Wailea Horseback Adventure - Waipio Ridge Stables LLC — Attraction in Hawaii

What a fantastic experience! I learned to ride horses when i was very young, but hadn't been on one in over two decades. I also learned in the English style, and this was Western style riding which was a bit different.

The horses are shockingly well behaved considering many of them were brought in from wild stock about a year ago! That being said, this is not the swaybacks they bring in to carry children at your state fairgrounds. They aren't the deeply broken horses at the castle ranchs around Tucson either. This was real riding!

Ok, technically it was novice level riding, but you still had to work at least a little bit to keep your horse interested in following the horse in front of it or to keep it from stopping at every strawberry guava tree along the route. It took some effort!

Things to keep in mind: Don't lie about your weight. I'm a big guy, weighing in at over 200 lbs. Let's say it's mostly muscle... Just roll with it. But I gave my honest weight and got one of the biggest horses they had. There is a weight limit for a reason! They had someone lie about their weight on a prior trip and one of the horses was injured. Do not be cruel!

You will need to be in nominally good health. If you want to prep a little, do some calf and hamstring stretches. This will help you get on and off the horse. They will assist you, but spare yourself some cramps and prep just a little bit. There is also a stop at a local waterfall where you can swim, and the stairs are pretty unforgiving, so of you have bad knees, this might not be the best choice for you.

Wear a life jacket of you want to get in the water but can't swim. There are only two sections to the pond: slippery rocks and deeeep water (like 60 ft deep). This is not the place to learn to swim. Go to the beach for that! Also, the water is freezing cold, polar bear club alert.

That's all the advice I'll offer, but this might be the most memorable experience I've had on the island, and that is no mean feat. Highly recommend, will do again.

Paniolos are awesome! Mahalo for a...

Seventeen years ago, my husband and I rode horses with Maile through the Waipi'o Valley. We adored her aloha spirit so much so that we named our daughter after her! Our return to the island was a gift to our thirteen year old son Joshua, who survived cancer and had his skull reconstructed in July 2019. I was nervous about Joshua riding the horses, but his doctor gave him permission to ride them. Our kind and gentle guides, Jamie and Elijah, ensured that Joshua had a very well mannered horse and that he rode directly behind them. They treated Joshua with the utmost concern and respect. While riding with them, I felt like we were ohana (family). In my humble opinion, I would highly recommend them for all levels of riders and for families, especially those who may have children with special needs.

Maile and her husband Guy own Wailea Horseback Adventure; this time we rode through the open range, guided by Jamie and Elijah, with the cool breeze upon our face and both the ocean and Mauna Kea off in the distance. It was absolutely breathtaking! My family and I didn't think things could get better until midway through the ride we stopped to swim at Umauma Falls. What an incredible experience we had paddle boarding and swimming! They have kayaks, too! My children are not the strongest swimmers, but Jamie and Elijah ensured that they wore life jackets and they monitored them closely, as well. This was by far voted the best experience on the Big Island by my family, especially the children! My husband and I agreed that this ride surpassed our ride in the Valley seventeen years ago! Our ride ended beautifully when our daughter Maile finally met her namesake Maile at the end of the ride. What a beautiful and emotional reunion it was to see Maile again with her...

Let’s start out with this place is very easy to get to and accessible for any vehicle. You pretty much pull up and you’re on the back of a beautiful horse and ready to go. We were greeted with a Smiling Julie who was very informative with a great personality! Jaime was was our second guide, he really knew each horse inside and out along with soooo much Knowledge of the land and the history of the island! Both guides really took the time to inform and make sure everyone was having a great time. They pair you to a horse that fits you and your experience. Every horse was very beautiful and gentle and you can feel the love coming from the animal you get. You can tell these aren’t just your guide horses the horses are their buddies pets kids friends which means a lot to me. As julie was at the front with my daughter chit chatting with her and the group, which meant alot to my kid she took the time and got to know her personally. Meant a lot to myself as well ha because I was in the back with my buddy Dozer, which was fine by me. Jaime would be off gathering local fruits for the group to try before our pit stop. We took the horse to a stunning little waterfall and swimming pool, where we used paddle boards and cliff jumped ate some food and off we went to finish our trip. On the way back down the views and knowledge from our guides didn’t stop they were truly great from start to finish!

Shout out to Dozer (the horse I was paired with) who lugged my butt around all day sweet sweet boy!

Stunning views Amazing guides Must see must visit when on the Big Island

Julie and Jaime thank you very much for a great trip one...