Trail Rides Around Margaret River: Every Ride Compared

Eleven guided trail rides cover the Margaret River region, and every one of them departs from a single farm. Jesters Flat operates from Rosa Brook, about 18 km and 20 minutes east of Margaret River town, and sends riders out along bush tracks, through karri forest and across the Whicher ranges to the south. There is no beach ride in this roster and no sunset ride: the rides here are bush, forest and farmland country, and the closest thing to a coastal ride is a beach product run out of Geographe Bay near Busselton, covered separately in our guide to horse riding in Busselton.

This page is the picker. We compared the rides by duration, terrain, difficulty, minimum age and from-price so you can match a ride to your experience, your budget and the amount of saddle time you actually want. The operator holds 4.9 from 325 TripAdvisor reviews, a rating that belongs to the business as a whole rather than to any single ride. Two other operators exist in the district, The Horse Resort and The Humble Horse, but neither publishes rides or prices on their sites, so they are not sold here and get only a neutral mention.

What Trail Rides Exist Around Margaret River?

Around Margaret River, one operator runs eleven trail rides in three groups: three short country and bush rides lasting 75 to 90 minutes, five forest treks of two to four hours through karri and jarrah country, and three full-day rides of six to seven hours with lunch. Prices range from AUD 85 per person for the shortest ride to AUD 480 for the seven-hour Brewery ride, with a rider weight guide of about 90 kg on every ride. If you're hoping to pair a ride with cellar-door visits, the guide to horseback wine tours around Margaret River explains what is actually possible.

The short rides stay on the home property at Rosa Brook. They are bush and countryside tracks, close to the farm, and they suit beginners and families with children aged 10 and up. The forest treks go further afield: the Boranup ride drives riders from the farm to the karri forest, the Wanderer tour spends three hours in forest, and the longer treks reach into the Whicher ranges and Rapids Conservation Park. The full-day rides are point-to-point journeys through national park forest, with horses trucked to the start and riders bussed home.

Here is the whole roster in one table. Prices are per person, in Australian dollars, as listed by the operator.

A note on the private ride: it is arranged by email or phone rather than through an online listing, and the operator states it is unavailable during school holidays and peak periods. If a private ride is what you are after, contact the farm directly rather than hunting for a booking page.

Which Short Ride Suits A First-Time Rider?

For a first time in the saddle, the 90-Minute Introduction Ride at AUD 95 is the purpose-built option: basic safe-riding instruction comes first, then a relaxed, walk-only bush ride, graded for beginners with a minimum age of 10. If you already ride a little, the 75-Minute Country Lane Ride at AUD 85 is the cheaper entry point and allows some trotting, while the Little Grove Ride at AUD 95 adds forest and kangaroos.

The Introduction Ride is the one designed for people who have never sat on a horse. The listing describes basic instruction first, then a bush ride at walking pace only, which matches the operator's own FAQ guidance that beginners walk before they trot. That structure matters: a nervous rider gets the controls explained on the ground, then a calm hour and a half in the bush without any pressure to go faster.

The Country Lane Ride is the farm's most affordable product and it is broader in scope than the introduction. It is graded beginners to advanced, meaning mixed groups ride together, and there is an opportunity to trot for those who want it, with walk-only allowed for those who do not. Helmets, boots and wet-weather gear are supplied, which saves packing anything but comfortable clothes.

The Little Grove Ride covers forest and bushland where kangaroos and birdlife are the regular company, and the operator states a winter camp fire runs after the ride in the colder months. That fire is a small thing worth knowing about if you are visiting between June and August, when long-term BoM averages put mean rainfall at 179.7 mm in June and 194.1 mm in July at nearby Witchcliffe, the wettest part of the year.

If none of the short rides sounds long enough, the next step up is the forest trek group, and the jump in commitment is real: three hours in the saddle is a different day from 75 minutes. Beginners ready for that step should read our beginners guide to horse riding in Margaret River before committing to a trek.

What Are The Forest Treks Like?

The five forest treks range from the two-hour Boranup karri ride at AUD 260 to the four-hour Blackwood Forest ride at AUD 240, and they suit riders from strong beginner to experienced depending on the route. The Boranup ride is the signature: riders meet at Jesters Flat, drive to the karri forest, then ride about two hours among tall timber, with a minimum age of 15 and a grading of intermediate to advanced, not for beginners.

Boranup is the ride most people picture when they think of riding in this region. The karri forest south of Margaret River is some of the tallest timber country in Western Australia, and the operator's route puts riders under it rather than past it. Because the ride starts with a drive from the farm, allow extra time beyond the two hours in the saddle. At AUD 260 it is one of the more expensive half-day options, and the grading is firm: intermediate to advanced, minimum age 15, and the operator's 90 kg weight guide applies as on every ride. If Boranup fills your morning, the two-day Margaret River itinerary shows how to fit the ride in alongside caves, canoeing and whale watching.

The Wanderer Tour is the three-hour forest option at AUD 185, and it has the clearest fitness requirement on the roster: riders must be able to trot for extended periods. It suits intermediate and advanced riders aged 12 and up. The Irishmans Pool Ride, also three hours at AUD 185, sits a notch lower at strong beginner and up, mostly walking pace with small trotting sections, and it runs through the Whicher forest and Rapids Conservation Park. The operator does not state a minimum age for that one.

The Blackwood Forest Ride is the four-hour trek at AUD 240. Riders arrive 20 minutes early for a short property check ride, then a 15-minute truck drive, then about 3.5 hours riding back through forest and farmland. The operator runs a commuter bus for non-riders, which makes it one of the few treks a travelling companion can tag along on without sitting in the saddle.

The Canebrake Ride bridges the trek and full-day groups: four hours, AUD 260, novice to advanced riders who can trot, minimum age 15, with a light lunch included and a swim at the river pool in Whicher National Park when weather permits. Horses travel by truck and riders return to Jesters Flat by bus. It is the cheapest ride on the roster that includes a meal, and it earns its place as the natural halfway point between a trek and a full day.

Which Full-Day Ride Should You Choose?

Choose the 6-Hour Conservation Park Tour at AUD 380 if you're an experienced rider seeking long trots and canters, the 6-Hour Berry Farm Ride at AUD 400 if you're intermediate to advanced and want roughly 5.5 hours in the saddle, or the 7-Hour Colonial Brewery Ride at AUD 480 if you'd like about 6 hours of riding capped with brewery refreshments. All three include lunch and demand intermediate fitness or better.

These are working days on horseback. The Conservation Park Tour spends six hours through national park forest with, per the listing, scope for long trots and canters, and it is the only ride graded experienced with good fitness required, minimum age 15. The Berry Farm Ride is similar in length but slightly more forgiving: intermediate to advanced, about 5.5 hours riding, a light lunch, afternoon tea at the Berry Farm cafe, and a bus back to Jesters Flat. The operator does not state a minimum age for either of those two.

The Colonial Brewery Ride is the biggest day the operator offers: seven hours all up, about six in the saddle, through Whicher National Park forest, with a light lunch at Canebrake Pool, refreshments at the Colonial Brewery and a bus home. At AUD 480 it is the most expensive ride on the books, and the grading says intermediate to advanced with good fitness. Riders who can commit to that much saddle time get the fullest version of the region's forest country.

Choosing between the three comes down to pace and appetite. Riders who want to canter pick the Conservation Park tour. Riders who want a gentler rhythm with a cafe stop pick the Berry Farm ride. Riders who want the longest single journey, and a beer at the end of it, pick the Brewery ride. None of them suits a first-time rider, and honest planning means saying so plainly.

How Much Do Trail Rides Cost And What Limits Apply?

Trail rides cost between AUD 85 for the 75-minute Country Lane ride and AUD 480 for the seven-hour Brewery ride, with the sharpest increase falling between the AUD 95 90-minute rides and the AUD 260 Boranup Forest ride. Riders should stay near 90 kg unless experienced, and cancellations forfeit 25% beyond 48 hours or 100% inside that window, with a credit voucher offered where possible.

The pricing pattern is simple: you pay for time in the saddle and for what is included. Short rides are AUD 85 to AUD 165. Forest treks are AUD 185 to AUD 260. Full days with meals are AUD 380 to AUD 480. The private hour at AUD 165 is the outlier, priced well above the group short rides because the group is yours alone, though it is not bookable online and not available in school holidays or peak periods.

The 90 kg guide is the operator's own, stated across the roster, and it exists because horses are matched to riders, not the other way round. If your weight sits near or above the guide, contact the farm before booking rather than arriving and being turned away; the operator notes exceptions for experienced riders. Weight questions are common enough that we treat them in detail elsewhere, including our article on whether it is hard to ride a horse as a beginner.

Cancellation terms deserve a line of planning advice. A Margaret River weekend often books months ahead, and plans change. Anything cancelled more than 48 hours before the ride costs 25% of the booking; inside 48 hours the full amount is charged, with a credit voucher where possible. Weather is a separate question: the farm supplies wet-weather gear on its short rides, and the region's wettest months are June and July, when long-term BoM averages at Witchcliffe record 15.6 and 19.1 rain days of a millimetre or more respectively.

When Is The Best Season For A Trail Ride?

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for a Margaret River trail ride. October falls inside the peak wildflower window of roughly August to November, with daytime means reaching the low twenties by late spring and calmer bushfire risk than high summer. Winter is wetter but quieter, with about 9.9 hours of daylight at the June solstice, while summer offers up to about 14.4 hours at the December solstice, at the cost of heat and fire-season caution.

Spring is the season this region shows off. The South West carries more than 8,000 native plant species and around 300 orchid species, and October is the month local tourism sources call the peak around Margaret River, when coastal heath and forest understory overlap in colour. A forest trek through Boranup or the Whicher ranges in October rides through the middle of that. Daytime means at Witchcliffe run 19.7 °C in October and 22.8 °C in November, comfortable riding weather by any standard.

Summer changes the calculus. The AFAC outlook flags above-average fire potential in the southern Jarrah Forest and Warren bioregions, which include this region, and total fire bans can restrict vehicle access in bushland on extreme days. Live park alerts are published at DBCA's park alerts page, and no closures were listed for Leeuwin-Naturaliste or the Margaret River area in the most recent check. Entry to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park itself is free, per the official Explore Parks WA park page, so no park fee adds to a ride's cost.

Winter is the quiet option. June and July are the wettest months on record, but they are also the low season for visitors, and the Little Grove ride's winter camp fire exists precisely for them. School holidays matter for families: WA Term 4 2026 runs 12 October to 17 December, and summer holidays run 18 December 2026 to 31 January 2027, dates confirmed on the WA Department of Education term dates page. The private ride is off the books in school holidays, so families wanting their own group in that window need a plan B.

Season-by-season, the trade-offs look like this.

What Should You Wear And How Do You Get To The Farm?

Wear long pants and closed shoes, and expect the farm to supply the rest: helmets, boots and wet-weather gear come with the short rides per the operator's FAQ, and riders should dress for the season, layers in winter and sun protection in summer. Getting there means driving to Rosa Brook, about 18 km and 20 minutes east of Margaret River town, and riders on the Blackwood ride are asked to arrive 20 minutes early for the property check ride. If you're wondering how a morning ride at Rosa Brook could fit into a fuller day of caves, canoeing and whale watching, our one-day Margaret River itinerary built around a trail ride shows exactly how it can work.

Gear is simpler here than most people expect. The operator supplies helmets and boots on its listed rides, so the only real packing decisions are clothing: long pants always, a jacket in the cooler months when mean minimums drop to 8.2 °C in July and August, and sunscreen in spring and summer. Our fuller advice on this lives in the what to wear guide for Margaret River riding, including footwear and rain planning.

Access is a self-drive affair. Most visitors reach Margaret River from Perth in about 3 hours 15 minutes by car, then add the 20 minutes east to Rosa Brook. Riders coming from the north, say Dunsborough or Yallingup, should also read our pages on horse riding in Dunsborough and Yallingup for how the district's options fit together. There is no public transport to the farm, so a vehicle, a tour transfer or a very obliging friend is required.

One more planning note: the site you are reading, Margaret River Horse Riding, exists to sort exactly this decision, and the homepage tables compare every ride at a glance if you want to skip the prose.

Common Questions About Trail Rides Near Margaret River