The Horses on the Beach Experience is a guided ride on the coastal trail at Ocean View Stables, down onto the sand when the tide allows. It starts on the ground, with your horse and a safety orientation. No experience needed.
Horses on the Beach Experience
Step by step
Give yourself 20 minutes before your start time. Check in at the barn office, get fitted for a helmet and finish your paperwork. Every rider signs the participant agreement before any hands-on time with a horse; a parent or guardian signs for anyone under 18.
Your guide starts on the ground with a hands-on introduction to horse behavior and safety: how horses think, how to approach and handle one, and how to stay safe around it. Then riding instruction under close supervision. The group heads out only when the team sees every rider is ready.
Out on the coastal trail, your guide stays with you the whole ride. The exact route can vary with tides and conditions; we make that call on the day, for safety. It is often cooler and windier out here than in the city, so the layers earn their place.
When the tide allows, the trail drops off the bluff and the ride reaches the sand. Beach access depends on the tide and is not guaranteed on any given ride, so we never promise it. Then back to the barn.
Plan for 75 to 90 minutes, including check-in and a safety orientation. The last ride of the day always gets back before dark, so the latest start moves with the sunset through the year.
In January, February and March the last beach ride of the day leaves at 2:30 PM; for an evening ride in those months, book the Sunset Ride and Cowboy Cookout on a Friday or Saturday.
Before you ride
After you book, a five-minute Beach Ride Prep briefing arrives by email. You can also read it any time, no account needed.
More rides
Just your party and your guide. A private 2.5-hour experience. With optional add-ons, plan for 2 to 3 hours. Add a groom-and-saddle lesson at the start, or a beach stop of 30 to 60 minutes, tide permitting; bring your own picnic. Riders 8 and up, under 250 lbs.
Book the VIP experience
An evening beach ride on the San Francisco coast, then the Cowboy Cookout BBQ dinner at the barn. Friday and Saturday evenings from January 2027, priced per person, two-rider minimum, up to twelve riders. Book at least 48 hours ahead.
Book the Sunset RideTwo laps of the arena on a full-sized horse, hand-led the whole way. A parent or guardian must be present and must sign the release for each child.
Book a pony ridePolicies
Up to 24 hours before your start time, you can reschedule at no charge, subject to instructor, horse and facility availability, or cancel for a booking credit for the full amount paid.
Credits do not expire. They are not transferable and are not redeemable for cash.
A cancellation inside 24 hours, or a no-show, is treated as fulfilled: no refund and no credit.
Weather, surf, tide, ground conditions, safety and the welfare of a horse are our call, and we make it for safety. If we cancel, you choose: a new date at no charge, or a booking credit for the full amount paid. Credits do not expire. We do not issue cash refunds. If we shorten or change an experience for safety once it has begun, we will offer a fair partial credit.
Beach access depends on the tide and is not guaranteed on any given ride.
No. Riders with no experience are welcome, and every ride starts on the ground with a hands-on introduction to horse behavior and safety. We match each rider to a suitable horse from the herd, and the group heads out only when the team sees everyone is ready.
Plan for 75 to 90 minutes, including check-in and a safety orientation. Arrive 20 minutes before your start time to check in, fit a helmet and complete paperwork.
Riders 8 and up, under 250 lbs, who can mount and dismount with minimal assistance. A child under 8 cannot ride double with a parent. For younger children, arena pony rides and lessons start at age 3.
When the tide allows. Beach access depends on the tide and is not guaranteed on any given ride, and the exact route can vary with tides and conditions. We make that call on the day, for safety.
The last ride of the day always gets back before dark, so the latest start moves with the sunset through the year. The booking calendar only offers the times that work on the day you pick. If a later time is missing, the reason is the light.
If you served, your own beach ride is free. The free ride belongs to the veteran personally. It covers the veteran’s own ride only and does not extend to family members, dependents, or anyone booking on a veteran’s behalf. Proof of service is required.
Book online
Choose your date and start time online.
Questions first? Call (415) 969-1223.