Best Trail Rides in Rhode Island

Finding the best trail rides in Rhode Island can quickly give you the key to offering your kids or grandchildren a unique and exciting adventure they won't soon forget. I remember the fun I had as a child climbing aboard a black and white paint pony and being led along a winding but not too challenging course. I can also remember enjoying an hour long trail ride with my whole, inexperienced family, in Grand Tetons National Park. It was an experience like no other for all of us and one we recall with a smile to this day. How wonderful that now as a grandparent I can think about offering my grandchildren those same kinds of experiences by sharing with them some of these best trial rides right in their own backyard in Rhode Island.

Block Island, Rhode Island is a convenient getaway spot for a day or longer that you can really enjoy with your family. While there surely are a million and one adventures to be had on Block Island, if you want to really perk up the ears of young travelers, just try mentioning Rustic Rides Farm, Block Island Rhode Island. A trip to the Farm adds a whole new dimension to your visit every single time. You can tailor your riding experience according to the ages and competency of your children. With younger children you may feel most comfortable with a guide walking alongside the horse and managing the reins. You can also select rides according to time of day, location and duration and of course will pay the assigned rates. For most young riders a full hour in the saddle will more than meet their needs, but sunset rides and extended beach rides are also available at Rustic Rides Farm on Block Island.

My husband and I made an unusual find on one of our trips to Twin Rivers Casino in Lincoln Rhode Island. Off the same exit we noted the sign for rides at Sunset Stables. Further exploration revealed a real treat and something perfect to share with our school aged grand children. It's up a few steps from the simple plod around the circular path but something that we feel they are, or soon will be, ready to handle. Sunset Stables offers riding all year round and provides trail rides through nearby Lincoln Woods State Park . You can enjoy the trail rides with your whole family any time between 9 a.m and 5 p.m. seven days a week. What is difficult to believe is how close you are to Providence, RI and yet you can find plenty of natural beauty for you and your family to drink in from a new perspective - the back of horse. Oh and when you go, if the weather is warm, tuck away some swim gear because not far away is the Lincoln Woods State Park beach where you can all cool down after your ride.

Stepping Stone Ranch offers its own special collection of riding adventures. Located in Escoheag, Rhode Island, Stepping Stone really has quite an extensive menu of riding options. You are very likely to find something that fits both your available time and your pocket book. You can begin with something as simple as a $25 half hour riding experience but its likely that as your children get a taste of riding they will want to expand their time in the saddle. Not a problem at Stepping Stone Ranch. They can schedule you in for a full hour, an hour and a half or if you have the wherewithal and the time, why not spread your riding time out around a picnic lunch.

Riding at Stepping Stone ranch will allow you the chance to explore the grounds of one of Rhode Island's less sung treasures, Arcadia State Park. You and your family will feel like you have been away from home and your regular routine for days even after a short ride. The good news is, as your kids grow in age and experience there is another whole level of fun to be had at Stepping Stone Ranch when you sign on for a weekend ride. You'll take part in a three hour guided ride, do some fresh water swimming, enjoy a great dinner and breakfast and of course soak up the camaraderie of other horse enthusiast just like you

To me the exciting thing is that, as wonderful as the Grand Tetons and other national parks out West can be, parents and grandparents don't have to wait till they have the funds for a cross country trip to introduce their kids to the joy of horseback riding. There are plenty of fine, guided and safe horse back riding options in New England, even in the tiny state of Rhode Island.

Sources : www.steppingstoneranch.com

www.sunsetstablesri.com