Jack's Livery Stable — Attraction in Mackinac Island

Got there at about 1:45 and they got us on our horses within 15 minutes! They matched us very well with our horses. I am an experienced rider, but I wanted a relaxing ride without having to do too much. They listened and put me on a great horse, Dan. My husband has very little riding experience and put him on a nice lazy horse, Ozzy. It was awesome that they let you go out on your own. I was a bit nervous that I’d get lost, so we had the guide take us to our trail. She was great and made sure everyone was comfortable! She gave great directions as well. The horses also knew how to get back to the barn so I wasn’t too worried at that point that we’d get lost 😅 Don’t listen to the negative reviews. If you are going on a trail ride, you should and need to understand that horses are animals with a mind of their own, and like us, they have good days and bad days. You can’t expect the stable to be responsible for that. That is why you sign a waiver. If you’re not experienced, you should have the guide stay with you and wear a helmet. My horse backed into a tree with me twice to itch his butt, but again, like I said, they are ANIMALS. He was fine and listened when I asked him to move out of the tree. My husband’s horse wanted to stop and snack a few times, but that’s a horse for ya, lol. The guide and myself told him how to get him going again and he listened. You can tell these horses are well cared for too and the horses are their top priority. Also, people need to understand this is just their summer job. The horses go back to a pasture and probably relax the rest of the year. So trust me, they’re fine! Over all great experience and was one of my favorite things we did on...

Overall, we had a good experience, that being said they do let people that have zero experience take these horses out but I would have to disagree with that idea. (my husband grew up racing horses) and shared his reasoning with me. We had "Tim" as our horse, and overall, he was wonderful. He worked hard and knew how to get around, plus knew his boundaries. However, in the beginning he got spooked by a homeowner weed-whacking, and thankfully, our guide was still getting us to the main road. He did an excellent job of explaining everything and handling the horse when he freaked. Unfortunately, it did put us on edge a little bit for the remainder of the trip because we didn't know how nervous he was going to be for the continuation, speeding bikes whizzing pass him didn't seem to bother him at all! Thank god! However, the flies were really getting to him. These are large animals, although the ones they have working there have wonderful temperaments, I just want to advise that somebody without any horse experience might want to give it a second thought before renting them. You are not able to go in front of the hotel or downtown for a VERY GOOD reason. Tourists are the biggest threat. They stop, they don't pay attention, you could be telling them you have horses coming towards them and they don't even move, we watched it happen when we were downtown shopping, where experienced horse and buggy drivers were running into issues because of ignorant people. Just know...

I wouldn't recommend Jack's to anyone. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how they've been in business for as long as they have. My mother and I rented a carriage on Sept. 13, 2022 with a horse named Waylon. (Now, it's worth noting I own horses and ride regularly. I have limited experience driving.) Long story short, Waylon was either extremely green or hurt. Almost the entire ride, he was kicking, bucking, throwing his head, and trying to trot/run. I was fighting with him the entire ride. We called the livery to explain my concerns but they chalked it up to flies or 'being lazy'. From my own experience, I knew this wasn't the case. His antics grew in severity so much that I didn't feel comfortable getting him down the large hill by the Grand Hotel, back to the livery. We called the livery again and they sent someone to drive us back. Upon return, they credited us a whopping 15 minutes for having to wait for the driver to get us. Needless to say, the carriage ride was far from relaxing or enjoyable. Since then, I have been stewing on this. I can't imagine what could/would have happened had someone with little or no horse experience been driving. I have tried to resolve this with Jack's privately, with no response. It's clear I won't be getting my money back, but I can warn others of the terrible experience we had. I also have to add that with the exception of Zack, their entire staff is unfriendly, rude, and...