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Beach Riding The challenge of riding on San Mateo County’s Poplar Beach is legendary. The approach to the beach is on a majestic expanse of bluff, and the descent is down a narrow trail from bluff to beach. The sound and sight of the surf is impressive to say the least. The Beach Clinic and Ride offers the rider an opportunity to master some of the challenges of urban trail riding and then to enjoy a ride down the pristine San Mateo Coast. Riders will access the shore at Poplar Beach via the Coastal Equestrian Trail, located immediately west of the boarding location where guest horses will be stabled. |
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On the approach to the beach, the horse-only trail proceeds parallel to an all purpose trail and a campground which includes:
If your horse is new to these stimuli, it will be reassured by the total confidence exhibited by its new herd of our seasoned trail and beach horses. For those horses which still have their doubts, our guides will talk you through the techniques for dealing with balks, spins or bucks. |
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| The descent onto Poplar beach is via a ramp from the expansive bluffs above. The beach often has large, pounding surf and is bordered to the East by tall bluffs. This would be a challenging situation for most beach-naive horses, but we have found that the vast majority of horses offer little resistance when accompanied by their new herd. When resistance is offered our guides will help you utilize tools which will be transferable to all challenging trail riding situations. |  |
After a successful descent and ride on the beach with the herd, those riders who feel secure with the herd experience are encouraged to go down the ramp onto the beach on their own, to be greeted by our team of guides already on the beach. Others will again be accompanied onto the beach by their team of guides and their herd. After successfully “beaching”, riders will enjoy a leisurely ride down the beach and then up onto the bluffs for lunch at a local English Pub. “Riding our horses on the beach for the first time with you and your team was one of life's great experiences. Your attention to detail and safety (both for the horses and humans) provided us with a truly successful first experience, building confidence both for ourselves and our horses.” |
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Our customer Melinda Kehn kindly gave us permission to video tape her with her horse Destiny, a five year old mare who had never been on the beach. Melinda had a great time, and discovered what a steady, reliable horse she had in Destiny. Destiny has only been ridden on trails for the past year, but impressed everyone with her performance.
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