Maverick Horseback Riding — Local services in Gonzales

To start, when we arrived at the property, there is a gate that appeared to be locked. We waited at the gate till our scheduled time and no one ever came to let us in. I called the number 4 times, no answer! Jo finally texts back and says come on in. Apparently the gate wasn’t locked, it was just wrapped with a chain. They should let guests know this when booking. As we pull in the first thing we see is a cow being butchered right in front of the property! This did not bother me, but my friend was quite taken back by this! We Suggest you do these types of activities in the back where guests can’t see. Every single ride I have ever been on, we were allowed to bring our phones to take photos during the ride. Even on a ride in the Grand Canyon in the snow, much more dangerous than this ride, we were still able to bring phones to take pictures. Jo did not allow us to bring our phones. We asked if she would be taking pictures for us, she stated it’s not guaranteed! We were quite taken back by this, we wanted to capture our experience. I didn’t care about the price, even though it was double the cost of a normal trail ride. I thought heck for the money, this should be an amazing experience.

We chose the river ride as that was an experience that we have never done before. We ended up being put with a group ride then we were brought to the river for about 20mins in the water separately from the group. Jo kept insinuating that we were not ready for the river and that we were not going to be able to handle the horses in the water. She kept pulling us away from the group to do activities with the horses, and stated that if we couldn’t get the horses to do what she’s asking on land, then she will not take us in the water. She tried talking us out of going in the water multiple times, we were both like no we want to do it as that is the only reason we came here. We got the impression that she was too busy with everything else going on that she didn’t want to go back to the river herself and was trying to talk us out of it. Jo is very knowledgeable about what she does and very strictly enforced rules and the way she wanted you to ride her horses. Unfortunately so much so that she made the experience unenjoyable, She nagged the entire time on the ride. Her direction was confusing and she became upset when you did not follow. For example, she kept yelling saying look at where you want your horse to go, not at me or at the horse, then she would yell watch the horses nose, once the nose is pointed at the direction you want it to go release pressure. Soooooo I would look at where I wanted the horse to go and pull towards that direction, then she’s yelling don’t pull so hard, watch the nose! I can’t look at two places at one time, and if I tried to do both, she would yell telling me to do the opposite of what direction I was looking! So then I tried to release pressure after the nose moved to the direction I was pulling towards, then the horse just moved its head straight back into the forward direct which was into a tree at one point. She also directed me to point my belly button towards the direction I wanted the horse to go, then she yelled questioning why am I twisting my body, I am not sure how to point my belly button in any other direction besides forward without twisting my body!!? She did this non stop with every rider on the ride, including her “students”!

I felt as though she was extremely overwhelmed, she had 3 students with her plus 6 guests on the ride. She was trying to teach her students, given direction to her guests, train the horses, deal with the cow that was being slaughtered at the born all while trying to lead a ride! It was a mess, very unprofessional, and made for a not so pleasant experience. If it Hadn’t been for the 20 mins in the water at the end of the ride and the couple of pictures she ended up taking for us, which Jo later complained about in a text message the next day when we asked her to send the pictures to us that she took, we would have not enjoyed the ride one bit! WAY...

Below I will give you every reason why you should choose Mavericks and look no further for a place to ride, this remains true regardless of experience level and desired riding experience: As someone who was a former trail guide at a large ranch in the mountains of NC, as someone who owns my own mule and 9 months out of the year rides almost daily, and as someone who has been to a number of trail riding ranches, I can say with confidence and qualified authority that Mavericks is a cut well above the rest. The owner and trail guide, Joan Marie, is not just an interesting and impressive person who is passionate and cares deeply about what she does, she also seems to put a great deal of time, hard work, & love into ensuring the best welfare of her guests & herd.

I took my brother out with me when we rode a few days back and he has only ridden once before, yet Joan Marie was able to have him feeling so confident that within less than a half an hour he was able to skillfully and confidently engage his horse in faster gates and intentional maneuvering. Despite having myself, a relatively experienced rider, and my brother, who again is an absolute novice, she was able to cater to both of us ensuring we got the riding experience we desired, the right match in a horse, and a personal catered lesson in accordance to our ability and desire to learn.

What truly sets Mavericks above the rest is the fact that it offers something few, if any, trail ride ranches offer: A truly unique and ideal combination of experiences... it's far more than just a trail ride. While out on your ride, Joan Marie will provide you with instruction and tips if you so desire, regardless of your skill level and equine IQ, as there is an ever evolving wealth of skill, understanding, technique, and information for us to learn and add to our practices and Joan Marie is amongst the most knowledgeable I have encountered. Additionally, she has a great and easy to understand style of teaching.

Riding here pretty much ensures that you will have an exciting ride if you so wish by allowing and encouraging you (if you wish) to ride the horses at different gates (speeds & movements) as well as breaking away from the group some and exploring. Every trail ride company I've visited, regardless of your experience and comfort level, allow for nothing more than to ride at a painfully slow walking pace in a nose to butt formation, which without having the need to mention, becomes monotonous and boring quickly even if it's your first time riding. Despite all this excitement and variation with speed & direction as well as the constant switching of riding order where the horses will be at moments side to side, the horses remained responsive, willing, & sound where even just one of these variable changing where you take a horse out of its trail routine and thus comfort, would likely trigger most every horse at another trail riding outfit (the one I worked at being no exception.) A guest horse at any of the numerous trail riding companies I've spent time at would become uncomfortable, uneasy, unwilling, and often times even aggressive towards the other horses in these situations, as they are likely to feel unfamiliar and insecure with breaking routine and order, yet at Mavericks the horses execute any task or variable thrown their way with confidence and a beautiful willingness to work in partnership with you.

My time at Mavericks has left me with the desire to share my experience in hopes that others doing their research and weighing their options will read this and feel confident in Mavericks being the clear cut best choice in where to ride. Riding has brought tons of benefit to me personally and I want anyone who does decide to try it, to have the most pleasurable, beneficial, safe, & informative experience possible. In saying that, I trust Joan Marie and Mavericks above all others I've seen and experienced to be able to provide folks with that...

I went to visit a friend in Austin about a week ago, and after reading great reviews from other visitors, I decided to give Maverick Horseback Riding a try myself. I am really glad that I did, so here I am adding my own review to the bunch. I had a really good time all throughout my riding experience, and Joan Marie (the owner) was both friendly and instructive. This does bring me to an important thing to note about Maverick Horseback Riding: it's INSTRUCTIVE. Signing up for a session means signing up for a LESSON in horseback riding. Before deciding to book with Maverick, please make sure to read the FAQ on the website, especially the section "What should I expect?" (I would also strongly recommend checking out the link "What to Expect During Your Horseback Riding Lesson on the Trail" included in that section). If you are looking to just sit on a horse while the horse walks along a trail, this may not be a good choice for you. Joan Marie emphasizes horseback riding as an interactive rather than a passive activity, and the horse as a responsive animal. If you are, however, looking for an authentic horseback riding experience, and open to receiving instruction, then I promise that Maverick will be both a fun and informative experience.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let's talk about what the actual experience was like for me and my friend. I opted for the private session, as I have zero horseback riding experience, and my friend was nervous about how much she remembered from her childhood. Upon my arrival to the ranch, my friend and I were greeted by Joan Marie and a helper, Sam, who assisted with getting us ready for the ride, including checking to make sure our waivers were signed, and picking out appropriate footwear and helmets.

My horse was a large gelding about 17 hands tall by the name of Gigante (Spanish pronunciation), while my friend rode a slightly smaller horse by the name of Rowdy. Before choosing our mounts, Joan Marie made sure to check with my friend and I about how we felt about our upcoming horseback riding experience, and also specifically how we felt about riding larger, taller horses. Before riding, we were also taught about picking stones and packed dirt from the horses' hooves, brushing down the horses, and properly saddling the horses.

Once we were all riding (myself, my friend, Joan Marie, and Sam), Joan Marie clearly communicated with us on how to direct our horses (some basics had been covered prior to mounting, such as how to hold the reins and basic commands, but nothing beats actually putting those words into action), and corrected us whenever needed (e.g., heels down, look in the direction you want the horse to turn and not at the horse, etc.). She was attentive, and also adapted to our comfort levels. The entire ride itself last about an hour and 15 minutes, and took us well around the 100+ acre property, mostly at a peaceful walk, but Joan Marie did give us a few chances to try cantering as well, which I enjoyed. After the ride was over, Joan Marie let my friend and I wait on the back porch of a small house near the entrance to the ranch to be picked up, where we had a great view of the area and the company of one of the ranch dogs, and were introduced by Sam to an adorable two-week old bunny. My friend and I laughed over the next day or two at being sore in interesting places, but both felt the experience was well worth it. I would definitely like to return someday to continue learning, and heartily recommend Maverick Horseback Riding to anyone else, beginner or...