Destination California: Horseback Riding in Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – In today’s California destination – whether you’re a kid or an adult, horseback riding offers a unique perspective to get outside and enjoy the beauty of Kern County.

We decided to have fun at the Rancho Rio Equestrian Center in Bakersfield.

Pam is a horse lover in Rancho Rio.

“We take in horses that need homes that people can no longer use. We welcome them, work with them, prepare them, do lessons with them. If a child bonds with them, we ask them to rent the horse, learn to clean the pins, learn to take care of the horse, do horse lessons, at the end of the year, the horse is theirs, they don’t you have to pay for the horse. That’s if the horse bonds with them. Not every horse goes to a child, but that’s how we kind of started, it was to help pay for the horse,” she said.

“It’s great to get the kids outside, it teaches them a lot about what it takes to look after a horse, it teaches them to be independent. For those who may never have horseback riding or who are scared, what kind of advice can you give them as to why they should try horseback riding?” Pam added.

“The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man…a Pat Parelli saying I think he got that from someone else but it always stuck with me. If you have anxiety like a lot of kids or even teenagers who come here parents bring them in because they have anxiety because of COVID Everybody stuck inside They bring them in and they brush the horses, the horses respond to them and give them a calming, soothing feeling about themselves, and then they get over that anxiety.