Just up the road, a dog leg left and a short more distance is a little slice of Heaven on earth. It’s called Catalina Horseback Adventures and owned and managed by Jeff Skelton and his family. Jeff has brought the horses back to Avalon, Catalina, CA., for the first time since 2008.
When they took over the site, it was so overgrown and just a mess. Once they started pulling out brush, trimming trees, and sorting it out, they found a golf cart stuck up in one of the trees. A lot of work and sweat went into restoring this site, and it shows.
I had the unique privilege to visit the ranch this past weekend with our Cruising Fleet from San Diego Yacht Club. There were about thirty of us there for the afternoon and evening. Ten of us went on a trail ride via horseback, and that took us to the top of the hill behind the ranch. The view was so spectacular! If you’ve never seen Avalon from up that high, it’s worth the trip to just do that.
My horse was “Hippo,” and she was so sweet, tame, and just followed nicely in line with the others. The other horses were fantastic, too, and just let us have our time enjoying the scenery while they moseyed along the trail.
The ranch hands, Tom and Noah, were instrumental in pairing us with our horse based upon experience, comfort and our stature. We spotted several “locals” along the way including a small infant fuzzy little Channel Island Fox, a fawn, and a lot of birds, including the local osprey. The trail itself was kept well, and the horses are very familiar with the terrain.
After the horseback ride, we enjoyed a custom barbecue experience from Avalon Smokehouse, which was excellent. The chicken and pulled pork was some of the best I’ve ever had. Seated at picnic tables, we were able to chat about our ride and share with the rest of the group. This was followed by spirited games of horseshoes and cornhole, which are available there at the Ranch.
Let’s not forget “Peanut” who stole our hearts with his sweet face and pouty eyes. We understand his brother is going to be on his way over in the next few weeks!
If you’re looking for a place to host a corporate event, team building, family reunion, reception, birthday party — or a homey destination for your Cruising Fleet / Yacht Club events — look no further. The Ranch provides a flexible and inspiring backdrop to connect, celebrate, and recharge. For more details, go to catalinahorseback.com.
