JuRo Stables, Mount Juliet

For more than 25 years, JuRo Stables’ husband-and-wife owners—Sara and Roger West, riding enthusiasts with backgrounds in the entertainment industry—have been instilling equestrian ardor in their students with guided trail rides and horseback-riding lessons. Dedicated to granting visitors of all ages and experience levels a chance to saddle up, the dynamic duo maintains a fleet of friendly horses that vary in size and temperament to ensure that each rider is paired with a suitably matched steed. Sage guides lead trail rides around the scenic landscapes surrounding the stables, winding trails across creeks, ruins of old 19th-century homesteads, and wagon wheels carelessly left behind by litterbug pioneers. A cadre of expert instructors imparts their horse sense upon students during group and private lessons, and outdoor enthusiasts can continue to commune with nature during post-lesson revelries amid onsite primitive camping and cooking facilities.