With so many places closed or limited in capacity due to COVID-19, it’s become increasingly harder to find activities for my family to enjoy together. We’ve hiked, we’ve played board games, we’ve baked. You name it.
When I saw a Facebook post from Summers Performance Farm promoting their trail rides I just knew I had to reach out. My daughter has been obsessed with horses for years and I was so excited about the possibility of surprising her with a trail ride. I spoke back and forth with Marie, one of the owners of Summers Farm, and came up with a date and time to take all three of my kids (ages: 10, 6 and 4). I did not tell my kids until the morning of and it was such a fun surprise!
We had the best time at Summers Performance Farm and I’m so excited to tell you why you’ll want to book a trail ride for your family.
About Summers Performance Farm
Established in 2008, they are a small family owned and operated horse facility in Myersville, MD. The farm is known for breeding horses, riding lessons, horseback riding camps and trail rides. Summers lives up to the promise that they don’t just “have horses,” they have family members. It’s obvious from the appearance of the horses and their demeanor that they are very well taken care of.
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Trail Ride Prep
My kids loved being at the farm and seeing the variety of horses while we waited for the ride to start. Once our horses were brought out of the barn, their eyes were shining with excitement over which horse they would get to ride. Marie did a fantastic job telling us about the horses we would be riding, their temperament and some really sweet facts about each of them. It was obvious right away that she takes great pride in her horses and knows them each individually. She made sure that each horse matched well with it’s rider. My daughter and oldest son were on their own horses and my youngest son and I shared one. I was a bit nervous putting my six year old on a horse by himself - and so was he, but I was assured that he would be fine. Once everyone was matched with their horse, we spent some time going in the ring practicing commands and getting comfortable with the horses.
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The Trail Ride
By the time we left the farm and headed out on the trail ride, my crew was all smiles. Any nervousness they had was gone and it was pure excitement at this point. I was amazed at how well the horses were trained to stay the course and how responsive they were to instructions.
Marie guided us over a variety of terrain from roads to woods to streams. My kids loved navigating the horses around all of the areas and thought it was so incredibly cool that they were able to take them through water. I loved watching the confidence my kids had in themselves and their horses grow as we trotted along.
The ride was the perfect amount of time for all of us. Just as my youngest was starting to get tired we were headed back to the farm. I was really impressed with the length of the trail ride for the price - it's a great value.
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Treat Time
Once we arrived back at the farm we hopped off of our horses and headed to the barn. At the barn we were able to feed treats to the horses as a thank you for a great trip. This was by far one of the highlights of the day for my kids.
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Safety
Like all parents, the safety of my children is my number one priority. I was so impressed with the safety measures in place at the farm and on the ride. On the trail Marie led the group, she had another helper on horseback in the lineup and another one on foot in the back to make sure all of the horses were watched. At each point during the ride I felt completely comfortable that everything was under control. Summers provides just the right amount of independence without making you feel like you're on your own.
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How To Book Your Own Trail Ride
I can’t say enough great things about our trail ride experience at Summers Performance Farm and I know your family will love the experience! Perfect for individuals, groups or families, the trail rides last 1 ½ - 2 hours and are very reasonably priced at $35/person. To find out more or make a reservation, click here. In addition to trail rides, Summers Performance Farm offers riding lessons and summer camps. Summers Performance Farm is located at 12037 Wolfsville Road in Myersville.
*I was provided with a complimentary trail ride for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
