Carousel Horse Farm

We were so happy with our ride! The guide, Christine, was friendly and patient even when peppered with constant questions from my nephew. The ponies were a great choice for the inexperienced kids and the adults were pleased with the easy to manage horses. The trail offers views of the mountains but otherwise is a little plain, though peaceful. Communication with the office was good with making our reservations and we enjoyed ourselves. Thanks!

I’ve never been on a horse let me start of saying that. My husband surprised me by going horseback riding for my birthday. Our instructor was Stephanie and she was great, she knew very well what she was doing and told the group what the instructions were. My horse did have a little scare which made me scared but I was fine after. Beautiful scenery in the fall and nice trails. Nice experience, would come back more often if I lived in Maine.

Tiffany and Stephanie were great! We had my two daughters, ages 7 and 9, and they couldn’t have been nicer. When my 7 year old got scared Stephanie patiently worked with her, when it was obvious my 7 year old was too afraid to go they took my husband and 9 year old out and then when they returned took me out with my 9 year old, for no extra charge! We were hesitant seeing the other reviews but could not have been happier with the experience. We will definitely return (it’s great for a beginner/​family ride).

Paid $ 550 on a Groupon for 4 hours of horse back riding and dinner… We rode for 3 hours and dinner was a stop at the local ice cream stand (Pears)… None of this would be an issue if the price wasn’t so high and details were clear (you would assume for that amount if money you’re getting at least a decent meal, not chicken fingers)… On the positive side our guide was knowledgable and a very sweet girl (Stephanie) and we had a great time with her and the horses… Would advise beginners to steer clear at this price point, just not worth it.

Don’t walk RUN from using these people. I booked them for my wedding and they never showed up. WRECKED the surprise for my bride. We waited until the ENTIRE church was empty and they still were not there.
When I called them a few days later (after cooling off) I was offered a 50% refund… you don’t show up and want to offer me 50% back ?
They made all kinds of excuses that the wedding got out five minutes early or some such nonsense.
Bottom Line: POORLY run business and even poor business ethics.

I booked a «girls weekend» 1 hour beach ride for 5 riders one month in advance with Tiffany at Carousel Horse Farm. During each call I mentioned that I lived in Old Orchard Beach and asked if the ride went down to OOB. Perhaps I was not clear that I wanted the ride to go that far but it did not. I spoke to Tiffany each time. The ride was originally scheduled for 11am Saturday Oct 26^th because low tide was 10:44am.Tiffany called twice thereafter asking to change the time of the ride and I agreed we were very flexible. The second change in time came with «be there at 11:45AM sharp because we have another event later in the afternoon that we need the horses for. «On Friday Oct 25^th I had a call from Tiffany confirming the ride on Saturday an the «11:45AM sharp» start time. Kristen one of the five riders called Tiffany and confirmed the time and also was told «11:45AM sharp». Well we are all professional well traveled business women in our early 50’s and we follow directions and we were there at the Scarborough parking lot ten min’s early very excited for another «bucket list» activity. At 11:45AM there were no horses. At Noon time I phoned Tiffany to ask where the horses were. We were waiting in the parking lot in Scarborough.. When her team did arrive they were d got to work quickly to saddle up the horses and have us sign the wavers etc. Now here is the beauty of digital photography… They opened the gate for the horses to disembark at 12:17PM. Stephanie our guide & her helper, helped us onto our horses’, showed us how to hold the reigns and direct the horses. While this was going on, our sixth friend was snapping photos each of us.
We were riding through the parking lot onto the beach at 12:37PM all five of us very excited and happy for our adventure. The horses enjoyed he beach and riding in a line and even riding side by side. When we reached the first high-​rise condo’s Stephanie turned us around to return to the parking lot. I questioned why we were returning so soon and Stephanie said that we needed to get back so they could get to their next event. I tried to explain that I wanted the horses to go past my home in OOB and that I had mentioned this to Tiffany. Stephanie turned us around and headed back to the parking lot. During the ride back I let Stephanie know that we wanted a group photo on the beach with each of us on the horses. Our 6^th friend was prepared to take the photo. Stephanie ignored the request and brought us back into the parking lot. I again stopped Stephanie and asked why we could not have a photo on the beach and she indicated that the ride was over and they needed to get to the next event. I immediately let Stephanie and the gentleman with her know that we were not happy. We paid for an hour beach ride and they were more intent on getting to their next venue than to satisfy their commitment to our group of five riders. Again the beauty of digital photography, our friend captured a photo of us exiting the beach at 1:17PM. We had a 40 minute beach ride? The most annoying part of the experience was the focus of Tiffany and her team on getting to the next event rather than focusing on the one they were working with us! One thing I have learned in life is that one needs to make the customer feel like they are the only customer and that they are a valued customer. This did not happen with Tiffany. I called Tiffany a week later to let her know our disappointment she was surprised as her staff had not shared our experience with her. After explaining the situation Tiffany challenged me on the time her team arrived, the time the horses got on to the beach and the time we returned to the parking lot. Tiffany did not attempt to make our group whole by offering any type of reimbursement or gift certificate for a future ride. In my opinion, Tiffany should have just put a gift certificate in the mail with an apology. Instead she did nothing. I found Carousel Horse Farm on Social Media and now I review the experience on Unilocal. Beware you may not get what you paid for. My message to Tiffany is «Be sure at a minimum your customers get what they pay for and work at making them feel like they are your only customer. Always be professional, listen to your customers feedback, there is always something to be learned. Don’t be defensive. Gratitude and honey go a much further in life…»

Great Horses for Advanced/​Intermediate riders.
I took a 45 minute trail ride and while there was a good deal of walking I was given the perfect horse to match my request and thoroughly enjoyed the trotting/​cantering portion of the ride. When I booked my ride I requested to ride english and mentioned that I enjoyed riding big draft horses in the past. The Clydesdale mare I was on fit my request perfectly and was an absolute pleasure to ride — extremely attentive to my every move and request and it really felt like I was in control of the ride.
I’d recommend this farm to any intermediate or advanced rider who knows what they’re doing and is comfortable enough to do it without instruction. If you’re looking for a barn that will set you up on a routine trail horse and send you out on a fast ride through an «advanced» course, then this is not the place for you. If you’re an experienced rider looking to ride and connect with the right horse on a short, scenic, and (at times) exciting trek in a backcountry setting, then I would recommend checking out Carousel Farm.