About an hour east of San Diego on the outskirts of Pine Valley is the Horse of the Sun Ranch, operated by the Armed Services YMCA San Diego. The ranch provides a variety of equestrian and other opportunities to military service members and their families, but also opens its programs to the public as well.

Programs available at the time of this writing include:

• Equestrian Day Camp
• Horseback Riding Program
• Ranch Day
• Home School / Charter School Program
• Leadership Development

Participants can enjoy activities such as horseback riding; feeding and grooming horses; archery; gardening; hiking; laser tag; and leathercrafts. Each year, the ranch hosts its Fall Festival in October, and the photos in the gallery below were from the 2024 Fall Festival.

If you are interested in busting out of the city and having a unique experience with your family, check out Horse of the Sun Ranch.

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Horse of the Sun Ranch was also featured on KPBS in February 2023:

Explore San Diego and beyond.

Full disclosure: The author is a former employee of the Armed Services YMCA San Diego and was not asked to feature the ranch and was not compensated for doing so.

What You Need to Know

Location:	28271 Old Hwy 80, Pine Valley, CA 91962
Transit:	Not available
Hours:	Varies by program
Phone:	(619) 473-8458
Website:	https://sandiego.asymca.org/services/hsranch/
Cost:	Varies by program
Tips:	Book experiences early.
Date Visited:	26 October 2024