had an awesome horseback riding experience

Wanted to share with those of you who are looking to horseback ride that our group of 5 was thrilled with our experience with Rafael with PR4Less Tours. He can be found at www.pr4lesstours.com It is always our hope of finding an independent tour operator to horseback ride with. We have rode in many different ports and have had many different experiences. The cruise line offers riding but it is often overpriced and offers you little chance of anything above a walk with the horses. I realize this is because of so many inexperienced riders so this is a necessary safety precaution. However, if you've ridden before (or even if you haven't) and you'd like to experience the thrill of cantering with your horse, you'll find Rafael's excursion worth your while. He's a small family run business. He is knowledgeable and professional and took more time with us preparing for our ride (assigning horses to your ability level, adjusting saddle and stirrups for riders and demonstrating proper riding formation) than any other horseback riding tour we've ever been on. One in our group had never ridden before so he had her practice manuvering her horse before actually setting out on our ride. We then proceeded on an awesome 2 hour ride. Afterwards, we were invited into their home where they shared lunch and memorable conversations with us.

That sounds great. Do you remember what town you rode in?

How far was it from the cruise dock in SJ? Did they provide transportation?

I don't recall the name of the town, but his website says Corozal. It is an approx 40 minute drive from the pier in OSJ and yes they do provide round trip transportation.

I'm brand new to this posting thing, and I read some posting guidelines before posting this recommendation, but in my enthusium I missed the now very apparant guideline that I'm not supposed to post recommendations unless asked. Sorry!!:(

I am very interested in this - our ship arrives at 2pm - did you ride during the day, afternoon?

We rode in the morning as our ship was in San Juan from 8 am - 4:30. However, after spending a day and chatting with Rafael, he's the kind of guy that if there's enough time, he will make what you're looking for reality. He's truly there to serve his customers and see them happy.

Do you know if they allow 11 year olds to ride? All the other ones I am finding are 12 and older.

You can email Rafael at pr4less@aol.com to make sure but I would say yes, he will allow 11 year olds to ride. Rafael has a heart for special needs kids and ministering to them through working with horses. He also does horseback riding camps for kids so I'm guessing an 11 year old would be just fine.