Sombrero Stables — Attraction in Estes Park

Warning: Long review TLDR; stay away from Sombrero Stables

Overall, we did not have a great experience. Our wrangler was Chloe. We found Chloe to be rude and visibly irritated with the group. Her directions were contradicting and hard to follow. She told us to guide the horses, but when one guest in my party did as she asked, Chloe then said, “Don’t piss Big Mama off, let her do her own thing”. Disrespectful and unprofessional choice of wording and direction. She only took one photo of the group at the very beginning of the ride. This picture was also taken in a less scenic area that was just surrounded by dirt. We were extremely disappointed in all the missed photo opportunities. She never asked if we wanted to stop to take pictures of each other or the view. In addition, we were never asked or allowed to stop and take a water break. Moreover, during the ride, one of the guests in our party clearly stated that his stirrups were uncomfortable and he could not get his foot back in. Chloe ignored this concern and told him to just put his foot back in and to keep moving along. We are more than upset that his safety was disregarded and ignored. In addition, the couple with us had a hard time. The man’s horse laid down in the snow and Chloe screamed at him to get off. The other lady in our group had a difficult time controlling her horse and Chloe kept telling her what to do without actually showing her. You could tell this guest was confused and scared. Whenever any guests would try to explain to Chloe why they were confused or what was going on, she became argumentative and her tone was rude. The horses in our group were also put in a particular line; however, they were next to other horses that they do not get along with. This was known prior to the ride as Chloe stated this herself. She also knew Lenny had a habit of randomly laying down, but did not warn the man riding so that he could be prepared if this happened, which it did. This was supposed to be a memorable 2 hour ride that turned into a ride that we couldn’t wait for to end. We have rode horses before elsewhere and have never had such a negative experience.

The horses look like they are not taken care of. Their mane was tangled and dull. They appeared to all be hungry, thirsty, and overworked. Upon reading further reviews, I see that they send their horses to slaughterhouses once they are done using them for profit. I will never recommend or return to this business.

I also sent an email to Sombrero Stables expressing our concerns and experience, they responded by offering 10% off a future ride until the end of this year. Never once did they apologize or address anything that happened. Deeply regret giving this company a cent of our money. You can see how jam packed the horses are and how they are struggling to get enough water and food at the end of the trail ride. They need to be shut down....

I'm not sure what's going on with all the people saying you HAVE to agree NOT to wear a helmet...or that the staff doesn't care about experience level when assigning horses.

This past week was the 4th year that I've gone to Estes Park for vacation. Each year, I go on multiple rides at Sombrero. This year I did a 1-hr with my dad and my 80 yr. old uncle. My dad and I are both experienced, but my uncle has only been on a horse maybe 1 other time in his life. The staff was great with pairing him with a gentle, older horse, and he was encouraged to wear a helmet if that was what made him comfortable (they have an entire rubbermaid container FILLED with helmets available for use...).

Aside from the 1-hr, I also did the 8-hr ride with my dad, and a couple 2-hr rides this year. In the past years, I've also done their breakfast and dinner rides. To the people complaining that the "hills" are too steep and dangerous...and that they were sore during the 8+ hour over-night ride: what were you expecting? First of all, the horses are not traveling up and down "hills"...you are given the opportunity to ride through some of the most beautiful mountains our country has to offer. Of course the trail is going to be a bit rocky and steep in places. The horses are used to it though..this is what they do every day. And as far as being sore on the 8+ hour rides...if you aren't used to riding, why would you sign up for these in the first place? Horseback riding is a very physical activity, despite what people think. It takes a tremendous amount of leg and abdominal strength. This is exactly why they offer shorter rides for less experienced riders.

In my opinion, the negative comments on here are simply out of ignorance. My Estes Park vacations wouldn't be the same if I wasn't able to spend the majority of my time at Sombrero. They offer something for everyone...all ages and experience levels, and it's the best way to experience the beauty of Estes Park.

Great horses...breathtaking views...and some of the nicest, friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. They get 5 stars and then...

I visited 2 weeks ago and my Husband has never rode before. He wanted to ride and I said let’s do it. Got the hr ride and it was just a party of 3. My husband, another male by hisself, the guide and me. The guide was a sweetheart however she talked to the male that was alone 98% of the time and would occasionally point out reasoning as to why an area was named something that took a brief second and would start to chat with the guy again. I could tell you her whole life story. Another reason for rating was because the guide sounded disappointed when she found out she was taking us for hr ride and how she loves to do the 2 hr and said “why wouldn’t you do the 2 hr ride because you won’t see much on the hr ride”. My husband is a new rider as mentioned and I appreciate the horse that was picked specifically for him because of that. However the horse! Lola! I remember the name because she was the slowest horse in the world! Lol I have to say it was funny though but the horse would stop all of a sudden and my husband stayed behind the whole time over 20 ft at times and I’d have to shout to my husband to hurry and guide would stop until he caught up. The horse in front of me kept farting and my horse just stayed nose to tail deep the whole trail. That is uncontrollable but just added to the whole experience itself. The scene was beautiful but apparently wayyy better with the 2 hour ride. I wasn’t happy at all with the ride and only reason I enjoyed was to be able to experience with my husband for his first...