Paniolo Adventures

I tried Wranglers ride which supposed to be for the most experienced riders and was very dissapointed. We cantered 3!!! times only in 4 hours! It was very boring for me just walking. And though the leader and company was nice, I havent got what I wanted neither what supposed to be in this ride. Giving those 2 stars to the instructor and the horse I rode only not the ride itself.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jackie during my first ever horseback riding experience. She went over all expectations & safety precautions. She was truly informative about the history of the location to the personality of the horses. The experience was unimaginable, yet I was truly satisfied with our overall experience during our ride. We met another couple on the excursion & Jackie (our guide) made it so possible for the entire experience. It was totally breathtaking & the scenic views were forever amazing. I took so many pics & my memories of this place will be forever etched in my mind…

We went for the picnic ride and was very happy with both the business and out guide. We are experienced riders, but because Angela is blind and hearing impaired a lot of places will not let us ride, or will only let Angela get led with someone walking in front of her horse (we decline these places)! This is nice open pastures and you are not stuck to a trail, with plenty of galloping and they let Angela free to ride along by herself.

Took the family on the city slickers ride and had a great time. The guide Lauren was super nice and so friendly with my kids. The view from the top is a unique way to see the island. Lots of rolling hills and views of the coastline. The city slickers ride was pretty much perfect for us. It’s about an hour long, not including the quick intro and safety tips given by the guide at the beginning. Not only was our guide super friendly but so was everyone else. Will definitely go again next time we come back to the big island. Go to Waimea after and check out Parker’s Ranch to get a feel for how this part of the island lived years ago. Super cool. Glad we went on this adventure.

Great experience. We had such a great time and saw some terrific views. Our guide was super patient with the kids and was really skilled. The horses were in great shape. We will be back!

Our hotel was able to make arrangements with the Ranch after other ranches were booked. Well I think we got the best experience. Our family of 5 did the morning ride with Karina she was fantastic. The horses were very nice but a little stubborn. We learned a lot about the area from her. We saw the cattle on the ranch. saw the Mauna Kea observations from a far as well as the beaches. We were able to trot, gallop & run with the horses. There were restrooms & place to change clothes and we each received a bottle of water for ride & one after the ride. She even recommended a restaurant in Hawi to each lunch, Sushi Rocks it was fabulous!

Great time! We did the 2 ½ hour morning ride and they were happy to accommodate our large group with a wide range of experience levels. The guides were really nice and informative about the island, recommending other activities for us to do while on our vacation! Horses were well cared for and well trained. Highly recommend!

Our family of 4 had an amazing time! Karina and Jackie were awesome guides. Could not have asked for anything better. This is a great way to see the beautiful island of Hawaii from mountain top, vistas and countryside scenery. Horses were gentle and had their own personalities. Loved every minute of it. Our 11 yr old dtr who has never ridden before bonded well with her horse, named Coffee. She is now asking us to buy her a horse…

Had a great ride with Paniolo Adventures today. The entire staff was pleasant, patient and helpful with the kids and adults.

A great horse back riding facility. As someone who works with horses but wanted to go on a great adventure while here in Hawaii and experience horses in a different way, these guys know their stuff. Do not let their old red barn fool you, this is a great establishment. They have very high standards for their guides and it shows. They help people of all levels have a good time from those with no horse experience to people seasoned on riding. And yes even if you ride horses back home, you will have fun here and enjoy your time. Totally worth the cost, and from what we have heard better than other places in the area. And for those of you wondering. They treat their horses very well and take great care of them. Something I can say not all horse riding places like this do. Go here with confidence, we had a great time even though it rained hard on us half the time.

Jackie was a great guide. The horses were well cared for and had a lot of personality. It was nice to be able to spread out. This is not a nose to tail ride. We were also given the chance to trot and also to canter. The sunset was beautiful and the open ranch was so scenic. We completely recommend this stable.

Awesome adventure. My wife and autistic daughter went out with two others on the sunset ride. Great chance to really experience the expansiveness of the big island. The greeting was friendly and informative. Our guide was a local… never been off the big island. The ride was a chance to walk, climb, trot and canter. Not your nose to tail trail ride.
Check these guys out… you will not be disappointed.

Great ride! The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful and friendly. The horses were easy to ride and knew where they were going. They mostly did a nose to tail ride, but let us ride off trail and wander as we pleased. They even did a couple of stretches of trotting and cantering, which was fun! Overall, definitely worth it!

Get the best of the Big Island of Hawaii. I have little doubt you’ll get it if you don’t do the sunset horse ride!
The ride is an hour and a half long and the views are breathtaking. What’s not to love about a ranch that has 11,000 acres for their horses and cows to roam.
You start off with a bit of instruction on riding (even beginners are allowed, just be up front). After the brief instruction, you’re ready to meet your horse and begin a fabulous ride!
You’re welcome to wear a helmet if you choose… I did… but I was the only one of out of our group of 4 (plus Gary, the guide). All depends on your comfortability level and you sign a waiver before you begin the excursion.
I was on the horse Pulo… he’s a funny horse with a quirky personality. Yes, I did get to know him well! I trotted and cantered with him on the ride (he wanted to cantor regardless of my desire to trot) but it worked out well either way.
There are some rocky parts of the trails… I didn’t mind and the horses maneuvered around everything very well.
Gary was the guide during the ride and he gave enough information about the area as you were riding about the ranch as to not overwhelm you or wish that he shut up because he was talking too much (felt that way a few times this trip with other tours, but he was great in sharing interesting information and allowing everyone to absorb the stunning views). So it’ll be enjoyable and relaxing. How couldn’t it be with the magnificent grassy hills and mountains in the distance?!
Truly worth it and you’re missing out if you don’t experience this aspect of the Big Island!

My wife and I are very pleased with our experience here. She is more experienced than me but not to the extent of «50 rides in the last five years». Karina (Corina?) was our guide, we went on a Monday morning for the «Paniolo Ride,» she was very nice and helpful. We lucked out that we were the only ones booked that morning, and we did not have to pay extra for the «private ride.»
The views are fantastic. You need to remember that this is 3000 ft elevation, not a beach front ride. These are rolling green hills with cattle all over. So, don’t expect palm trees and warm weather. It’s also a rainforest, so don’t get upset if you don’t get to see the sun for the sunset ride because of cloud cover. The guide took a picture of us with our camera when we had a great ocean overlook.
Our horses were nice, and were matched for our experience level. Mine was a little more ‘autopilot’ than my wife’s and I’m very glad for that. I felt extremely comfortable and safe, even more so than other horseback rides I’ve done in the past in other places.
We will definitely come here again on our next trip.

I wish I’d enjoyed my ride more, but I do want to give kudos to Jackie (sp?) who really was the saving grace of the entire experience. She was friendly, pleasant, and chatty and worked hard to counteract the attitude of our other guide, Gary, who barely interacted with us. Mostly, he struck me as a cowboy who didn’t really want to be dealing with tourists, not a bad guy. The guy in the office, however, was snippy and snarly and started the entire experience off so poorly that I felt like turning around and leaving before ever getting on a horse.
As others have commented, the horses prefer to go nose to tail and you have to debate with them quite a bit to do otherwise. I often relented and let my horse back in line purely because the footing was so poor off the trail. There are a lot of large, loose rocks that made my mare noticeably uncomfortable and cause there only to be three small sections where it’s safe to go above a walk. Obviously nothing the ranch can really do about it, but would like for that to have been made clearer in the online description.
The area to picnic was in tall grass and not inviting. Surely somewhere on that big expanse of land there is somewhere better to sit and snack.
The next time I’m on the Big Island, I’ll choose somewhere else to ride. Despite all her efforts, Jackie’s pleasantness just wasn’t enough to counteract all the other drawbacks.

We did the morning Paniolo Ride and Corina was our guide. She was so pleasant and eager to answer any questions we had. My husband and I have never ridden before, but felt very comfortable after the first few minutes. There’s opportunities to canter and trot, but it was mostly a relaxing ride. The terrain isn’t tropical, but rolling green hills and views of Mauna Kea and Maui. We will definitely be coming back!

Terrain was pretty boring (looked like England, not Hawaii). Horse was totally disobedient (like auto-​pilot, it didn’t respond to any of my commands). Guides were mediocre /​distracted /​carrying on boring conversations, and one was not knowledgeable. I was really bored. It didn’t feel like Hawaii because this ranch doesn’t go close to the rain forest, it’s just boring pasture at 2 MPH and then a boring sandwich, with boring people. Boring.
Oh and they advertise «This is true open range horseback riding, not nose-​to-​tail. You are free (and encouraged) to spread out and enjoy your own personal space…» — FALSE ADVERTISING.

What a ride!
We booked a lunch ride for my husband and 9 year old daughter who rides regularly, however not the hubby. As we arrived, they were nice, asked us to fill out our info and get fitted into shoes and helmets. We were there a bit early so we hung around looking at views of what seemed to be Colorado and not Hawaii. We saw guides getting horses ready and were treating them very well.
We soon realized that no one else signed up for the lunch ride and so it was just my daughter and husband and a wonderful local Hawaiian lady guide. They were given tips and off they went. They spent a significant time on the property, taking pics, learning more about the ranch and then stopping to rest and eat lunch.
They both got to trot and canter and came back so happy to have had the experience. The total time was over 3 hours of the ride and picnic and a wonderful father and daughter time.
We highly recommend this business for a different spin on a Hawaiian vacation.

There are several rides available, this describes the «Paniolo Ride», which is 2 ½ hours, and is close to the «Picnic» and «sunset» rides; the «City Slicker ride is only one hour). If you have ridden alot, this may not be quite as adventurous as you may want. For the average visitor who wants to try out horseback riding while on the Big Island, this may be perfect. [There is a «Wrangler ride» that is 4 ½ hours and only takes experienced riders out; obviously, it isn’t available every day as they need a minimum number of riders.]
You are provided boots, heavy rain slickers/​dusters, helmets and water and saddlebags. The guides will tie your slicker to the cantle along with your own jacket (dress in a couple of layers as it can be old at the higher elevations to quite warm and dry at the lower elevations) as well as take group pictures towards the midsection of the ride.
The horses are healthy and appear well nourished and groomed and fairly well-​behaved. The guides are enthusiastic and try to pair up horse and guest by personality and self-​described riding experience. They give a good, basic introduction to riding, get you mounted up and observe how each rider horse combination is doing during the first 20 minutes (of the 2 ½ hour ride). When it comes time to trot and lope, they try and keep it orderly and safe and for those who chicken out, they keep them safely back.
You are traveling on a working cattle ranch and at least one of your guides will tell the group about how the operation runs and, depending on the season, can tell you what you are seeing/​hearing. (On our ride, one of the guides works as a paniolo/​wrangler for several local ranches and grew up riding on Hawaii; he told us alot about local life) The ride starts at about 4000 feet altitude and ends up at about 1500 feet looking out over the Pacific Ocean. In June, it was cool and foggy at the higher elevations and was quite a bit warmer at the lower elevations. I understand that weather can change unexpectedly, hence the need for slickers. All in all, well worth the drive from a Kohala-​based resort.