Rising K Ranch offers several diferent private horseback riding options for you while you are visiting the Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park area of Southern Utah.
The Juniper Loop:
30 Minutes
A brief riding instruction followed by a leisurely horseback ride through the Utah juniper forest at the base of the red-peaked mountains that connect Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.
Age Limit: 3 Years Old
Weight Limit: 220 lbs. (Dependent Upon Height- If you are over 220 lbs. and also over 6 feet in height, call the ranch to schedule a horseback ride. The wight limit has more to do with weight dispersion than just weight alone.)
In winter, wear a good hat, mittens, and a pair of warm socks, as well as warm coats and other winter clothing. In our Southern Utah winters, it is much more comfortable to wear too much warm clothing than not enough.
Departure Times:
9:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 2:00 PM 3:00 PM 4:00 PM
Open All Year
Closed Sundays
Price: $35 Per Rider Plus Optional Gratuity for Guide
The Cedar Trail Ride:
1 & 1/2 Hours
Brief horseback riding instruction followed by an hour and a half long horse ride along the Southern Utah terrain. The trail goes over streams, hills, and forests at the base of the red-peaked mountains that connect Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Age Limit: 3 Years Old
Weight Limit: 220 lbs. (Dependent Upon Height- If you are over 220 lbs. and also over 6 feet in height, call the ranch to schedule a ride.)
In winter be sure to wear a good hat, mittens, a pair of thin socks and a pair of heavy wool socks, as well as warm coats and other winter clothing. In a Utah winter, it is much more comfortable to wear too much warm gear than to not bring enough.
Departure Times:
9:00 AM 10:30 AM 12:00 PM 1:30 PM 3:00 PM
Open All Year
Closed Sundays
Price: $80 per rider Plus gratuity for wranglers is appreciated
The Sunset Horseback Ride
The Sunset Horseback Ride Departs two hours before sunset, so that we are returning to the ranch as the sun sets, allowing a beautiful view of alpenglow on the mountains.
The Sunset Horseback Ride is also the best horseback ride for wildlife viewing.
The trail is the same as the "Cedar Trail Ride", crossing the stream and going through the hills and forests at the base of the mountain range that connects Zion to Bryce Canyon National Parks.
The Sunset Horseback Ride must be booked over the phone.
Phone Number: 435-590-8428
Departure times vary as the time of sundown changes- call for departure time.
Age Limit: 3 Years Old
Weight Limit: 220 LBS. (Dependent upon height/ proportion. If you are over 220 lbs. but are also over 6 feet tall, call to inquire about ride possibility.)
Price: $90 Per Rider plus gratuity for the Guide is appreciated.
In winter, be sure to wear a good hat, mittens, a pair of thin socks and a pair of heavy wool socks over them, as well as warm coats and other winter clothing. In a Utah winter, it is more comfortable to wear too much warm gear than to not bring enough.
The Half Day Ride:
2 & 1/2 to 3 Hours
There will be a brief introduction to horsemanship before taking the horses out on a 2 and a half to 3 hour horseback trail ride through the Southern Utah terrain.
The trail takes you through grassy fields, sagebrush-filled valleys, and juniper forested hills. There are plenty of natural obstacles out there as well as different skill-level hills and overlook points.
The specific trails we decide to ride our horses on will be determined by your comfort level as we ride along. We may take to the higher Utah hills with steep trails to slide the horses down, or we may take easier routes for a more relaxing horseback experience.
Age Limit: 8 Years Old
Weight Limit: 220 lbs. (If you are over 220 lbs. and also over 6 feet in height, call the ranch to schedule a ride.)
The trail takes you through grassy fields, sagebrush-filled valleys, and juniper forested hills. There are plenty of natural obstacles out there as well as different skill-level hills and overlook points.
The specific trails we decide to ride our horses on will be determined by your comfort level as we ride along. We may take to the higher Utah hills with steep trails to slide the horses down, or we may take easier routes for a more relaxing horseback experience.
Age Limit: 8 Years Old
Weight Limit: 220 lbs. (If you are over 220 lbs. and also over 6 feet in height, call the ranch to schedule a ride.)
Departure Times:
9:00 AM 12:00 PM 3:00 PM
Open All Year
Closed Sundays
In winter be sure to wear a good hat, mittens, a pair of thin socks and a pair of heavy wool socks, as well as warm coats and other winter clothing. It is much more comfortable in a Utah winter to wear too much warm gear than to not bring enough.
Price: $150 per rider Plus gratuity for wrangler is appreciated.
The Mountain Horseback Ride:
5-7 Hours
The Mountain Horseback Ride takes you on a horseback trail into the pine and aspen country in the Schurtz Canyon mountains, full of views of Utah's high, red-rock pyramids that tower over the forests.
Be sure to pack a lunch that will fit into the saddlebags, as we will be stopping somewhere nice along the mountain trail to let the horses and ourselves rest.
There are many variations of the exact trail we will take on the Mountain Horseback Ride, depending primarily upon weather conditions and your own confidence while on horseback. This ride can be full of steep terrain, climbs, and descents along rugged mountain trails, or it can be a more leisurely horseback ride full of beautiful Southern Utah mountain scenery. This, along with other factors, such as home many people you bring with you and how fast we ride, is why this horseback ride can take anywhere from 5 to 7 hours.
No horseback riding experience is required for the Mountain Ride; but it is important, if you want to enjoy the ride, that all horseback riders be in good physical condition in general (the type of person that at least enjoys hiking, climbing, bicycling, or other outdoor activity.) If you feel this not the case, you may want to consider going on a shorter horseback ride instead.
In winter, the Mountain Ride takes a different route that goes up as high as we can depending on how deep the snow is at the time. If your horseback ride is in the winter, be sure to wear a warm hat that covers your ears, a pair of mittens (mittens are much better than gloves), a thin pair of socks covered with a heavy pair of wool socks, as well as warm coats and shirts and pants. In a Utah winter, it is much better to wear too much winter gear than it is to not bring enough.
Be sure to pack a lunch that will fit into the saddlebags, as we will be stopping somewhere nice along the mountain trail to let the horses and ourselves rest.
There are many variations of the exact trail we will take on the Mountain Horseback Ride, depending primarily upon weather conditions and your own confidence while on horseback. This ride can be full of steep terrain, climbs, and descents along rugged mountain trails, or it can be a more leisurely horseback ride full of beautiful Southern Utah mountain scenery. This, along with other factors, such as home many people you bring with you and how fast we ride, is why this horseback ride can take anywhere from 5 to 7 hours.
No horseback riding experience is required for the Mountain Ride; but it is important, if you want to enjoy the ride, that all horseback riders be in good physical condition in general (the type of person that at least enjoys hiking, climbing, bicycling, or other outdoor activity.) If you feel this not the case, you may want to consider going on a shorter horseback ride instead.
In winter, the Mountain Ride takes a different route that goes up as high as we can depending on how deep the snow is at the time. If your horseback ride is in the winter, be sure to wear a warm hat that covers your ears, a pair of mittens (mittens are much better than gloves), a thin pair of socks covered with a heavy pair of wool socks, as well as warm coats and shirts and pants. In a Utah winter, it is much better to wear too much winter gear than it is to not bring enough.
Age Limit: 12 Years Old
Weight Limit: 220 lbs. (If you are over 220 lbs. and also over 6 feet in height, call the ranch to schedule a ride.)
Departure Times:
9:00 AM 11:00 AM
Open All Year
Closed Sundays
Price: $280 per rider plus gratuity for wranglers.
Weight Limit: 220 lbs. (If you are over 220 lbs. and also over 6 feet in height, call the ranch to schedule a ride.)
Departure Times:
9:00 AM 11:00 AM
Open All Year
Closed Sundays
Price: $280 per rider plus gratuity for wranglers.
THE WESTERN HORSEMANSHIP EXPERIENCE: 2-3 HOURS- $400
The Western Horsemanship Experience allows you to ride one of Rising K Ranch's award-winning cowhorses. Designed for those of you who ride often at home, either English or trail riding, you will to experience the cowhorse tradition, equipment, and skills.
You will get to feel a horse perform such reined work as spins, sliding stops, and collected circles and will learn the foundations of herd work (cutting), and will spend time working cattle on horseback.
Once you are comfortable with the reined maneuvers and the cow-work, we will video you performing them so you can review the videos for your own advancement in horsemanship as well as have fun sharing them with your friends and family.
After working in the arena, we will go out on a short trail ride to cool off the horses.
Requirements:
1. Must already be comfortable on a horse at a lope (canter).
2. Must be under 200 lbs.
You will get to feel a horse perform such reined work as spins, sliding stops, and collected circles and will learn the foundations of herd work (cutting), and will spend time working cattle on horseback.
Once you are comfortable with the reined maneuvers and the cow-work, we will video you performing them so you can review the videos for your own advancement in horsemanship as well as have fun sharing them with your friends and family.
After working in the arena, we will go out on a short trail ride to cool off the horses.
Requirements:
1. Must already be comfortable on a horse at a lope (canter).
2. Must be under 200 lbs.
THE Beginner's WESTERN HORSEMANSHIP EXPERIENCE:
2-3 HOURS- $300
The Beginner's Western Horsemanship Experience is designed for beginners- NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!
You will learn to:
1. Groundwork a horse in the round pen
2. Saddle a horse
3. Ride a horse at a walk in the arena or round pen
4. Post at a trot, making the trot much more comfortable.
5. We will then put these skills to use out on the trails, with plenty of terrain for trotting and learning to navigate steep hillsides.
Requirement:
1. No previous horse experience required; but must be fit (the type of person who does well with long hikes, bicycle rides, or other athletic activity.)
2. Must be under 200 lbs.
You will learn to:
1. Groundwork a horse in the round pen
2. Saddle a horse
3. Ride a horse at a walk in the arena or round pen
4. Post at a trot, making the trot much more comfortable.
5. We will then put these skills to use out on the trails, with plenty of terrain for trotting and learning to navigate steep hillsides.
Requirement:
1. No previous horse experience required; but must be fit (the type of person who does well with long hikes, bicycle rides, or other athletic activity.)
2. Must be under 200 lbs.