Hello RoosMarie and Shirkie:
I wanted to let you know how much my wife and I enjoyed our ride this past Friday, 4/14/08. You have a most beautiful island and Shirkie really knows some interesting stories. We arrived via a Cruise ship and I want everyone to know that they should save their horseback adventure for your island. Compared to the normal ship tours the value is tremendous. We had no problems at all connecting with your driver and your animals were very gentle - perfect for non-riders like us! Anyone interested in riding should know to go for it here! BTW - we saw such beautiful sights along the ride that we have decided that we will be back to spend a week or two in one of the wonderful places along the beach.
Ed Alsberg
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
April 2008

Hi Rosemarie,
The horseback riding was the highlight of the cruise April 2008. I had my 3 children with me ages 13, 5, and 16 who had never been on a horse and we all had a great time. We rode through the woods and down on the beach. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the island, it was a beautiful ride, if we ever travel there again we will ride again.
Pamela Lovett
Chicago, Ill
April 2008

dear roosmarie
just wanted to drop a line to say thank you for our ride and time on beautiful "isla roatan".
the connections with conway were perfect. he was pleasant helpful and informative. {his asst. was the same but i can't remember his name) they were both very proud of their home.
we met shirkie and went on the most spectacular ride of our lives. the beach was breathtaking. the west end village was like something i've never seen before. i wish our ship stayed overnight so we could have explored more. shirkie was an excellent guide and very helpful and patient with our inexperience. we were 2 adults and 3 children 11 to 15 and he made the girls very comfortable. for us to dismount and lead the horses over the wooden path on the beach was a highlight for them! (and me!) lastly, foster's west bay was a great way to end our day. the beach was even nicer than the west end. the food was great. the kids enjoyed the hammocks and jumping off the dock was a blast. my only regret is that we did not get to meet you!
we will plan our next visit to be much longer !
thanks again
jim mcgowan
nyc
february 2008

Someone aboard the Norwegian Spirit, which arrives in Roatan late in the afternoon, posted the following review on the CruiseCritic website after her January 2008 tour: Click here to read it (There are actually two reviews in the same spot; the first didn't get the spelling of our name right, but that's ok.)

Please tell Shirkie I had a wonderful time riding with him in Roatan on November 5, 2007. He'll remember me as the woman from New York, on a cruise, who knew how to ride and the rain storm we had at the end of the ride- we sheltered on a porch for a bit. I put a link to your site on our family's website. I hope you don't mind- it is here: The Lowders in Roatan
It was a lovely ride, as an experienced equestrian I can tell you Shirkie takes excellent care of the horses and is very good at leading trail rides. There's a cute photo of his horse and... well, his rear end... on the page above.
Thanks again, we'll be certain to ride again with you in the future.
Meredith Lowder
Hudson Valley, NY
November 2007

I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful service you provide at Rancho Barrio Dorcas. My son and I rode last Wednesday (the 23rd) and it was a wonderful experience for both of us. Shirkie picked out a quiet bay mare for my six-year-old to ride, and even though his feet did not quite reach the stirrups, he did just fine. We had to stop a couple of times and Shirkie straightened him in the saddle, but he never felt scared or insecure. I got to ride Trigger and he was so smooth it made me want to buy a gaited horse myself (my Morgan has a trot that will shake your kidneys out if you don't post!). Shirkie pointed out interesting things along the way as we rode, and it seemed that everyone on the island knew him. Conway from Foster's picked us up as arranged and made sure we got back to the ship on time. Our time at Foster's was great as well. The beach was beautiful and my son and I had a good time playing in the waves. Thank you again for everything. We will definitely ride with you again if we get back to Roatan. I may even persuade my husband to get out of his scuba gear long enough to ride as well!
Sincerely,
Ellen Haig
Wichita, Kansas
May 2007

Hi Roosmarie!!
We are back in the US now and want to thank you for taking us on a wonderful horseback riding trip on Roatan. The ride was beautiful--along a road, along the beach, and even through some water and a cute little town!! I loved my horse, Trigger. He was an awesome horse, especially for the inexperienced rider like me! Horseback riding was something I was dreading doing, and now, thanks to you, I want to do it again!! We loved how we got to get off the horses a few times so we never even were "saddle sore". We appreciated your informative tour as we rode along, as well. We learned a lot that we will never forget. We can't wait to come back and ride with you again. Thank you for everything!!
Kristine Hepworth
Antioch, CA, USA
April 2007

Darlene and I want to thank you for the best day of our trip. Roatan is one beautiful island and our ride was the highlight. We would like to return and ride once again. Hopefully, we will can travel there soon. Thank you for the proffesional way you handled our reservations.
Harold & Darlene Cohen
March 2007

Dear Roosmarie,
First I want to say thank you for a wonderful horseback riding excursion! We had a fantastic day riding your horses and Shirkie was everything in a guide we had hoped for. We loved Roatan! We decided at the end of our cruise that Honduras was our favorite port and the one place we'd like to return to for a week on the beach. We enjoyed our time at Fosters as it was very relaxing and the sand and water were delightful. (...) Please extend our thanks to Shirkie as well and we will be sure to recommend you to our friends when they travel to Honduras. Thanks again,
Kimber, Chuck and Demi
New York
February 2007

I just wanted to write and tell you what a fantastic time my family had horsebackriding. It was everything we hoped for. Conway was there 5 mins after we arrived. Sharkie was waiting for us by the roadside. He was friendly and showed us a great time. We walked down the road and saw a little of the town, went along the beach and ran with the horses in the water. Saw a bit of the park and through the condo's before finishing our ride. The afternoon at the beach resort was great and very relaxing. What a great excursion for a very reasonable price. I will highly recommend you to anyone going down to Roatan Hondouras. Happy New Year and Thanks again,
Jill Jones
Burlington Ontario.
Dec. 2006

A detailed review of the extended ride, complete with photos, was posted on the Cruise Critic message board. You can read it by clicking: Extended Ride Review

Hello Roosmarie,
Just wanted to send a quick email to let you know that my daugther and I thoroughly enjoyed our horseback riding tour last month. Shirkie was great and the views on the beach were awesome. It was just the 2 of us on the tour which made it actually quite nice. My husband was taken to Fosters and was happily sitting under a palapa with a drink when we arrived.
Thank you for your patience with all my questions and for making our trip to Roatan an enjoyable one. Please give our thanks to Shirkie and Conway for all they did for us that day. I'm sorry you and I didn't get to meet....maybe next time.
Take care!!
Joy Bennett,
East Syracuse, NY
March 2006

I just had to drop you a line, to thank you again for the phenomenal ride we had with Shirkie when we came to Roatan. My sister Linda has contacted you I know, but I was just looking at your website again with great fondness, and wishing we could again visit you and ride the waves with Shirkie. It truly was one of, if not THE best day we have had while traveling Thanks
Janet Whitney (sister of linda mroz)

Hello Roosmarie,
I want to Thank you so very much for such a wonderful day. The whole experience was perfect....Everyone in our group had a great time and was so glad they joined in....
I also want to thank you for putting up with me and all my questions...
It was hard to get up and go back to work today.
I hope we meet again someday....
Janet Pearson
Canyon Country, CA
November 2005

Another review was posted on the Cruise Critic message board in September 2005. You can read it by clicking: Ride & Foster's Review

- We enjoyed the horse back riding very much. The ride to the beach, along the beach and to the ocean side where the volcanic rock was great. The stop at the volcanic rock was spectacular. The guide did a great job with the horses and us. I will pass your horse back ride on to others. Thanks
Bobby Gross
Jensen Beach, FL
March, 2005

- Thank you so much for such an enjoyable adventure. It was so much fun, we didn't want to get off of the horses. Please pass along our compliments to Shirky, he was a great guide.
Thank you again,
Lynn Ward
Lutz, Florida
March, 2005

- As promised we were picked up at the cruise ship dock with our name posted on a card. Fernando was a fantastic guide who pointed out all of the highlights along the way. We met up with Shirkie at the ranch where the horses were saddled and ready to go. We thoroughly enjoyed our ride through the village and along the beach. Our ride ended at Foster's resort where we enjoyed picture perfect white sand beaches and many friendly faces. We had 10 riders and 2 non-riders that went directly to the resort. We all agreed that this excursion was THE highlight of our trip. Thanks to Fernando and Shirkie for a very memorable day.
PS: Don't forget the bug spray for the beach.
John & Tracy Cope
Livonia, New York
February, 2005

- Just wanted to thank you for the horseback riding experience. We just returned from our cruise and that was the highlight. Shirkie was an excellent guide and the horses were well trained and cared for.
Michael, Melinda, Jay, Lisa & Cammie
St. Charles, MO
February 2005

- Wanted to thank you and Shirkie for the absolutely wonderful time my family had riding on Tuesday.....It was the highlite of our vacation this week.... There seems to be, still, an innocence to Roatan which shows and is so wonderful to feel....Thank you for sharing this with us. We are not your normal 'ugly americans', cross my heart! We are grateful we stumbled across your website, you and your horses. In the meantime, peace and prosperity to you and Shirkie, Rosalita, Rain and the rest of the kids!
With kind regards,
Linda, Tom, and Zoe Mroz, Janet and Rachel Whitney
Davie, Florida
January 2005

- Just wanted to five some postive feedback on the ride - definitley a highlight of my trip, and a better way to really see some of the island.
Katharine Dippold
Sunrise, FL
December 2004

- It is Monday morning and unfortunately my vacation is over and I am back at work! But I wanted to thank you for your cooperation in arranging our horseback riding tour. Thanks for putting up with all our annoying time changes. My friends and I had a great time and Shirkie is a great tour guide! Please thank him on our behalf for a splendid time! We loved the horses, scenery and privacy (we saw large groups of people on similar horse tours but we enjoyed the more private one with Shirkie). I will definitely recommend this tour to any of my friends/family who come to Roatan.
---Michelle Soto
New York, NY
November 2004

- Hello, I just returned home from my cruise. I wanted to take a minute to let you know how much fun we had on the horseback ride. Shirkie and your nephew were great. I have sent info to several of my friends headed that way in the future. I will be returning to Roatan after the first of the year and would love to do another ride. Thanks again for making my vacation truly wonderful.
Michael Dennis
Vancouver, Washington
September 2004