Happy On Hooves

So, per the invitation above, scheduled in December to go riding February 14. Two weeks before we were scheduled to go riding on February 14 I received an email that explained they were having a special for romantic Valentine’s Day horseback riding. They were not going to honor my Groupon and they were going to charge me almost $ 200 to ride with my daughter. I had decided since December the valentine day would be an up charge of $ 200 for a romantic Trailride. Which they should’ve known in December when they booked my original reservation I would’ve scheduled it for another time. When I told him I didn’t want to do that they moved my appointment to March 5. I then received on March 5 an automated email that said we have canceled your horseback riding reservation. They don’t honor reservations, they don’t communicate well and they try to up charge you for stuff that they agreed that they were going to do. I’ve had the groupon since November it is now March and I have been completely unable to use it. I could not have a lower satisfaction rating with an organization. less than one star.

We had a groupon for a 4 person ride but we not allowed to go because my children were under 12. The groupon terms did not mention an age requirement so make sure the riders are all at least 12. Staff was nice and the farm is in a beautiful part of Baltimore County and I am sure it would have been fun.

I had the same experience as at least one other reviewer. I have tried to book my trail ride from a Groupon since September, however the weekends were all booked until early December. I called and left a message about a waiting list. It took a week for them to get back to me and then she said to email her. I emailed her the same message that I left on the voicemail and she said that their waitlists were very full as well and I should just schedule something that had available. The problem was they didn’t have anything available. The Groupon expires in December and I really didn’t want to ride horses when it was really cold out. I believe they over sold the Groupon, it is still on Groupon being sold and they don’t have enough slots to accommodate what they have already sold. They should realize that people work and can usually only do it on the weekends. I emailed Groupon and told them the situation and asked for my money back. Groupon was great and gave me my money back. I was able to make another trail riding appointment with another place for the date and time I wanted, it is a little bit more expensive but you get a half hour longer ride and it is a bit closer to where I live. Sometimes these types of places are just not ready for the response when they put something up on Groupon. Groupon should warn them as a part of their contract with them, or they should require they cut it off at a certain point. Once Groupon gets enough complaints I am sure they will start doing that.

The staff was nice, the horses were gentle, the woods were beautiful but the ride was advertised to be an hour long and it lasted 40 min. There was another round before us and one right after us. Felt a little bit like a machine… Also the amazon code did not work and it took quite a few emails to be able to book. by the time I could book the dates I wanted were no longer available.

Why is ZERO STARS not an option???
Bought a Groupon for a ride for 4 people. When I tried to book, the system they use — something called Zozi which is is a nightmare all to itself — thought I was booking for one person, not my family of four. So I dug around a bit and found the e-​mail address for Mandy, the owner. I personally corresponded with her in October. She confirmed our appointment. See below:
Happy on Hooves — Main (
) 10÷23÷14
To:
Cc:
Hi Joe!
I am sorry about the trouble. I booked you for 4 horses on November 22 at 1:45. You will get an e-​mail confirmation shortly. Can I have a number to reach you in the event of rain? Talk to you soon!
Mandy
We traded cell numbers. All good, right? Imagine my confusion when my kids came up from college in VA so we could all go horseback riding together as scheduled and I received this the night before:
When: Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 4:30pm EST
Who: Happy on Hooves
What: Basic Trail Ride — 54″ height requirement
For: 4 people
So I sent along a note:
Mandy — we’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at 1:45 as we discussed a while back. The e-​mail reminder I just got said 4:30. I suspect we might be another zozi-​fail on our hands. Please confirm we’re still on for 1:45. And if you wouldn’t mind, please send along the address so we can make sure we have good directions.
No reply. I sent it again. No reply. Tried calling, no answer. Left a voice message.
So the next day, we got in the car and headed up to Hampstead, assuming this was all a simple mistake and that we had the appointment that the owner of the business had personally told me we had. On the way, I tried one last time via the hands-​free in the car. Got Mandy on the phone. she complained about not having access to the internet, but I eventually gleaned that she expected us at 4:30 «because that’s what’s in the system» and had another family coming at 1:45. Could I come at 4:30 as scheduled. I told her this was unacceptable; we’d selected the time to give my daughters time to return to college that afternoon. She began to get shrill and asked me what I wanted her to do. I told her I wanted her to honor the appointment she’d given me and confirmed six week previously. She then screamed that she was unwilling to cancel with the other family (I get that) and could not just make horses ‘magically appear’. (This was news to me, as I had thought she was the horse fairy.) She then told me that I must be perfect and never make mistakes on the computer.
As we reached an impasse, my kids who had heard the interchange said they’d rather just pass. They had no interest in dealing with Mandy.
I have brought the issue to Groupon and expect they’ll send me a refund. I really hope anyone who is thinking about dealing with Happy on Hooves has a chance to read this first.

Wow, after reading some of these Unilocal reviews I don’t feel quite so alone. I only wish I had read them before purchasing my voucher from amazon local. I need to do my research next time!
My husband and I recently went on the extreme horseback trail ride with Mandy as our guide. The trail ride itself was alot of fun. I liked the terrain, going through creeks and up hills and even a little trotting and cantering.
My main issue was with Mandy’s attitude toward us when both me and my husband fell off our horses. She seemed to be utterly annoyed and arrogant that we had fallen off. She showed a lack of total disregard for our safety and total lack of concern. For instance, it was only towards the very end of our trail ride when my husband and I fell off. Near the end of the trail my husband’s horse ran awkwardly off the main-​path and came up a hill on an angle hitting tree-​branches and causing him to fall off. In addition, his saddle slid to the side of the horse. He honestly thinks if he would’ve fought & tried to remain on the horse any longer, the horse would’ve have fallen as well… based on the poor angle it was running and obvious signs it was fatigued and agitated. Mandy basically had to push the saddle upright for him to be able to get on it (something seems fishy to me here the saddle slid all the way to the side doesn’t that mean the girth wasn’t on tight enough??) The guide, Mandy who was not even aware someone fell (she was well-​ahead of everyone), came back after someone told her, and rudely told my husband that he probably did something to cause the incident.
My horse bucked me off about a quarter of a mile from the stables and I fell on my back. I was a little shaken but fine… I considered just walking/​leading the horse the rest of the way. My issue is the group was SO far ahead of me that Mandy didn’t notice that I had fallen and when she saw me off my horse she made no attempt to come back that short distance (less than a ¼ mile, we were right by the fence with the emu) to even ask if I was okay or check if I was hurt. I had to mount the horse myself and trot the rest of the way back to the group alone. According to my husband, Mandy seemed so annoyed and irritated that another person had fallen off their horse. She didn’t want to come see if I was okay. Another rider in our group volunteered to go back for me and Mandy told her not to.
Seriously??! What if I had broken a collarbone or my wrist? Mandy showed no regards to my safety and in turn makes me wonder if she even really cares about the safety of her riders…(she rides so far ahead on these trail rides, there’s no second guide in the back) She really needs to improve her attitude towards riders with different skill levels.
On her website and on the amazon local website which I purchased the ride from; it states nowhere that this extreme trail riding needs experienced riders. Granted its probably implied from the name of the trail, but there should be some disclaimer that horses get a bit unruly once they start galloping in the open field. It only states that this trail ride does alot of rough terrain. The only requirement is that you be 54″ tall and less than 350 pounds. In addition, even though we were five minutes late, Mandy offered no instruction on our horses or even some basic idea of the temperament of the horse. All she asked was very cursory questions «have you ridden before?» «You know how to stop and turn right and left?» That was it. They didn’t even really seem to make sure the stirrups fit safely on our feet.
My husband and I aren’t novice horse riders… we’re definitely not experienced but its not like we’ve never been on a horse before. I took a semester of riding lessons in college and both my husband and I have done trail rides several times in the US and other countries (China, Costa Rica…). Costa Rica had the exact same terrain as this trail ride and we even were allowed to gallop on the beach. Neither times have me or my husband fallen off any horse in countries where the guides don’t freakin’ speak english! It’s not that falling off the horse was an issue here… but the lack of safety and concern is my main issue with this company, especially Mandy.
I honestly think the two horses given to us didn’t want to be ridden that day or were extremely tired. I noticed my horse was sweating profusely towards the end of the ride. My husband’s horse was sweating & coughing continuously along the trail; stopping to eat and drink water the entire duration.
This utter lack of concern for our safety and Mandy’s attitude toward us when we fell gave us a terrible experience with this company. Probably the worst experience I’ve ever had horseback riding. Needless to say, I won’t ever use this company again nor will I recommend them to anyone I know. I’d just warn people to be VERY wary of buying a voucher for extreme trail riding with this comp. GO AT YOUR OWN RISK!

i was a little concerned about coming here after reading all the disappointing reviews but I’m sure pretty Mandy has been reading them as well and has adjusted her business accordingly. first off, you gotta understand that Mandy probably wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning to take care of all the animals so I can see how her being tired may potentially come off as «rude.» However, even with that being said, she was very kind and patient with our group. also, i’d highly recommend coming early so you can check out all the animals that they have! they’re all very friendly and very cute too! the trail ride was a bit more than an hr and was just a casual stroll through the path in the woods. def try bring apples so you can feed the horses after for their hardwork! very fun! ⁴⁄₅ because they are near impossible to contact – understandable since it looks like a one woman operation.

SAD PLACE!
Even after reading reviews, I came here optimistic. I just wanted to ride the horses, use my groupon, and just ignore all the negative, simply enjoy my day.
I thought it was interesting to see other animals running around, though I am not sure how safe it is when an ostrich goes loose (it was guided back to its place though).
As soon as I saw the horses arriving from their previous trail walk, I was shocked. They looked dirty (not just some mud, but they look like they have not been cleaned for months!) and exhausted! I felt so badly for them! I kept asking horses if they were okay! Lol I just couldn’t help it seeing the tired look in their eyes.
There was no one there to greet us and even when there were staff at the stable no one made an effort to welcome us. Once we more or less figured out who worked there and who were visiting, we just had to squeeze ourselves into the mix. Some of the staff were a bit more professional than others, but overall we felt as if we were intruders on their private yard bugging them for a free ride. They were not accommodating to the horse that I wanted. Even my second choice was taken by one of the staff who was not a guide at the time who just grabbed a horse to show off (in my opinion), yelling and hitting the horse. When that horse got annoyed with the way she rode her, she yelled at the horse and turned back. During the trail walk the staff talked about complaints of past visitors, laughing off accusations of horses not being given enough water. When the horse that I was on wanted to nibble on tree leaves, one of the staff got annoyed saying that the horse was just tricking me, so what? We just made sure to give the horses we were on a bit of joy doing what they wished since we were not having fun ourselves.
Overall, this seems like an unprofessional place where staff appear to be annoyed with their horses and visitors.
One positive is that they allow you to bring carrots and apples to feed horses after the ride. That is a happy moment. Try to bring organic if you have a tree in your yard ;)
We set out for a day of adventure, it was quiet far from where we live.
We made the best of what was offered.
We are not coming back…

I bought this deal on living social about a month ago (April) and scheduled a ride for May in advance. I have always wanted to do horseback riding lessons of some sort but the location and timing never added up. I had a party of 4 riders with me and their were 3 other riders (7 total for trail ride). From reading previous reviews I did not take the chance of being late. We arrived about 15 – 20 minutes early and parked in front of a yellow cottage and walked to the stables where you can clearly see and was greeted by staff and two volunteer staff (they were very nice). We were told we could walk around the farm to see the other animals until the previous party finished up and where to use the bathroom before our ride. We saddled up on our horses (I had the sassy Sadie who fit me perfectly) and was given a quick instruction on how to steer the horse from left, right, back up, and stop (very easy to follow IF you pay attention). We began our basic trail ride on time at 3:15pm with all party members. The trail was beautiful and took us through the woods with water creeks and hills. If you follow basic instruction and feel relaxed with your horse everything will go as planned TRUST ME! coming from someone who freaked out just a little from getting on the horse being that high up. Once we completed the trail we got off our horses and took pictures with them and got to pet and feed them for their wonderful journey. The all were sweethearts!
The entire staff was beyond helpful and nice and I would definitely go back again for another lesson with them.
We did provide them with a tip for their service which they appreciated it and gave us recommendations for next trips and horses since me and my party are avid animal lovers.
FYI: there are MANY farm animals including, turkeys, dogs, sheep, goats, and large birds roaming around the farm freely so be aware of that when arriving as well AND ARRIVE ON TIME!
OVERALL LOVED IT!

My family and I have been to Happy on Hooves twice and have yet to ride a horse. Our first try did end up having bad weather later that day but we had been told an Email would be sent out to notify of a cancelation. We sat in the driveway calling for a half hour before getting an answer and a «oops, you didn’t get the message»? This morning we again made the hour drive to make our reserved ride only to find they had overbooked. 10 riders and 6 horses. I would strongly advise against this place and even with two free passes (there are four of us) we will not make the drive again.

I guess I should have read all of these bad reviews before I bought my voucher for a one hour ride on Amazon Local. I digress. I purchased this voucher in August to hopefully ride in October. After checking the schedule, there were no weekend dates available until December., so I booked for December 15^th. This was my friend’s first time riding so I was looking forward to a fun afternoon. After I booked the ride, I received a confirmation e-​mail stating the rules and asking to fill out the online liability before arriving. The link did not work. The confirmation also stated that rides will be canceled if there is rain and a cancellation e-​mail will be sent out.
So December 15^th comes, there was no rain in the forecast, yet still snow on the ground. I made sure to check my e-​mail to see if the rides were cancelled. No e-​mail was sent, so my friend and I took the over 1 hour drive to get there. We tried to call them to let them know we were going to be about 15 minutes late. No one ever answers the phones and I was sent to a voice mail account. I left a message, and never got a return call. We finally arrive and this man on a tractor just points to a parking space. We get out of the car, not knowing where to go. There is a house there but then it says private residence on the door. While we are standing outside looking lost and confused, two ladies come out of the house and tell us that the rides were cancelled because the ground needs to dry up. Whaaa? Well, last time I checked, horses can walk in the snow. She said that cancellation e-​mails were sent out last night. I told her that I checked my e-​mail all night and all day and never received a cancellation. She told me to e-​mail them and they will send me a gift certificate to use when I come back.
I’m sorry, but this is just poor customer service. First of all, why can I never get a hold of a person to actually talk to when calling. And if all rides were cancelled because of the snow, then e-​mails should have been sent out when the snow fell. Also, I’m no entrepreneur, but if it were my business, I would have a recording stating that all rides were cancelled due to the snow. Better yet, I would call each customer to inform them of the cancellation. I was highly disappointed with this experience and never plan on using this company for a horseback ride again. I will just stick to where I usually go which costs half the price and I always enjoy my rides and the workers there.

I tried my code for the amazon local deal i had purchased and it didnt work at first. I called and left a message, they called back the same day. They sent me an email and it was all fixed. No problems and the lady Mandy was nice and sweet.
It was my first time riding after 8 years and it was an okay experience. The leader was rude and kept yelling at me. I didnt feel 100% comfortable riding since it had been such a long time. She yelled at us for being late when we got there ON TIME (it was an hour and 15 min drive) .
I rode a horse that wasnt fed or given water and I had to tug really hard on him when he tried to drink water from the creek. I almost fell off, that could have been avoided if the leader didnt blame us for talking to her and distracting her. If we were «late» then she should have gotten it done. She also barked at us to write and sign a disclaimer for the place but couldnt have typed it to make it easier and expected it to be done in 1 minute. I think her name was cindy. I dont know if I would go again if she was working. Disappointed.
BUT the horses were nice, they were beautiful. I would go if she wasn’t working.

Got the group on deal. My girl friend and I had a good time. Is a quaint little farm with nice horses some oh which are rescues. The lasted about an hour as we rode threw the woods surrounding the farm. Our guide was nice and even let of go faster when we asked. All in all a good time and a good value.

This review is going to say the same as everyone else’s, but I figured I would add my voice.
Happy on Hooves has the worst business practices ever. I had purchased a Groupon that was about to expire, so I went ahead and scheduled my ride, thus «redeeming» it. On the day of my ride we drove an hour up to their «barn» which is in someone’s backyard. No joke — it’s creepy. We stood around for about 30 minutes while it sort of sprinkled, and then Mandy was like, oh, yeah we’re just going to cancel the ride. Reschedule! So we drove home. This was in June. I tried rescheduling and couldn’t get in until July, but whatever. The night before the July ride, lo and behold, it gets canceled «due to weather». It wasn’t even raining! Nor did it the day of the ride! So I rescheduled AGAIN, and this time I couldn’t get in until September. When I emailed about this, Mandy’s solution was, «Just check back every day, we have cancellations all the time.» Well, I’m sorry, but my schedule doesn’t permit me to just drop everything to go an hour away for something last minute. So I scheduled the ride for September and patiently waited. Until I got the weather cancellation email the night before my ride.
This is the third time now that this has been canceled, and I’m starting to feel scammed. When I emailed Mandy, she was very rude about it, which seems to be how she operates. Groupon has been unhelpful because there is a weather clause. Now, I would totally get it if it’s actually inclement weather, as you have to protect your horses and the people. But it’s kind of fishy that they can just cancel the night before and make me keep rescheduling, all while they hold onto my money. I’m just going to walk away, but I wanted to warn other people not to go here. If you already bought the Groupon or Living Social thing then I wish you luck trying to use it and I hope you have a pleasant ride. But if you haven’t and you’re just looking for a nice place to go, this isn’t it. I’m really disappointed because I love to ride, but what can you do?

It would have been more fitting to rate Happy on Hooves with zero stars as we never actually had our experience, but 1 star will have to suffice. We received a Groupon gift certificate for a trail ride in December 2012. Nine months later, we have given up trying to redeem the gift certificate. Happy on Hooves has cancelled on us 4 times, claiming muddy conditions each time despite that on two of the occasions, it had not rained for weeks. One of the times, we were not even notified of the cancellation before driving over an hour to get to the farm. (By way of consolation for our inconvenience, Mandy, the owner, literally threw us gift cards for a free ride from a second story balcony, not even bothering to speak to us face to face). Happy on Hooves has extremely questionable business practices and I would emphatically dissuade anyone from patronizing them.

Today I road with Happy On Hooves for the first time. I have previously owned horses, but upon moving etc I had to sell them. Since then I have been looking for some place to ride that I feel comfortable and is not going to cost me a fortune! I have searched everywhere in a 150 mile radius of Baltimore! Today I think I found «my place», but there are somethings that might keep it from being someone else’s «place» so I want to be sure to be clear about both the good and the not so good.
(Negative) The location is a little difficult to find so plan to get there early and get lost a few times before you find it. All trail rides leave at the schedule time even if you are not there yet!!! I don’t blame them here though! Why should everyone else who paid for an hour trail ride have to spend 15 minutes of it waiting on someone to show up!
(Positive) Booking is incredibly easy and all online. You just pick the kind of trail ride, then select the number in your party, and it shows you the dates available instantly. Then you can conveniently pay right there with paypal or credit card. The prices are very reasonable $ 50.00 for a 1 hour trail ride/​$ 70.00 for a extreme 1 hour trail ride. Other places are way more expensive, and you get less time. I recommend the extreme trail ride for experienced riders who want to do more than play follow the leader. The extreme trail ride includes, cantering and running. At no point did I ever find the trail ride boring, but I love every minute that I am with a horse.
(Negative) They have really bad customer service skills at the ranch, and I don’t think they realize it :(No one greets you, and if you wait for it at your vehicle like you are suppose to you would stand there all day! So you just have to walk up and introduce yourself. Then the guide goes back to doing what she was doing and you just stand around until she tells you to choose a helmet and horse. She talks to you one-​on-​one if needed about safety, and throughout the tour. When its over though she helps you off and that’s it. No goodbye, no thank you for coming/​etc. She just starts putting the horses away and gets ready for the next tour like a robot. This is something she really needs to work on especially to make inexperienced riders feel more comfortable. **Needs improvement!
(Positive)The horses are wonderful! They are very well behaved. They have a variety of horses. Some that are more spirited for the experienced, and some that are very mellow for children or non-​experienced riders. Our guide was about safety requiring every rider to wear a helmet and finding a horse that was a good match for your experience. We didn’t leave until everyone was comfortable with their horse, and the directions.
(Positive for me/​Negative for some) This place is small which I love. The stable only holds their 7 – 8 horses and various other animals. There is very little parking. It is not a big huge company/​stable. The people there truly love the horses and it shows. It is not a high class riding school and if that is what you are looking for you are not going to find it here. The guide even rides in typical clothing which I find is wonderful! If she was all dressed in riding show clothing I would feel uncomfortable and out of place in my typical clothes. It reminds me more of a personal barnyard stable setting with a nice outhouse port-​o-​potty :) No indoor bathroom here and that ok with me!

My wife and I had purchased a Groupon for this ride as we are local to the area and the deal was fantastic. I am not much of a consumer advocacy site reader as my belief is most folks only come to these sites to vent about a gripe and most dont review positives however my wife informed me of the terrible reviews Happy on Hooves had and wanted me to read. I took a look in the car while driving there and they were bad but we still went forward since the Groupon was already purchased and how bad could it really be I figured.
When we arrived we were greeted by a more than friendly Goat with a huge beard and Turkeys, chicks and Emus running around the farm, it was wonderful. We walked over to the barn/​stall area and saw a young lady on the phone helping out a customer with directions and when she was done she greeted us and welcomed us to the farm and couldn’t have been any nicer. I immediately asked if she was Mandy and she said no she was CJ and she showed us the horses and helmet area and gave us a brief over view. Our ride was scheduled for 4:30 and CJ let us know that there was another 3 supposed to be in our party and we waited until around 4:45 for them and when they didnt show we mounted up and CJ gave us some instructions. I was ecstatic as it was like we had an exclusive private trail ride with the guide.
I cant begin to explain how polar opposite CJ is from the reviews we had read, she is a very chipper, enthusiastic and helpful young lady with a sweet personality. She was constantly letting us know of things up ahead of the trail to be aware of and it made our ride very enjoyable. I let her know on several occasions that it would be impossible for anyone to give her a bad review and that I promised to let folks know how much fun my wife and I had and how she was a great guide and how much fun we had.
I encourage anyone on the fence about this to give it a try and I am sure you wont be disappointed. It was a great experience and we cannot wait to go back.

Not sure why my previous review was removed — this place was a ripoff. She took us on a trail ride for a quarter of the time the deal was for. I am a legit Unilocaler with just under 500 reviews. Stay away from this place.

Sorry Mandy, but this is the truth.
I want to advise readers about the HORRIBLE experience I had with Mandy! If the horses were running the show I would have got 10x the service. I purchased the Livingsocial deal over the summer. Oh hey — sometimes you get what you pay for.
These are the three basic reasons for why this establishment deserves 1 star (zero if it were only possible!)
1. The address listed on the Livingsocial coupon was NOT the address that the stables were located at.
2. Mandy had a terrible attitude when we arrived late (address change) and the ride was cut short.
3. Given a saddle too large, when my horse galloped I FELL OFF on my back — with no sympathy from Mandy other than asking if I wanted to continue the ride.
Now, I will elaborate. Thank you to those who will read it until the end. I promise these explanations may help you in the future from wasting your money…
On the day of the horseback ride, my boyfriend and I headed up from Hopkins an hour early to guarantee we would be punctual. Plugging in the address on the Livingsocial voucher to our GPS, we ended up at a house. We noticed a very small sign giving the new address. Already late, we rushed over. Contrary to the «White balloons tied to mailbox to help you find it easier,» there were no balloons or sign (looked like a regular house). Also the Happy On Hooves people who answer the phone seem to be outsourced and they didn’t know what we were talking about when we asked about the new location.
Anyway, relieved, we saw Mandy tending to the horses and introduced ourselves. Our first impression of her was her unfriendly demeanor. She remarked how late we were and that our ride would be cut short though we explained that the location was not what the coupon claimed it to be. She shrugged this off with no apology (there was another email we were supposed to have seen?). I asked to use the restroom before beginning the ride and she looked appalled. She said I needed to drive several miles down to use the gas station’s. Seriously, what type of business does not provide facilities for its customers?! At the gas station we contemplated going home, but decided to make the most of things after driving for an hour.
Starting the ride, she gave my boyfriend a very gentle looking horse with a cute little blanket around it. I, on the other hand, was paired with a stubborn horse that kept trying to bite at a bucket of food. Mandy sharply told me to hold back the horse. She saddled up and after a minute explanation of how to stop and turn (obviously enough for the novice rider), we were off. Before beginning, I told Mandy my feet would not reach the bottom of the stirrup and kept slipping out. She responded that that was the smallest size she had (although I have been horseback riding before where my feet fit perfectly). I was a little nervous, but what could I do — she must know best.
At every hop my feet would slide from the stirrups. Honestly at every skip I thought I would fall. I kept tapping my horse like Mandy said to slow him and she was already far ahead, not glancing back to check on us. At one particular gallop, my feet slipped out and I went sailing off that horse — seeing blue sky, then the bushes, then hitting my back against the ground. My boyfriend behind me yelled out and only then did Mandy look back. She came back, asked if I was ok, and asked if we would like to continue the ride. By then I was bleeding and asked to go back. Of course my horse practically ran the rest of the way again. As we were almost back, I noticed my camera had slipped out of my pocket and was on the ground. I asked Mandy if we could stop to pick it up. She then gave me the dirtiest look and told me in a what-​the-​hell kind of way «I TOLD you not to bring those things.» I’m sorry lady; I wanted to photograph my wonderful horseback ride. Granted, I did bring it, but still it was a bit rude of her to all-​out reprimand us.
Finally, we reached the stables. Mandy quickly excused herself to take the horses back. We fed some horses (the best part that wasn’t included in the coupon), and for the rest of our time there she stayed out of sight. As we left we couldn’t see her so we yelled bye and she responded but didn’t come around to see us off.
WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE EVER. It seems like a chain of wrong events — some which are unlucky occurrences, but that still does not excuse Mandy’s lack of service. I remember a Unilocal account for Happy On Hooves did not exist prior to my livingsocial purchase or else I would have thought twice. I hope my advice can help someone out, especially when spending hard earned money. Perhaps we caught Mandy on an off-​day, but if this is her true personality I’m sorry for the horses she hangs out with.
My lower back has been sore since that day and recently at yoga I threw it out :(
Thank you, Mandy.

OK. Wow, after reading some of the other reviews I almost feel bad writing a good one. Let’s see. We had Mandy as our guide. She was helpful and worked with the 7 folks who went on the ride. There were 3 families total. We were on a Living Social deal as well.
I didn’t see this stuff as bad but a few other reviewers have. Don’t expect a huge modern expansive set of stables. You are riding on the back of a farm thru woods, down a hill across some water and back up another hill. A big circle. I’m not sure what others expected. We didn’t jump any gates, storm any forts. We walked in a circle. Pretty much what I expected.
It’s a cute farm. Chickens, puppies, peacocks and at least seven horses.
This was my 2^nd trip. The 1^st time we went there, yes an hour drive for us too and they cancelled — giving us a choice to cancel because of a chance of rain. I can’t blame them for rain and would rather have them cancel than take our money and return because of rain. The 2^nd trip went fine. We all got a horse, yeah they walked at different speeds — they’re freaking animals not animatronics. One pee’d (like a racehorse — sorry had to say that) one took an impressive crap. I blame nature for that as well.
The ride — advertised on our coupon was scheduled for about an hour. It took about an hour. Now that included getting on the horse, learning how to steer the beast, and the ride. The minute my large butt hit the saddle I figured the clock started. Hey I was on a horse! Everyone had fun. The groups did get split up. The horses really didn’t care if your mom or kids got ahead of you. They got in and out of the line as they wanted. I told my horse that my daughter was two horses back. Mr. Ed would have answered but mine just farted and ate grass.
The families all looked out for each other. I watched someone else’s kid near me, my 14 year old watched the kid stuck in the back. When necessary Mandy went to the back and helped those who needed it.
We had a blast. It was fun, informal and «hey, we rode horses» that’s what we had expected to do.