Bar-B-Ranch — Local services in Davie

THIS PLACE IS NOT FOR EXPERIENCED RIDERS!!!!!! As an experienced rider and trainer who trains people and tames horses, I paid $110 expecting a professional and respectful riding experience. The horses themselves are good, but the trainers? Totally disappointing.

Right from the start, a teenage trainer started giving advice with this arrogant attitude, acting like she’s the best rider in the world. Her tone alone was enough to ruin the experience, and to make it worse, she clearly had no idea what she was doing.

She even told me not to press the horse with my leg, like she’s some kind of horse expert. Be serious. That’s basic horsemanship. I honestly held back from saying anything, but that kind of advice is just ridiculous.

The trainer’s horse kept stopping all the time because she refuses to use leg pressure! Imagine that, the horse just stops because she won’t do something as basic as pressing with her leg. Everyone knows you have to press with your leg to make the horse move, even someone who’s never ridden before understands that. Honestly, I feel sorry for the people who signed up here because they’re just being misled.

They explained their rules clearly: if you press the horse with your leg five times, they’ll stop you and send you back. How am I supposed to get the horse to move if I can’t use my legs? Is the horse supposed to walk only when it feels like it?

She also told me I’d be able to canter, but in the end she only let me do it for like 100 feet, and only because I specifically asked for it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done it at all.

At one point, I sarcastically thought, “What do you say, my dear, shall we walk?” because their strict rules made it feel like you had to beg the horse for every step.

Also, the instructor’s hands were all over the place while holding the reins, a basic mistake. She even told another rider, “your riding is embarrassing,” which was ironic because anyone watching her would probably say the same thing.

If you truly understand horses and riding, and respect the craft, avoid this place. The horses deserve...

Review for experienced riders:

The horses are relatively well kept. Nothing you don't usually see at a dude ranch. People complaining about living conditions have never seen mud or horse poop and are expecting Olympic level hygiene.

They actually give basic instructions to everyone about pressure and release, so don't get offended. I actually appreciated that they explain this to everyone as some "experienced" riders think a hard kick is the first step of pressure.

If you are experienced and want more actual riding than sight seeing, take the on-property ride. It's cheaper, there is more space to trot/canter, and it is much more likely that you will go out with just who you came with and your guide. We caught a glimpse of the scenic ride group and it was TONS of people riding nose-to-tail in standard trail fashion, so would highly advise against for experienced riders ($60 for 1.5hr scenic ride).

It seems that the experience is very guide dependent, which can be bad if you don't ask for what you want with EVERY person you interact with. We made our experience level clear to the girl that we paid, then also made it clear to the girl that brought out the horses and did our briefing. We did not, however, reiterate that to our actual guide (who was yet another different girl). After spending about 30 minutes at only a walk, my dad that came with us walked to the desk and told them that we better get more for our money ($50 for 1hr) or we would ask for a refund. I was unaware of this and only saw the guide answer a phone call and then suddenly we were allowed to start trotting and cantering.

The on property fields and trails have quite a few large rocks that one of the horses tripped on more than once, which I wish would be cleared better for a place that has 35 horses.

Ultimately, not a bad place for inexperienced riders or those looking for a scenic trail walk. For experienced riders, proceed with caution and make your expectations clear and do not agree unless they both of you are sure they can meet your...

Kat and Jess at Bar-B-Ranch have given me lessons on the trail. They both grew up riding there and know their horses from head to tail! They are extremely knowledgeable, pleasant, helpful and kind. They are excellent, observant instructors. When I am there I feel safe, cared about and respected. I can tell the horses do too as they are very friendly and trustworthy. Jason and CJ are professional, polite, caring, and competant people keeping all the operations running smoothly at the ranch. Sam is a true gentleman: patient, honest, understanding and kind to all the horses and people he finds. The horses are well loved and very well cared for. They are all out frolicking in their pastures enjoying fresh grasses until they are needed for lessons. Then they are groomed, given healthy snacks, and the people who are riding them are given expert lessons in Natural Horsemanship. Everyone at Bar-B-Ranch loves animals and works to help riders understand the best ways to work together with their horses as a team. I highly recommend them. Being at Bar-B-Ranch brings you back in touch with your soul. You are surrounded by horses and peacocks, a dog and a donkey, ducks and swans, iguanas and bird songs, deep shady jungles and grazing cows in pastures. There is a black and white puddy cat that looks like Sylvester. There is also a free-flying green parrot named Potato who sometimes perches on Kat's hat and then flies to a branch, because even the birds enjoy rides at...