porter mountain stables

We have a home in the White Mountains so we're here a lot. My daughter has been riding at Porter Mountain since she was 5. Six year later, it's still our favorite place on the mountain. Last year we brought 6 of her friends with us, some of whom had never ridden , they all loved it! The horses are gentle and the staff is always helpful. Beautiful location as well.

Natalie,As I said on the phone after your ride, I am very sorry your daughter had a bad experience and I will again offer to take your family out for free to show you that we never want anyone to walk away feeling that way about not only our business but about horses in general. Also as I said when we spoke, horses have a mind and personality of their own and their will be occasions when riding that as the rider you need to calmly handle. I also apologize if there was any miscommunication about what you are callig the horse running off out of the lake, as i truly thought I had explained to you that we ride through a creek, all of our advertisements explain that, it is something most of our customers enjoy and the horse your younger daughter was on was simply going around the mishap and trying to get out of the creek, not running away with her. Again I apologize for any ill feelings you may have towards our stables and I thought we had done our best by trying to make sure your daughter had the opportunity for a better experience. I always appreciate feedback on our rides as it helps us to grow as a business and the offer is always open if you return to the mountain.

I've been traveling a lot lately, but I wanted to go back and make some note of this place. I have photos of it in my profile. My best friend and I stopped here in the middle of a road trip after I read a review here. There is literally nothing bad I could say. Except, it had been raining a lot that week, and my original day had to be canceled for safety reason. It threw a wrench in my road trip...but really..that has nothing to so with the company. Plus, safety is a concern. Which is a good thing. So just keep tabs on the weather when you go and if you go during rainy season, have a little flexibility. Its in a beautiful part of Arizona I had never visited before. There are not a bunch of activities in this particular area, but its on route to other things worth visiting. They have different tour options so, you can go longer than we did. It was a slow day, not high season, so it was just us on the tour which I loved. You drive into what seems to almost be a neighborhood of sorts, so just follow the directions carefully and have their # on hand. I have never touched a horse... And where I live everyone has their own. So I was nervous. Our guide was named hitch. They have a bathroom, so no worries if you've been driving. I felt compelled to tell him in advance of my lack of experience. It didn't phase him. He shows you what to do and you mount up. The horses do this all day every day/go through training and probably don't need your assistance in directing them at all. It was everything you could ask for. He was a "real life" rodeo competing, colt breaking, hay bale piling, nature exploring, hometown hero. The trail was so peaceful. They take you by the lake, through the trees and so on. I found it to be such a nice contrast to the desert we had just been in earlier that day. At first, he was a bit quiet..but if you are the least bit curious about life out there or his adventures, its such a worthwhile conversation! He was so easy to talk to and so helpful. Some ppl say that if you've never ridden a horse, your glutes can get a bit sore. I'd find that accurate. But not anything to make me question the choice. If you're going to be within 3 hours of this place, I say go try it out. I can't speak to what it would be like with children, but they seem prepared for almost anything! Just wear comfortable clothes, perhaps even stretch denim.

My husband and I recently spent time in the area at our vacation cabin. My husband was the one who had found the Tripadvisor recommendation of the stables, and we decided to go and check them out--what a great decision that was! We called ahead to see if we needed a reservation, and it was a fairly slow day (it was a weekday morning), so they just told us to come on over and told us the next available time. I would definitely call ahead, especially on weekends and in the summers, just to be sure they have the right amount of horses available. All of the staff were wonderful and friendly, and we were up on our horses in no time. We did the 1-hour trail ride, but I think next time we may do an extended ride or the sunset ride because we enjoyed it so much. Our guide was great, and the trail was beautiful. It was a great mix of riding through the forest, next to the reservior, and even a few times through a stream. The horses were sweet and well-behaved. The cost was also very reasonable. A must-do for the full mountain experience! We will definitely be back again.

We took the 2 hour ride through the forest, across streams, and beside the lake. We didn't have time to dismount and explore the Lava tube caves, but that can be done on another hike. Horses were well matched to the riders and our guide, Harry, was watchful and informative. The horses were well behaved,beautiful, and patient beasts. The staff was friendly and didn't let us miss seeing the new born foal. A wonderful time, and I understand they are open year round. Rates are average riding stable rates, the area is beautiful, and a whole new viewpoint from the back of a horse.

awesome for first time horse back riding, and our guide was Joe he was amazing-my 10 yr old wants to be a horseback guide now! the scenery was gorgeous, the horses sweet, and the weather was perfect! and everyone at the stables was super nice. thanks to all for a great trip-we are already looking forward to the ice caves next time we visit.

If you are in this area and looking for something to do, go horseback riding at Porter Mountain Stables. The staff/owners are very friendly. Our wrangler shared funny stories with us and she was very easy to talk to. We were there for our sons birthday and this was one of the activities he wanted to do. It was our first time riding but it won't be our last. Thank You to Porter Mountain. We had a nice relaxing ride.

Harry, our wrangler, was an excellent guide. Our family had a relaxing 2 hour ride and fun conversation. Nice chance to bond, away from wifi and video games! The horses were well taken care of and beautiful, loved their personalities!

Horseback riding with the Porter Mountain Stable staff was a blast for our 5 grandchildren ages 11-19 yrs old. The owners were very hands on and the horses were very well cared for. We will definitely go back and do the trails again.

My 20 year old daughter wanted to go riding while we were in Pinetop-Lakeside. I had been calling the stable that was next to where we were staying, but they never called back. So two days before the day she wanted to go, I called Porter Mountain. It was March and there was no problem getting her hooked up with a small group of riders. It ended up being my daughter and two 15 year old boys which was perfect. She had a great time. Her horse was pleasant and her "wrangler" was nice. They even got to stop and explore a little cave. They had a 2 hour ride and it cost us less than $50. I thought that was a bargain! It was a little hard to find, but if you're alert and follow the signs, you'll find it. And it will be worth it.

Had a fantastic time. Was the highlight of our trip for us and the kids. ( especially the kids) we showed up with no reservations with a party of 8 and they got us out on the trail within an hour. Horses are well behaved. Two wranglers joined us, Joe, an older cowboy and hayley a young lady. Both were fantastic. Joe was great with some stories and hayley was fantastic with the small kids. Giving them some confidence to get over their initial fears.

On very short notice, Porter Mountain Stables (aka, Flag Hollow Ranch, LLC) arranged a wrangler to lead us on an all-day ride in the National Forest. We rode out of their stables and returned a different way, with a bit of retracing previous trails. We are used to riding in the Teton Wilderness in WY, so this particular National Forest did nothing to quicken our pulses, but it was probably as good as riding and scenery get near Lakeside. Except for the mud and snow, the trails were in decent condition, no fallen trees for the horses to step-over or go-around. We encountered no tricky rocky ascents, nor narrow trails on a drop-off - just perfect riding for people who want comfortable, easy swaying in the saddle. Our wrangler, Hitch, knew these trails well and was quite sociable, able to answer any question. Hitch himself rode a challenging former Mustang, who actually kicked my husband for no reason, back at the stables.We saw no one else on these trails, except for a couple of elk. If you can justify the expense (including tip+ tax, we paid $276.34 for 2 riders for "eight" hours), any day on a horse is a good day.