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  My wife and I did a 3-hour ride with Horse Ranch Bonaire back on Feb. 12 2020. We booked the standard group tour, but when we arrived, we were the... read more only two customers booked for that morning so we ended up having a private ride with just the two of us and our guide. Our ride start time was 8AM.

Locating the ranch was not difficult and was only a 20 minute or so drive in our rental car from our hotel Harbour Village Bonaire (north of capital of Kralendijk). It is located south of Kralendijk, very close to the airport, but felt isolated and well away from the urban area of Kralendijk. Our iPhones (service provider Sprint) were working on island so we were able to use Google Maps to find our way there from our hotel.

The ranch is like and very much has the appearance of a small farm and had several other animals cared for at the ranch as well. The terrain while riding was mostly arid with lots of dirt trails and roads (though not dusty) and cactus, as well as Mangroves and finally beach and ocean areas. Ground was very flat the entire ride, no tricky areas. We were there in early February and sun was bright and very hot, but breezy where we were riding which helped make it bearable.

The horses were very well behaved though did get slightly ornery once or twice on the trail ride as my horse and my wife’s horse were not particularly good friends. I rode on Poncho while my wife rode Liberty whom apparently did not care for Poncho very much. The guide led the way on her horse Macho Man, with my wife and Liberty in the middle, and Poncho and I leading up the rear. Asking if we were comfortable doing so before each time, our guide (to our delight) allowed us to trot several times during our trail ride. There are not really any facilities during the ride, but that is pretty standard on horse back riding excursions anywhere.

The ranch hands and our personal ride guide were a couple of very nice, young Dutch ladies who moved to Bonaire from the Netherlands to live for a time and work. They were very sweet and friendly and spoke English well.

The ride from the ranch to Lac Cai Beach where you swim with the horse/s was approximately an hour, with an hour spent at Lac Cai beach itself, and an hour return ride back to the ranch, give or take a few minutes. During the ride, we saw many wild donkeys, some Flamingoes, and wild goats. The time at the beach near Lac Bay was fun. Since there were just the three of us, the guide let Liberty and Poncho rest tied under cover in some shady forest area at the beach while we took just her horse Macho Man into the water for a swim after removing all his tack. He seemed to genuinely like the water as once led down to its edge, he laid down and rolled in the water’s edge and sand like our dog does whenever we take her to the beach. It was quite funny. There were no facilities at Lac Cai beach that I recall seeing or mentioned, though there was a restaurant/bar right next to the beach which I am not sure, but assume you could use if you truly had to. The guide also provided us water (a little warm) and as I recall some crackers or something like that once we dismounted the horses at Lac Cai beach.

Riding the horse in the water was actually done floating horizontally just above the horses back while holding onto his mane, versus "sitting" on his back, so hence you are actually “swimming” with the horse/s which was quite fine with us to ensure we were not stressing the horse and instead alleviated any weight as the horses do swim in water deeper than they are tall so are literally swimming.

All in all, we were very pleased with the experience and the overall quality of the ride. As we are animal lovers, we are always a little judgmental and observe to see how the animals are treated, cared for, and housed and these horses looked well taken care of. Although hot and sunny out, they did not look uncomfortable and looked happy and healthy during the ride.

We would recommend Horse Ranch Bonaire and use them again ourselves.

  Had one of the best experiences of my life. Swimming with horses was amazing! Horse Ranch Bonaire staff were wonderful. Horses were healthy and happy. Awesome!!!!

  We did this ride in 2019 and enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again this year. We were not disappointed! Simone met us as arranged and... read more transported us across to the ranch where we met our the 2 girls who were to accompy us, Leonie and Elsa? These girls were great and soon had us on the trail pointing various landmarks etc as we rode. We arrived at the beautiful bay where we swam with the horses, a fantastic experience to be recommended. Jacqui my wife and I would recommend this experience to everybody, not to be missed. Thank you Simone and the girls for making our day!!

  The team at Horse Ranch Boniare were very accommodating. The horses were well behaved and responded well to advanced riders and beginners. The trail ride was a great... read more way to see Bonaire. I have visited Bonaire many times and also own property in Bonaire and taking this ride made me feel more connected to the island that I ever imagined. The best part was swimming with the horses! The horses love it! They know what to do and you just need to lay back and enjoy the experience. This is a "must do" on your next trip to Bonaire!

  Had a great trip together with a professional guide and a horse I felt comfortable with. We trotted and gallopet. This is my first time swimming with a horse, it... read more felt fantastic. I’m so happy to see horses in good shape and well trained. The visit on the ranch is an adventure itself. Many different animals to meet 🙂

  What a wonderful ranch! We had a three hour ride through the desert area, along the Mangroves and by the Sea on lovely Paso Fino horses. My daughter rode Liberty,... read more and I rode the gentle smooth Horatia. We swam in the turquoise water where the guide was in the water with the horse. Romi was our friendly guide, who was informative about both the horses and the island and she had a great sense of humor. This activity was one of our favorite parts of the trip!