Kahua Ranch, Big Island

Something that makes the rides at Kahua Ranch different is that if you are an experienced rider, you can ride fast. We’d do a bit of that meeting up with Maile of Na’alapa Stables. Na’alapa Stables, who runs a ride that we will take in Waipi’o Valley, also runs rides here at Kahua Ranch.

Kahua Ranch is up at a higher elevation than Parker at 3000 feet above sea level. It’s more hilly and green, but like Parker, it’s a historic working cattle ranch. Kahua raises primarily black Angus cattle.

I was riding Buddy, a 14-year-old buckskin Quarter Horse mix. Buddy liked to go fast, so I was usually a little in front of our group. We raced up a verdant green hill, with the Pacific Ocean and the island of Maui behind us in the distance. It was quite a rush riding Buddy with Maile and the others.

We had rain roll in and out, but that is not unusual for this lush area of Waimea. The best part of the ride was the gorgeous views of the ocean and the Kohala Coast in the distance.