There is no other feeling like being on horseback, although motorcycles, for me, have come mighty close. But unlike motorcycles that require fossil fuels, horses require oats, hay and water. They are a natural recycler of grasses and weeds, and their manure makes great fertilizer. They are the perfect vehicle for getting outdoors and experiencing the beauty of our immense Silicon Valley backyard in a completely sustainable fashion.

We’ve found three amazing places where you can get outdoors for a trail ride on horseback, witness amazing vistas and learn something about the region in the process. Garrod Farms in Saratoga is perhaps the only place where it’s possible to take a trail ride and then go wine tasting. Chaparral Farms at Wunderlich Park in Woodside has a carriage house museum dedicated to preserving the history of agriculture and lumber on the property, which has been an equestrian facility for over 100 years. On the coast, while several stables in Half Moon Bay offer rides along the beach, nothing beats the peaceful quietude of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy land, where trail rides from Moss Beach Ranch will take you. Saddle up, we’re going for a ride!

VINEYARD VIEWS AND VALLEY VISTAS

At Garrod Farms in the hills of Saratoga, founded in 1893 as a prune and apricot orchard, one-hour trail rides are offered seven days a week, with multiple time slots available. Pony rides are offered on the weekends. Special Wine Rides are offered on the first Sunday of each month through October, and include a trail ride that begins at 11am, followed by artisan croissant sandwiches and cheese plates, accompanied by a wine tasting. Cory Bosworth, wine club manager at Cooper- Garrod winery, co-located with the equestrian operation, says that the Sunday wine rides can accommodate up to 14 people, and generally sell out. However, you can combine the horseback riding experience with wine tasting on your own, by advance arrangement, with a maximum of eight riders, during the week. “Please schedule your ride prior to your wine tasting, and always ride before you imbibe!” says Bosworth. In 1964, with the fruit business drying up, the farm added horses and stables to augment its business. The vineyard was established in 1972.

Bosworth says his trails take riders through vineyards and out into the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve, where you’re likely to spot deer, turkeys, occasional coyotes, hawks and bluebirds. You’ll be surrounded by oaks, bay laurel, madrone and eucalyptus trees, and you might see wildflowers like poppies, lupine, sticky monkey flower and wild iris, depending on the time of year. “There are also lovely views of the Silicon Valley,” says Bosworth. Where once were vast seas of white and pink blossoms in the spring, you can now see the Apple campus, the Moffett Field hangars, Shoreline Amphitheatre, downtown San Jose across the Bay and, on clear days, as far north as the Golden Gate. She says that the pandemic fueled an interest in outdoor activities, and Cooper-Garrod made it possible to combine two popular outdoor activities for double the fun.

Garrod Farms has hosted Summer Horse Camp for kids every summer since the late 1960s. “It’s a great way for your child to learn how to ride as well as how to care for these wonderful animals, as generations have done before,” says Bosworth.

COASTAL ESCAPE: BREATHTAKING VIEWS OF HALF MOON BAY

Trail guide Kim Forbes has worked at Moss Beach Ranch, just north of Half Moon Bay, since 2016. She says the rides through the 4,200-acre Rancho Corral de Terra offer spectacular ocean views. This piece of land is one of the largest undeveloped parcels on the San Mateo Peninsula, and now preserved in perpetuity for the recreational enjoyment of the public as part of Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Forbes typically takes two to six riders for private horseback trail rides, and can also accommodate single riders. For Forbes, the joy of meeting new people and introducing them to the beautiful Rancho Corral de Tierra, where the varied terrain includes hills, meadows and forests, is a daily gift. “Often, I am helping them check off a bucket list item: riding a horse for the first time! It’s an honor to provide that opportunity for them and be a part of the experience.” Approximately 70 horses are boarded at the ranch, and she leads about 300 trail rides per year. She says the views of Half Moon Bay are spectacular. The ranch also offers one-week horse camps for kids aged 8 to 15, where they ride the same horse every day, developing a special partnership. Camp curriculum includes daily vaulting (gymnastics on horseback) and horsemanship instruction, teaching kids about horse safety, tack, health and nutrition.

WOODSIDE WANDERS THROUGH WUNDERLICH

Chaparral Farms at Wunderlich Park in Woodside is a splendid mix of history and nostalgia. Set on the Folger Estate of Folgers Coffee fame, it once was the warm country getaway for the Folger family from San Francisco’s cold summers. The San Mateo County Parks Department has leased a portion of Wunderlich Park in Woodside since 1974 for the purpose of providing horse boarding, training, riding lessons and trail rides, and Chaparral Farms has been operating trail rides here since 2009. Abbey Vixie, a lifelong equestrian, started riding at age 5 at a nearby summer horse camp in Woodside. “I wanted to be cool, like my brother!” After she moved east for college and an acting career in New York City, the pandemic brought her back to Woodside. It led to her current job as a trail guide at Wunderlich, which she loves. “We have the best trails in the Bay Area,” says Vixie. “We climb up the side of the mountain and look down at all of the Stanford campus. We can see the entire East Bay. Plus there’s a cool pond called Salamander Flat, where California giant salamanders live. I’ve only seen them once, and they are huge!”

Most people think they need lessons before a trail ride. Not so, says Vixie. “We have lots of first-time riders,” she says. “Trails are a perfect introduction to riding. It’s a great first experience. People get to step into the world of horses in a way that’s enjoyable for them.” Many riders are so smitten that they sign up for lessons afterwards.

“My favorite thing about Wunderlich is that the stable has been here for so long, the entire park is built around accessibility for horses,” says Vixie. “There are no dogs, no bikes, no ATVs. It’s a facility for horses first and foremost.” See you on the trails!!