Vino Vaqueros

We were heading up to Solvang for a wine weekend and we wanted to try something new. We were both new to horse back riding, I had never been before and my fiancé has only been once previously. I was definitely a little nervous, but I soon realized there was no need to be. The horses are great, they were selected specifically given our riding experience. The staff was so nice and really enhanced the entire experience. Everything is very well maintained and the whole Vineyard was beyond breathtaking. It was one of the best stops we have ever made and a memory that won’t ever be lost. We cannot wait to bring family and friends here for the experience, and needless to say we cant wait to be back for another spectacular ride!

Horseback riding done right. Don’t expect to gallop through the wilderness, but rather get ready for exquisite scenery and a relaxing jaunt on your hand-​picked four-​legged tour guide. The horses are in wonderful shape, not those half dead trail mounts that are over-​used in national parks. These horses are genuine. The actually get used for things besides trail, and it shows. They’re happy to show you the beautiful Santa Ynez countryside, weave among free range cattle and saunter under red-​tailed Hawks.
The guides are amazing and knowledgeable, friendly and personable. And then there’s the wine. Nothing sums up an excellent trail ride with a glass of wine at the end. If you want the real deal, this place is worth every penny.

We drove up from LA looking for something fun to do and we found this place on Unilocal.Jaye was super nice on the phone and was really fun to ride with in person. She was very accommodating and the wine after the rise was terrific. We highly recommend it! Awesome !

We had an amazing time!!! We had riders of all levels in our two families and they made sure everyone had a great time! Anyone looking for an authentic Santa Ynez experience should make sure the do a ride with them!

My boyfriend and I had an AMAZING time here today! Everyone here is relaxed and friendly, and that vibe is passed onto the horses, too! Plan on hanging out a little bit before and after; the views are great (as is the wine!) I’ll be back soon to check out the 2^nd trail with some friends!

What an awesome experience! I took my girlfriend here for her birthday while we were staying in Solvang. The ranch was a 15 – 20 minute drive from ‘Downtown’ Solvang, and a nice drive at that. Jaye was super communicative, friendly, and helpful from start to finish. The ranch dogs were awesome… not sure if I was a bigger fan of them or the horses. The trail itself is really easy for beginners, but I’d imagine still fun for experienced riders due to its picturesque nature. The glass of wine at the end, which was from the vineyard ON the ranch, was a nice touch and great ending to a wonderful day. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to get even further off the beaten path compared to already tranquil Solvang and the surrounding towns.

One of the rare times that five stars just isn’t enough.
Jaye and Pete run a great operation.
When we were planning our trip we wanted to go riding, but didn’t want a «canned» ride at a busy stable where everyone is just going through the motions.
We decided on Vino Vaqueros, and it was a highlight of our adventure.
Making a reservation was easy, they are very accommodating, and gave great directions.
The setting is gorgeous. We met Jaye at a small stable in Estelle Vineyard. We were early, relaxed at a small picnic table, and enjoyed the vistas and horses.
No tour groups, no pretend cowboys. Just a beautiful 1,000 acre ranch, a few horses, and a family run riding operation set against a vineyard.
The ride was ridiculous. Just my wife and I, Jaye, and her two dogs that tagged along. The ride is tailored to the conditions (your safety and the horses safety first) and your experience.
The ranch is vast, and the wide open space is like therapy. Even with the brownness of the drought, it was beautiful. We walked and trotted through valley roads, over ridges, and along tight technical trails. We passed a herd of cattle, and took short breaks atop hills with views of the entire valley. The ride ends with a walk through the grapes of the surrounding vineyard.
Back at the barn you are offered a glass of wine. For us it was a Granache, made by Jaye, Pete, and some of their friends, from the grapes of the vineyard, and served chilled.
So much thought, care, and pride was put into making sure we had a great experience.
It is one of those times where the experience blows your expectations away.

Unilocal says 5 STARS means, «Woohoo! As good as it gets!» Well that’s the perfect description of our horseback riding at Vino Vaqueros. Jaye (the owner) and Sam (our guide) were both incredible. The experience really couldn’t have been better for our family of 8 adults and 1 teenager. They arranged a ride just for our family and everyone loved it. 2 of the adults are experienced riders and it was the first time for the teenager to be on a horse. Jaye handpicked the horse for each rider and everyone was thrilled with the ride.
If you’re in the Santa Barbara/​Santa Ynez area… YOU HAVE TO DO THIS! It will be the highlight of your vacation… it certainly was for our family. (See the group photo I added.)

Had a great time on our horseback ride with this company! Our guide India was very nice and our private ride was awesome! If you are in the Santa Ynez valley I highly recommend using this tour for horseback riding. We did the wine after in the barn and it was a pleasant experience. Now my wife wants to buy a horse of our own :) If we are ever in the area we will surely stop buy for another ride!

Beautiful ride! Great horses and wonderful wrangler. Wine in the barn after the ride was the perfect way to end a great afternoon. Thanks, Jaye. Will be back!

Jaye and her team are awesome! From the moment I spoke with Jaye on the phone, it felt like I already knew her. She also gave us impeccable directions to the vineyard, which helped after a brain-​numbing 4-​hour drive in Memorial Day weekend traffic.
When we got to the stables, we were greeted by two incredibly friendly dogs — Puppies and Doc. Great start! The facilities are very clean. While Jaye was getting our horses ready, we hung out with her assistant, Devon. Both of them made us feel at home.
My gf is an experienced rider, but I am not. I had a bad experience many years ago with a runaway horse in Yosemite, so I was a little worried. Jaye washed those worries away with her clear instructions and confidence. Plus, she talked everything through from start to end, which helped me a lot — I knew what to expect with my horse at all times.
Jaye led us through the 1,000-acre estate. The trail is wide open with gorgeous views of the hills, valleys, and vineyards. She stopped us several times to take our pictures, which was a great touch. I’m big into backcountry camping, so the ride gave me the same peaceful feeling… except my horse was doing all of the hard work. By the way, our horses were calm and obedient.
The best part: Doc and Puppies came with us and led the 1 ½-​hour long ride. We didn’t want it to end.
Afterwards, Jaye let us hang out inside the barn with wine and cheese. She’s so down-​to-​earth and friendly that we loved hanging out with her. Even though we were the last group and she had dinner plans at another estate, she never rushed us out.
We will be back very soon to do the Fess Parker ride. Can’t wait!
THANK YOU, JAYE!

We LOVED the horseback riding at Vino Vaqueros. The views are amazing and our guide was Jaye and she obviously loves her job. She took my wife and I on a 1.5 hr ride through this 1000 acre property which featured nice elevation changes with expansive vistas and scenic rides through the vineyard and she was happy to answer all our many questions. The ride was over way too soon… this was one of the highlights of my birthday vacation to the Santa Barbara area. We had a nice glass of wine to cap off our relaxing ride. I would definitely like to do this again in the future.

What an awesome horseback riding experience! Jaye is so sweet. It was a pleasure visiting with her during my husband’s and my 90 minute private ride that we will never forget. So many places limit you to 45 minutes, which goes by so fast. This one may be a little more $$, but its definitely worth it. You really feel like you are out for a day of riding, not on a scripted, touristy ride. The scenery is beautiful, and we experienced the rolling hills, the valleys, and the vineyards of Santa Ynez, all the while being entertained by Jaye’s two cute dogs, who accompanied us on the ride. We would definitely do this again and recommend it.

I don’t know where to start with this review? How do you thank someone for making one of the most special days of your life perfect! Three years ago I met one of the nicest people in the world in Jaye. She took my fiancé and I on an amazing ride at fess Parker. The scenery and the horses were incredible yet we both left feeling the best part was getting to ride with her. My fiancé loves horses and I knew just who to call to help me pull of the proposal. Jaye emailed me about 50 times watching the weather and making sure our day would be perfect. She helped me pull off the most amazing surprise and I can’t thank her enough. Do not hesitate to horseback ride with the best person in the business in the best location. The scenery and beautiful horses will take your breath away. As soon as you call to book this experience you will know that you have come to the right place. There simply is nothing like vino vaqueros.

Great experience, beautiful scenery, and cute guide (Devon). We did an early 10am ride before it got too warm. It was a very peaceful and fun experience. The horses pretty much do their own thing and follow the guide so there’s no reason to be nervous or scared… sit back, relax and ride.

It was the very first time my girlfriend and I rode a horse (other than those small ones at the fair when I was little haha). Though we were pretty nervous Jaye and Jim’s welcoming smile and crash course calmed us down and refueled our excitement. The horse trail was amazing, I’m glad I brought my phone to have to take pictures of the scenes we went through. Make sure to let your guide take multiple pictures along the trail, it’s totally worth it! The deal that we got let us get 90 minutes of horseback riding plus a passport granting us a wine flight at 5 different wineries. Although two of the wineries were closed the days that we were there, these passport deals never expires so it just gave us another reason to come back! Thank you guys for the great experience, we’ll definitely be back! 10 out of 10

We had a great day today on a beautiful trail ride. Our family of 5 all with different levels of riding experience felt comfortable and safe. The facilities were well kept, easy to find, and helped to provide the perfect barn/​riding experience. We all loved our horses as well as the two dogs that followed us on our whole ride. Jaye was a pleasure to deal with from the time of booking through our glass of wine after. Can’t wait to take another ride soon with girlfriends.

Just got back from a trip to Santa Barbara with a stop at Estelle Vineyard and a horseback ride with Vino Vaqueros (hoping I’m stating the name correctly). From the minute I booked, Jaye was incredibly kind and accommodating.
Ann was our guide and took us through the beautiful mountains and back down through the grape vines on two rider-​friendly horses. What a great experience!
We did the Roblar wine tasting afterwards. I’m not a wine-​drinker and my husband wasn’t a huge fan of their particular offerings but the overall experience was fantastic!
Thank you Jaye and Ann for a great time!

My fiancé and I went for my 30^th birthday. I grew up riding but he’s never really been around a horse. He originally wanted to opt for a less expensive 2 hour ride that advertised the Kardashians, but I really wanted to do the wine tasting. I’m so glad that we ended up going here. The horses, barn, and entire ranch is beautiful. It was so nice to see that horses are well taken care of and not ridden hard all day then put away wet. Our guide was really sweet and we got along really well. They put my fiancé on a nice slow horse that was incredibly well behaved besides the fact that he kept letting her graze. He really had zero riding experience and was initially concerned about being bucked off. Towards the end of the ride he was a little bit in front of us enjoying his ride on his own… I think he thought he was John Wayne. Lol.
We were a little sore when we hopped off. So we relaxed in the barn on the patio chairs enjoying some cold bottles of water she gave us.
I think the 90 minute ride is the way to go. We stayed at the Montecito inn which has their own 2 hour beach ride, but I knew he would be sore after that long of a ride. If you are staying at the beach it’s definitely worth the drive inland. The beach was foggy with June Gloom so we drove through the hills in the fog, but once on the other side it was sunny and beautiful with fog rolling over the mountains like foam spilling over the glass edge of an ice cold beer.
The wine tasting we went to afterwards was not on the property, but a short drive away to Roblar Wines. Their facility is a little chilly in the tasting room so bring a sweater. I highly suggest walking around their grounds between tastings or with a full glass. Their potting shed and patio area is beautiful and well kept. There were two parties going on outside while we were there and the food smelled amazing. The only downfall to the winery is that there’s no cheese with crackers or other nosh to snack on.
Next time, we would like to plan our trip just out to Santa Ynez and ride more.

Thank you Vino Vaqueros for my favorite riding experience to date! This is truly such a beautiful winery and such a great way to connect with nature, have a fantastic ride and taste some delicious wine. Pairing my two favorite things — horse back riding and wine (in that order) is genius!
This is not a huge ranch with tons of horses lined up taking packs of 20 people on rides were the horses just follow each other in a single file line. This is a private ride and you really get to enjoy the beautiful setting and actually ride a horse — which is exactly what I was looking for. Simply follow the signs and directions Vino Vaqueros sends you and you will be just fine. I would highly suggest driving and not taking a taxi as the wine tasting is a short drive from the stables. Have fun!