On 9/5/15 we were visiting Block Island for the day. As part of our day, we decided to take a sunset beach horseback ride. When we contacted Rustic Rides Farm horseback rides, they told us that they'd pick us up by the ferries and drop us back off. We confirmed with them several that if we took the 6:30-7:30 ride that they would have us to the last ferry on time at 8pm. After several reassurances, we confirmed our reservation. Around 6:25, a car showed up to the chamber of commerce building to pick us up. To say that the car was dirty would be an understatement. The windshield was so dirty that the driver had to stick his head out the window several times to see. But that wasn't the worst part of the ride. We passed a restaurant/bar with music. The driver (I think he was the ranch owner) told us he wanted Paul McCartney to visit for a horseback ride. We casually said "you never know". He then went into a crazy rant that Paul McCartney would show up once he found out what the driver had. He said he had a 1000 year old painting predicting how John Lennon would die and that he found the Holy Grail on Block Island. He literally rambled nonstop for the rest of the ride. We just looked at each other in disbelief with what was going on and to be honest a little fear on where it might go. When we arrived at the ranch, we quickly got out of the car. We must have had some look on our face as one of the ranch hands quickly said to us "I don't know what he said to you in the car but I'm normal and I'll be going out with you." That put us somewhat at ease. When we got on the horses, they lined us up for the ride. A family with their children was also going with us. They arranged the horses so that we were separated. We asked several times to be together but they crazy driver kept telling us that the horses had to be in a specific order. So much for our romantic sunset ride! We'd do most of is nowhere near each other. When we got to the beach, my horse Blaze started acting a little funny. The one guide said something to the other about Blaze and he came over and grabbed the Raines right near its mouth and held on the entire time we were on the beach. When we got off the beach we were finally able to convince them to let us ride near each other so that we could experience a little of it together. While he was repositioning the horses, we asked why he held my horse on the beach. He said "Blaze likes to rollover on the beach. I didn't want to tell you that until after we were off the beach. But if I don't hold on, that one will rollover every time!" We had read some review about horses rolling and this confirmed it for us. As we were going back we noticed the time getting close to the last ferry. It was 7:45 and we weren't back yet. We called the guide and he said again, don't worry we will get you there. When we got back to the ranch it was getting really close to time to make the ferry. Of course the crazy driver was now off giving his crazy talk to one of the other customers. Apparently he had to give that guy a copy of his movie. We yelled from the dirty car that we really needed to go. Once again rambling, the driver took us to the ferry. He was initially taking his time until we started insisting that he needed to hurry so we would make the ferry. He again told us "Don't worry I'm used to running for the ferry!" And of course he started his crazy ramble again. We pulled up by the ferry and we bolted out of the car only to see the ferry pulling away. We had missed the last ferry by a few minutes. We turned around and the dirty car we came in was nowhere to be found. We asked at the dock and they told us we were stuck there until the morning. As this was Labor Day weekend, we had no shot at finding a room. Luckily for us, we found a nice state trooper and receive some fantastic help from New England Airlines and were able to get a flight off the island. With the amazing help from these people we would have been sleeping out in the cold. Block Island was great but I would recommend against the Rustic Rides Farm horseback riding. The 30 seconds on the beach seeing the sunset is so not worth the rest of the experience. read more

Read all the reviews on yelp and TA so we were well prepared for what was to come. First off, I've never ridden a horse so it was on the bucket list, especially riding one on the beach. Once we got to Block, Tim was already there waiting for us, he's an eclectic fellow but wants you to have a great time. Listen, you live on Block for 40+ years straight and you're a little different too. Once at the farm which is definitely rustic, they set you up on your appropriate horse, give you the once over and you're on your way down the street/trails and to the beach. The horses were great, no rolling in sand, I think our handlers were on top of it before it would even start. A little trotting as well which was cool. All in all, would do it again, enjoy the eclectic and you'll have some great cocktail talk later that night!!! read more

My friends and I recently did the 2 hour guided beach tour. The only way to describe it was the "Horse Ride From Hell!" The pouring rain had very little to do with it. For starters, we got picked up 30 minutes late by the owner, Tim in the grossest car I have ever seen. In the car ride, he was talking jiberish (we weren't sure if he was tripping or had taken too many drugs at one point in life or was schizophrenic?). He was talking all sorts of crazy. We got paired up with 2 tour guides-Mark and Kyle. Mark was a very nice guy and if he had taken us out alone, we might have actually had fun. The other guy, Kyle is a complete lunatic who should not be working with people. He was yelling at us at the get go when we were riding. Oh by the way, I mentioned to them that 2 out of the 6 of us were inexperienced riders. Nobody gave us any instruction on how to ride a hours and guide them. I had to learn from my friend as we were riding on the road. They wanted us to ride in single file on the road and the first 10 minutes Kyle was making us all incredibly uncomfortable (mind you we are a group of women in our late 30s who are responsible and huge animal lovers-we wren't horsing around.). We finally made it to the beach and we found it odd that Mark was holding on to one horse and Kyle was holding on to another. Why? Oh because those 2 horses have a tendency to roll around in sand. They still decided to use those horses and put our lives in jeopardy. My horse, Peaches, wouldn't' walk on the rocks with the rest of the horses. I just thought she was being a pest and I did my best to constantly get her to follow. The reason why? She didn't have shoes on and her poor feet were killing her! 5 minutes in to the beach ride, we asked if we could turn around. Kyle was screaming at one of my friends for no reason because her horse decided to run around in circles and she couldn't control him. Kyle refused to turn us around because it's a 2 hour ride. We were miserable. Nobody was relaxed and now we are beyond freezing because it is down pouring. We finally put our foot down and demanded that we turn around. After 3 wet & stressful hours, we made it back. read more

We had a good experience at Rustic Rides. They offered to pick us up, but we chose to ride our bikes there instead. A nice guy, Angus, took us out. Since we were beginners he was very respectful of how fast we wanted to go and made us feel very comfortable. We went out for about an hour, including a trot on the beach. It was really fun. However, while the employees are super nice, the owner was pretty obnoxious and rude to his employees, as indicated by similar reviews. Overall, good experience, but it isn't the prettiest of places! read more

I have owned horses for years and ridden horses even longer. The horses appeared well cared for. We had the nicest guide (Travis) and saw a great sunset on the beach. People should give this guy (Tim) a break. People criticize easily without really knowing what it's like day in day, day out to take care of horses and deal with the public. Not everyone is going to be happy all the time. Rustic rides is just that. They are the salt of the earth. After all isn't it about going on a trail ride on the beach. That's what service they offer and that's what you get. Stop being so stuck up and picky people! Overall had a great time! Thank you rustic rides and Travis! read more

We had done the Rodman's Hollow ride and we had no issues. Mark was are tour guy he was great. Are horses looked happy and healthy. I was very sweet to them and they seem to enjoy us. I had Beauty and my bf had Peaches. Beauty was a good listener and leader. We didn't get in the sand but I wish we did, next time I will. Read some of the reviews that speak about the horses rolling in the sand and as far as I'm concerned they're just like dogs, they get excited they might try and take advantage, they have been doing this routine for a long time some horses probably just want to roll in the sand. Chances of it happening are probably unlikely but not out of the question. As for Tim I find him fascinating. I think he's out of his mind but he means well. He probably has a lot of money from the business but is the type of person that will forever drive a dirty beater car to pick you up in, to each is own. I'm no professional people say the horses look unhealthy and the layout is dirty but again I think the horses look happy and healthy and from just conversing with him I could tell he definitely loves his horses. Dirty so what.. it's a farm! Im a young woman and everything I have is immaculate. I think if the guy wants to run his farm the way he wants to people shouldn't be so judgmental! Keep doin what you're doing Tim. I'm not sure about all the facts you state but I think you're very knowledgeable and interesting person that loves his horses so that's cool enough for me read more

My family and i have the the pleasure of taking the 2 hour sunset beach ride here every year (best ride they offer highly recommend). I find that many people who claim to be "expert riders" don't actually have very much experience at all these are trail horses not show horses, and I can tell you from my 10 years working as a vetranarian that they are well cared for. So as for some of the comments about the health of the horses these people are pseudo experts that do not in fact have a clue what they are talking about and because of their unrelenting unwarrented pretentious attitudes they seem to think it's ok to leave reviews that could actually have a very negative impact on a small business, and bias The opinion of a novice. The guides are usually pretty good, and it's a beautiful way to see the island. As for Tim, his eccentricities add to the charm of this quant tucked away gem of a farm located on the rural West side of Block Island read more

horrible, terrible and awful experience. First, we called early in the morning to get prices and schedule a time slot for us to go riding on the beach later that day. We then showed up 3 hours early before our time to check it out (because I read the reviews on here and was iffy about it). No one was there or came out to help and greet us.. we waited about 20 minutes until someone finally came outside. the horses were clearly hungry and chewing on the wood and some were roaming free around the property even with the road right there. So we left and then came back at 2:30, expecting to get ready to ride. The owner showed up at 2:45 and then left. When he came back he left AGAIN and didn't show up until 3:20. The ride was supposedly one hour long, so we planned to ride from 3-4 because we had tickets to get on the 5:00 ferry. By the time the owner showed up, we were considering if it was even worth it. Plus we had to sign waivers and still mount the horses, we wouldn't have even left the farm until 4:00. He asked for our credit cards to take them inside his house to charge us..very sketchy. When everyone handed him their cards, he began writing down the credit card information on a piece of paper to "remember who's was who's". It was clear that they did not care about us and only wanted our money, so I said forget it. As the owner was writing down the credit card info, he crumpled it up and threw it at us and told us to leave. Its too bad that what would have been such a cool experience had to be ruined by the psychopath owner. The whole farm, the owner, and the workers gave off very bad vibes. It was very unorganized, not kid friendly, and untrustworthy. I do not recommend this to anyone, it was a huge waste of time and that man does not deserve your money. read more

I took my niece to Block Island and we were both so excited for our Beach ride. To make a long story short, we walked along the road for about 25 minutes, walked on the beach for 10 minutes and walked 25 minutes back to the "ranch" along the same road. Pretty disappointing. They have a lot of nerve calling this a Beach Ride. It's more like a ride to the beach. Would not recommend it at all. read more

Terrible and rude service. My sister called weeks in advance to set up the 'sunset ride'. She was told we would be picked up at the hotel 15 minutes prior to the ride. When no one came we called over and over. The person on the other line was sarcastic and nasty "What do you expect? You should have taken a taxi." My sister replied that we had been told to wait at the hotel and that a car would be coming. We cancelled immediately, and this company will NEVER have my business. I strongly recommend against using this company. I just hope they treat their horses better than their customers. read more

I have been riding for a long time on and off. For about two and a half years it was pretty much constant but my horse sadly passed away and I didn't have the heart to continue riding as much as I had been. However I take trail rides as often as I can and occasional get on a friend's horse for a few minutes. Nothing like my old prize winning days but still time with such beautiful animals. I'm telling you this so that you understand that I have enough experience with horses to know what I'm talking about. I rode for the first time at Rustic Rides a few years ago. Since then I've gone back every year. The farm is certainly not a five star hotel but is in good working order (although it makes my inner interior designer cringe). The owner is nutty to say the least. He loves to rant about happenings on the island and has a museum in his barn which supposedly displays the holy grail which he believes he found on the island. One of the guides on my trail ride informed me that he was told to write letters to Oprah telling her about the grail. He also lacks some basic social graces and seems unable (or unwilling) to pick up on social cues. However dispute his eccentric nature he is a good man and good with horses. There have been (and still are) reports of the horses being abused or mistreated but from everything I've seen and heard in my multiple years of going to this place I've never seen anything to confirm it and believe me I have looked long and hard. The love that the owner has for his horses is very apparent. I have a memory of him giving my sister (a very experienced rider) his personal horse to ride and the pride and love in his eyes as he got the horse ready and handed him over to her reminded me of my love for my own horse. Just a note: Don't let him put you on his horse unless you're experienced. I have never been given a damaged saddle to use during my years of trail rides. Some have been a little worn but all have been well taken care of. The guides have always been friendly and helpful especially to my dad who rode for the first time in twenty years (back then it was one failed trail ride, he fell off five minutes in and didn't get back on a horse in 25 years) two years ago at this farm and enjoyed it enough to go again this past year. Each of the two guides he has ridden with have given him easy to follow instructions and made sure he was on a trustworthy horse. He even trotted a bit which was very impressive (he's terrified of horses). The guides answer your questions even if they have already been asked (for example: are you sure this horse isn't going to try to dump me into the ocean and then hold me underwater?) and listen to my father's weird stories with patience and kindness quite like most people on the island. The only real flaw with the guys is my dad always accuses me of flirting with them (which for the recorded I wasn't). Overall it's a great place and I highly recommend it. The ride on the beach is great. Beginners are comfortable doing it and the view is stunning. read more

I decided last minute to go riding. The staff at the Blue Dory called Rustic and arranged for someone to come get me. For free. A very nice gentleman picked me up and I found out later it was the owner. Wow. How many places do that? Anyway when I arrived there were two families there with younger children waiting to go. They were repeat customers, every year they go riding when on BI. The young man who led our group was informative, alert and very good with the kids(and the very nervous adult!). The ride was wonderful, wish we had more time on the beach but still enjoyed it. The horses were friendly and well-cared for. I belong to an animal welfare group and was impressed by how well loved the horses and ponies were by the staff and how quaint and homey the farm was. It was a great experience. I'm not a good rider by any means and they made sure at all times I felt safe and comfortable. Great job Rustic...I will be back next year! read more

Had an amazing ride. The hour and 30 minute rodmans hollow ride was just plain beautiful! The land could be cleaned up a little but overall its perfectly suitable for the horses. All the horses seemed to be in great shape. I went back again and did the 1 hour beach ride which was also beautiful. We were able to trot the whole way there giving us extra time on the beach. The saddles are a little used and could be replaced but what would you expect i mean the are getting used all day everyday. The horses are very well trained although some of them have a little attitude but everyone does. There was no rolling on the beach when i went but we were warned that they could roll. Contrary to previous reviews the fact that the horses roll has nothing to do with how well trained they are it has to do with the fact that are extremely hot! i loved it its a little pricey but i would do it again in a heart beat! read more

really wasnt impressed with this place. me and my 5 friends booked a sunset ride session to the beach, 65 dollars a pop for an hour which seemed pretty reasonable. we were told we would be picked up at 6:50 PM, they were there on time but picked us up in two vehicles a truck and a run down camry. the vehicles were covered in dust and dirt on the inside and out. we had no idea wed be getting a ride in this manner we assumed theyd get us in a company van or something. the car smelt putrid btw. on the way there the OWNER who was driving the truck did not stop talking insane gibberish the whole time. im not kidding he was talking about Hitler and the illuminati and how "john lennon was a part of his arm" i could not make this up if i tried. he had the demented ramblings of someone with schizophrenia. it made us all really uncomfortable. we tried to over look it when we got to the farm. the farm seemed nice but most of the horses werent in great shape. they seemed depressed. my horse was on the older side (they said she was 30) and i felt as though she shouldnt have been working, she seemed to be straining under my weight the entire ride ( im 5' 1") and 130 pounds. her hair was all chopped up in random places and was extremely brittle. the other horses were in similar shape, bites marks all over some from the horses fighting. i felt guilty being on the horses. two guys in their 20s guided us to the beach. we had to sign a waiver but they provided no helmets and little instruction before sending us off for an hour on the road, which i thought was strange. both workers on the way asked us our opinions on the owner, Tim. they also said he was nuts and didnt have super great things to say. we reached the beach and was there for not even 5 minutes which i thought was a little ridiculous considering how much we paid (it was extra since it was at sunset) we didnt even see the sunset really, it did look nice but we spent the majority of it with our backs towards it heading back. we tried to take a group picture of us on our horses but my horse and a few others were impatient (and seemed fatigued so i understood) and wouldnt stand for the picture and tried leading the way back because she wanted to go back. got back to the farm and the owner and a worker drove us back. me and my boyfriend went with the worker and he proceeded to tell us that the owner gets mean with the employees his exact words were "he gets drunk and he got in my face once but he didnt put his hands on me at least" which disturbed me a little. i dont know, it was a very weird experience i really dont think it was worth the money. just a warning for any who are looking into going. read more