Cowpoke Corner Corral, Estes Park

OK, I'm not a rider. I pretty much hate horses after getting thrown off one many years ago on my first ride. Naturally, I was hesitant to go riding, but my children really, really wanted to go. Cowpoke Corral had a nice website and was close to our cabin, so we went to reserve a one-hour ride for the next day. The horses seemed well cared-for and the staff was friendly. Unfortunately, the weather was cold and rainy the next day, but a phone call was all we needed to postpone the ride to the following day - and we ended up postponing a second time due to the weather! No problem, which I found to be very nice on their part. Finally, that day turned out to be sunny and fantastic. The staff picked out our horses and got us mounted (I had to use the "mounting block" due to my bad knee, but everyone was so nice about it!) The four of us had two young guides who couldn't have been nicer and more patient, especially with the children. I wasn't expecting the trail to be so steep, but the horses were very sure-footed and knew the trail, so I basically just hung on for dear life and let the horse do all the work! The scenery was beautiful, especially from the top of the hill. The guides were very accommodating in taking our pictures and making sure the children were safe and happy. After the ride, the kids declared the horse ride to be their favorite part of the trip. Even I had a good time and would highly recommend it for families or any first-time riders. They have a sister outfit within RM National Park where they described the ride to be on more level ground. I might actually look into doing that the next time we visit Estes!