About Us

Horseback riders

The "Horse is King" on Mackinac Island, Michigan!

Enjoy this lovely and historic island on horseback. Cindy's Riding Stable provides riding horses and guides to help you enjoy the beautiful trails in the Mackinac State Historic Park. The park covers 2500 acres and 83 miles of roads and trails are perfect for individual horseback riding or guided trail rides. Enjoy this affordable and fun way of experiencing Mackinac.

After you have described your riding ability we will do our best to match you with a horse appropriate for your skill level. Safety is very important to us. Look over our policies for more information. After saddling up, our guides will give riding instructions and escort you to the state park. At this point you may continue on your own or with one of our experienced guides. Cindy's Riding Stable, started our riding business in 1974 with just a few horses. Today we maintain an excellent stable of 30 saddle horses for riders of various abilities. Read our History section below for more information about the Gough family that has been in the business since 1953.

Would you rather drive a carriage? Visit our sister company, Jack's Livery Stable, right down the road.

We provide detailed maps for our riders. Visit our Contact page for a locator map and island riding map.

Are you interested in joining our staff and working as a guide? If you have experience with horses, please visit our Employment page.

We look forward to helping you experience Mackinac in this special way...on horseback! If you have any questions, please contact us. Happy Riding!

History

Prior to 1953, Taylor Gough rented a few drive-yourself horse and buggies out of Horn's barn on Market Street. He had an old gray mare named "Babe," a thin bay gelding named "Pete" and a quiet black gelding named "King." In 1953, Taylor's sons Jack and Burton Gough established Jack's Livery Stable on Mahoney Avenue.

Upon Jack's death in 1970 and Burton's death in 1976, Jack's sons, William and Reginald , Burton's son Dale, and William's wife Cindy took over the family business which now includes Cindy's Riding Stable (formerly Chicago Riding Stable) on Market Street. Today Dale and his wife Jodi, William's son, Teddy, and Dale and Jodi's children, Veronica, Burton and Kristi run the business.  Four generations of Goughs in the horse business have experienced the expansion from Taylor's three horses in 1952 to today's over 75 carriage and riding horses.

Burton Gough
Billy Gough
Owner Billy Gough
Billy Gough
Sadly, we lost Billy in 2013.
Sign erected in 1995
Sign erected in 1995
Out to pasture during the off-season
Out to pasture during the off-season