The Bullet Points:

• Advanced Trail Ride
• $100/pp
• One hour horseback ride
• Not beginner-friendly

Participant Requirements:

• Ages 14-17 when accompanied by adult
  • Ages 14-17 MUST wear helmets
• Must pass basic riding assessment*
• No double riding
• Please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled advanced trail ride time
• Book now by calling (970) 657-5463, or for questions and special accommodations

You should bring:

• A bottle of water
• Sunscreen
• Closed-toe shoes
• Pants or calf-length shorts
• Appropriate layers (hoodie or rain jacket)

Reminders about your trail ride:

• Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled advanced trail ride time! Rides leave promptly at the scheduled time.
• Approximately 15 minutes getting your group onto your horses and completeing your assessment*!
• Approximately one hour exploring the trails on horseback!
• A photo opportunity for you and your steed!

Just because you didn’t bring a horse with you doesn’t mean you aren’t an experienced rider! Here at Tattered Saddle, we understand that not every guest is a beginner rider, and we won’t make you act like it. If you have been riding your entire life or been taking riding lessons for a few years and want to go faster, this Advanced Trail Ride is for you!

This advanced trail ride is suitable for guests 14 years+ who are, at least, intermediate riders, and who are prepared to pass a riding assessment* upon arrival. Ages 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Our wranglers will match you with a horse who is up to the advanced trail ride adventure and then you will be asked to briefly show in the arena that you are confident at stopping, starting and turning your horse at the walk, trot and lope (canter). Don’t worry! This isn’t a show ring, we just want to make sure you know what you are doing! The entire advanced trail ride assessment* should take less than five minutes.

Once you are approved, your group will strike out on the trails to do some serious riding. We will walk more tactical terrain and move into a faster gait in appropriate areas. Yip, yip! (Alternatively, due to footing conditions or the rider’s preference, we can also use the on-site arena for some intermediate and advanced riding fun.)

If for some reason you do not pass the riding assessment*, we will be happy to still take you out on a more appropriate horseback ride.

This advanced trail ride is currently only offered as a one-hour experience. The trail includes traversing up- and downhills, seasonal creek crossings, and open expanses of grassy acreage. You and your guide will travel at a walk frequently, but will pick up the pace in areas where the footing and conditions are suitable.

The advanced trail ride leaves from the Stables at Gordon Creek by Tattered Saddle in Livermore, Colorado – only 35 minutes from downtown Fort Collins and 20 minutes from beautiful Red Feather Lakes!

*“Pass” or “fail” is determined at your wranglers discretion. A “pass” demonstrates a rider’s ability to control the horse at speed and an ability to stay balanced without holding on to the saddle or yanking on the horse’s mouth. A “fail” will result in the rider being offered a place on a future, more-appropriate, one-hour ride or upgrading to any other Tattered Saddle rides. There will be no refunds for misjudging your own riding ability.

Customize this advanced horseback ride

Tattered Saddle is all about turning your ride into your ride.

Want to add champagne and flowers? A charcuterie board? No problem! We can add time to your experience, transport a “bring-your-own” picnic, and even arrange a photographer! Simply take a look at our private ride packages and give us a call at (970) 657-5463 to customize this experience and make it the highlight of your Colorado vacation.

Other horseback riding experiences

If you would absolutely love to ride a horse in the foothills near Roosevelt National Forest, but doing so any faster than a walk wasn’t really what you had in mind, you should know that the Stables at Gordon Creek by Tattered Saddle does offer several other horseback adventures – besides the advanced trail ride – throughout the day. 

• Our most popular ride, the “Family-Friendly Trail Ride” is available every hour-and-a-half any day that we are open. It is a one-hour, beginner-friendly horseback ride that will please everyone in your party.  It winds through pastures and up and down a few mild hills and, of course, includes a photo opportunity for you and your horse.
• For those who get a lot of enjoyment out of bonding with and pampering their horse, the “Scratch and Ride” is a great experience. Available only in the mornings, this beginner-friendly trail ride has an extra half-hour built in to allow you to groom and saddle your mount before we even get out of the stable! Don’t know how to do any of these things? No problem! We’ll teach you everything.
• A more unique experience, while still being beginner-friendly, is the “Sunset Ride.” If you’ve never seen the Colorado sunset from the back of a horse, here’s your opportunity! There are few things more memorable than the sky streaked with color, the grasses blowing around you, and the company of a kind horse. 
• Tattered Saddle offers one of the only meal rides in Eastern Colorado. However, if you are picturing a crumpled brown-bag lunch and a log to sit on, think again: the “Charcuterie Picnic Horseback Ride” is the western, trail-riding equivalent of a fine-dining experience. The picnic is catered by local, professional charcutiers and served at a western-chic tablescape set in a secluded meadow.