Sugarlands Riding Stables

"Great staff, beautiful horses that seemed very happy with their lives, and amazing trail ride. We did the hour because that was all that was available at the time and it was a beautiful ride. I really liked that they do not pack a ride with too many people and appreciated that since we had experience with riding horses we were at the back so we could space ourselves out a bit and enjoy the ride and beautiful scenery. Our guide was Jake and my husband and I rode Champ and Uncle Si two beautiful horses! We would definitely return for another trail ride!"

"Google Maps showed this as permanently closed...?.... Unless something changed in the last two weeks, I don't know why it says that. I was there on July 25th. They only accepted cash but I had enough on me. I was fortunate, I think, that my trail guide was probably one of the better ones, he was friendly, talkative, kind of like you would expect a tour guide to be, often telling us about different parts of the trail. The horses looked good but it would be nice if they could build some shelter over the holding area so they aren't just standing in the hot sun between rides. More shade in general would be a good thing if you are waiting for a ride there's not much to do but sit or stand and the only sitting area has limited shade in the afternoon. I enjoyed my ride but I was very upset about the strict policies with no water, no purse, no waist pouch even. I can understand they have safety concerns to deal with, and all levels of inexperienced riders but I've ridden trail rides like this so many times before, and never was told I could not have a waist pouch, or a shoulder back or small backpack on me. I highly recommend pants or shorts with ample cargo pockets if you have any desire to be able to take any photos of the ride itself because obviously, on a horse you won't want your phone in your back pocket and there's no other way to have it with you. The first minute of our ride included a momma bear and cub sighting, with a swarm of gorgeous butterflies, it was a magical moment that in any other situation, I would have certainly captured on camera. But not this time. I forgot the name of our trail guide but he shared some incite on the weird lack of information online for this place. Like how the website says that the previous family no longer manages this place, apparently due in part because of a 10 year long contract that was recently renewed and whatever happened with that last renewal, it seems like there is some friction with the current operators and the prior operators. It sucks that whatever happened has resulted in the lack of information now available for business and for vacationers wanting to enjoy a great trail riding experience."

"Even though it says close in google we noticed that the place had an open sign when we drove by. The place is under new administration and we had an amazing experience. This is our second time since 2021. We did the 1 hr ride and the trail is beautiful with ups and downs. We even had the opportunity to see a bear up in the trail. Horses didn’t even noticed. We ighly recommend this place. Ed was our guide and he was amazing! Horses look clean and well taken care off.. besides beautiful. We got Worm, Dixie, and Colt and they were so lovely and easy to handle… lol they know what they are doing. They even took a couple of pics of us in the horses."

"Hidden gem! I don't know how any other riding outfit could compare with this, being right in the Smoky mountains national park. It was a professional outfit and the horses were extremely well behaved. We came across a bear right off the path and the horses walked right past without a problem which was great because of my kids but also amazing for us to be close enough for a good glimpse and photos. We also saw a lot of birds and a doe. We've done other rides in the area and had a so-so experience with ill-mannered horses that almost ruined the experience and snapping at each other in the stalls. Our guide was great and was sure to put safety first for us and made sure the smallest rider was secured when we came across the bears and to give us clear instructions for passing by. What an experience!! Beautiful scenery with a creek flowing through the property."

"My children and I did the one hour trail ride up and down the mountain. It was my girls first time on a horse for an extended amount of time and they loved every minute of it! The horses were beautifully behaved and the guides were helpful in giving us a quick tutorial in riding:). My only negative comment is the guide for the trail ride was constantly smoking and my daughter rode right behind him so had to smell smoke a lot of the time. Other than that the views were beautiful and a very safe experience ."