As I've mentioned a bunch of times, my older daughter is obsessed with horses. For her birthday we wanted to do something related to horses but she's at kind of a tricky age. At six years old she is a little bit young for horseback riding at most places but she is also getting kind of old to ride a pony around in a circle. We decided to take her out to Memory Lane Stables for a pony ride and she had a really great time.
Memory Lane Stables is located at 8290 Kean Ave. in Willow Springs and offers both horseback riding and pony rides. The pony rides are approximately 1 hour long and involve the parent pulling the horse (kind of like walking a dog) through a scenic forest preserve while the child rides. This is so far superior to your kid riding a pony in a small circle. My daughters actually felt like they were riding a horse. My six year old was the perfect age and absolutely loved the whole experience. My three year old also had a great time but she was a little small for the ride. They suggested that we pay to have an employee come along with us so that someone could pull her horse and someone else could walk beside her to make sure she didn't fall off the horse. It cost us an extra $5 but was definitely comforting in the beginning and once she got used to riding I was free to take a bunch of photos and enjoy the walk.
There is a small parking lot in front of the stables and then you walk right in to sign up for a ride. You don't have to make advanced reservations but I think they may only take cash. A one hour pony ride is $15 per child. Before it was time for our pony ride the girls were able to hang out in the barn and pet all the horses, which they enjoyed tremendously. The stable is open 7 days a week.
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