Ride the trails with Thunder Horse Outfitters in Burnet

Exploring the Burnet County landscape on horseback is an outing that’s not been readily available until recently, when Travis Caffee opened Thunder Horse Outfitters at Reveille Peak Ranch, the Texas outpost of his Colorado business. 

Caffee, who’s been saddling up since he was 7 years old, offers trail rides of differing lengths and overnight camping trips on horseback. Riders will see stunning views of wildlife, granite outcroppings, and lakes in the distance. Newbies can sign up for lessons.

Thunder Horse Outfitters operates its trail rides from the fall through the spring. In the summer, Caffee and his 12 horses move back to Grand Lake, Colorado, where they are from. Texas summers are too hot for the horses and Colorado winters too cold, he said. 

Besides an almost lifelong familiarity with horses, Caffee has always been drawn to the outdoors. The Austin native spent a decade with the National Park Service, much of that time as a horseman preparing the animals for off-road trips. 

Not only does Thunder Horse provide a much-needed recreation option in Burnet County, it’s also rescued many of its horses from a sad fate. Caffee acquired some of his animals from auctions, which are often attended by bidders who resell to slaughterhouses. 

In a mission statement on its website, Thunder Horse Outfitters shares its ideas on nature, sustainability, and preservation. The first paragraph sums up what makes a trail ride a special experience: “We believe that being surrounded by the majestic beauty of the outdoors while riding amazing animals is healing for the body, mind and soul.”

Escape congested ribbons of asphalt and view nature’s scenery up close — at a slow pace astride a horse — at Thunder Horse Outfitters in Burnet County.

Thunder Horse Outfitters offers riding lessons as well as trail rides of 1½ hours, 2½ hours, half a day, a full day, and two days/overnight. It is located at Reveille Peak Ranch,1055 CR 115 in Burnet. For more information, visit thunderhorseoutfitters.com, email thunderhouseoutfitters@gmail.com, or text 512-415-4166.

Reveille Peak Ranch offers a host of recreational diversions of its own, including hiking, fishing, boating, swimming, overnight camping, world-class bicycle trails, and facilities for group events. For more information, visit rprtexas.com, call 512-755-1177, or email info@rprtexas.com.