Spur Cross Stable

We found this place on Groupon and sure glad we did!!! We called last minute and they squeezed us in. Our guide was knowledgeable and very kind on the tour. The ride was just long enough for my ol saddle to enjoy and at the end of the ride I even got to give ol Dred Lock (my horse) a treat to say thank you for the ride! And then we got to go around the rest of the ranch and see all the animals. It was a great time! We will definitely do that again!

Wow what a way to open the New Year ! My daughter and I went horseback riding at my favorite place Spur Cross in Cave Creek. They are Always so friendly! Our Wrangler Penny was very kind, friendly and full of great info. She made the ride very enjoyable. Absolutely will return

Thank you for the wonderful Christmas ride! We all enjoyed it. The weather was crisp and clear. The guide was personable and patient. Thank you.

Great rides, great people. Best horseback riding in the Southwest!

We loved this ranch! The views were breathtaking, our guide was so knowledgeable about the dessert, plants and history of the area. He took his time until we got comfortable with the horses. He even jumped off his horse Tonto (love the name) and took some pictures of us. We took the 2 hour ride and it was very peaceful and just a wonderful time. Cant wait to go back!

Enjoyed a 2 hour ride with Jacob and Shirley:). His dog. So personable and just our group of 5 which was great. Shares lots of interesting fact about the desert. The horses were great, Smores, my horse was the best. Great for beginners– no issues at all.
This topped the list of our activities for 2 of the 16 year old boys that also golfed, hiked and ran ATV’s in Sedona! I thought the pace would be too slow for them, but they loved it.
We did the 9:45 two hour tour — set up at the last minute. Wanted to go back and do the sunset trip but ran out of time! Next trip — this will not be missed

Went on a 2 hour ride today and had so much fun. Our guide was Boot. Boot was very knowledgeable about the history of the area, wildlife, and plants. Boot also had a wonderful since of humor that made the ride even more fun. He was also very patient and kind to me during my nervous moments since I am at the beginner level of riding. The trail was safe and fun. Also check out the other animals while there including a talkative donkey. The person who checked us in was very friendly and helpful.

We didn’t ride here but I have to give Spur Cross a big shout out for honesty and kindness. I lost my wallet on a trail ride with another stable that shares the same terrain. Spur Cross staff found it and mailed it back to me right away, with $ 140 in cash and all my credit cards untouched. It would have been so easy for them to just keep the cash and toss the wallet instead of going out of their way to return it. Instead, they did the right thing and made my life a whole lot easier. Hats off to Spur Cross!

We just finished a 90-​minute trail ride and loved the experience. Preston, our main guide, was knowledgable and was great with our 7-​year old daughter as he «ponied her» (led her behind his horse). This time of year can get a bit hot, but the staff provide you with water for the ride, and we caught some wonderful shady clouds and light breezes that made our ride wonderful. We’ll definitely be coming back in the very near future as well as recommending it to our friends and family!

Fantastic time! Took our 7 year old horseback riding for the first time. Preston was a great tour guide and made us feel at ease during our ride. The staff was very friendly!

My boyfriend and I were visiting from Seattle and decided for our last day we wanted to go horseback riding. We could not have been happier with our experience at Spur Cross Stable. Their online reservation and payment system is fantastic and made it quick and easy to book our ride (from the convenience of a mobile-​optimized site). Once we arrived, we found out we were the only people signed up for our ride… SCORE! Ian greeted us with a smile and the joking and laughter never stopped. It was really cool to be in the presence of a real, honest to god cowboy. Ian made us want to hang up our jobs at home and move to a ranch! If you haven’t been to Spur Cross Stable, you HAVE TO. We are thinking next time we will go for the 8 hour ride we enjoyed it so much. Enjoy!

I was looking for a great family spring break activity and I found it! We are not experienced riders and were not looking for an all day adventure, the 1.5 hour ride proved to be just the right amount of time. Great scenery, great horses, very nice staff… just a great all around experience.
Our cowboy, Dave, was really good at pointing out local history, flowers, etc. and was very patient with my 9 and 12 year old children.

Wanted to go horseback riding with my husband for Valentine’s Day and decided on this place because they have good prices for private rides. Even though their site said private rides are usually a few hours, after inquiring if the ride can be shorter they said yes. They told me they occasionally get walk ins but I would highly recommend calling them to make reservations as they do get busy. Especially when we were there.
The stables are up in the very north part of Cave Creek and the GPS stops you a mile short of where it actually is at a different stable. Continue after that on a dirt road and it’ll be quite obvious to spot.
We did a private ride for an hour and that was perfect amount of time for us as we weren’t experienced riders. The staff and guides were all nice and funny too. The horses were calm and not too difficult to manage, though my horse was a bit stubborn and would just stop randomly.
Would definitely go back there again, maybe next time with friends. ;-)

Wonderful and kind people that work on this ranch. Thank you for an unforgettable experience. Chantel and Sedona

took my mom and sister there when they visited az. the place was able to get us in the same day and last minute. they stayed a little late for us b/​c we were running late. anyways they are very accomadating. we took the ½ ride, but i wish we could have done the 1 hr ride b/​c it was so much fun. the landscape is beautiful desert themed. the tour guide person was very friendly and told us about the horses. they have other animals their like a pig, dogs, donkeys, and bulls. they do expect you to tip the tour guide person of course so bring cash. IT WAS LIKE $ 20 A PERSON I BELIEVE.

Thanks to Living Social we found this place… all the way up at the top of Cave Creek, you have to drive through a neighborhood and then a dirt road. This wasn’t very clearly marked and the road on the Google Maps app on my phone looked like it ended in the mountains… thought we were lost at one point. We stopped by a stable looking place, but there was a lady tending the horses and she said it was a little further down… LOL, where were we?
Anyway, we found the stable and checked in with the guide. They ask if you’d like a safety helmet. If you decline, you have to sign a waiver. We signed the waivers and waited with everyone else for our horse assignment. After a few minutes a guide came out and told us to head to the stable to get a horse… we were on an elevated walkway so we could easily get on the horse.
Once we were all on, we went on a 90 min ride through the hills in the area. The weather wasn’t too hot yet and it was in the morning, so it was relatively comfortable during the ride. It’s the Sonoran Desert, so there’s not much to look at besides Saguaro cactus, tumbleweeds, and other desert plants. Besides the occasional bird or ground squirrel, there wasn’t much wildlife on the ride.
The guide was pretty cool and informed us of the plants in the area. The people we were with were alright and the horses behaved themselves.
Overall, it was a fun day out horseback riding. It’s great for beginners and intermediate riders. Probably too boring for a more experienced rider.
Return Factor — 70%

pro: Small riding groups. Your guide will also stop at 2 spots for photo opportunities. My guide offered to take individual pics for all of us.
Once you have arrived in the parking lot, you will have to walk up towards the horses station. This is where the office will be. Credit cards are accepted.
If it’s windy, make sure you have a strap for your cowboy hat! You don’t want it to fly away and spook the horses.

First of all this ranch is off the beaten path near Cave Creek and Carefree, and when I say off the path I mean dirt/​rocky road, so be careful if you are driving a smaller vehicle. We were there on a morning after a monsoon and I was glad I drove a Jeep; there were quite a few washes flooding the rocky road. It is a little difficult to figure out where you need to be going, but just drive to the end of the road and look for the ranch that looks more like a ghost town (see pictures).
We ended up not being able to go horseback riding due to flooded trails but the terrain looked beautiful and he offered to let us go on the longer ride for the same price a few hours later to make up for the cancellation.
While you are at the ‘homestead’ be sure to look for the BIG pig named Gilbert. He was under the porch while were standing on it and I thought I was hearing a javelina snorting, but the gentleman let me know it was just Gilbert HAhaha!
Everyone here seems very excited about what they do and it is quite beautiful up there. If you want to introduce somebody to the Sonoran desert with saguaros and sunshine, this is a great way to do it.

It was my mom’s first trip to Arizona and her first time horse back riding since she was about 12 years old. She’s since had a fear but decided she would face her fear. I wanted to take her to the best place in Arizona. I had went riding some where else on my visit to AZ a year ago. I did some research and found that Spur Cross Stables had won «Best of Arizona» several times. I read their web site and watched the videos. I must say, I was really looking forward to meeting the potbelly pig, Gilbert.
Anyway, we drove out to Cave Creek from our rented condo in Scottsdale. What a beautiful drive. Cave Creek is gorgeous. Spur Cross is back down a bumpy dirt road and you do go up into the mountain a couple miles.
This ride was amazing. My mom and I were the only riders that day. Partially because it was a bit chilly and partially because we went on a week day. I rode a white horse named Smokey and my mom rode a brown horse named Echo. We were giving the option to borrow coats/​gloves from them if we needed. We were also given a tote to carry on the ride (over the saddle horn) with our personal belongings and some carrots to feed our horse after the ride.
Our guide was AWESOME. His name is Preston. You should request him. He took us on a tour that he said he doesn’t often do with bigger groups and because he knew we could handle it. He took us way up into the mountain and just told us to let the horses do their job. to lean forward when they were climbing up and to lean back as they were climbing down. He took us to some of the most breathtaking viewpoints. And he posed us and took several pics with our camera for us.
And I got to see Gilbert the pig, as well as Norm. Apparently they were adopted by the owner several years ago after their mama rejected them.
I was 100%+ pleased with Spur Cross Stables and would recommend it to anyone. I will be back!

Me and the man went to Spur Cross Stables last weekend and had a blast. My favorite part was the OVERSIZED pig named Gilbert. I think he was bigger than my horse. girth wise… ha ha
Anyways, don’t be a fool like us and drive your Lexus out there. The pavement ends and you are driving on a rock road for about two miles. We made it, but would have preferred a more. economical vehicle.
Our tour guide Travis was awesome, but he is moving back to Colorado at the end of the month so you will have to get another tour guide.
We really enjoyed the trail and everyone was really friendly.
Cost was reasonable. I think it was $ 108 for the both of us… we did the 1.5 hour trail ride
The horses are a little… out there… now that I think about it. My boyfriend got stuck with a half horse half mule… and people we ran across laughed at him… but the horses were trained well and taken care of, so thats all that matters.
Dont forget to play with the giant pig. He rules.