About an hour north of the Pocono Mountains, are the Catskill Mountains. Similar to the Poconos, the neighboring Catskills offer amazing resorts, hiking, camping, dining and entertainment for all ages, like Pine Ridge Dude Ranch.

My goal of shared experiences with my family continually keeps me looking for unique places for us to spend time together.

So I was thrilled to discover something so novel was within driving distance, yet far enough that it felt like an escape from being home.

Horseback Riding Adventure in the Catskills

As the name suggests, Pine Ridge Dude Ranch is horse-focused. From the various designs throughout the resort, to the trails and trail rides, the love of equines is apparent.
Pine Ridge Dude Ranch’s herd consists of a mix of different breeds such as: Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Appaloosas, Paints, Percherons, Clydesdales, Haflingers, Icelandics, Morgans and Arabians. All well taken care of, and personalities memorized by the wranglers. (I now understand why the jeans have this name.)

The Ranch offers walk only rides, walk & trot rides, and advanced level walk, trot, & canter rides. We’re beginners, so we chose the walk only ride, which is 45 minutes (although from the time you are prepped until you are back in the corral, it is about 60 minutes.)

The evening before your trail ride, you are required to take a 1 hour educational class to learn more about the horses, and the sp...