Lucky Stables vs. Bayside Riding Club

[kris77]

I've been reading up on the older threads, and it seems like more people have been to Bayside. The horseback ride offered through the cruise line is to Lucky Stables. But I'm thinkig I'd like to take the ride offered through Bayside instead. Does anyone have any info regarding the two different stables? And in your experience, is it difficult to get a taxi from the pier to Bayside? And does anyone have any pics they'd like to share?

[mwebb]

Bayside stables was the highlight of our cruise last year, as a horse person I believe the other stable overuses the horses and runs too many people through- I also understand that it is not as pretty of a ride, costs more and the cruise lines make the profits. Bayside $70 pp vs Cruiseline $89++++?.

 

Took a cab to orient beach first at $6 pp and then made arrangements for same driver to pick us up at orient at a pre-arranged time and take us to Bayside. (not far from Orient and next to Butterfly farm) Also made arrangements for return to ship from Bayside back to ship. (You have to do this.

 

We however ended up cutting it close timewise getting back to the ship. We scheduled a 200 beach ride that was suppose to be 2 hours. ENded up having to wait on 3 people with ride reservations that got there late, so the ride started and ended later than expected. Leaving only 30 minutes to get to the other side of the island and back to ship. At that time of day traffic was congested. If I had it to do over I would have scheduled an earlier ride.

[kaylen]

I just returned from a Carnival Glory cruise that included St. Martin. Prior to the cruise I called Bayside Riding Club and reserved a 1 1/2 hour period ($100) to do a trail ride that included riding along the beach and an ocean swim with the horse. There were 3 other riders and a guide. I took a taxi from the pier to the Riding Club ($18) that took only 20 minutes. Very nice driver. He also sent a taxi to pick me up after my horse ride. It was a wonderful experience. The Bayside Riding Club was awesome! I researced stables using the internet prior to calling Bayside RC. From the info I could gather from past (cruise) riders, Bayside was the best and Lucky Stables was the worst. If you like horses you will very much enjoy riding in St. Martin. Have fun:) Kaylen

[Nesheim1]

On our cruise in January on Freedom of the Seas, I booked Bayside Stables on my own, but didn't realize that the ship didn't change to local time. So even though it said it docked at 8:00am, it was really 9:00am. I had reserved a group ride at 9:00am. I got there about 9:30 and the group had just left. so instead the guy who had been teaching private lessons, took me out by myself for an hour and a half trail ride. since the horse I was riding really just wanted to follow, she didn't go in the water far enough that she was swimming, but she did go deep enough that I was up to my thighs in the water. I loved it. but I haven't ridden bareback in years (hate to admit how many), but my legs hurt for several days afterwards.

 

I am looking to go horseback riding again in St. Maarten, but will be sure I know if the ship is on local time or not.

[Balligo715]

We are going to St. Maarten on RCCL Explorer in the winter. We will definitely do a morning ride at Lucky Stables, then we were thinking of checking out Orient Bay afterwards. How long will the ride to Orient be and how much do you think it would cost??

Thanks!!

Kelly

[sweetlowcountry]

We rode with Bayside in November 2006. It was nice. The stables are close to the Butterfly Farm and Orient Beach so you can do several things in one trip. I would suggest doing your ride in the morning when it isn't too hot. Make sure to reserve your ride at the correct time... They do not go by ship time. We paid for a private 1 hour ride. Our guide took our camera at the beginning and took pictures of us the entire time! That was really nice. I was a little disappointed in the scenery. The "trail" ride starts in a parking lot and then heads down a dirt road. There was quite a bit of trash around. We did go on a trail for about a 1/4 mile before we hit the beach. We walked along the beach, which had some trash on it, until we got to an abandoned hotel with some trees. We let the horses stand in the shade for a while and took their saddles off. We jumped on bareback and then went into the water. The horses would go as far as you wanted them to go. My husband got a little nervous so I swam for a split second and then we just sat on the horses in water up to our thighs for a while - talking and enjoying the view. It was beautiful. You can see Orient Beach from where we were. Then, we came out of the water and headed back to the stables... Mostly on the road. I was pleased with our guide. She was really nice and we got some great pictures. But, I wish there was more "trail" riding and it was a little cleaner. Bayside was very professional and trustworthy. Hope this helps!!

[Balligo715]

Have any recent St. Maarten visitors been to the "new" Lucky Stables that's closer to the beach? I read about it on this thread but the website is limited and doesn't talk about a new facility. Photos would be great if you have any of Lucky Stables!! Still wondering how close to Orient it is...

~Kelly :D

[Nesheim1]

which is on the French side of the island. so Lucky Stables would be almost directly across on the other side of the island from Orient Beach.

 

When I went last year, my husband and I took a taxi from the pier and dropped me off at Bayside and he went to Orient Beach. Then got a taxi from there and came back to pick me up after riding.

[dmdiver]

We just did the horseback tour through Carnival, meeting on the dock at 8:15 a.m. $119 included an air-conditioned bus ride to Orient Beach, where you had a glass of punch (rum optional) & chaises with umbrellas. I declined the rum as it didn't seem wise to imbibe at 9am, then get on a horse. Anyway, there was a group of about 30 people. They divided us into 3 groups. Group 1 left immediately in an open army jeep for Bayside Stables. The rest of us enjoyed the beach. About 45 minutes later, the jeep came for group 2, our group. We were taken to the stables where we were given helmets & float belts. Once group 1 came back, their horses were watered & we were given our assignments based on experience. The ride does start off on the road, then goes through a brushy area. I did get some nice pics, but the scenery was much different than I expected. Be aware that there are thorny plants you'll need to watch out for while riding. When we got to the beach, I asked the guide if we would be able to take our shoes off before going into the water. She said their wasn't time. So we just put our legs up - the horses only went in belly-deep. If you are uncomfortable taking your feet out of the stirrups, be sure to wear shoes that you don't mind getting in salt water. From the beach it was back to the stables. The jeep took us back to Orient where we stayed until group 3 got back from their ride. I would have enjoyed the beach time more if I had realized we would spend so much time there, as I would have packed swimwear.

 

Overall, I thought the ride was okay. I had expected more beach riding than we got. The horses are well cared for & that may be why the ride is so limited. No hip bones or rib cages seen on any of the horses. Our guide told me that they do the cruise ship excursions on Wednesday & Thursday. The rest of the week is for tourists staying on the island.

 

Would I do it again? Probably not. If I get back to St. Maarten, I'll probably focus on the beaches. Orient has lots of rentals available if you need more activity & the beach itself is beautiful. One downside is the women selling bags. I don't really have a problem with someone offering me a bag, but if I say no thank you, that answer is not going to change in 10 minutes, or the next 10 minutes, or the 10 minutes after that.

[kris77]

As a follow up to my original post, my Dad and I ended up going on the horseback ride through Lucky Stables. And it left much to be desired. The horse I rode was not well behaved, and they took us on main roads. And that's coming from someone who owns a horse and goes trail riding!

 

Then while we were on the beach, the horse decided to roll on the dirt - while my poor dad was still on top of him. They wanted my dad to sign a waiver afterward, which he declined to do.

 

I'm pretty laid back, but we did not have a good experience at all.

[gtaylor]

I have considered the comments posted above by travellight to be suspect.

 

Might you take a look at them and compare those comments to your actual experience?

 

I'm familiar with the old Lucky Stables, but not the 'New' stables that travellight refers to. Your comments would be MUCH appreciated.

 

gary

[dmdiver]

most of the ride with bayside is through the galion nature preserve - it is sandy & brushy - i have pics on carnival's scrapblog as well as on myspace. other than the sand & getting to the beach, it was much like riding in texas. the beach part is only for a few minutes (a bit of a dissapointment to me). you do walk on the road to get to the trail that goes through the brush. i've had a horse of my own before, so the main reason i wanted to go on this ride was for the beach. that's why i wouldn't take the ride again if i were to go back to st. martin.

[Katfncy]

You also may want to check out oceannaranch which is another place that offers horseback riding. Very small and very nice people that run the ranch.

[kris77]

I do not know if I was out the old Lucky Stables or the old one. But because the water was rough, we were unable to take our horses into the ocean. We started the ride through an industrial section, which definitely wasn't something I really wanted.

 

I've been horseback riding on the beach two other times in Jamaica, and thought both times were much better than this excursion.

[SmileHMB]

I went to Lucky Stables in 1/2006. I booked it through a web page. When we got there they had problems with the reservation and the price we were quoted. Less than Carnival's price, but we did have to get a taxi. I had booked a ride with swimming. Well, the view was nice once we got on a trail. The horse, well it kept trying to bite me. The guide was barely ok. We got to the water and he advised us, some horses if they get wet will roll with you on them! Needless to say these horses shouldn't be taken on this ride. So we went ankle deep, he took a few pics and that was that. I remember leaving there and thinking that was the worst ride ever. The nicest part was it was private. When we got back, the Carnival group was just arriving, way too many people, but they got helmets and safety gear, we had none. I have riden in 3 ports, this being the worst. Never again.

[nesheiml]

We are going to St. Maarten on RCCL Explorer in the winter. We will definitely do a morning ride at Lucky Stables, then we were thinking of checking out Orient Bay afterwards. How long will the ride to Orient be and how much do you think it would cost??

Thanks!!

Kelly

 

When will you be in St. Maarten? We are going on the 11/30/08 Explorer of the Seas and I'm planning on going to Lucky Stables also.

[Balligo715]

Travellight- thanks for all the pics of the new set-up at Lucky Stables. Any more recent experiences there? I'm nervous about this whole rolling in the sand thing, any more reports of that?? Also not sure of how far this is from Orient Bay, hoping to spend the morning there and then have an afternoon ride. It's already booked so my fingers are crossed this is going to be fun!!! How is the new trail ride at this location???

Nesheiml- We are booked on the Feb. 1st EOS Southern Carribbean. How was your cruise?? Looks like you might be on Oasis right now- lucky you!!

-Kelly

[nesheiml]

I had an awesome time at Lucky Stables. I was the only person on the ride with the guide. and swimming in the ocean with the horse was wonderful. Not quite deep enough that the horse was swimming, but he couldn't go much deeper. He loved the water and was blowing bubbles and snorting in the water.

 

the only downside was getting a taxi. The taxi that dropped me off said she would be back to pick me up. but there was an accident and she was stuck in traffic. so instead of having a taxi to take me back at 4:00pm, it was 4:45pm and I was getting worried since we were to be back on the ship at 5:30pm. I made it by 5:15pm.

 

I don't see how you could go to Orient Beach and Lucky Stables in the same day. If you really want to go to Orient Beach, you should go to Bayside Stables which is just across the bay from Orient Beach.

 

I enjoyed riding at both stables, but the swim in the water was much better at Lucky Stables. One difference is that at Bayside, they removed the saddles, so you were bareback in the water but my horse didn't want to go in the water and they didn't remove the saddle at Lucky.

 

I liked Lucky Stables the best, but they were both great.

[yposd]

do you really have to wear helmets? Do they have lockers for your bathing clothes?

This is what it says on the carnival site.

 

Riding helmets must be worn during the horseback ride and buoyancy belts will be provided during your ride in the ocean. Participants and belongings will get wet during the water ride; please dress accordingly. Long pants, closed-toe shoes, and sunscreen are recommended. Backpacks are not permitted on the ride.

[spoheating]

I am suspicious of Travellight also. Anyhow, Our experience at Lucky Stables: 2 months before arrival we booked the ride for our family of 4. The day of our ride we left a rockin' good time at Orient Beach and taxied across the island to Lucky Stables. There we saw one young lady on a lovely Pasofino horse using the riding ring. We were advised that they were behind schedule and we should wait (with a scenic overview of the industrial center of St. Maarten). The horses eventually returned, dripping, with dripping tack. These were not on par with the beautiful animal we had been watching, to say the least. Anyhow we still had to wait for a cruise ship group to get out fitted and so forth. By now they are an hour behind schedule. We would no longer have been able to make our ship. Our 12 year old daughter had planned her vacation around this adventure and was heartbroken. WE had to wait another 45 minutes for our cab. We were given a refund, but offered nothing by way of concession for the almost 2 hours we sat there, not to mention very expensive cab fare x4 to get there from Orient and also return to the ship. Another family shared our cab back to the pier. They had been sent to the "beach" (I use that term loosely for the ugly rocky area these people hung out at for 2 hours) for two hours to return and go riding. They also could not wait any longer and had to return to the ship without having their turn. They wasted their day on St. Maarten sitting around waiting for a ride that wasn't going to happen.

 

And no one even said they were sorry. We were just told "ship's groups" had to have priority, no matter what we had reserved and been assured of having.

 

I have done many, many tours "on my own" on many islands, and this was the most disappointing. The people here were more rude than any venue we have been at. I would recommend this place to no one. :mad:

[gtaylor]

As you may know, I share your concerns about Lucky, but on a different subject, could you share your information about the taxi from Orient to Lucky?

 

The cross island taxi fares are difficult to track, as they are not on the official posted rate charts.

 

Can you tell us what you paid for the trip from Orient to Lucky (Cole Bay) and for how many passengers?

 

Thanks

 

gary

[spoheating]

THis was last march and I think it was about $10 per person (plus tip) from Orient to Lucky, and about $6 - $7 per person from Lucky back to the ship. The cab driver was great and recommended Bayside Riding Club, for what it is worth--haven't tried there personally.

[tizagem]

I booked a private ride in April. I am so pleased to read the recent reviews. I am a little stumped as to what to bring with us. I want to be sure to bring a camera but what do I do with it while in the water? Also, we plan to canter so Im not sure what to wear so I can secure it? Any advice?? Also, we plan to go to the beach/shopping after our ride. Is there a secure place to leave our other belongings while we are on the ride?

[Hollyday]

I booked a private ride in April. I am so pleased to read the recent reviews. I am a little stumped as to what to bring with us. I want to be sure to bring a camera but what do I do with it while in the water? Also, we plan to canter so Im not sure what to wear so I can secure it? Any advice?? Also, we plan to go to the beach/shopping after our ride. Is there a secure place to leave our other belongings while we are on the ride?

 

I would like to book with Lucky Stables but I'm having a difficult time getting contact information for them. Can someone please tell me how you reached them. :confused: Also our cruiseline does not offer riding as an excursion on this cruise and I'm a little concerned (based on previous postings on this thread) that since I won't be with a cruise group that they will make me a low priority. Not making it back to the ship in time or wasting my day standing around waiting is not what I really want to experience in St. Maarten.

 

Any help is appreciated.

[tizagem]

I just booked a private ride for April. I called them directly but then someone from www.shoreadventures.com who I previously emailed responded. I ended up booking through shore adventures because it made me feel a little better to have something in writing confirming my reservation. When I called the nature park they just took my name, no deposit required. I put a 20% deposit down through shore adventures they quickly emailed me a voucher to take with me showing what I paid, reservation time, etc. Shore adventures seems professional and responded to several questions I had. Has anybody else used them?