Whispering Woods Riding Stables

I’ve always wanted to go horseback riding and this was the perfect place for a beginner. They are really patient with teaching you how to hold the reigns, when/​where to lean, etc. I actually came here twice and both times the leaders were super friendly and you could just tell they’re passionate about horses.
The piece of land itself is gorgeous and diverse and large enough to make for an interesting ride. They have a variety of horses of different sizes that they can pair with you depending on preferences, height, etc.
Overall a great experience and would definitely recommend going.

Great experience. Horses were super gentle for our children. Guides were awesome & we got a mini horse lesson from them as well. Fabulous time with our family.

There are a lot of glowing reviews, so maybe this was an off-​day?
Let me tell you about it.
I’m a beginner. The last time I was on a horse was when I was a small child. I remember it being a very pleasant memory. I filled out some paperwork, circled BEGINNER and that was about it. I had to ask if I could take a helmet off the wall.
The next thing I know, our group is mounting horses. There were absolutely no instructions given prior to the ride. Everybody got on the horse, and it was every man for himself. I know for a fact I wasn’t the only «beginner» on that ride.
So where do I start? The horses were grumpy because it was hot and muddy, and they had to climb up and downhill. They were biting each other, taking unintelligble «shortcuts» through bramble and trees, and were just being intolerable sh*theads in general. Whatever, I get it. I’d be pretty irritable if I had to walk nose-​to-​tail through the woods all day long too.
But the worst was this handler who was shrieking like a harpy the entire ride. I fully expected this lady to dismount her horse at any moment to tend to some bubbling cauldron she had hidden in the woods. There was a Spanish man, who was so composed on his horse, I thought he was a handler. He was giving instructions to his wife and children in Spanish. She starts bellowing: «THE HORSES DON’T UNDERSTAND SPANISH, THEY ONLY SPEAK ENGLISH.» I’m not sure if it was an attempt at a joke or not, but it fell flat. Cool, racism. That was pretty awkward.
But the worst was her constant badgering of all the other riders. The horses were misbehaving and impatient. She was busy placing the blame on all of the other riders. If she wasn’t screaming at us because we weren’t holding the reins or sitting correctly (because she didn’t bother to teach us how) she was yelling about how she dropped her hat on the ground, or about how all horses all three-​year-​olds.
So here I am attempting to steer my horse. I’m pushing off of trees because he went completely AWOL. I was yanking thorns out of my knees. He was running me up against a barbed wire fence. Hell, he he was grazing ON the barbed wire. He didn’t care. WHY IS THERE BARBED WIRE ON THIS TRAIL? CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS, PLEASE?
I came out of this bruised, bloodied and traumatized. The best part was that this lady was screaming that it was my fault for the better part of an hour, (offering no solutions of course) until the end of the ride when she finally accepted he was just ornery and probably shouldn’t be on the trail. It was a miracle nobody was seriously injured due to Whispering Woods’ utter incompetence.
If you’re a beginner, I don’t recommend this. Actually, even if you’re an expert, I wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re a masochist and you miss your beastly ex-​wife nagging you at the supper table.
Here are some ideas, Whispering Woods:
— Unless you want to educate and give riders some instruction prior to a very taxing ride through the deep woods, then don’t let beginners ride.
— Get rid of this completely unhinged, racist woman. She stressed us all out. She was scaring the riders and she was scaring the horses. This WAS NOT a peaceful or pleasant ride for anybody. This is the sorta woman who narrates my nightmares. I loved the «REMEMBER TO TIP YOUR HANDLERS» signs, haha, I really did.
— Clear out your BARBED WIRE, and maybe even consider clearing the trail a little bit better.

I took my two grand daughters– one is 8 the other 11– neither have ever ridden a horse other than sitting on one or riding in a circle (ponies) — so I was a bit worried– but it went beautifully! Our guide was patient and ever-​watching — the ride was nice pace and we brought carrots and apples for the horses following our ride– which the girls enjoyed almost as much as riding the horses– almost. I felt completely safe and we had a great time!

The guides were so very nice and set me at ease. It had been almost ten years since I had ridden a horse and was a little nervous at first. All the staff were super friendly and made the ride fun and relaxing. They even stopped to take pics of us on our horses. So glad that we got a chance to do this before we left town.

I have never been on a horse until I visited. I couldn’t possibly leave KY without getting On a horse.
My horse Gruff was super adorable. I was terrified at first and didn’t really use my reins much. Gruff liked to take charge and seemed to know what the heck he was doing.
My guide was very pleasant and nice. She seems to love doing her job and very passionate about the horses.
All in all I had fun.
I think the trails could be better and more scenery. They had like manmade (horse made in this case) paths which could have been cleared.

Very friendly and accommodating staff. Great prices. My children are beginners and this was a great experience for them.

You have got to go there for the haunted hayride. It’s so much fun. If you have a kid that gets a little freaked out all you have to do is tell them and the kids working it were so great about it. As for the other kids, all we heard were screams and laughing. Good family Halloween fun. Not so gruesome like a lot of the haunted things going on. Don’t get me wrong they did a good job at being spooky but managed to do it without tearing bodies apart and buckets of blood. Fun for everyone. Will take our family back year after year as long as they do it now that we have found it!

Being a first time rider the staff were some of the most friendly and personable people. They made me feel at ease even when my horse got a little off track. They even stop midway and take photos of your experience. It was an hour away from where I was staying but well worth the trip. Leana is the best!

My girlfriend and I went there for riding paid 60 for an hour for both of us. Had a blast the wranglers were fun and awesome and got to ride through the woods on a trail in which got to see a lot of deer while riding deffently will go agian while in the area

It had been years since I had last ridden a horse. I think this trail is more for experienced riders… with all of the up and down hills, through wooded areas and streams. The horse that I was assigned was named «Storm» and he kept running me into trees… finally one of the tour guides switched me horses and Storm did the same thing to her. So, if you go make sure you don’t get Storm. Also don’t forget cash, the one hour ride was $ 25 pp and they don’t take credit cards and don’t forget to tip your guide.

My daughter and I stop here every year on our way to Rolex games. This is not you basic, boring trail riding where every horse just walks on a flat path. They take you through existing trails and many times create your own. Across streams and up and down the Kentucky hills, walking and trotting at times. Staff is excellent, great deal for the money, truly doesn’t get any better. Take the one hour ride option, 30min would be too short.

Awesome place to ride!!!