You will arrive at the majestic Carlota Estate Gates. Head on inside and stay to the right on the way to your parking spaces along the fence line just after the barn on the right...
MEETING YOUR GUIDE
After a few minutes of admiring the horses in our beautiful barn, you will meet your guide and get started with your Picture Perfect Adventure Experience. Your guided experience will begin at the barn, where your adventure guide will greet you and get to know you and your group, if you come with family/friends.
They will make sure to have you sign all the necessary waivers and a horse riding questionnaire. The questionnaire is to better get to know you and your experience with horses so that your adventure guide can help match you with the perfect horse, and best know how to help you during your riding experience.
You will receive a quick introduction to the equestrian estate, your horse, and they will go over safety guidelines to ensure that you and your family or friends have the best experience possible.
MEETING YOUR HORSE
At this point in the adventure experience, you’ll meet your best friend for the day. Picture Perfect Adventures has a few horses that are great for both first-timers and young children. We also have some suited for more advanced riders.
While your horse may seem like an incredibly majestic and gentle creature, always remember they are strong animals that need to be respected. This is why it’s important that you pay attention and listen to your adventure guide, and allow them to select your perfect horse match.
Horses can get startled – if they get spooked, they can cause injuries to themselves and any person around. The horses at Picture Perfect Adventures are some of the sweetest, best trained, and well-mannered horses around, but it is important to be respectful and cautious regardless.
You will meet our in house horse trainer and horseback adventure experience guide, Jessica, at the stables, and she will help you make friends with your horse for the day. This is all part of establishing a bond with your horse and making sure that he is comfortable with you, and you are comfortable with him.
After Jessica and the team get the horses ready for you to ride, she will assist everyone in mounting their horses, and then take the lead on her own horse to guide you through our trails.
MOUNTING & WALKING
After Jessica and her team finish tacking up the horses, you will be lead to the mounting station. With a swift motion and a swing of your leg you will be sitting in your saddle and ready to hit our trails. Jessica and the team are there to help and teach you how to mount. With everyone successfully mounted on their horses, Jessica will make sure that everyone is sitting in the right position, as well as teaching you how to ask your horse to stop, turn, and walk on.
During the guided adventure experience, you and your Horse will go walking into the woods and you will take to our serene and scenic trails with Jessica at the lead.
Granted, the guides can make riding look so easy! But with a little extra help and guidance, you will be comfortably exploring our lovely trails by horseback.
At the end of the ride, the time comes to dismount. Jessica will demonstrate the easiest and correct way to get back on your own two feet. Then you'll swing your leg over behind you and be back on solid ground.
AFTER THE RIDE
The last, and maybe even the most fun step; Once you ride your horse back to the stable and dismount, you get to mingle and take selfies with the horses!
Pro-Tip:
If you truly love horses and want them to love you, too, we recommend bring a few apples cut into quarters. Be sure to ask Jessica if it's okay to feed them first, and allow her to show you the safe way to feed them treats from your hands. Please do not feed them anything other than apples.