CLOSED for the 2024 Season 

Located one easy mile (don’t walk!) NE of Vail Village. 

Open again May 2025.

We have parking!

Here is the chart to help guide you with activities available for your family members.  Please don’t call to confirm that this is true and accurate information.

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RIDICULOUSLY STRICT 48 hr and 5 minute cancellation policy for group horseback rides, GOGA or G.O.A.T. Happy Hour.  Click the link to read it.  It’s funny, and very real.

7 day cancellation policy for groups of 12 or more, private rides and private GOGA. 

30 day cancellation policy for private events in G.O.A.T. Happy Hour.

Dress in layers as Colorado weather is very moody, and the forecast is usually deceiving.  A lot can happen in 1-2 hours on a mountain.  Please have more than a t-shirt and shorts for your skinny little kids.  

The Rocky Mountains are prone to thunderstorms during the monsoon season because the high elevation and intense summer heat create ideal conditions for convection. As the sun heats the mountain slopes, warm air rises, carrying moisture into the upper atmosphere where it cools and condenses into thunderstorms.  Then it rains, cools off and the storms dissipate.  We may delay rides for up to 90 minutes for storms to die down.  Happy G.O.A.T. Hours continue as usual.  We have gazebo shelters.

Nope.  You cannot bring your dog, cat or elephant.  It would be a social media nightmare if your dog bit a goat, your cat scratched a kid or your elephant sat on a pony. 

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If you are in dire need of a ride, we do have a shuttle, but not a dedicated driver.  Text (970) 445-8204 requesting a ride and someone will show up for you.

If 2024 is anything like last year, it will be ridiculous. We encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible to secure the ride and time slot or class you desire. You have 48 Hours and 5 Minutes prior to check-in time to cancel your reservation and receive a full refund.

Q:  Why do we have to pay in advance?

A:  Because we are all dumb cowboys and cowgirls and the software people say that’s how it works.

Recent Customer Review:

Safety is a priority/Thoroughly enjoyable trail riding on well-trained horses!

From past experiences, I have always had low expectations of trail rides. Vail Stables turned that around. I know what a healthy and happy horse is supposed to look like, and we all know how service-focused employees act. This place has both.

The horses had just returned from their winter home and were happy to be at work.  They were well-fed, groomed, cared for, and well-shod (blacksmith or farrier work). The latter is essential.  The release was easy to sign, and the process for mounting was quick.

I only know how to ride English hunt seat, but I found the western saddle very comfortable, and the pre-ride instructions simple enough to not offend or challenge my sensibilities or customs. Most importantly, Vail Stables provides helmets for all riders even though they do not make people of a certain age wear them.  

While mounting the horse before leaving for the ride, they checked our stirrup length for comfort and the cinch on the saddle for tightness and stability. This is only sometimes the case at most places.

The horses were appropriately paired for the riders and grouped according to an order they were accustomed to working in so their patterns were not disrupted.

The views were beautiful, the guides were helpful, talked enough, and quiet enough to allow guests to enjoy the serenity of the mountains and to feel their horses under.

Those who do not know horses often think that one will “take off at a gallop” to catch up with the others after their horse stops to nibble a blade of grass and then wants to join the rest of the pack.  I would find that hard to believe with how organized and guest-focused the staff is.  At the most, a horse may trot for a few steps, which may feel fast and jarring to some but is barely first gear.  It is just a bit bouncy for the inexperienced.  Hold on to the horn of the saddle and enjoy the ride! These horses seem very safe!

Overall, I was very impressed and would highly recommend this place.