which was really cool of him. He showed us this gorgeous cliff area that overlooked Mexico. Hes an amazing trail guide (and from what it seemed, from his horse, a fantastic horse trainer as well which was very impressive!) All in all it couldnt have been any better! They even had some goats, chickens, and pigs on the farm that added to the fun. The goats were so friendly and curious lol.Thank you Surfside Ranch, next time I come back to San Diego from Massachusetts Ill stop by for another ride for sure, hopefully the beach will be open then. 20 stars!
Today me and my daughter did the hour and half tour... We REALLY ENJOYED OURSELVES!!! We will definitely be back
Ride was alright. Was around an hour later then planned but it worked out ok. Weird after we came back, no goodbye or thanks for coming just walked off and we were left confused. Felt like we did something wrong. And like we were an inconvenience I guess. Wont be going back for that reason.
Most amazing experience ever!!!! Kelley who answered the phone answered all our questions and was so kind and friendly. Our guide Eileen was also so incredible and made us feel like pros on the horses! My horse Sally was smooth and sweet and I didn’t wanna get off. Thank you for this amazing experience!!!
Beautiful horses great people had an awesome time
I shared with my partner the experience of a 1.5 hour trail ride, with our tour guide Lara taking us through a beautiful path on horseback.Were glad we made the reservations because the staff (horses included) made it a totally worthwhile experience.I think the cost of the trail ride was quite fair and a strong factor that would encourage me to be a returning customer to this business.
Loved it and recommend to everyone. Lady that takes care of ranch is ver nice and loving with kids, definitely will come back soon 🙏🤗
We had a great time in our 1 hr trail ride! Our guide was Kelly, and she was fantastic. The horses were beautiful and gentle. We saw bamboo, pomegranate trees, and butterflies on the trail - gorgeous! We can’t wait to come back in springtime.
Awsome!!!! Very nice people. Best ride of my life:)
We had terrific guides who took us thru the nature preserve. To bad the beaches were closed it would of been nice. The horses I was on did not like to be behind others not stop so if we would off ran I believe there could of been trouble.. Thanks again for a beautiful fun time with my daughter.
Good ride with wild flowers on the trail.
Super friendly, and helpful. We enjoyed our time here.
My family and I grew up riding horses, so we were really experienced on horses. This place gave the best service, the trail ride has been literally the best one I have ever been on. Definitely recommend Surfside Ranch. When I’m back in town, I will be back for another trail ride:)
Awesome and fun place
Amazing experience, supper friendly people and beautiful animals all taken care of and healthy highly recommended !🐎🤎👍🏼
Greeted me with a smile, my son got to pet animals! Trails are gorgeous!
We like it. The prices are good. They offer beach horse rides, parties, free pet zoo with goats and a lama. Also rides in the park and lessons. The are pretty flexible.
If I could rate this lower, I would. We had a reservation booked for my daughters 8th birthday party and my wife called the day before to confirm how many adult riders we could have as part of our package. The worker we spoke to wasnt sure, so she suggested we call the owner. My wife called the owner, Joann, to get clarity on what it was that we were paying for, and the owner proceeded to accuse my wife (on speaker phone in front of my daughter) of trying to jew her out of $20. My wife was obviously shocked and said Im offended by that - how do you know Im not Jewish. To that, the owner responded I dont really care and then informed us that she was just going to cancel our reservation (which we hadnt asked for) the day before the party, which my 8 year old daughter and all of her 8 year old guests were planning on. Then she hung up, and cancelled our reservation, against our wishes. Needless to say, we dont recommend you do business with this heartless anti-semitic owner.
One of my best horse back riding experiences!!! They have tons of animals to look at and even pet, did the two hour trail ride and had the best time! People are so so kind and helpful, the trail ride wasn’t boring for a second! Horses were great. Not a single bad thing to say!
I went for a birthday ride yesterday and it was amazing. June was our guide and she absolutely made our experience one to remember. She made sure everyone felt comfortable the entire time and she also offered to take some really pretty pictures of us. We had a group of 4 and everyone really enjoyed themselves. I will definitely be back here again soon. For anyone that is looking for a place to ride, call them. Thank you guys so much!
Poor customer service. The took my money because I wanted to reschedule
Took my 10 year old granddaughter for a beach ride with Christina. We had such a wonderful time and Christina was so confident and calming. We had a great ride and I was sorry when it was over. Highly recommend.
This is the best horseback riding I have ever gotten to take my wife on. I had her very surprised when we showed up on the beach. The guides are super welcoming and very easy to start a conversation with. The prices are fair and the horses are pretty well behaved (for the most part). There are one or two horses that have their own personality but that’s just how horses are. Definitely worth the money and the drive!
The worst place ever. Dont take your children and dont waste your time. They are unprofessional and unsanitary. The animals look sad. The people made us feel unwelcome and there were not enough saddles. We had booked a week ahead and drove 30 minutes. when we got there they told us the saddles were small and rejected us. They had a little 13 year old girl that was the only one with manner and was professional but was unable to help.
Attended a birthday party. Kids loved riding the horses. They also got to feed the other animals. We bbqd hamburgers. They had a grill. Great time had by all.
We did the 1.5 hour ride on the beach and had a great time. We went on a Saturday during June and pretty much had the beach to ourselves! The horses were pleasant and our guide, Anna, was very sweet. I’m not sure why other people felt like they had a poor service experience, everyone was great when we were there. Also, I was pleased with the amount of instruction received, it was just enough and wasn’t overkill so I was thankful for that. Prices are super reasonable.
My boyfriend took me here for my Birthday and I absolutely loved it! Kelly was a great tour guide and our two horses shadow and wizard were wonderful. We also got to feed the other animals on the farm as well. It was a lot of fun and I am very thankful for the experience.
My 5 year old was interested in horseback riding, i contacted them and had great customer service, they very helpful. The staff was super nice, attentive and caring. As soon as we got there they gave my son carrots to feed all the animals (pigs,llamas, goats, ponies, horses, chickens etc!). The horseback ride was guided by Mike with his horse Cooper though the trails. They were amazing. They even have a cowboys club for kids 3 and up. I will continue to take my son here.
We brought 5 people on our ride today with mixed experience, we had a wonderful ride and the horses were fantastic! I would definitely recommend them and if I were in the San Diego area again I would use them..we loved every minute and our guide was great!
Went there before closing with our son and granddaughter. The woman who works there greeted us and led us to the animals. She then came back with carrots and grapes to feed the goats, pigs, llama & pony. She explained what they offer there. She was very friendly. Will definitely return for another memorable experience.
Fun little ranch for those city slickers that havent experienced it before. Very bare bones facility, port o potty for bathrroms. Dirt road in, dirt parking. Dont wear sandles and shorts, I highly recommend you wear jeans and closed toe shoes. Preferably boots but tennis shoes will work as well.Friendly staff and all kinds of animals can keep even the most cellphone dependant kids busy. Im glad theyre still places like this around and hopefully stay around for a long time.
Wow! What an experience we will never forget!My family and I just returned from a visit along the San Diego coast. A friend of ours had recommended a trail ride at Surfside Ranch as something our entire family would enjoy and boy, was he right.My three children, ages 13,12, and 7 had never ridden a horse before, but our guide Kelly was so patient and put all our concerns at ease. My older daughter rode Peaches, she was the sweetest, most gentle horse I have ever seen. The smiles on my kids faces were priceless. One thing I could not get over was the gorgeous scenery, the views were absolutely spectacular!The owners timed the ride perfectly, so that we were able to experience the most beautiful sunset.I recommend this experience for anyone wanting to escape, for just a brief moment, from the stress of everyday life and enjoy the beautiful San Diego coast.We will definitely be returning to Surfside Ranch very soon.
As much as I’d like to give a 5 star review, I am compelled to tell my truthful experience. Finding Happy Trails was a nightmare. Upon arrival, horses were not even ready. We began riding an hour after scheduled time. Although we liked our guide, we were promised pictures that never came. Not professional. Ultimately disappointing. We will definitely ride again, but NOT with this service.
I booked online in March for a ride at the end of April. I received a confirmation email the day prior of our ride but when we showed up for our scheduled time the next day at 10am, nobody was there. We waited for some time and then a lady came out and said that she didnt know that there was a ride scheduled for today. She said the manager John wasnt there so she called him and told us that if we came back by 11 30 that he would be there and things would be ready to go. We left and then came back at 11:30 and John still was not there but there were other workers there but they were still getting the horses ready. The lady took us out and was our guide even though John was supposed to be, she said. We didnt start our ride until after 12. Before our ride, the other workers asked if we were experienced riders and when we said not really they seemed shocked and surprised. I had been on a few horse rides before but the rest of my company had not. The ride itself did not require you to be an experienced rider in my opinion. If being an experienced rider is what they want, I think that they should state that somewhere online on their website. At the end of our ride, while waiting to get off the horse, I pulled the rein back a little bit to slow the horse down and a guy worker told me I told you, dont do that. and seemed upset. I didnt pull hard but felt stupid. When we drove back to the ranch, there was another couple there waiting to go on their ride which I thought was weird because the workers kept saying before that they didnt know they had a ride today but they actually had another one right after ours! Maybe their online system has a problem so I would call and make an appointment with them if you want to schedule a ride with this company. Our guide seemed nice and I was glad she took us on our ride but this company was not the most professional.
I personally loved the people here!! Loved the horses... is close to the boarder so a little sketchy however my ride and horse was relaxing.. I rode Valentino he truthfully is a remarkable horse... I would love to come back and ride him again... and potentially lease him if thats a possibility:)
My experience was flawless, the people are very helpful and kind, they have horses that are for beginners and experienced riders. They give detailed instructions on what to do and how to handle your horse. 100% worth the money definitely try it.
Had an amazing time. Very professional service, nice and polite from the moment I got there. Horses were very healthy and trained well (kahuna and wizard.) John and Kelly were awesome! We will definitely be back.
I love the people here!! They are the sweetest. Best horseback riding place to visit in all of the San Diego area!
Christina and Kelly are wonderful! They know how to show you a good time on a horse!
Had a great experience. The lady who was our guide was phenomenal and was even sweet enough to take the most amazing pictures by the beach on the sunset. Amazing time. Thank you!
Everything went great. Will come again. Our Tour guide was Christine and she was amazing.
If I could five zero stars I would. The business practices are horrible. We are from LA and had planned a trip to SD for a friends birthday weekend. We have been calling Surfside asking about availability and reservations since January, mind you our trip was booked for the this last weekend. We had been told numerous times that we did not have to book at the moment and do call and reserve day of. So we did just that. Called Monday and requested the 12:30 ride per our previous conversations. The guy who answered proceeded to tell me we should have reserved ahead of time and he couldnt accommodate us till later that day. I explained to him we had talked prior and he stated he was already upset that he thought he only had one ride Monday morning and woke up to multiples and was busy and Thats a lot of horses to take out! Would never recommend this place at all! Will be taking business to Oceanside next time or stick with riding in the hills in LA
Surreal Experience! Worth every penny! Very friendly amicable guide! Farm with a lot of character and mystery!
Incredible experience!!! We went for my daughters birthday and it truly was amazing!!! The staff, the horses and the beach was just perfect!!! I would definitely recommend this to everyone!! I am ready to go back ❤️❤️❤️❤️
My family and I took a fabulous trail ride. Staff was great, they showed the kids how to handle their horse before we set off. Everyone, horses included, were nice and friendly. Cant wait until our next ride!
It was my first time horseback riding. I came here on a Monday and the staff was very professional and helpful. I loved my horse, Gidget, and enjoyed the entire experience. We were on the beach for the entire hour in a half. The manager was also nice enough to drop us off at a local gas station so we can Lyft back home, since we’re from out of state.If you’re looking to enjoy some riding, you should definitely come here.
Great place to rent horses for a great time.
Had an amazing time. Beautiful trails, the horses behaved well. Could not have been any better. Great birthday memories for my daughter!
We love Surfside Ranch. I highly recommend visiting when you are in the San Diego area. The horseback riding is amazing. The staff is fabulous. It is a great place to go with family and friends.
Awesome experience!! The trail leader was so sweet. Cant wait to come back!
It was a great horse ride with the best horses. They were friendly and helpful our tour guide was great and over all a pleasant experience.
My daughter had a great time today at Surfside Ranch. We will be back soon
Really fun
Very magical experience. The trailsman are kind and thoughtful, felt safe and the enjoyed every minute.
Had funRide could of been longer,But got great pics and hores were in good shape
Awsome place! Great trainer and horses... very best!
Second time today with this service and it was extremely disappointing. First time, did not get a text for confirmation that explained that I should bring cash or I would be charged an extra $7.50 for the credit card fee, but got one this time and received no break given that I did not know due to not knowing last time.Guide was extremely rude, literally yelled at me and my cousin twice; smoked while riding without at least asking if it was okay, complained about us afterwards with one of her co-workers while we were still there.Spoke with the manager who did not seem to care, being sure to let me know the business had been running for 25 years even though he admitted getting complaints everyday in person and over the phone.$85 for 1.5 hours to be in distress, no thank you. My suggestion, go somewhere else.
We have used Surfside Ranch/Happy Trails Horse Rentals numerous times and have always had an excellent time. My kids love the horses and the petting zoo. I highly recommend Surfside Ranch/Happy Trails if you are looking for horseback riding in the San Diego area.
Very rude instructors. Was a nice view but lady charged our friend 1000$ for abusing the horse when nothing like that happened. Im furious
Our granddaughter loved the goats,pigs and horses
Well kept healthy horses, our guide Clay was a good guide. Not much as far as scenery on the trail in the summer
Extremely rude.. we showed up at 9am looking for a great time on a Saturday morning. First a man came up & said nobody is here yet. The first lady that got there said that she thought they were closed today. The website clearly says open every day of the week starting at 9am. Then a blonde lady shows up extremely angry saying this is bulls*** and really upset about being at work. .. wow.. great way to make us feel welcome.. and this was after receiving an email saying they could take us anytime saturday and to top it off the owner said they dont open until 10 when the website says 9. Worst service of my life.
Im the unknown rider and will review all horse rides and give honest real opinions so the people of San Diego dont spend their hard earned money on all these people doing just that.Lets start from the drive up the place is really trashy on the way in I would not take any of my business partners here Im scouting out regular areas to enjoy a ride and meetings. Weekly . The animals look very sick and I would be scared to catch some thing. I learned later you can catch Leptospirosis and many other diseases. The horses were not clean. They were very un trained my one in particular had some problem and kept rearing up and acting out. we have to remember they are wild animals just thought they would be trained and tamed a little bit better. It took the staff at least 15 minutes to even say hi to me . They are all clearly not wanting to be there and just rude. I went on to get a whole review even tho i was completely irritated and not real happy to complete this review in full. The horses must have been on an off day because they were all dirty as all hell not normal. The horses looked sick . The ride could have been better the assistance were rude busy on their phones texting they acted as if I was a nuisance any time I had a question ! The story doesnt end on my way back I felt rushed and uncomfortable . At this point I was so done with this place was hoping a border patrol agent would give me a ride back to just not deal with these unprofessional and just down right rude people . They were very happy to take my money for poor beyond poor service for a pretty steep price. In short I would avoid this place at all cost unless you want to give your fam or friends a really bad time..
The place is for riding horses, small petting zoo, place is great for kids, even someone that has never rode a horse
Friendly place the kids love it!!
Loved it staff wonderful
I wish to ride one if you ride one or have one lucky
Awesome
- Address:2225 Hollister St, San Diego, CA 92154, United States
- Site:https://surfsideranch.com/
- Phone:+1 619-443-3517
- Carriage ride service
- Horseback riding service
- Event venue
- Horse boarding stable
- Horse rental service
- Pony ride service
- Wedding venue
- Monday:9am–6pm
- Tuesday:9am–6pm
- Wednesday:9am–6pm
- Thursday:9am–6pm
- Friday:9am–6pm
- Saturday:9am–6pm
- Sunday:9am–6pm
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance:Yes
- Good for kids:Yes
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