Turkey Creek Stables in Plant City has false advertising on their website. It states that rides are $20 for 1 hour, but when we arrived, we were told it was actually $45 per hour. On top of that, there was also a $5 fee that was never mentioned upfront. When we questioned the price difference, we were told that the website with the $20 pricing has supposedly been up for the past 3 years, and that they "use a different website" as well, which was very confusing and misleading for customers. I had a very disappointing and unsafe experience at Turkey Creek Stables and would not return. During my ride, my horse and another rider's horse began racing each other at a speed that felt completely out of control. Despite repeatedly trying to get my horse to stop, I had no control over the situation. The horses were going so fast that the rest of the group did not return from the guided ride until about 15 minutes after us. I ended up being thrown off my horse and fell directly onto my back. I got the wind knocked out of me and later went to urgent care, where I was told I had significant bruising, including a large contusion on my inner thigh. What was most concerning was the lack of response afterward. No one immediately ran over or properly checked to make sure I was okay. The only person who took the time to come over, check on me, and give me basic advice like icing and taking Tylenol was the hispanic man (the staff member). Aside from that, there was very little concern shown for my safety. I was also very uncomfortable with how the situation was handled afterward. A front desk comment about getting "certified cowgirl stamps" and mentioning my nails being intact felt extremely unprofessional and dismissive given what had just happened. Additionally, the guides appeared very young and not adequately prepared for handling emergencies. During a guided ride, I would expect at least one experienced guide in the front and one in the back to ensure safety and control, but that was not the case here. Overall, I'm highly disappointed with the lack of safety, supervision, and professionalism. I would not recommend this experience and would not go back. read more

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Horses need vet care! Equipment is old, worn out or broken and needs to be replaced. Stalls are dirty. My horse was obviously struggling to keep pace. i suspect she was in pain or some serious discomfort. One staff said she was "tired." Another said she "always walks slow." read more

this is an amazing stables. I've been volunteering here for about three years now I've been coming here since I was seven years old and this is an amazing stables where you can learn and it feels like home here honestly, I don't know why people are hating they probably have never been around horses or ever seen one so please stop hating we do take care of our horses. They are very well trained. The horses are very healthy and the trail rides are really fun and they enjoy it so please stop hating! read more

Turkey Creek Stables - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

Please do NOT come here. My experience with Turkey Creek Stables was horrible. The second we started walking to the trail the horse that my little sister was on ran off at a very high speed and was UNCONTROLLABLE. There was no guide by her and she rode off screaming and I lost track of her. Thankfully a guide was on her way back and happened to run in to them, if she wasn't there who knows what would have happened. Another incident happened during this ride were my other sister's horse was bit by another horse and it caused my sister to get thrown off her horse, she fell between the two horses and could have been trampled!! Again during the same ride my horse was uncontrollable I kept pulling back on the reigns but it would not stop running, and I also ended up falling off the horse. There was no guide with me and I was left alone. The horses there are also very sick looking, and look like they aren't being well taken care of. They only have a small area that they stay in. Honestly I'm not shocked they run off the first chance they get. DO NOT RECOMMEND COMING!! read more

‼PLEASE READ‼ I used to work here a few years ago, and I am coming forth to explain some of the HORRIBLE things I have seen at this location, coming from a well educated equestrian. First of all, the paddock that these horses are kept in, (whether it be in the arena, or back in the pasture to the right of the front desk) is WAY WAY too small for the amount of horses they have. They easily had around 20 horses in not even a half of an acre of paddock. To give reference, you should have 1 acre of pasture PER horse. You can see the size of it if you look close enough. Secondly, the water troughs, at least for the trail horses, was RARELY cleaned. When I worked there'd there were CONSTANTLY overgrown in bright green algae. They didn't often check the troughs since they are self-filling. They're automated. Also, there was only one inside of this tiny paddock. Third, they had one round bale of hay for around 20 horses. If you weren't aware, there is a pecking order in horse herds. The horses lower on the totem pole usually didn't get to eat much, since the ones higher up usually chased them out (natural horse behavior). Horses must only go a MAX of four hours without hay/grass/forage, otherwise they can get ulcers. If they're being constantly chased out, there is no telling how long some go without it. They also never had access to grass, which has vital nutrients for horses. They are kept on a "dry lot," which usually gets very deep and muddy, which is very unhealthy for hoof health. These horses also had very little access to shade, especially in the back pasture. Speaking of hooves, horses require a farrier once a month, MINIMUM. This is because a horse's hooves never stop growing, much like human nails. These horses EASILY went weeks and weeks without proper hoof care. A quick google search will show you what a properly cared for hoof looks like, vs how overgrown/unhealthy ones look. Next is saddle fit, and weight limits. Saddle fit is extremely important. If a saddle doesn't fit a horse properly, it can cause long term damage to their spines, and even cause things like kissing spine, and sway back. They got fitted with two old saddle pads (you should only ever need to use one if your saddle fits correctly), and old saddles, none of which fit right. Weight limits is also very important, for the same reasons, back and spine health. There is a 20% rule for horses. That's means that for MOST horses, a rider, plus all equipment used (I.e saddle, saddle pad, etc.), should NOT be over 20% of an horse's body weight. Some horses can hold a little more than 20%, like larger more muscular horses. Turkey Creek did not enforce this rule, at least when I worked there. They would throw the larger ride on taller, yet still thinner and under-muscled horses. Not ideal at all. A rider that is too heavy can also cause damage to the joints, etc. (Do some googling if you want) Then we have the actual feed that these horses get. I'll start off by mentioning that all horses should have their own diets, to a certain degree. Some need more grain than others, some need less; some need more vitamins, etc. These horses got sent out to a larger pasture (also dry), that is maybe an acre, maybe. They have roughly 10 feed pans out there that they filled at night after closing. If we go back to what I said about herd hierarchy, the horses higher on the stick get to the grain first, leaving some with barely any, if any at all. They had two round bales out here, which is a little better, but the hay was always poor quality, and again, horses would still get chased out. Next is a more sensitive topic, I will try to describe it as gently as possible, while also being direct. When I worked there, there were four horses who lost their lives. One came in one morning with a broken leg, had to be put down. One got hit by a car (freak accident, but could have been prevented with proper security), a foal passed away over night due to unknown reasons, and lastly, a horse got bit by a venomous snake, and unfortunately did not get the vetting that he deserved. I will add, this same horse was beaten and abused by a worker (who I believe has been fired, but long after knowing all of this happened) multiple times. I had seen it with my own eyes, he would punch and kick this horse for not doing his "tricks" like he was supposed to. To explain just how each horse was put down, it was downright inhumane. They would do it... "the old fashioned way." If you are picking up what I'm putting down. It didn't always work the first time, so they'd have to "try again." Heart wrenching. I claim all of this as my own PERSONAL and PAST experience. Things *may* have changed since then, but PLEASE still consider all of this. There is so so much more, but this is already too long and won't let me type more. Please just do your research, and DO NOT support this location. Reach out to whomever you must, please. read more

The horses are little old but other than that everything was great I recommend this as an outdoor activity and something that you must try if you want to stop doing the ordinary activities read more

Nice trails, horses are little old, they were nice to ride. They need better saddles for riding and environment could be better up kept a little more care, looks more like a run down property. Horses appeared well considering they look old. The bathroom definitely needs cleanliness attention, may be old but does not take away to have it cleaned. Our guide was a very nice and knowledgeable gentleman. Price for riding is reasonable. The trails for most part are smooth and you may see some wildlife along the ride. read more

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Scheduled a ride there in August with my family of a wide range of ages. There were ten of us. The staff was very polite. The workers were all teenage volunteers. They were led by another teenager who seemed uncomfortable with the responsibility of managing them and choosing horses for the riders. It took a long time to get us saddled up. We started up the path and within 10 minutes the saddle on my horse rotated sideways and dumped me hard on the ground with my feet still in the stirrups. The teenagers responded rapidly and I spent the rest of the afternoon in the ER getting many xrays and cat scans. Fortunately, my injuries were just three spinal fractures. Fortunately, I had good insurance coverage. I have fully recovered. My full payment was accepted without an offer of refund. I would recommend more training and adult supervision for the staff. read more

I can definitely see you coming up with a really good or maybe not so good experience here. Lots of teenage volunteers and rescued animals. It was $20 an hour per person and we tipped or guide. We had a pleasant ride with our guide Danielle. She "ponyed" my 8 year old son for his first ride. He gets nervous and felt quite comfortable as we went on our hour ride. My son, my husband and I were the only ones in our guided group, which worked out well. I wouldn't want to be paired with some of the louder groups that distracted us from our peaceful ride. read more

Turkey Creek Stables - Riding Pilot @ Turkey Creek Stables - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

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Awesome place! Staff is friendly and horses are nice. The place is rusty so you're getting dirty. Take your boots! You're gonna have fun. Just be brave and get on the horse. If you don't know how to ride or are scared go to a place where they make you go in circles... they take you to a nature trail and is awesome. read more

Turkey Creek Stables - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

Do not go to this place. It is horrible. Horses are mistreated. Frequently find riders hurt on the trails.

This is my go to place for horseback riding. I've gone 3 times now over a period of 3 years and I have yet to have a bad experience. I've taken my 12 year old sister who was a first time rider and she had a blast. No complaints from anyone and for all the first timers with us, it gave them comfort that their first horseback riding experience was great. Seriously, no complaints here. $20 for an hour, SIGN ME UP! read more

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I've taken both of my children here for many years, and always had a wonderful experience. This is the only places I have been to, where they will let you ride the horses by yourself without a guide. Both of my kids have gone to the summer camp there and they are experienced riders. This is an amazing experience for children and the folks that run is are super accommodating and friendly. My only complaint is, that I can't go there often enough! Keep up the good work, and thanks for giving children one of the few positive experiences they can get these days. Houses aren't supposed to be fat, and it's normal to see their ribs. Check the following like to see what a horse is supposed to look like. www.brodheadvets.com/userfiles/file/bcs_ht1.jpg read more

Turkey Creek Stables - Horses aren't supposed to be fat & it's Ok to see their ribs. See link for normal weight www.brodheadvets.com/userfiles/file/bcs_ht1.jpg - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

This place was very disgusting and disappointed my sister almost fell off the horse because the Horse was going crazy and she tries to stop him it didn't do anything and I tried to grab her horse myself but my horse was just running so I didn't get the chance to hold her so my horse was running after her because if one horse moves the other horse moves and after all that she was bleeding on her legs and her hands and we asked for a refund cause we only rode for 4-5 minutes and they refused to give us a refund this place is very bad and scary and traumatizing the horses didn't even get fed so the horses stop to eat food half of the 4-5 minutes the horses are very abused at this place I do not recommend it. read more

Never coming here again- in fact, this is the stable that gave me a fear of horseback riding. Def not the relaxing trail ride I was looking for. 1- I get that its a stable- but the waiting/seating area could at least be tidied up a bit for customers I feel. The whole trail is also on dirt grounds and in openness, no shady trees to keep you cool for even a half mile of it. 2- the management isn't very professional. most of them are teenagers who volunteer for fun and probably have been riding for a while, but wouldn't say they are equine specialists in any way. 3- their horses are crazy and wild. Either they aren't being trained well or they are getting abused. They do as they please, no matter what you or the reins tell it. My most recent experience here: my horse was going as fast as what felt like 50 mph and wouldn't stop no matter how much I was screaming or pulling it to halt. Almost threw me off even..scarred me for life honestly. 4- not a very beginner friendly place fyi. A lot of the time they don't have guides to accompany the trails and you have to ride on your own. I get that's fine if you're an expert but at least be a little more accommodating to everyone else. Horseback riding is a great experience....anywhere else but Turkey Creek! read more

I thoroughly enjoyed my 3hr ride today on Knox! The trail is beautiful with a lot of shade. I came seeking solitude, and this is one of the few places that they will let you ride without a guide (after about the first half hour). Many of the horses are rescues, and mine did need extra patience, but she was perfect for me. On my way back, I realized that the saddlebag with my keys and phone had fallen off somewhere on the trail on the way back. The staff are young, but couldn't have been more helpful. She rode out and back to find it for me (about 11/2 hours total), and were so kind. I got to groom Knox while waiting. I hope to return again soon! read more

Had a great time, guide was very nice and answered all our questions and concerns. Horse were very easy to handle, easy for anyone who's never rode a horse before. read more

Turkey Creek Stables - Nice and fun trail. - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

According to sources, reports have been made to animal control for years about the lack of nourishment and basic care these horses are receiving. As you can see from the photos, they are severely underweight. Two horses have Cushing Disease and should not be working long hours on the tails in this heat. There have been many reports that the horses work all day with no break or when they do, they are tied to a post with no food or water. They also get turned out in the evening with their saddles on. read more

Very good experience, horses were tame and listen very well. The tour guides were welcoming, funny, and kind. Overall great experience and would recommend. read more

Great place , great people, and great horses . everyone is so nice and they make you feel at home

To keep it short and simple, do not come here. Why? 1. So many horses and a lot of them looked malnourished and not well taken care of 2. Paid for an hour ride but we ended up not even riding the horses because they weren't following directions and even with the instructions given they just seemed to want to go back to the stables, which they did follow directions to. 3. With that being said, 3 little girls of ages 5-8 years old guided us so that turned into an odyssey because the horses weren't following direction. Hence, bad management. 4. Horses were slapped and kicked harsher than I've seen just for them to do what they are suppose to and I don't even think that was considered proper animal treatment more like animal abuse. 5. We asked for a refund but no refunds. End of story, please don't come here ‼ read more

I went with a party of 7. It was 4 adults and 3 kids (ages 2,4,and 7). We had reservations for 2. We arrived a few minutes before 2pm and completed Al the documents. We were set to have 5 horses. 1 for each adult, 1 for the 8yo, and the 2 small kids were to be paired with adults. After we completed our documents we waited around. So at about 230 I asked what are we waiting for because all of the staff was sitting around. No one said anything. They finally said the horse had just came back from a ride and they needed a little break and it would be about another 10 minutes. So they started pairing us with horses at about 240pm. There was a lot of whispering amongst the staff about the horses. One of the adults was placed in a horse with the 2 yo. Al of a sudden they told him to get off. They put him and the child on another horse and k was placed on the horse they had just got off. So we were almost finished being paired with our horses. They were down to the last adult and needed to put the 4 yo on the horse. We hear one of the staff members say it's almost 3pm this group of people ( us) should've already started the ride by now. All of a sudden the horse with the adult and 2yr old collapsed. All of the employees run to help to make sure the 2yo and the adult were not hurt. At that time we told them we did not want to take the ride. There were too many signs that things were going wrong. We told them we wanted a refund. They said they could not refund us and we could still go. They did not give a refund but I will definitely dispute this with my credit card company. The place is ran by a whole bunch of teenagers and young adults. The horses clearly were not in shape or healthy enough for the tasks. The audacity of them to think that after the horse fell out with people on it that the people would get on another horse. They need better management and some customer service. read more

Love this place, horses are taken care of so well and so much fun while riding! If it's your first time I definitely recommend asking for private or blue because they are kind. read more

This barn is amazing for the most part! a few things i dont like is that theres very little shade for these horses in the pasture. All the tack is kept on all day when trail rides are ongoing. which, i imagine is quite uncomfortable. especially considering the Florida heat. the horses get adequate feed and water for the average horse, but these horses do need some more weight on them. some horses out in one of the back pastures are terribly skinny and look like they are about to drop dead (maybe they are older, getting weight on older horses can be a chore). I love my horse here, Einee. At the moment i am leasing him. he's been gaining a lot more weight since I started my lease, and his sores are healing! The staff here is super nice and knowledgeable i've seen a few horses with rain rot, however its most likely being treated. the hay is definitely not fresh... the horses don't really seem to care to much but they wouldn't turn down some fresh alfalfa. Sometimes its so hot out and horses are still on trail. horses overheat 3x faster than humans do, so i think in times like those they should not be able to be ridden. The horses should definitely be rinsed down a bit at the end of the day (although i do realize the have like 50 something horses) in my mind they should be rewarded at the end of the day for hard work. Truly beautiful horses and are mainly treated nicely! would recommend. read more

DONT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE FOR NEW PEOPLE! In fact I don't really recommend this place even if you have a good amount of experience... I've been here a total of 3 times, the first time was actually good, even though the horses did not behave very well as for listening, for someone that doesn't know horses to well I thought that was normal for them to be kinda stubborn.... The second time I went, I took 3 friends along, one of my friends horse wouldn't listen at all and started galloping really fast back towards the stables. We tried to catch up to her (because she was so scared she couldn't stop the horse) we got the horse to a stop and decided to walk back, my friends horse started to act up again so I got off my horse to help her. After calming her down we decided to call the stables to tell them to bring someone out to help get my friend back safely. After 46 minutes no one came. We decided to take the problem in our own hands and slowing head back, as I tried to get back up on my horse, my horse started running really fast, while I was not even on the horse all the way (standing on one side) after we got back FINALLY We found out that no one ended up even leaving to help us out. The third time I went, I had family that really wanted to go (even though I warned them about the bad horses) they still wanted to give It a try. Again proving a bad place to go! My little 7 year old cousin was apparently given a "kids horse" well this kids horse wouldn't listen the entire time heading out towards the trail. 10 minutes in the trail the "kids horse" turns around and starts running with the 7 year old boy on it's back. My aunt freaks out, gets off her horse and starts running after him. (Which I later asked my aunt why she didn't just ride her horse after him, which she said cuz she didn't trust those crazy horses) the trail guide didn't even run after my cousin right away they said that the horse would stop running on its own, so It will be okay. VERY UNSAFE!!! The horse that my aunt had started kicking my horse and my house started kicking back and forth until I pulled my horse away from the other horse, which took a while and was very hard! (Very scary moment) After calming everyone down my aunt and her son went back to the stables but me and my other cousin still went on the trail because my other cousin really wanted to keep riding. Going further in the trail my horse kept trying to shove me against things and shaking me off. After that didnt work my horse got on the ground and was rolling over!! Good thing I jumped off as fast as I could! Who knows I might of broke a leg! And that horse (Snickers) did that twice to me in the matter of 20 minutes. Without even including the horses the place is ran by children. They need actual people to run the place not 13 year old kids that can't handle a hard situation like that. And the horses need to be trained professionally and taken good care of, not let in the sun in the heat or being hit really hard. The entire time the volunteers said "if the horses don't listen kick the shit out of them" thief words not mine.... That place needs to me checked my some kind of animal professional people and they need to make sure that they have age appropriate and trained people working there for customer safety... I hope this helps people see that they need to be careful. There are big animals not little puppies. read more

I'm only leaving a review for the horses' sake, because I think if there are enough bad reviews someone will shut down the stables and the horses will get better care... I went for my 21st birthday. And the whole time I was on the horse, it wouldn't even go in a straight line, it was turning sideways almost the whole time, trying to turn around, and after countless struggles trying to get it to go straight; half way through it finally completely turned around AND BOLTED BACK TO THE FRONT, RAN MY FACE INTO A TREE, I had cuts all over my face. And I remember the person that came back to get me off the horse and give me another one.... said " yeah it's probably because she's been outside the whole day, training" or something like that. Note, it looked dirty like it needed a bath, and was honestly skinny looking. ‍ read more

Such a terrible experience! Never even touched a horse! Made reservations, double checked those reservations the afternoon of, and was still told there would be a 2 hour wait when we arrived. When I spoke to the staff, they weren't able to provide a logical explanation for the wait. They spoke in circles and changed their story multiple times! We planned our whole day around this reservation! What a waste of time!!! Drove 2 hours to here for nothing!!! Why accept reservations if it doesn't mean you'll hold the horses/time slot? Makes ZERO sense! read more

Iv been horse back riding a couple times before and it was my birthday so I decided to go with my boyfriend and they never once asked if I knew how to ride a horse or taught me how just saddled my horse and took me out pass the bridge,and my horse (rose bud) didn't like water and the whole trail was water!!! So I went through a lot of trees and cut myself all up! Second my horse didn't even listen at all got to this big open field and these HUGE hogs came out of nowhere and where fight and screaming and running I was terrified for my life and my boyfriends horse wouldn't even move mine was running which was good and bad because it was hard to stay on and they refused to go on trail so they went back the way we came from through all the water it was absolutely horrible our guide dalton was very nice and helped a lot though but once he left s&@" hit the fan! Not saying it was their fault but the horse was not trained they even said they just got it and the path was not safe they said they always see hogs! So why put me out there ? By myself! And when I arrived back they didn't even say sorry or anything they all just sat around talking so bottom line if you go you better know how to ride a horse and if you don't make sure the guide goes with you the whole time!!! And you have to tip them or they won't go FYI lol but I'd say they are very unprofessional read more

Turkey Creek Stables - Horse - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

This was awful. I waited a few days to see if I could calm down about my experience, but I can't. This place was simply unbelievable. I've been to a few horse stables in my day and I wouldn't by any means call myself a horse expert, but I definitely know how animals should and shouldn't be treated; anyone with a little common sense knows that. Our day started out fine. It was 27$ for a "membership" (you have to buy a membership to buy and ride there) and 2 hours of riding time. The website lists that they only accept cash, but they have a credit card machine. You get a ticket after filling out a waiver releasing them from any and all liability, blah, blah. Ok, pretty typical. There were five horses ready and tacked. We (three friends and I) had made an appointment and a couple had made an appointment for the same time. I sort of expected a few horses to be ready, so that was ok with me. One of the stable workers asked another to go grab another horse that was ready. Ok, 6 people with an appointment, 6 horses ready. Makes sense to me. You see, since this is Florida, it gets pretty hot during the summer. 90+ degrees even at 10 am. Then three other people came up. They didn't have an appointment. By this time, it's about 10:30 am and only two people are on horses. Ok, the stable workers are young and having trouble. Then, they put the three walk-ups on horses. One of the girls had been several times and asked if a certain horse was in. He wasn't, so they gave her a different horse. My friends and I are still waiting and getting annoyed because we thought they would have to tack up new horses for us. Unfortunately, there were several more horses in full tack (yes, bridles too) standing around a completely unshaded corral. One of the girls working told the other to "chase" a horse to catch it (awful idea!) and then the girl sent to chase horses began to hit a horse in the face because it wouldn't do what she wanted. I was put on a horse named Mustang. The reins on Mustang were too short, so when he got antsy and wanted to graze, i had to drop them in order for him to even reach the ground. I had asked for my stirrups to be adjusted because they only let me put one foot in to get on. They assured me I would have them adjusted before I got out on the trail. My horse got antsy and wandered over to the maybe 15x5 grass area outside the block and area where they load people onto horses. By this point, about 10 more people had showed up and the two young (15 or 16 year old) girls were in way over their heads. As the horses started crowding in on one another, a horse apparently got too close to mine. My horse got kicked, and started bucking. Since my stirrups had never been adjusted, and my reins were too short; I had no control over the horse. I got thrown off. I was a little dazed and lay on the ground for a moment in the midst of horses kicking at each other. The girl riding the horse who had crowded mine ended up getting kicked in the ankle. The staff started yelling and screaming are you ok, are you ok, while proceeding to load a small girl onto the horse that had just thrown me. The horses here are incredibly unhappy because they stay in all of their gear all day long. They obviously haven't had baths in days, if not weeks. Some of the horses are weak, some have cuts from their saddles. This place is a factory, not a stable. If you care about animals, you shouldn't be able to stomach a place like this. I'm considering calling Animal Services to report the conditions they keep their horses in. I will never, EVER go there again. read more

This place was a hot mess and a disaster waiting to happen. My husband and i had made reservations for my daughter's 3rd birthday to ride some ponies in the arena with her little friends. Getting there on the hayride was a fun trip. Getting off at the stables was a little questionable. The place was not a clean place. Buildings/stables looked disheveled. Things were just dingy, etc. Apart from the dirt, there were a good amount of people there which just stressed out the woman in charge. She seemed to have a lot on her plate, mainly because she probably had to bark orders at a bunch of pre-teen employees. When we arrived, I informed her we were there and he called for or horse walkers and ponies. 10 minutes goes by. Then 20, then 30. I talked to the woman and told her that there were still no ponies in the arena and we had been waiting. She genuinely seemed to not know the teens did not bring any by even after calling for them. They get the horses in the arena and FINALLY (even after having a specific time slot) we can start riding. Well, the horrible wait after having a reservation wasn't the worst of it. While waiting for the horses to be brought to the arena for us, I over heard the woman saying that she found a young child off the horse trails sobbing hysterically and left alone. this little girl had to have been about 5 or 6. Her guide, probably another 13 yr old had left her o the trails alone. WTF?!?!?! Her parents were no where to be found as well as her two brothers whe was supposed to be riding with, Not that it was entirely the guide's fault because what parent in their right mind would leave young children like that horseback riding with a child guide? That's not even the end of it. If the young lost child wasn't bad enough, me almost having a heart attack over a wild acting horse threw me over the edge making me never to want to come back. A large horse escaped and ran full speed directly towards the main area everyone waits. I just heard "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" screamed multiple times by the employees. This horse made a bee line for a little boy and if a young guide didn't dive in the path to pull the boy away, he would have been trampled. Horse might have been spooked or an irresponsible teenager could have improperly left the gate open. Anyway, what shocked me the most was that this was the family of the little girl who was on the trail. The parents did not seemed shocked that the horse almost ran their son over. The horse that got out of control came back around the corner. This time, there was a grown man riding him trying to control him. The horse obviously had a mind of his own and went bucking and flailing straight into the arena my little girl and her friends were in. I was sitting out of the arena in the shade and i just saw a wild horse bucking and jumping in all directions towards the kids and the adults. All of the adults and the guides were quickly trying to move the kids out of the horses' path so they wouldn't get trampled. I almost fainted as I saw that horse go near my daughter. Thankfully, the man was able to control the horse and get it out of the arena as fast as possible; however, I believe that if the gate to the arena was properly closed by the guides (it wasn't at all and was left open) then the horse wouldn't have run in there. Well, after the wild horse incident, one of the walkers decides to just leave the arena and his horse escapes a little after that. Horse wasn't wild or anything, but it just exited the arena. Well, since we paid for 4 horses, I was then left to inform the head woman that one of the walkers left and so did a pony. The kids were waiting to ride at that point since there wasn't enough ponies to keep everything at a steady pace. I understand people have bad days, but there were far too many mistakes made. One day, there is going to be a huge mishap due to the employee carelessness. I am not willing to go back and sign any papers anymore there stating that they aren't liable for anything that goes wrong while riding especially when young teens take the reigns and are put in charge of the horses. I will definitely find another stable for me to feel safe while riding with my daughter, read more

IF I COULD GIVE NO STARS I WOULD My whole family went there on Saturday my father up front my youngest daughter who was 14 and my oldest who is 18 me and then my niece who is 7 being lead by a volunteer there, who was a teenager and then my sister in the back because my brother in law was on a horse but his horse was coughing so bad they had to take him off of the horse. We were not even on the horses for more then 5 minutes before there were three horses charging at us with no one on them our horses all got spooked my oldest daughters her horse got turned around as well as my horse and started running toward the barn we were so close to each other I tried to grab for her horses reins to slow it down but by that point my daughter got thrown off the horse landing on her head and being trampled by my horse who was still running as I was trying to slow my horse down with my daughter screaming in the background that she was dying I slowed my horse down and while still running jumped off it and my landed in a tree my head hitting it. I ran over to my daughter with my sister who was trying to get off her horse no one was there to help us. Thank God my sister is a trauma nurse at Tampa General and started giving directions to get her daughter off her horse and someone call 911 no one was doing that so I called 911 with my daughter screaming that she could not feel her leg. We were thinking she was paralyzed or her leg was broken still no one was around that worked there or owned the place not one adult came to see what had happened we were completely terrified more horses were going to come and trample my daughter who was lying on a trail still screaming. It was horrifying and with such lack of professionalism No One Came to see how we were. There was one girl who walked up with a stethoscope NO first aid kit thank God my daughter wasn't bleeding. My daughter was taken by an ambulance to tampa general hospital. I have recieved No phone call to see how my daughter is from this place and when I called to try to get my money back they told me that I could have a credit. Very Horrific experience. I felt bad for the children that were volunteers the animals there because we saw a volunteer slap one of the horses and it was pretty evident that the one my brother in law was on was very sick. read more

The place is not the cleanest in the world, that's for sure. They could benefit from some Lysol and better management. On the weekends, the horses stay tacked, because they get busy. Not the best, but I understand why they do it. All the horses aren't tacked during the week though. I've been here around 5-6 times, both weekends and weekdays. The horse handlers are mostly a bunch of teenage volunteers so, as I said, they would benefit from better management, not to mention horse training. Their horses are STUBBORN. On more than one occasion my horse has done what it wants to when it wants to no matter what the reins were telling it, which can be scary. That said, it's the only place I know of that lets you ride without a guide- this is not the lame "nose to tail" trail ride that other facilities offer. This is definitely a better place for more experienced riders. Or brave novices, such as myself. read more

I'm am an experienced horseback rider. I own my own horses. I brought a few of my friends to Turkey Creek Stables to experience horse back riding (since although I own two, I don't own enough to ride with my friends). This place is ran by children volunteers. That means, they don't even pay their help. The children "guides" (and I use that term loosely, because there's not much a 13 year old girl can do when your horse decides to take off...) are inexperienced kids. They constantly tell you to "kick harder" or "smack the horse" if its acting up. Turkey Creek's horses are mostly made up of skinny "rescues". So, you and your friends/family will not be riding a bomb proof trained horse, rather you will be getting on a ticking time bomb. At least one (if not all) the horses in your group will be guaranteed to either gallop away with you back to the barn, buck you off, dive into brush to try to knock you off, or just won't move point blank. These horses ARE NOT FOR BEGINNER RIDERS. Hell, they're really not even for experienced riders, because thats me, and it was still an awful up hill battle controlling the horse I was riding. There are boards posted everywhere saying "walk only". LOL, good luck with that. Even if you manage to get your rodeo champ to slow down, theres a good chance the guide is going to run their horse, making the chain effect. While the horses wait, they are all tacked up in a big corral. There is no shade, and it was all dirt. This is equally unsafe and cruel. Some of the horses didn't even get breaks between trail rides, we got off and new people hopped on. So you read multiple reviews, all with the same exact issues. Most of the positive reviews are the 13 year old volunteers. You'd think that TCS would try and be more accommodating and fix the issues, but nope. If you read through their facebook, they delete the negative comments and comment on the positive ones saying, "thanks for the truth". LOL. Management (the ones who are not children) act like children themselves. They DO NOT care about your safety, this is the puppy mill of horseback riding. They are just looking to turn a quick buck. If they CARED they would hire knowledgable adults to guide you. If you're looking to practice being a rodeo rider, have at it, this is your place. Wear body armor. If you're looking for a nice relaxing trail ride, go elsewhere. read more

Warning ! Do not let your child get on these horses. Do background check on this stable. Many injuries and one DEATH! The guides are mostly young untrained volunteers. They are not trained on how to handle a crisis situation. My granddaughter ended up in the emergency room! She was trampled . 3 runaway horses - no riders came charging towards us at a very high speed . We where on a 3 foot wide trail. This started a chain of unfortunate events that could've been stopped. Also, the horses 6 of them unmanned charged towards the barn where others young kids where standing around. The horses look very unkept and sick. I heard these are old racing houses. Please I don't want to see anymore children hurt. read more

the horses here are loved by many and cared for very well. the trails are beautiful and lots of fun. call and make a reservation prior to coming! read more

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PLEASE READ!!! This place is UNBELIEVABLY HORRIBLE. If nothing else, for the safety of yourself and your family, DO NOT ride at Turkey Creek Stables. Here's my story: My wife, son, and myself went to go horseback riding. All started out well until we get to the trail. Within two minutes, my wife almost got bucked off by the horse going nuts for no apparent reason. The horse was even uncontrollable with the "trail guide." In fact, the horse runs away and across the street (luckily the horse didn't get hit by a car). She quits and walks back the stable. I understand animals can be unpredictable, but the story doesn't stop there. 3 minutes later, the horse my son was riding evidently wasn't comfortable walking through mud. The horse spooks in the mud and throws my son off into the mud. Thankfully, the horse didn't step on him...avoiding a disaster. Meanwhile, the entire 5 minutes, my horse almost refuses to move...I've been on dozens of trail rides in my life. Ride over...then we walk the horses back to the stable since I refuse to go on. I'm furious...obviously. Management, of course, refused to refund. Further, ALL of their "trail guides" are young, inexperienced, and unable to control the horses. Lastly, after my experience, I see all the similar reviews. I even found a story the a boy was KILLED at THIS STABLE in 2004 by a horse bucking and falling on the boy. Interestingly enough, management blamed the father of that boy because their policy is for children to ride in front of adults...the father supposedly refused to do that. My son rode BEHIND me, as they NEVER said ANYTHING about him riding in front for safety. Please read all the negative reviews...they are ACCURATE!! This place needs to SHUT DOWN before somebody else dies!! read more

Great and simple environment for horseback riding. I've been there many 3 or 4 times with family and friends and always enjoyed the time. The horses are safe to ride and the tour girls are very nice. Highly recommended read more

Turkey Creek Stables - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

I am a Farrier and work every week at Turkey Creek. The staff is very knowledgeable and not scared to hold horses all day. Seems like a very friendly place. read more

This is one of the best places I have ever Ben I am boarding a horse there and she is in perfect health although they are a little slow you will have a great time the guides are nice the horses are very smart and I would spend every second of the day out there read more

Turkey Creek Stables - KODA!! - Horseback Riding Near Me - Plant City, Florida

I had a good experience but I worry about the way the horses are treated. I see a lot of reviews that people were on the ground, to that i say get lessons before you ride. Treat the horse well and the horse will treat you well back. read more