MacDonalds Ranch Horseback Ride Review & Giveaway!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by MacDonalds Ranch for the review & giveaway free of charge.**

One of my favorite places to visit during the month of Halloween every year is MacDonald's Ranch because my family loves their pumpkin patch. Every time we are there my kids go on a short horse ride that they provide for the kids and I always think about how fun it would be to get to go on a horse ride myself. MacDonald's Ranch has now made that a possibility and I loved it! They offer horse back riding for all levels of riders and offer different rides such as group rides, moonlight rides and private rides. I also learned earlier this year when I chatted with their office manager Kelcie at the Phoenix Bridal show that they offer bachelorette horseback rides where some of their cowboys will be your tour guide. Here is a shot of the kids I took the last time we were out there:

              

MacDonalds Ranch is a family owned and operated business that aims to entertain and educate the community on the ranch lifestyle, it is a wonderful place to visit. The family and all of their staff are quite passionate about their jobs and taking care of the ranch and it really shows in all aspects of the ranch. I am lucky and grateful to receive the chance to go on a moonlight horseback ride at their ranch! 

            

During our moonlight ride it was our party of four along with two other groups of two, once we arrived we filled out a riding waiver and gathered in a group near the horses. Our guides Ally & Amy picked out horses for each of us, we all stood inside a small gated area until we were given a horses name then once they brought the horse forward we got onto our horse. My mom, step-dad and I all haven't been on a horse in years, I never officially rode I just went on a few hand lead rides when I was younger and my fiance has never been on a horse so they made it easy for everyone to get up on the horses by putting step stools next to the horses for us to get on. After getting on they put the groups together and snapped a photo for everyone then they lead the horses onto the trail, Amy took the lead and the rest of the horses followed in a line with Ally riding along side our group who was in the back. We started just as the sun was starting to fall so we were able to watch the beautiful sunset over the Arizona desert, then once the sun fell the large and bright full moon and the stars came out. There were no clouds last night so it was a nice clear sky with great weather, it was quite enjoyable.

Ally was great to chat with along the ride, she was more than happy to answer questions about the ranch, the horses and even the dessert around us and was just over all very pleasant to be around making jokes and helping you feel comfortable during your ride. It had been a long while since I had been on a horse (I was a a pre-teen) and it was the first time someone wasn't walking along side the horse so I was pretty nervous the first ten minutes or so but between being on the trail for several minutes and Ally helped put me at ease. The only thing I'd change next time is I would make sure I was on the saddle better, I am not super short but I felt like my legs were a little small for the saddle I had a hard time keeping my feet in the stirrups so in the morning I had a slight sore spot under my backside where it sat on the saddle at an angle but during the ride itself I didn't feel uncomfortable at all it was actually pretty peaceful. Have you ever seen a photo of a cowboy wearing a bandana around their face? It is for a reason and that reason is they come in helpful when it comes to dust, Arizona is dry and dusty so the horses in the front kicked up a bit of dust from time to time so a bandana would be helpful but not necessarily needed.

Once we got back some of the other guides came over and helped us off our horses. We all really enjoyed the experience and I'd love to go back and do another ride in the future. Daytime group horseback rides are $48 per adult and $45 for kids ages 5-17, moonlight rides are $85 per adult and $60 per child ages 5-17 for an hour long ride. They are located at 26540 N Scottsdale Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85255-9343. I wish I had taken more photos but my camera didn't want to focus due to moving around too much but I can tell you it was a beautiful ride.

PRIZE ALERT:
One lucky Arizona reader is going to win a horseback ride for two (you'll be part of a day group ride), this is a great gift for a bride and groom, already married couples, best friends, etc. it has no expiration date so you can decide when you would like to go. 

This is open to US residents!! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email!
 Giveaway winners are announced on FACEBOOK, If you would like to see who won my latest giveaways please visit and like my facebook page.
 
Giveaway entry question: Please leave me a comment letting me know if you've ever been on a horseride.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway


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