Pere Marquette Riding Stables - Grafton, Illinois

Robyn C.

$55 per person for an all inclusive experience; just bring yourself, they will take care of the rest.

Beautiful horses and experienced guides. They take you on a trail through wooded areas and a sunny clearing. We were on horse back for a little over an hour, around an hour and a half. We were the first ride of the day and the horses were still sleepy. I think we ran a little later then expected because there were people waiting when we returned.

Part of the trail the horses went slowly up and down hills and on different terrain. Part of the time all of the horses moving at more of a trot. It was a great experience and you will feel it the next day if you haven't ridden in years.

Riders with no experience were up front and offered frequent encouragement and instruction from the guide.

Mara M.

The property and the horses were beautiful.
The owner was helpful and patient with my family . (3 of 4 of us were beginners)
Thank you !
Eunious our trail guide was great and took the extra time to make sure my 2 young daughters were making it along with no problems . It was their first time and they LOVED it. We can't wait to come back again !

Richard B.

I went with a group of four - me, my wife, my son, and his girlfriend. We did not have a good experience. The stables are in a great location - right off the highway between Grafton and Pere Marquette State Park. The trail and scenery are beautiful, the stables and property seem to be well maintained, and the horses appear to be well taken care of. The cost ($55 per person) is very reasonable for an hour trail ride.
So with all of the good points listed above, what went wrong? First, we were 5 minutes late for our ride. Probably not unheard of when it comes to tourists, but we were all dressed down and yelled at by the owner. Just so you know, you are expected to arrive 45 minutes early in order to read and sign waivers, be issued helmets (if you want them) and be properly seated on the horses and receive instructions prior to the ride. We arrived 40 minutes early. I don't mind being reminded of the time, but the owner was downright rude. He told us we might be forced to go at a later time (which would have been fine with us) if we didn't hurry, but he didn't tell us that the whole ride would be rushed. We were supposed to start the trail at 1 o'clock, and we did, but the guide rushed us so much and spent the whole time trying to jog the horses that the whole ride didn't take an hour.
Next, three of us were beginners. I have been on a few trail rides in my life but have less than 10 hours experience on horses. My son and his girlfriend are complete novices and had never been on a horse prior to the trail ride. My wife is an experienced rider. They placed her on the "friskiest" horse right behind the guide with me next and the 2 complete beginners last. Enos, the guide, was completely awful. He did not speak to anyone in our group on the entire trail except to yell at the inexperienced riders to go faster, kick or hit the horses, or adjust body posture.
Here we are, riding some beautiful horses through some of the most beautiful scenery in the area, and we get nothing except yelling. To make matters worse, Enos had no teeth, so he was hard to understand when he was trying to bark orders. As I said, he was trying to jog the horses through the trail, I presume to get it over faster. This would have been fine for experienced riders, but it was ill advised to do so with 3 novice riders 2 of whom were taking their very first horseback ride. He yelled at me several times about my posture without taking any time to explain what I was doing wrong. He was way worse to the other 2, constantly berating them for their posture and yelling at them to run their horses faster. (Why put the newbies at the back?).
Also, he refused to take pictures of us with my wife's phone when asked. The riders are not allowed to use their phones or take pictures on the trail, but Enos had time to smoke a cigarette and get his phone out and mess with it.
Now, Enos seemed to be a fine horseman. I don't know whether or not he actually cares for horses, but he does not seem to enjoy his job, especially the part about having to deal with the public. Maybe he works hard and doesn't make enough money and doesn't get enough appreciation for it, but he certainly isn't trying hard to earn any extra tip money.
This is the reason for my 2 star review. Since when is it okay to run a business selling tourist excursions while being rude to your clients? I realize that the pandemic made this behavior more common, but it is still not acceptable to me. If you pay good money for food, hospitality, or entertainment, you should at a bare minimum be treated politely and with respect no matter the circumstances. Unfortunately, some people and places such as the Pere Marquette Stables, seem to think that it is acceptable to be rude and impolite to paying customers. Hopefully we were there on a bad day or at a bad time, but I cannot excuse the unacceptably rude behavior of the owner and guide. We won't be coming back, and my son and his girlfriend said they never want to ride horses again.

Alison K.

Decent place to visit for horseback riding- recommended to make reservations, reasonable price, bathroom outside, helmets offered and not required to wear.
Very timely, so punctuation is necessary otherwise you'll miss your reservation. Horses were nice, not a treat-rewarding place. Staff appeared knowledgeable.

Update:
Staff are courteous, observant, and care about the horses and customer experiences! Check in and check out processes are simple. The horses were friendly and the trail rides are good for any skill level.

Deborah A.

My sister wanted to zipline so we planned a trip to Grafton. While there, we checked out the Pere Marquette Riding Stables and we were glad we did. The owner was very nice and accommodating. Our guide was not only informative but had some great stories. The horses are well taken care of and gentle. The trail was pretty. You aren't allowed to take pictures during the ride but the owner happily took lots of them for us both on and by the horses! And they were great pictures!

Peggy J.

What a great place to go ride the people there are so nice. And they can help you with somebody like my cousin who had MS. I strongly suggest going to this place super super friendly.

Debbie H.

We had a very nice ride, even saw some deer. The guides were very helpful & informative. From novice to experienced riders they explained how to control the horse & the name of the 🐎. Provided helmets for those who wanted them.

J S.

It was my first time on a horse. Loved it. The guys were courteous and volunteered to take pictures for everyone. The horses were all trained and it was a pleasure to partner with Drifter.