Page 64 - SLO Visitors Guide Summer 2024

64 SUMMER 2024 slovisitorsguide.com
Cambria, San Simeon, North Coast
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Ride a gentle giant at
Covell Clydesdale Ranch
Take a trail ride through acres
of Monterey pine forest,
through pastures of grazing cattle,
and along a spectacular ocean
view. Covell Clydesdale Ranch in
Cambria offers guided trail rides
atop their 2000-pound gentle gi-
ants. Tara Covell says, “These are
gentle and calm horses and easy to
ride, you just have to be able-bod-
ied and able to take instructions.”
Imagining sitting atop their broad
backs can be daunting, but many
say it’s the experience of a lifetime.
Trail rides and
tours travel past
spectacular views
“The
rides are
mostly
walking,”
said Tara,
“with
some
trotting and
cantering
depending on
ability.” Children
must be at least seven
years old. Helmets are not
required but are provided if wanted.
Bring your camera!
Other fun includes UTV tours
for groups of five or fewer or wagon
tours for larger groups. The tours
include the history of the ranch and
up-close encounters with the pas-
tured Clydesdales. Rancher Ralph
Covell, who passed away on Febru-
ary 3, 2023, had raised Clydesdale
horses for over 40 years, 23 of those
in Cambria. Originally based in
Azusa, California, he bred and
showed his huge horses throughout
the country. His search for more
rural space brought his horses
and family to a 2000-acre parcel
amongst the Monterey pine forest
in Cambria. The inspiration to open
the ranch to the public came about
in 2015
when his
daughter,
Tara,
came up
with the
idea to
offer rides
and tours for
the public. This
business has car-
ried the ranch for years,
and is continuing the legacy her
father dreamed of for decades!
Covell currently has 50 Clydes-
dales, a breed of draft horse well
known in the United States for
representing Budweiser. The large,
gentle Clydesdale is named for its
origin in the valley of the River
Clyde in Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Clydesdales were exported to other
countries to help with farming.
As mechanized farming began
replacing the horse the Clydesdale’s
population diminished. Today the
Clydesdale is bred primarily for
show and is considered a vulner-
able breed.
Clydesdales weigh between
1800 and 2000 pounds and
measure around 18 hands. A hand
equals four inches measured from
Tara Covell with a Clydesdale foal.