Horseback riding trail rides for the entire family. Reservations at 218-746-3990.
Brainerd Lakes premier horseback riding trail ride experience through Pillsbury State Forest. All levels of skill welcome.
Each horse trail ride is unique to your group or family. One-hour trail rides are $50/person. (Longer rides available upon request.) Reservations required. Call 218-746-3990
Board your horse at Outback! In addition to trail rides, Outback offers overnight boarding and monthly boarding. Our indoor 68'x108' riding barn is great for fine tuning your riding skills. If you are in need of boarding your horse, we have a 36'x90' stall barn for indoor boarding and also pasture boarding.
The Riding Lessons Program at Outback Ranch is designed for adults and kids (ages 5 and up) with an interest in horse riding. During the Riding Lessons Program, you will have a chance to experience horse care first hand from a experienced wrangler/mentor. Activities include horse riding, horse care, and horse handling skill building.
Take a look at some of our trail ride photos. Check back here for photos taken during your trail ride - download them and share on social media.
Welcome to Outback Trail Rides, Inc. located in beautiful Pillager, MN! A family run horse ranch near scenic Pillsbury State Forest in the heart of central Minnesota. We are proud to offer one of a kind guided trail rides through Pillsbury State Forest as well as our ranch property for horse enthusiasts of all ages. We pride ourselves in hand picking the perfect horse, which provides a safe and enjoyable horseback riding experience for all. Plan on savoring the stunning scenic woods, lovely lakes, and the wonderful wildlife enjoying their natural habitat, all from the back of your horse. A truly scenic and peaceful ride enjoyed by all ages and level of riders. We have wonderful guides willing to help you along the trail from start to finish. We invite you to saddle up and wrangle on over for a wonderful ride at Outback Stables.
One-Hour Trail Ride $50.00
Longer rides available upon request, call for pricing and to schedule
(**We reserve the right to group rides due to staff and horse availability.)
*Rides leave at the scheduled ride time. *Riders MUST arrive 15 minutes BEFORE the scheduled ride departure to ensure horse and rider are prepped and ready to hit the trail.
*Due to insurance requirements, riders must be at least six years old and weigh less than 250 lbs.
*Reservations required - call 218-746-3990
The Riding Lessons Program at Outback Ranch is designed for adults and kids (ages 5 and up) with an interest in horse riding. During the Riding Lessons Program, you will have a chance to experience horse care first hand from a experienced wrangler/mentor. Activities include horse riding, horse care, and horse handling skill building.
Program Details
Reservations are required.
Call 218-746-3990 to schedule or additional information.
Board your horse at Outback! We offer a overnight and monthly horse boarding. We offer a variety of options.
Our indoor 68'x108' riding barn is great for fine tuning your riding skills. If you are in need of boarding your horse, we have a 36'x90' stall barn for indoor boarding and also pasture boarding.
Prices range from $225 to $375
For pricing and more information or call 218-746-3990.
General
Do I have to make a reservation? Yes, all of our trail rides are private and in order to ensure we have horses ready for you, it is necessary to make a reservation. (Please note we reserve the right to group riders if needed due to staff and horse availability. A minimum of four riders per trail ride is needed. Parties of one, two or three riders may incur a surcharge.)
What types of payment do you take? All major credit cards and cash. No checks accepted.
How do I get there? We are in Pillager, MN approximately 10 miles west of Brainerd. Our address is 12210 Pillsbury State Forest Road Southwest. We are approximately 2 miles north of Highway 210 off the 33rd Ave SW turn. The turn is marked with a sign for Walter E. Stark Horse Camp.
Go 9.3 miles east of U.S. Highway 10 at Motley on State Highway 210, or 10.2 miles west of State Highway 371 in Baxter on State Highway 210 to the Pillsbury Forest Road. Take the Pillsbury Forest Road 2 miles north to the ranch.
When are you open? Generally we are open 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily. We are open from spring through fall; however hours do vary depending on reservations and weather. We encourage you to call ahead.
Can we tip our guides? It’s not required … but it is appreciated!
Are there restrooms? We have an outdoor (port-a-potty) restroom.
Can I bring my dog? No dogs are allowed on the ranch premises.
Do you offer gift certificates? Yes, in any amount and for any activity. Call our office to purchase one. Gift certificates are nonrefundable.
TRAIL RIDES
How do I make a reservation? Just call 218-746-3990. We will ask for the number of adults and children and age of children. Please note, riders must be at least 6 years old and under 250 lbs. Each reservation requires a contact phone number. Reservations are required in advance, the sooner the better.
What if it rains? We encourage you to call the stables if weather is in question. We do not ride in the rain.
How old do you have to be? Children must be at least 6 years old to ride on trail.
Do you allow double riding? For safety and insurance reasons we cannot allow double riding.
Do we go out with a guide? Yes. Every ride is a private, guided trail ride.
Do we get to gallop? The trail rides are primarily walk/trot. Each guide can make a determination of the riders ability to stay in control of the horse at all times. The guide’s responsibility is for our guests to have a safe and fun ride.
How long is the ride? Your experience includes a one-hour trail ride. We ask that you come 15 minutes prior to the start of your ride to complete paperwork, this will also ensure you receive a one-hour ride. Our guides are booked through the day and for the benefit of all our guests, need to adhere to their schedule.
What if I’m late for my ride? Our rides are scheduled to go at the time of your reservation. We do our best to accommodate our guests. Your ride time may be altered, or you may be asked to reschedule.
What should we wear? We strongly encourage long pants and closed-toed, closed-heeled shoes, such as tennis shoes or boots. For the safety of our riders, we strongly discourage flip-flops, sandals, clogs etc. Dress for the weather.
Are helmets required? Yes, for anyone under 16 years old. Equestrian helmets are included in the cost of a trail ride, but you may also bring your own equestrian riding helmet. Helmets are optional for adults. All helmets are sanitized after each ride.
What if I have never been riding? We take novice riders all the time! Our horses are calm and well-trained.
Can I bring my camera/cell phone on the ride? We strongly discourage the use of cell phones or cameras on the trail. We do have cameras on the trail and will upload photos to our Facebook page. The guides are also able to take photos for you. You may take pictures before or after the ride. If a rider drops a phone or camera on the trail, there may be a fee if a guide must retrieve it. Riders are not allowed to dismount on the trail.
Do we always take the same trail? No. It is up to the guides to decide where to go. Some trails are used more than others, but rarely are two rides the exact same route.
Can you accommodate special needs riders? Reasonable accommodations may be able to be made for participants with special needs; as with all our activities, safety is our primary concern. Please call the office for additional information.
Can I request a horse? Yes. We do rotate our horses, but we do our best to accommodate requests.
LESSONS
For what ages and what type of lessons do you have? All lessons are private, western riding lessons. We welcome learners from 5 years-old on up.
Do parents need to accompany children? Parents are welcome to watch the lesson.
Are helmets required? Yes, helmets are required for lessons.
What will I learn? Safety around horses, grooming, saddling, bridling, communicating with a horse, proper position, rhythm skills, steering, control, and much more.
Is it English or Western? We provide western riding lessons.
HEY! WHAT IF I DIDN’T SEE MY QUESTION?
Just give us a call at (218) 746-3990 or send an email to ride@outbacktrailride.com