Cponies Beach Horseback Rides — Attraction in Bradenton

I was lucky enough to have a sea riding experience while visiting Anna Maria Island from the UK on Sunday 8th September led by the lovely Ambra. I rode Minow who was an absolute delight to ride and made me feel safe with her. The only minor negative thing was that she tried to push ahead and get out of line with the other 3 horses and because I have only ridden English style and not American my commands on the reign when I tried to turn her around and get back in line wernt strong enough for her to obey But Ambra quickly intervened and took hold of my reign and she showed me how to pull Minow around and how high and hard I needed ro be using my reign which then relaxed me completely and I didn't feel nervous about riding an American horse afterwards as I knew I was in safe hands.. I'm embarrassed to say that I was late for my ride as I thought I was riding at 11.30am but it was 11am and I had held the group up waiting for me to arrive and I still had the warmest welcome and was mounted on Minow within 3 minutes of getting there which meant I had no time to get anxious about the ride. Ambra was so kind and explained everything that we would be doing in a clear and reassuring way every step of the ride...and also was very funny and I felt very safe with her and Minow. Ambra took the time to interact with each of our 4 rider group 1-2-1 and together. She made sure we all felt comfortable with our tack and our seats and were happy with the horses we were riding. She took lots of photos of each of us and she was honestly such a great instructor that I felt I could just relax and enjoy the experience and not worry (I suffer from PTSD and severe anxiety disorder so I struggle in new situations) and I feel I had a much better experience because of how Ambra was leading us. I honestly had the BEST day of my holiday and it is a memory I will never forget. I felt I needed to pinch myself to check I wasn't dreaming when we were swimming in the beautiful sea on a beautiful sunny day in the most beautiful place I have ever been! I even saw a horseshoe crab that swam right by Minow and brushed my leg and Minow didn't even flinch and just did her job! I could ramble on for ages about how incredible the experience was and how much it mattered to me after the worst year of my life but I won't bore you with the details and I will instead do you all a favour and tell you to 100%DEFINITELY book a rude with C Ponies if your in Anna Maria Island. There are other companies that also offer a sea riding experience but C Ponies is the best in my opinion (from watching the other rides) and the fact that they have rescued and rehabilitated these beautiful creatures really touched my heart. I am now back in yhe UK and am telling all my horsey friends about it and if I can do anything to raise publicity and help I will glady do it! THANK YOU AMBRA...

C Ponies is AWESOME!! AMAZING!! I'm a horse person (30+ years experience) so I may be a little biased towards anything horse related, but I found this experience to be incredible. The staff was friendly, professional, on-time and kept our safety in mind at all times. This is not one of those tourist traps where you pay your money, get on a horse, they take your picture and you're done. You RIDE and SWIM these horses. We were in the water, horseback, for a little over an hour. There is a mounting block (steps) that everyone uses to mount and dismount. Do not be discouraged if you have limited mobility. You can do this! The staff will help you mount and dismount if needed. The horses are happy, healthy, gentle, calm and know their jobs. If you are in the area, DO THIS! You will NOT regret it. I would (and will) ride with them again. TIP 1: Bring some carrots. The horses love them. Bring enough (5 or 6) to share with others who are riding during your scheduled time as they may not know to bring treats. Break the carrots up into pieces so you can feed them more than one treat. Do it at the beginning of the ride after asking your attendant's permission. Do not leave the carrots in your pocket as the horses can smell them and will think of nothing else - and not pay attention to you - if you have carrots in your pocket during the ride. TIP 2: Horses are smart and will avoid exerting effort if you let them. All horses do this, not just C Ponies. They will cheat and stay in shallow water during the swim portions if you don't rein them into deeper water! TIP 3: Wear sunscreen and a baseball hat, even if it's cloudy. TIP 4: There are no changing facilities on-site and you will be wet. You have to drive a short way down the road to the bathroom facilities. I changed at my car, discretely, but be aware you may need to drive wet to find somewhere to change. TIP 5: If family is coming with you to watch, bring chairs and maybe binoculars. TIP 6: When given the opportunity, STAND ON THE HORSE. It's offered to the group and you do it one at a time. The attendant coaches you through this and is right there the entire time. It's easier than it sounds and it will be something you will...

Absolutely terrible experience. Way too overpriced. Almost $400 for me and my boyfriend for about 40 minutes when promised 90 minutes. Most of the time the tour guide was taking pictures. Which is absolutely not okay for the people that did not want to pay for the photo package because we are just strung along and waiting. The photo package as per other reviews is not worth it at all. I do not want pictures with random strangers. The horses were pooping the whole time which was disgusting. They try to force you to tip!!! The tour guide was awful. Why should we have to tip someone that is making almost all the profits. I would if we actually had a good time. She kept getting mad because we were not excited when we were getting pooped on the whole time. It is honestly also animal abuse!! The horses hated it! She said they made the grunting noise because they were enjoying it! That’s absolutely crazy. My boyfriend and me thought we were paying for a fun experience 90 minutes. He was also behind me! I was just staring at 5 random strangers in a single file line the whole time. The horses did not swim. She kept yelling at my boyfriend. They tried to pull you in at the end with a souviner. I wanted it after paying almost $400. Thinking it was included but it was just for you to tip them. The lady yelled infront of everyone “would you like to tip her?”After everything, no. Also, they try and tell you that you cannot bring your phone just to get you to pay for the package. The lady told us that we would be neck deep of water. We weren’t even close to past our stomach. We could have brought our phone but she was just ignorant with her...