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We were visiting Manitoulin Island for the second year in a row but had not had the pleasure of visiting the Kicking Mule Riding Stables before. The Kicking Mule Riding Stables is near the Ranch of the same name, which has housing and accommodation, but they are not exactly the same thing. The Cookhouse has quite an extensive menu, the staff are all friendly, and the food was quite good (the fries and onion rings were especially crispy and delicious!) It seemed like people in the area were calling ahead to order food even though they were not coming to the stables to ride horses. We enjoyed our food, although we, and the family at the table socially distant from us, were constantly waving away multitudes of flies (which are, of course, to be expected in a stable, albeit slightly annoying while trying to eat one's lunch). After an otherwise pleasant meal (I think we might have lingered and enjoyed ourselves a bit more if we didn't rush our lunch due to the flies), my little son enjoyed a refreshing popsicle and then we headed over for a pony ride. When you think of pony rides, you think of a small enclosed area with a tiny pony just going in circles for about 5 mins. Here at Kicking Mule, the pony was quite a large creature, very gentle and obedient (although stopped at several bushes along the way to chomp at leaves which delighted us but wasn't apparently a shining example of his obedience), and the ride took us up through the forest and around a short trail back to the stables, which was more extensive than we'd expected and left my little 6 year old son absolutely thrilled with the experience. Riders must be at least 8 years old to go on a full trail ride which is apparently an hour in length right into the forest, and must be booked in advance. We are very much looking forward to coming back and being able to enjoy that as a family! Meanwhile, my little son loved his trail ride (he ended up telling us every day for the next few days that he wanted to return) and then ran over to the petting farm, which consisted of goats, little donkeys, various fowl, and peacocks. He was especially delighted to be allowed to go into a couple of the pens to pet the animals. The petting farm is free and also doesn't need to be booked in advance. All in all, we had a lovely time at Kicking Mule and wouldn't hesitate to return! As a postscript, I would especially commend the young employees, a young lady with blonde hair and our guide on the pony ride Andrew, both of whom seemed like they had the maturity, wisdom, and skill to easily run the place on their own, while being friendly and knowledgeable. They left us very impressed.…
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Date of experience: August 2020
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