We took our kids and grandkids on a beautiful 1 hour ride at Sandy Bottom last week. The youngest was 8 and the oldest, 73! Our guides, Kelly and Peyton were fantastic! They led us along the path and were there to help if anyone needed anything or answer any questions we had! Our whole experience was positive from checking in to heading home. This was our 2nd time using them and we will absolutely go again when the family visits! read more

Service was good, and staff were super welcoming and kind. It was very simple and easy to go and they had a loading area to get on and off the horse which made it easy. They put effort into pairing horses who were extra chill with new riders. Price was reasonable and definitely worth it. Just did an hour ride, but for a beginner that was good cause your legs get a bit sore in a saddle if you aren't used to it. Loved it! read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - Photo Op - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

We had an amazing experience at the stables today. You have to meet Jackie while you're there. He's a hoot. Everybody who works there is extremely friendly and helpful. My husband rode a draft horse named Johnny, and it was spectacular. I don't remember my horse's name, but he was a really good horse. The horses were very well cared for and beautiful. They all seemed happy and were very gentle - they knew what they were doing on the trail which makes you feel more confident. The scenery when you're riding is absolutely spectacular. Be sure to stop along the way and ask your guide to take pictures of you. Safety first, but if you can get videos while you're up at the top of some of the hills, worth all of it. Highly recommend this place, we will definitely come back. In my opinion, the price is completely reasonable. We took the one hour ride, and it was worth every penny and more. read more

One of most beautiful trail rides I've ever done. 500+ private acres with gorgeous views. Ride through beautiful forest and across scenic meadows. Knowledgable guide and well mannered horses. We did the two hour ride but there are several offerings from 1-3 hours read more

See all

Really disappointing experience. It was wonderful in the sense that we love horses and got to ride for the first time in a long time and see some amazing views. However, the guides made us feel like we were the biggest burden choosing the 3 hour ride, and we had booked online the previous day, so it's not like we showed up the day of to book this. I don't know if they were just feeling overworked from being busy (4th of July week) or what. When we stopped at the mine, one of the other guides asked our female guide if she was having fun, and she very loudly said no. I didn't get either of our guides names because they didn't introduce themselves. The other guide was just ok. His English was broken and he talked more than the girl, but still made us feel like us going on this ride was the biggest pain. The two guides texted the entire time and made us feel like they were talking about us the way one would text and then look back to the other and laugh. The girl guide was straight up rude. I tried asking a question and she responded with attitude. Not only that, but we paid for 3 hours and they took us back early. We paid almost $300 to have a shortened ride.... We started the ride at 1, spent time at the mine, and then were off the horses by 3:40 (which should have been 4 o'clock). DO not tip before your ride. Please make sure you have a better experience like everyone else seemed to have, because I would have been really upset tipping before the ride only to end up with this experience. We love traveling to North Carolina for the people and the hospitality. This place did not have that and we were both very disappointed. They made us feel like we were the biggest inconvenience so the entire experience felt awkward and uncomfortable. I wish we could have had different guides and a ride that actually lasted 3 hours, but due to our experience, I cannot recommend this place. Very very disappointing, as I love horses and it has been years since being in the saddle. read more

An average trail ride (walking only) that would not be worthwhile for a more experienced rider. Skip the 3 hr. ride w/the garnet mine and do the 2 hr. ride, if you decide to go. Our guide spoke little English, spoke only when spoken to, and stayed on his phone while riding, as well as while we looked for garnets. After we asked him several questions at the garnet mine, he said he had to go check on the horses. When we got tired, we found him up by the horses sitting at the picnic table on his phone. read more

Riding a horse was on my bucket list and I am so glad I chose this place. The horses were well cared for and the guides were nice and informative. We chose to do the 1 hour ride (Im a complete beginner in every sense of the word!) and it was a perfect distance. They had a platform thing for ease in mounting and discounting and the horses were calm and gentle. I felt safe and secure at all times. We will be going back!! Thank you so much!! read more

See all

COHEN IS THE GOAT!!! my sisters and i had a great time here. we had never ridden horses before but it was very beginner friendly. poncho's antics were memorable to say the least! read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - my horse was Little Buck - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

See all

My daughter and I did the three-hr ride on a crisp, sunny fall day. The horses were clean and well fed. Our guide was young and very informative when asked questions. We stopped and dug for garnets, which was a nice break. We definitely do it again! read more

See all

Wonderful views. Staff were friendly and helpful. Ride was great. Everything was seamless. They provide saddle bags for your belongings.

The staff were very friendly. The ride was beautiful with amazing scenery. It was a great time and well worth the price.

Dalton was our guide, and while I am an experienced rider, my group was not and he made sure that everyone was comfortable. The views were stunning and it was an easy and enjoyable ride. :) read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - View - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

See all

We had an amazing time at Sandy Bottom!! Our guide was very kind and friendly and the trail was so beautiful!! Our horses were also amazing!! read more

Beautiful views...well behaved horses, very peaceful! Easy on and off set-up, well managed. read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

See all

Wow! What a beautiful experience. My friends and I went one morning during my bachelorette party weekend a few days ago and had the best time. The trail was so gorgeous with mountain views and rolling fog. There were horses roaming the land as we walked through and lots of wild flowers. The guides were very nice and helpful. It felt like we were in the Sound of Music. The horses seemed happy and very well taken care of, which is something I always try to vet before committing. I highly recommended and would return! read more

See all

We had such a great time on the two-hour ride. It is soooo beautiful. We were in a group with just our guide. Our guide was from Guatemala, so English is not his first language. But he tried to communicate as best he could. We are from Arizona, so everything about the green mountains of North Carolina filled me up. We had great horses. We had also ridden with Smokemont in the GSMNP and this experience was so much better. read more

Great company! We had a blast riding the trails with Justin as our guide. Thanks so much

Nice trail ride even for beginners. 2 hour ride was perfect length. Beautiful views and patient guides. read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

See all

I am a very experienced horseback rider of over 40 years. We owned a horse farm for decades. I signed up for a HORSE ride, and they put me on a stubborn MULE. When you ethically sign up for a HORSE, you should get a HORSE, NOT a STUBBORN MULE. It was a HORRIBLE experience! read more

We had a lovely time on the two hour guided trail ride. Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. I highly recommend if you are in the area. read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

What an experience!! We took 9 adults and two toddlers on the one hour trail ride the day after Thanksgiving and we cannot say enough good things about the experience. The facility and views are amazing. Long range layered views, meadows with horses grazing, creeks and forest views, varied terrain, it was excellent. Our guide Brian, the owner and his grandson all made our experience even better. They were knowledgeable, friendly and entertaining. Cannot wait to come back and do the longer rides. Western North Carolina is an amazing area with fantastic people. read more

Absolutely awesome experience! The horses and views are the star of the show, but it wouldn't be possible without a great staff at Sandy Bottom. We booked a three hour ride, but got a call on the way there that we couldn't do the three hour ride because it rained for days prior to our arrival. Sandy Bottom offered us an hour ride or a full refund (mud made some trails unsafe). I feel like by offering the one hour ride it was them doing everything they could to not completely cancel our ride. We chose the shorter ride and loved every minute of it. My one piece of constructive criticism would be that I wish we had five or ten minutes with the horses before or after our ride to socialize with them. Highly recommended for all ages and heights (they have a very accessible ramp/platform to mount and dismount the horses)! read more

great experience!! I have ridden a lot & my son, 11, had never ridden. The ride has great views, nice trails, and our guide was perfect!! The trail ride was great value and the owners/ employed were super nice and helpful! read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

Abbey our guide was great!! The horses are well taken care of and we really enjoyed our ride! Not your typical guided horse ride. Plenty of scenery and a family ran business. We went for my wife's 40th birthday and she had an excellent time! We'll be back when in the area! Also enjoyed digging for stones and found a real nice one! Thanks again for a great day! read more

See all

The scenery was amazing and the staff was super friendly. Our tour hide Matt was super knowledgeable and did a great job teaching us about the land and how to ride. 10/10!!! read more

Beautiful scenery. The guides were very friendly and put people of our party at ease when they were feeling a bit anxious because of not having any riding experience. The scenery was gorgeous! We even got a lesson on different wild flowers we passed and their medicinal properties! Would highly recommend read more

Our guide was so helpful and kind! Such an amazing experience. Well worth the price, the view at the top of the hill was beautiful!!

We had an incredible time. The views on the trail were breathtaking. Everyone was so kind and our tour kind Brandon was so nice. We would recommend everyone to come here and we will definitely be back! read more

See all

Wow! What a fun ride! My mom and I went on the 1 hour ride with Josh as our guide and he was awesome! He was very kind, made great conversation, gave great tips, and he made my mom and I feel extremely safe. I rode on Gracie, who was so sweet and stopped to snack on some plants on the way and my mom rode Alli, the absolute sweetest mule. The views of the property were UNREAL and we chatted with the owner, who was extremely kind and gave us some history of the business. Overall, we have a wonderful experience and the staff was SO friendly. The dogs on the property were extremely sweet, as well. Can't wait to come back next time we visit! Thank you Josh and Sandy Bottom Trail Rides Team! read more

See all

Great experience!! We were graced with lovely weather on a winter's day. Our guide was kind and clear communicator. I really loved being on top of those ridges and being able to stop and take it all in!! We were given the choice of stopping while on the horse or getting off the horses...we stayed on. It was a muddy trail in areas after the rains, 2 months after Hurricane Helene. There had clearly been a lot of work to clear the trails and move over the debris Helene left. It felt safe and was a fabulous ride. My horse, Woodrow was a solid strong beast!! He required a bit of nudging at times to move along, but was responsive. I'm looking forward to another ride/time. read more

My family and I decided to do horse back riding while visiting North Carolina. We searched long and hard for a good reputable place and found Sandy Bottom! I'm so happy we chose it. The farm and land is absolutely huge! Once you park you check in and are recommended to get a helmet regardless of age and given saddle bags to hold all of your belongings. Once on your horse you are led on a trail with two guides (one in the back and one in the front) and most of the time some farm dogs will follow! Our guides were amazing!! If you had any problems or questions they would come right to you to help. One thing I would suggest would be to wear long sleeves and long pants as sometimes your horse will brush up against some shrubbery. Overall it was an amazing experience and I cannot wait to come back!! read more

At age 70, on vacation alone, I went for a one-hour group trail ride. Not only were the staff nice, but the people I met on the ride were lovely. Everything was set up for the beginner rider. Even though I am a bit overweight, I tried not to take it personally that they put me on a horse whose name was "Tank." One boy (age 8 or so) was clinging to his Mom's legs when they brought the horses out but 15 minutes into the ride he was asking the guide if we could ride faster! I was hoping to go back for a second trail ride (two-hour) but I ran out of vacation ride. I highly recommend this as a part of your trip to the Asheville area! read more

Highly recommend! While you aren't in the Pisgah, you do get to ride through the 500acre property owned by Sandy Bottom. There are several views and plenty of time for photos! We did a two hour ride, and it was the perfect amount of time. All of the staff was very friend and prompt. Our horses were awesome. It felt casual and fun. They have several farm dogs running around that are very friendly and end up walking with groups along the trails! There is cattle and calves as well. A quick trip from Asheville, about 30 minutes north, and we'll worth it!! The 3 hour ride is essentially the two hour ride, with an hour break in the middle to look for gems. read more

A beautiful and incredible experience!!! The hour trail was the perfect amount of time and the views were stunning! read more

This was our second time here in 2 years. Beautiful and relaxing ride through the mountain trails. Connor was our guide and he was super nice and experienced. Our daughter rode Spring who was a little sleepy on the cold morning and decided to make her own trail. Connor was quick to get them turned around and headed back in the right direction. Everyone we met at the farm was very nice and we even spoke to the owner, who is a fourth generation owner. Great people and great experience! We highly recommend this horseback riding experience if you are in the area. read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - Here we are on the trail - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

We had such a wonderful time riding with Sandy bottoms trail rides. They have over 550 acres of land and the land has been with their family for over five or six generations. Our guide was James and we took the two hour ride. They take you through their property which is lovely; he showed us the different relatives homes scattered throughout and you come across deer, cows, sheep and the family dogs caring for the animals and land.. James was awesome. He also took us to the Garnet mines that have since been closed but you can explore the surrounding areas. Imagining life on this property, horseback riding throughout was part of the experience. We had an amazing day riding out in the mountains and highly recommend this place. read more

See all

my friend and I had a fabulous time on our one hour trail ride with Josh. He made our trip very informative and fun! The trail takes you up and through the mountains with many photo opportunities. Our horses, Gracie and Wee-man, were very well-behaved and easy to maneuver. Definitely recommend if you are in the Asheville area. read more

See all

Great doesn't even begin to explain how wonderful they were! I booked for the wrong day completely and they still accommodated us. They Have their very own welcoming committee (of pups) who want nothing but love! We loved it. Our trail guide was awesome allowed us to just take it easy and ride. We will definitely be going back! read more

We went on a 3 hour ride and had a great time. The horses trail-rode well, the staff was so polite and helpful and the ride was challenging enough to be fun and not scary. Thank you for a fun day! read more

Sandy Bottom Trail Rides - Horseback Riding Near Me - Marshall, North Carolina

Great ride! Good family activity. Only wish the guides had been a little bit more interactive.