Ranch Visit/Pony Ride

[evilqueenmindy]

We will be at OKW in a couple weeks and have a horsey-obsessed 3 year old. I just learned the ranch existed and read that they have pony rides for little kids. is this open? the Disney site said no reservations required, so would we be able to drive in specifically for that? id rather not have to take a bus to a boat for what seems like a pretty shirt activity.

 

[Narcoossee11]

Only campers can drive in because they can park at thier site. . No parking lot through out campground. You have to bus back to horse barn if it is open.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Your best bet is to take the boat from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness and it is a short walk from the boat dock to the ranch for the pony rides. You can drive to Fort Wilderness but you have to park, then take the Fort's internal bus system to get to the ranch; you can't park at the ranch.

You can walk through the stables at the ranch where you can sometimes see the horses used in parades and weddings. If your daughter loves horses, there's also the carriage rides at the Fort. The carriage rides at Port Orleans will be starting up again in a few weeks and it is easier to get to that resort by car.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We will be at OKW in a couple weeks and have a horsey-obsessed 3 year old. I just learned the ranch existed and read that they have pony rides for little kids. is this open? the Disney site said no reservations required, so would we be able to drive in specifically for that? id rather not have to take a bus to a boat for what seems like a pretty shirt activity.

The pony rides are at the stable that is next to the Settlement depot at FW. It is a nice boat ride and short walk or you can drive, park and take one of the shuttle buses. All of them go to the Settlement depot.

 

[Sjm9911]

And its open. I was there in november. I forget what the prices were, as my 10 yo was too heavy to ride. But the new horse barn is very nice.

 

[Sjm9911]

 

[evilqueenmindy]

Thanks everyone! I’ve never visited fort wilderness, maybe we will just do the boat from MK. We’ve never visited fort wilderness before, so this will be a fun exploration for everyone

 

[ilovedisneymm]

The new barn is beautiful! You don't need reservations. It is $8 for one loop or $12 for two loops. There is a really nice pony loop/path and you can self lead your child on Cinderella's ponies. It was the highlight of the trip for my daughter.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

This!

And once you get off the boat, its just a short walk up to the new barn. Just ask any cast member and they will point you in the direction.

Thanks everyone! I’ve never visited fort wilderness, maybe we will just do the boat from MK. We’ve never visited fort wilderness before, so this will be a fun exploration for everyone

 

[bama_ed]

All the info above is good. I also have some pics from Oct 2020 that might help with expectations. The new Tri Circle D horse barn is on the far side of the Settlement Bus Depot (the one nearest the lake).















Bama Ed

 

[evilqueenmindy]

Aww these pics are so cool! She’s going to LOVE this

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

They also have horse drawn carriage rides (we did the holiday sleigh ride) at Ft. Wilderness. My kids (ages 3 and 5) had never been on a horse before so 2 loops around the pony ride was perfect for them. They loved it, and they could probably still tell you the names of the ponies they rode, along with the name of the horse that pulled our holiday "sleigh" carriage.

Reservations needed for carriage rides but not for pony rides. Just be aware of when the barn closes. Not sure the current schedule, but when we were there November 2020, it closed at 3, and in October 2021, it closed at 5.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

We made it to the ranch this afternoon!! We decided to chance a drive, and they let us in to visit for a couple hours. Our little horsewoman got to ride Vader, and was singing the song from Spirit on her whole ride. It was very cute.
i was really impressed with Fort Wilderness in general, we explored the docks and general store. Peaceful and beautiful area.
thanks for the tips from everyone on this thread, you helped us get where we needed to go!

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Did you happen to learn if the new baby was born last weekend as expected? The same mother who had the one last January was due again soon. They were talking about where they were going to keep her with the near freezing temps last week. We just missed the news..

 

[bama_ed]

We made it to the ranch this afternoon!! We decided to chance a drive, and they let us in to visit for a couple hours. Our little horsewoman got to ride Vader, and was singing the song from Spirit on her whole ride. It was very cute.
i was really impressed with Fort Wilderness in general, we explored the docks and general store. Peaceful and beautiful area.
thanks for the tips from everyone on this thread, you helped us get where we needed to go!
View attachment 645068

Love the little cowgirl boots! She's ready to ride!

Bama Ed

PS - our kids are in their 20s and some of them still remember the names of the horses they rode on the FW Pony Ride. It's quite a mental imprint for them.

 

[babyruth]

oh wow I love this! So to clarify, we can drive to Ft Wilderness to park and then take a bus to the campground area where the barn is? When taking the boat, forgive me it has been ions since we took a boat from MK to FW, would we take it from the park or the TTC?

 

[Stratman50th]

oh wow I love this! So to clarify, we can drive to Ft Wilderness to park and then take a bus to the campground area where the barn is? When taking the boat, forgive me it has been ions since we took a boat from MK to FW, would we take it from the park or the TTC?

Ok, this thread is over a year old but most of the information is still correct.
The boat is only from the Magic Kingdom park to Ft Wilderness and back. Not the TTC
If driving in, you can tell the guard you have a reservation for a pony ride at the Tri Circle D. They should let you park. You will then have to take one of the internal buses back to the settlement where it's a very short walk to the stables.

 

[flutegarden]

Under 48in? My daughter is right on the line and may be over by then. How strict are they? By contrast she’s very small and only 45 lbs or so.

 

[tetera]

Under 48in? My daughter is right on the line and may be over by then. How strict are they? By contrast she’s very small and only 45 lbs or so.

They are very, VERY strict about the height and it doesn't matter how little they weigh if they are above that line.

Had the same thing with my youngest who was about the same weight as yours when he was about 48 inches- they let him ride when he was AT the line (though they were a bit iffy about it and they still weighed him) but a few months later when he was just above the line they would not let him ride. He still loves to go visit and they will often let him pet the ponies and once even brought out the one he rode that one time so he could visit with him again.

(And at least when the kids are 9 they can do the horseback trail riding!)

 

[Pooh's World]

The bathroom at the stable barn is really clean.