Ride a Clydesdale at Covell Ranch

If you’re like me, you probably have a horse lover’s bucket list of all the fun experiences you’d like to accomplish. Add riding a Clydesdale to your list if it’s not already there! My friend Amy (remember her from the Fox Hunting in Virginia equestrian getaway?) and I traveled to the central coast of California to spend a morning with two of the sweetest (and tallest) horses in the land at Covells Clydesdales. We had a blast and I highly recommend this ride to you and your friends.

Covells Clydesdales

I had heard about this ride from a little Google searching for “riding draft horses.” An L.A. Times article popped up telling the story of the Covells and I read it eagerly, scheming on how to make this riding fantasy a reality. Located in Cambria, California, the ranch is about a 4-hour drive from Los Angeles and there are views of the Pacific from some parts of the ranch. What makes Covells special is it’s the only place in the U.S. where you can ride a Clyde! Apparently there are only three places in the world to do this and the other two are in Scotland.

I called and left a voice mail stating the date and time we’d like to ride, mentioning we were hard core horse fans and if we could trot-we’d be thrilled. A few hours later I received a text back acknowledging the time that would work and the address to the ranch.

Scheduling this Clydesdale ride at Covell Ranch was really easy!

Per the texted instructions, Amy and I arrived at the ranch at 9 a.m. on our given day, and waited at the gate for our guide Tara to come pick us up. She greeted us on a CAT? with her assistant Chloe and a cute dog riding shotgun. We wound our way through the wooded property and then came to an open clearing. I spied a herd of several Clydesdales on the top of a hill, across from the long hitching post. There was a Porta Potty. The trailer was the office and some Clydesdale merchandise was for sale.

A string of thick-maned, mostly bay horses awaited us, tacked up in Western gear. I was surprised when I asked if it was hard to find saddles to fit a Clydesdale. Tara said no–just a larger saddle that would fit a Quarter Horse would typically fit a Clydesdale. (I had to nerd out and ask Tara all sorts of Clydesdale questions ranging from saddle fit to shoeing to training methods, etc. It was awesome!)

Mini-Lesson on Riding a Clydesdale

There were a total of ten in our overall group and we lined up between the stock trailer that functioned as an office and tack room and the sweet steeds. Tara had us all go around and introduce ourselves and share our riding level. Several people in our group had no riding experience or little riding experience. Amy and I, sporting our Botori life riding leggings, helmets with visors let our horse girl freak flag fly. Helmets were available, but not required. (Amy and I wore our own personal helmets. Read my post 7 Reasons You Should Always Ride with a Helmet.)

When it was my turn I blurted out, “I’m Susan and we both have our own horses and ride a lot.” Actually, in my excitement, I forgot to say my name, so I had to back up and introduce myself.

Next Tara gave a quick, yet thorough lesson on plow reining–talking about how the horses are all trained to drive so they are used to two-hands. A set of reins attached to the trailer were used in the demonstration and Tara did a great job explaining, re-explaining and summarizing for our group the proper steering technique: slide, grab, pull.

As mentioned earlier, I wanted the chance to trot (and cantering would have been awesome, but I wasn’t holding my breath). I totally understand that you have to base the pace of the rider on the least experience rider, so I was okay with the idea of just walking, but had hopes  it would be possible to trot. While helping the group to mount, Tara saved us for last. We met Marshall and Lady, her 3-year olds.

We literally mounted using a step ladder. Amy’s horse at home is at least 17.2 hands and she commented that was a great idea and she probably needs to use that since our mounting block at the farm is not tall enough for her.

Our horses, being the youngest, were the lowest in the pecking order, Tara explained, so we had to ride at the end of the line. That actually worked to our advantage later, as Tara allowed us to hold up and then proceed forward at the trot. It was such a cool feeling. My lower back and hips really seemed to move in a side-to-side way, much more so than when riding my Thoroughbred Knight. It was almost like a low-back massage!

Although our horses were big, they did not feel intimidating and sky high. I thought Lady was extremely comfortable. The only thing that was a little tricky was getting a between the ears shot. Her headset is different than Knight, so I had to lean waaaay back.

The ride lasted between one to 1.5 hours, but the time flew by. We climbed hills (nothing too steep like my ride at Halter Ranch which freaked me out), rode past herds of beef cattle lazing under trees, and had our pictures taken at the high point which gave us views of the ocean.

I was so impressed with the brains/demeanors of our steeds. At one point on the trail, Tara hopped off her horse (not a draft) as she noticed a stray piece of wire coiled on the ground (they are taking down some old fence lines). Her horse touched the wire and panicked, momentarily spinning. None of the Clydesdales reacted! Lady simply turned her head away from the drama unfolding ahead of her, and stepped off the main path. That was the extent of her reaction. Amy and I both marveled, thinking about how our own, typically calm Thoroughbreds would have responded to that stimulus.

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We had a blast riding these sweet beasts. They are truly gentle giants. And now my brain is entertaining this thought: “how to get Knight a half-draft sibling.”

Thanks for reading and tally ho! Also, Amy and I want to go back and do a group ride with all horse girls. We need a party of eight to get a private ride. If you want to join us, reach out!

Leave a Comment: Have you ever ridden a Clydesdale or some other breed of draft? What was that experience like for you?

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