Praise for the People & Horses

        of Ricochet Ridge Ranch

To partner such a supremely fit equine athlete ... was a rare privilege and one which I shall treasure. - Arnie Garney, Editor, Horse and Hound, London, England Your horses are outstanding. Your terrain is spectacular. We thoroughly enjoyed the cuisine and accommodations throughout the week. We have ridden in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Portugal, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and your ride is one of the very best! --- Jerry M. Lougheed, Jr., Ontario, Canada Count on spending at least five ... hours in the saddle cantering along endless beaches, climbing through redwood forests, and picking your way along razor-backed ridges with views that, depending on which way you look, seem to go all the way to Nevada or Japan. Ricochet Ridge Ranch chooses the Inns on the horse trek by the quality of their hot tubs. The rational: "We ride hard enough to deserve them." - DIVERSION Magazine You really know how to plan a 5-star vacation ... from beginning to end ... the horses ... the trails ... the weather (how'd you do that?) ... the inns ... the food ... the entertainment (WOW!) ... all were exceptional! - Susan and Don Katz, Monsey, New York

Just wanted to send you a note of appreciation to let you know what a joy it was to ride at your ranch this past weekend. I traveled from Alabama to celebrate my 40th birthday with good friends in Mendocino, and my ride in the redwoods was the highlight of the trip.

Noel and his lovely horse Avalon were my guides, and I rode Virshima. I thoroughly enjoyed Noel's company and was impressed with his outstanding horsemanship. His knowledge of horses and the region (educating me about the amazing variety of plants and trees along the trail) was an added bonus on a great ride. Noel set the pace perfectly for the ride, and it simply could not have been any better.

Noel told me that Virshima is one of the horses that you have bred at your ranch. What a lovely animal he is! I have two horses of my own, and unfortunately have often been disappointed with the quality of horses that are available on guided rides. Not Virshima. He still enjoys his job, and his gaits are so nice that I was not even sore after a long ride on an unfamiliar horse over unfamiliar territory. It is obvious that your horses are carefully selected, well-trained, and well cared for.

Thank you so much for providing me with the perfect birthday celebration. I will recommend your ranch to all my friends who are planning horse vacations.

Best regards,

Thank you for a wonderful time. Our time with you was beyond anything we could have dreamed. This was the first vacation my mother and I have taken alone together since my childhood. At the age of 75, it was a delight to see her relive the happiness of her childhood riding. I felt that she was safe at all times and appreciated the special attention you gave her. She is still talking about her wonderful experience, the horse she rode, the mountains and beaches, and how wonderful and skilled you are as a horse woman. Fro myself, I have developed an appreciation and love of the Arabian/Orlov breed. Their agility, athletic ability, endurance,and willingness are amazing! All are a reflection of an accomplished trainer and horse woman. I have already called several family members and friends and told them this is a " MUST DO". I hope to plan another trip to see you in the near future. I thought I had to go to Italy or Spain to see such beauty, but as it turns out , you have shown me that it is in my own back yard! Thank you Again!!!!

With Respect,

Cantering over the sand on Tzar ... it feels as though I'm astride a smoothly oiled bunch of steel bearings and powerful springs, upholstered in gray horsehide and responsive to my every whim. You know, I originally thought Nature's Ballet a rather prissy, silly name for a big stallion like Tzar's dad. Now I found myself thinking that this is not a bad name ... not bad at all.

Thank you so much for the perfect riding vacation! I've been on others in Europe, but yours was the very best. The best horses, the best trails and beaches, and the best staff.

I can't tell you how much Lisa and I enjoyed your wonderful trek through the Mendocino area on horseback. You made us feel welcome and certainly helped us improve our horsemanship a great deal with your guidance and that of your "cowboys". I haven't had as much fun and laughter in a long time. I won't even go into how beautiful and breathtaking the coast was, as well as the dense forest we experienced throughout the week. WE'LL BE BACK!

What an incredible experience on a truly incredible horse with the intelligence, stamina and heart to go the distance and take good care of his rider all the way!

Thank you for the wonderful horse-holiday! I had a 'work-out and loved it! I especially want to thank you for my birthday gala and the party at the Lodge.

The scenes & sights from horseback were great. I loved it. The food; the tack; the paths; the lunch spots; camping; all was so much fun! I know it took a lot of organization & hard work on your part & I appreciate it. Thanks for matching me to "Shasta" - I loved him.

I wish I could move out to your area and spend the rest of my life on trek!

Winner was a terrific horse and showed me a wonderful time. Lelah was crazy about Redwing - You'll be lucky if she doesn't come out there and steal that horse.

The last week in September this year is one we will always remember. We learned so much from you and your wranglers; and the riding experience you gave us in that short time was a turning point in the way we will handle and ride horses in the future.

...the trek last August. I still think of it frequently - it was one of the most wonderful experiences I can remember. Apart from the horses being great and the riding wonderful, I have rarely met such an interesting and congenial group of people as those in our group. I would love to come again and join one (or more!) of your treks.

It was a wonderful trip...I'm thinking of the incredible attention to detail: the careful matching of rider to horse, the thought given to schedules and routes, the individual help provided at every step necessary, the champagne before and after, the music offered for our evening enjoyment, the great and plentiful meals, the address lists handed out at the end... That last ride on the beach fulfilled a childhood fantasy for me.

I enjoyed every minute! The food was scrumptious, the riding was marvelous, the views magnificent, and you and your staff, perfect; helpful and patient! Loved your lectures 'neath the tall green trees, and ... our evenings were super. The piano concert and "Franny and Friends" were outstanding!

...thoroughly enjoyed our second trek with you. Riding Blue was a dream come true... he truly is a magnificent creature. Your enthusiasm, planning, & organization make for one incredible week on horseback...

I, who have never forced my vacation pictures on anyone before, have become quite aggressive!

Everyone asked me if I had a nice vacation. I said "NO", I had a PERFECT vacation.

Susan and I had the time of our lives last summer at RRR . For me, my time there was the pivotal point in my experience with horses. I not only realized I could ride, but also came to understand that horses are not just another hobby, but a way of life.

Your story about Meaghan brought tears to our eyes.

Brenda and I wanted to tell you what a fine job Sky did with our niece Sophie this week. Sky gave Sophie riding lessons Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and Sophie loved them! Sophie's riding skills and comfort around horses improved 1000% in those three days. Sky was extraordinarily patient and kind with Sophie and was an excellent instructor!

Thanks for providing such great staff and horses!

I at last have a moment to get to the computer and say how wonderful my time was. Every minute a perfect memory. Thank you!

I wore the T-shirt the night/day I got home at 4:00am and that flowed into the delivery of a new foal! She is a beauty and we saw the total birth. Needless to say I have been a bit sleep deprived. But horse mom and I are doing very well except for our terrible dry conditions.

Lari - Again I compliment you on the dedication to excellence in horse performance and the possibilities that you have created for so many of us to share because of you dedication. Your staff is wonderful. I will never forget Cynthia -- she won my heart! It has been so hard to tell others about the week because in some ways it was unbelievable. My son the SEAL told me tonight of free falling at 12,000 feet and hooking up with another person - I said that is what it like to partnership in a canter with a great horse on the 10 mile beach! He understood! Lari thanks for the tears of joy!

Keep me updated on your adventures and your progress on Simba. I am truly interested. Congratulations on the win with Indi - and all of those to come - My best to Harvey I enjoyed his sharing so very much

Sincerely

I wanted to send a quick note and thank you for the private ride that my NEW fiance and I went on last Friday, July 8th. Rebecca was great and Emily, my fiance, absolutely loved it!!! It was a dream of hers to ride a horse on the beach and of all places in the world to do it, we ended up at your ranch! Rebecca informed us of the complimentary ride afterwards. I wasn't sure if it was meant for the other Bryan Miller that proposed that day too! How weird was that? Nevertheless, we are very grateful and will definitely be back time and time again.

We had a great experience in Ft. Bragg and Mendocino! I would like to send some photos and write an email together with my fiance to thank you once again.

Also, thank you for the "good luck" horseshoe! We are going to frame it in our new home. We are marrying in September. Thanks for being a part of our "perfect" day!

Gratefully,

Last Saturday, my daughter, my sister and I went on a 2:00 private beach ride. A dream come true for my dauther and for me. A great advanture for my sister. Rebecca from England was our guide. she is a jewel. We saw Lari hustling around - looks like she had been to the tack store for supplies maybe. Anyway . . .

What a wonderful, wonderful place you have! Your beautiful horses in such fine, fine condition. Wonderful temperment, and so, so strong! Nothing you don't know of course, but I had to write and complement your outfit. We are so wary of trail outfits. But how wonderful to see a place so full of folks who love horses, respect people and really seem to care about your experieince.

My sister was a complete rookie, but Rebecca respectfully and very instinctively lead her through the process. She explained everything wonderfully, encouraged her just enough and even got her comfortable trotting. (This thrilled my experienced daughter who would have died had she been held to a walk the entire trip. ) I have a feeling your entire staff is the same.

I am just a "Barn Mom" with no riding experience, but plenty of horse exposure. However, I am short and carry it pretty well, but am very heavy. This was a concern because I did not want to hurt the horses. I was over many outfits' weight limit. When I called and expressed my concerns (twice), everyone I spoke to kindly and encouragingly assured me I would be fine and so would the horse.

It was wonderful. I was given a sturdy looking horse and the video on how to mount without hurting the horse was a great comfort. I made it up there without cracking this sweet horses spine. He didn't seem to mind at all this load he knew he was gonna haul for the next hour and a half. Even dismounting went well. Anyway. . . I am rambling again. I have never written anyone about an experience before. I am sure you've heard it all, but thank you for such a wonderful place, such a dream fullfilling experience and for so many folks who really care about their horses and their clients.

We were so excited at the end of the ride, we forgot to ask some questions and I thought maybe someone could answer them now. My daughter wants "details" for her "Sweet 13" scrap book, and many of our horse friends are asking questions we can't really answer.

So here are the questions about the horse we rode.

What is the breed, height and age of each of the horses we rode? (Maleca (spelling?), First Class, Halloween)

If you have it, A horsey "bio" on them would be cool. Most everything else we have found on your cool website. Where we were sad to see Lari is moving on. We will pray for someone just as dedicated to carry on in her fine tradition.

God bless you all - -

We had an amazing 3 day riding experience with Christina as our guide (June 30 - July 1, 2005). She was TERRIFIC and a lot of fun to hang out with. Can you please pass these photos on to her. We will definitely look you up again in the future. Loved the horses!!!

Thank you,

I want to thank you for an incredible experience I had riding Royal on the beach with Evona as my guide. Cantering Royal on the beach exhilarating. I couldn't have asked for a better ride.

I would like to extend my gratitude to you for having the opportunity to ride with a Dressage saddle. It was very nice to have the option between English and Western. I would like to compliment you on you preparation video at the start. It was very well done. I can appreciate it even more since I teach first level Dressage to small children.

Tell Evona that I enjoyed our lengthy discussions about horses and riding. She's is a gifted horse person.

Here is a picture of my Two Arabian mares. Ask Evona if she can tell which one I use for teaching lessons to six year olds.

They're almost a matching pair except for personality.

Have a good summer,

Sorry it's taken me so long to contact you to thank you so much for such a wonderful time with you on the trail May 16. I so enjoyed riding Fire and can't stop raving about him to all my friends. You and Harvey were such good company and I really appreciate all the effort you put in to make our trip a happy and memorable one. I will certainly never forget you and think of you often, as I said to you, there are very few women I admire quite as much as you Lari.

As a result of our trip, Patti and Don have asked me to visit them on their ranch in Tennessee which I plan to do and one day soon I will come back to ride with you again on one of your trail ride vacations.

I have taken your's and Cynthia's advice and started to ride again here. I went away this weekend to visit an old friend of mine who lives up country in Hereford on the Welsh border. She and her husband have a splendid farm and their daughter has a superb thoroughbred, Welsh cob cross mare (Floss) who has won many horse trial events.

Floss, a 16 hand chestnut, has the most amazing action, her trot was fabulous, she just swept her feet out and glided across the ground.

You would like this horse. I also rode out with my friend's daughter on a borrowed thoroughbred from a neighboring farm. It was such fun.

I hope you realise that you are responsible for giving me back my desire to be around horses again! Thank you Lari and also Cynthia for your kindness and effort to make us all happy on your trail ride, You've give me a new lease of life.

Much love to you and Harvey and please say hi to Cynthia for me.

Bye for now xxx

Don and I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our week-long trek with you and the others! We learned so much and had such an incredible time. Your horses were fit, energetic, and a pleasure to ride. Your staff was ingratiating, eager to please, knowledgeable, and friendly. The accommodations were lovely, secluded, quiet, and serene.

And then there was YOU! We couldn't have found a better teacher or guide from which to learn. I told you once on the trail that I wish I could just take your experience and pour all that into my brain! Please, please, PLEASE write a book for those of us that still have so much more to learn. We can't thank you and Harvey enough for opening up your world to us and letting us see just how beautiful it is.

We do have ONE request. We left without telling Avanti (sp?) what an incredible horse he is. We hope the two of you have many, many more trails to explore. I would love to get a picture of the two of you and a couple of just him, if possible, to add to our trip photos. We thought he was an example of just how beautiful AND smart Arabian horses really are.

If you plan future excursions, I hope you will keep us on your mailing list. We are ready to go! Of course, we would come back to northern California in a heartbeat! Thank you, thank you, thank you for sending us on the next leg of our journey with our horses!

Happy Trails,

several years ago i stayed at the antioch ranch, outside of mendocino....visited a few wineries... but, the highlight of the trip was riding one of your outstanding horses (english) along the beach... it was an exquisite experience...

this evening i stumbled upon your website as i was looking for somewhere to ride in so. cal., and as i was looking at your photos, my mind and body aches to spend time up there.....reminding me of how much i don't belong here in this "go to the mall, breast implant" world down here... i guess i need to take a leap of faith and just go alone...

fondly reminiscing,

Just wanted to let you know that you have given my wife (Cyndi) & I something that we'll never forget, we traveled with you on the 6-day adventure that will never be forgotten. Our best of friends also came along as this trip was for Kay Stecker so that she could spend her last days enjoying what she enjoyed most, she was the one who rode the best of the three of us, she had such a zest for life which made each day joyous. She fought a battle with cancer for several years and before passing on she would always remind us of the fabulous time we had at the Ricochet Ranch.

Since our trip with you we managed to get involved with an endurance riding association here in San Diego and volunteer for events, we met Terry Howe and her husband David who put on these events several times a year. Cyndi and I have ridden in the 15 mile fun event only to get out and see how our horses do on the vet check My 14 year old Morgan is looking tired so I try to be good to him & on the other hand Cyndi's quarter horse is a great horse for her with plenty of manors etc1 I wanted to also say that we do give out your name and information from time to time and will come up to see you again soon.

Happy Holidays

Diane and I had a spectacular rides both Saturday and Sunday- Your guide Kera was very professional and showed us that she cared for the well being of both the clients and the horses. She also spent time with your new employee, Masha showing her the "ropes" of the operation, in a way that did not detract from her guiding duties and in a way that was supportive and sensitive to Masha.

Thanks again,

I just wanted to say thank you for providing me with the opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime.

As you said we all share a common bond, our love of horses. Allow me to take this thought one step further. I also feel we all had deeper personal motivations for taking on such a vacation. Your ride presented each of us with the means to attain something personally satisfying and indescribable. Thank you for your energy, personality, and most importantly for your horses. They are heroes in my book!

Since I arrived home I realised that horses are a very important part of my life and I decided to specialize my current study in horses rather than in dogs and horses. I believe that seeing the way you are able to handle yourself around horses and having so much fun doing it I was convinced that horses are it for me. So thank you!

Nancy Phillips and I had a fabulous time riding with your guides Noel and Chris. I rode Nightcap and he was an excellent horse, strong, willing and listening.

I would recommend your ranch to any rider but for people with some years in the saddle our ride was tremendous. Richard Parish recommended your ranch to me and I will pass the news on to others. You should know that both of our guides were great and spoke very warmly and with deep appreciation in their voices for you. Clearly you are beloved by your staff. Thank you for creating such an amazing riding experience for the rest of us to enjoy.

Happy Trails to you,

Shaun & I just returned from sunny CA. We had such a great time!! Wine and horses, how can one go wrong. I must say I was a bit on the toasty side after just the first vineyard, but with a limo driver for the day it was all good. The riding was PHENOMENAL! Guys you just have to get out there to Mendocino and take a Ricochet Ridge Ranch vacation. They can customize for you if the package is not fitting your style. We did the wine tour the first day. Then I got to ride for two days and Shaun opted to spend one day on the golf course. That's OK with me as Shaun is a beach nut and I prefer the forest. Man, you just don't know large trees until you have been in the redwoods. The trails they have are just out of this world - & you thought the BRLA trails were nice. You know I will be showing you the pictures. Also I would take one of there trips with kids as they are very big on safety. I think I may have met my match in the safety department & I didn't think it possible. Shaun enjoyed the golf. He shot a really good game, so he was happy. He is looking forward to RRR putting together a golf, wine and equine weekend. Of course I don't know what I'll do while he is out golfing - let's think - ride some more. The afternoons we spent going through the shops in Mendocino, walking along the beach and, of course, drinking wine.

So now its back to work. The B&B that ranch set us up in had a wine hour from 4 - 5. So today Shaun and I are recovering from our jet lag, looking at the clock thinking its time for wine. We are so relaxed now we don't want to go back to work. I guess reality has to catch up some time.

See ya on the trails or at the barn!

Just wanted you to know what a wonderful time we had on our 3 day riding adventure. Noel did an excellent job of meeting our varied needs, making sure that each of us got what we wanted and needed from our rides, even though the three of us had such different riding abilities.

He made sure we saw the best of the landscape and helped us learn so much about the forest and ocean. This was a trip of a lifetime for us--my retirement and the girls' graduation trip. The girls, especially Anne, will always remember "her horse," and riding on the beach--I will always remember the beautiful scenery. Thanks for everything.

Last week a friend of mine and myself went on one of your three full days of trail riding excursions. I am now a member of the Vishima fan club. I've been on several riding treks in Europe and the US, and he was the best schooled horse I've had on a riding vacation. My friend was also impressed with Nikita. The two guides we had; Cynthia and Darla were extremely fun to ride with. The first day Cynthia took us through the Redwoods, and Darla took us on the beach and up into your property on the other days. I can't say enough about what good guides they were. Darla had us laughing with her story of "Mumsey and Poopsie" and Cynthia likewise kept us laughing with tales of dressage riders, well, out of their element! Both of them are like Vishima and Nikita (the bellydancing horse), true assets to your ranch. I hope to be able to ride with your outfit again in the future, and believe me, I'll be asking for Vishima.

Please say hello to Cynthia and Darla from me.

Best regards,