By far the best excursion my sister and I had the privilege to take part in during our trip to the Virgin Islands.
The end of July 2017 was the timeline for our cruise to the Caribbean. We boarded Disney Cruise Line's Fantasy set sail for Tortola, BVI; St. Thomas, USVI; and, Disney's private island, Castaway Cay.
Prior to the vacation, my sister and I looked weeks for an exciting excursion at St. Thomas. We had already set up a "day at sea" excursion with scuba diving and a boat trip for Tortola, and wanted to try something more land-oriented for St. Thomas. Most of the excursions offered with Disney were either too expensive or not up our alley.
We stumbled on a horse-back riding experience offered by the Golden Age Ranch on St. Thomas, not too far from the cruise port, and quickly, we were interested and got in contact with the ranch to set up our ride. We had no idea just how amazing the excursion would be.
The day we arrived in St. Thomas, we took a short cab ride to the Ranch and were greeted by the Ranch owner, Jessie. He was one of the main reasons our trip was so enjoyable. We instantly saw how much he cares for his horses and how passionate he was for riding. Now, that doesn't mean newcomers to horseback riding were uncomfortable with the experience. It was the opposite. Whether you had experience or had never gotten on a horse before, he was there to help you have an enjoyable ride but also taught you to ride properly and get to know your horse.
There were many great things about the excursion but there were some things that really made this ride stand out from others. The owner taught you how to ride either Western or English, and let you do the one you were comfortable with. Other places we have been didn't give us that freedom. The owner was also our trail guide, and he pointed out some history of St. Thomas and natural sights it had to offer as we rode our horses through a short spot in the woods out to a beautiful, isolated beach. Our horses were so comfortable on the beach they even stood a few feet in the waves.
The horses were exceptionally trained, but not in the manner most ranches train their horses for trail rides. They didn't always stick right behind the others horses butts. That doesn't go to say they didn't know the trail, because they knew it forwards and backwards, but you had to control and learn to lead the horse.
This might seem scary to some but this is what made the ride incredible. The horses weren't robots, they had their personalities, and you got a chance to really interact with the horse. But the training before we left the Ranch completely prepared you for it.
After our ride ended, the owner called our taxi for us and even took some people that were staying at a resort down the road back in his own truck! He showed genuine kindness to everyone there.
We never had so much fun on an excursion before. Go check it out and see what I'm rambling about. You won't regret it.
Thank you Jessie and everyone at Golden Age Ranch, our experience was truly "golden". read more