Golf made Casa de Campo® famous. Yet the horses were there almost from the start. In 1974, the resort’s founding year, Indian polo legend Maharajah Jabar Singh was invited to La Romana. His mission: establish the sport on what was then a Gulf+Western sugar estate. Fifty-two years later, the Casa de Campo equestrian center and its polo club remain the centre of gravity for the sport in the Dominican Republic. Today there are three tournament fields, a working polo school, and two cattle ranches you can ride through. Moreover, a January-to-April tournament season draws teams from across the Americas.
What you will not easily find, anywhere, is a straight answer on what it all costs and how to book it. The resort splits the information across two pages; the community sites that rank for these searches still quote rates from over a decade ago. In short, this guide puts the full 2026 picture in one place — updated prices, schedules, age rules, and the villas that put you closest to the action.
The Equestrian Center at a Glance
The equestrian operation at Casa de Campo is two connected facilities. First, the Equestrian Center — the stables, riding school and trail-ride base, known locally as the Dude Ranch — handles horseback riding, lessons, jumping and pony rides. Meanwhile, the Casa de Campo Polo Club, with three 300-yard tournament fields and a practice field, handles everything polo.
Fernando Arata, an Argentine professional polo player, directs both. They operate daily from 8:30 to 11:30 in the morning and 2:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. The stables also care for the privately owned horses and ponies of resort villa owners. That detail tells you something about the standard of horsemanship expected here.
Quick facts: open daily 8:30–11:30 and 2:00–6:00 · trail rides from US$40 · lessons from US$100 · polo classes from US$150 · pony rides from US$50 . Children ride independently from age six. Book 24–48 hours ahead via concierge (809-523-3333, ext. 5249).
The setting is what separates this from every other resort stable in the Caribbean. Casa de Campo covers 7,000 acres. As a result, the riding terrain includes two working cattle ranches, sugar cane fields, and lagoons with resident waterfowl. There are herds of water buffalo, plus the resort’s own horse-breeding operation. In other words, trail rides here are not a pony circuit around a paddock. They are genuine countryside riding on an estate that was a working sugar plantation before it was a resort.
Horseback Riding: Trail Rides and Lessons
Trail rides within the resort
Typically, guided trail rides leave from the Equestrian Center and follow routes through the resort’s open countryside. The 2026 rates, set by the resort:
| Ride | 2026 rate (USD) |
| 30 minutes | US$40 |
| 1 hour | US$65 |
| 2 hours | US$99 |
| Private guide (ride without a group) | US$50 per hour |
Two-hour rides run only at fixed departure times: 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 in the morning, and 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. Early morning, therefore, is the slot to take — the light is softer, the heat has not built, and the cattle ranches are at their most active.
All rates are in US dollars, exclude taxes, and are subject to change by the resort.
Riding and jumping lessons
The riding school teaches both English and Western styles, plus jumping, grooming technique and even rodeo stunts. Lessons cost US$100 for 30 minutes or US$150 for an hour, with instruction available in English and Spanish. Children aged six and over may ride independently; jumping instruction is reserved for experienced riders.
If you have never ridden before, an hour’s lesson followed by a one-hour trail ride later in the week is the sensible sequence. At US$215 combined, it costs less than a single green-fee round at the resort’s golf courses.
The Rancho Peligro tour
The standout riding experience leaves the resort entirely. For example, the Rancho Peligro horseback tour is a two-hour ride across one of the estate’s working cattle ranches. There, Dominican cowboys still move cattle and horse herds through cane fields, pastures and lagoons. It runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 11:30, requires a minimum of four riders, and costs US$300 per person. It is the most expensive item on the equestrian menu and the one guests talk about at dinner.
Polo at Casa de Campo
Polo is not an add-on at Casa de Campo; it is part of the resort’s founding story. After Jabar Singh planted the sport in 1974, the 1980s brought additional fields and an expanded equestrian operation. Today, with some justification, the resort markets itself as the house of polo in the Caribbean.
The season
Matches are played year-round, three days a week. The high season runs January to April, when the Polo Challenge — the most important polo event in the region — takes over the fields. The 2026 edition closed on 9 April with La Romanza–3J beating the home Casa de Campo side 12–7 in the final. Spectating is free and gloriously informal: guests park golf carts along the boards, and villas in the El Polo neighbourhood watch chukkas from their gardens.
If watching world-class polo from a sun lounger matters to your trip, book between January and April. The festive period through Easter is also the resort’s peak villa season, so reserve early. Our best time to visit guide covers how the winter calendar affects villa availability.
Watching a match: what to expect
Polo spectating at Casa de Campo has none of the velvet-rope formality of Palm Beach or Sotogrande. Matches are open to resort guests at no charge, and there is no dress code beyond common sense. The most coveted viewing spots are simply the shaded stretches along the boards. Residents park their golf carts there an hour before the first chukka. Tournament finals during the Polo Challenge draw a livelier crowd: sponsor marquees, an announcer, music between chukkas. Even then, however, a family wandering over from a nearby villa with a cool box will not feel out of place.
Matches during the season are typically played in the late afternoon, around 4:00 to 5:30, when the heat drops. A standard match runs four to six chukkas of seven minutes each, so allow about ninety minutes. Bring sunglasses, a hat and water; there is a cash bar at tournament fixtures but no permanent catering at ordinary weekday matches.
Playing: lessons, chukkas and stick & ball
You do not need to bring ponies, equipment or experience. The polo school rents everything and teaches all levels:
| Polo service | 2026 rate (USD) |
| Polo class with assistant pro | US$150 |
| Polo class with head pro | US$250 |
| Polo chukkers (match play) | US$200 |
| Stick and ball practice | US$150 per horse |
For experienced players, joining practice chukkas at a club with three tournament-grade fields — in January, in the Caribbean — is a rare offer. For beginners, a class with an assistant pro is one of the more memorable US$150 purchases the resort sells.
Donkey polo
Casa de Campo’s signature group activity deserves its own mention. Donkey polo replaces thoroughbred ponies with Dominican burros, and skill with luck — which is precisely the point. Nobody has an advantage, everybody falls about laughing, and the resort supplies the donkeys, event staff, sound system and announcer. It costs US$65 per person with a minimum of eight players, or US$1,565 for a private one-hour group event including announcer, music and cash bar. Book two days ahead; it is a fixture of corporate retreats and wedding weekends here.
For Families and First-Time Riders
The Equestrian Center is one of the easiest wins for families at the resort. Pony rides for children under six cost US$50 for 30 minutes, hard hats are provided, and the paddock introductions are calm and well supervised. From age six, children can ride independently on trail rides and take full lessons. Indeed, by the end of a two-week stay, plenty have progressed from a led pony walk to trotting unassisted.
For parents, the practical advantage is the schedule: morning riding sessions finish by 11:30, which leaves the afternoon free for Minitas Beach or the pool. Our complete family guide covers how to stack riding alongside the resort’s kids’ programmes.
Where to Stay: Villas Near the Polo Fields
The equestrian zone sits inland, surrounded by the El Polo and Las Cañas residential neighbourhoods — and staying there changes the experience. Early lessons become a five-minute golf-cart errand rather than a cross-resort expedition, and during Polo Challenge season the matches come to you.
Two villas in our portfolio overlook the fields directly. Vista del Polo is a modern four-bedroom residence for eight guests with direct polo-field views, from US$1,600 per night. Le Cheval, from US$1,100 per night, is a contemporary four-bedroom villa whose terrace looks straight across the grounds. For the wider selection, browse our El Polo villas shortlist or search the full collection.
Guests staying elsewhere in the resort are typically 10–15 minutes from the stables by golf cart — entirely manageable, but polo-season regulars book El Polo for a reason.
Fitting the Horses Into a Week’s Stay
The equestrian center’s split schedule — mornings until 11:30, afternoons from 2:00 — makes it one of the easiest activities to stack alongside everything else at the resort. A pattern that works well for a seven-night villa stay:
Early in the week, book a 30-minute or one-hour lesson for anyone who has not ridden before. It removes the wobble from everything that follows, and the US$100 half-hour is enough for most adults to be comfortable at a walk and trot.
Mid-week, take the one-hour or two-hour trail ride as a group. Therefore, request the 8:30 departure. You will be back at the villa before the sun is fully up to strength, with the entire day still ahead. Tee times, the beach, or the resort’s other activities untouched.
Thursday to Saturday, riders who want the full ranch experience should book the Rancho Peligro tour. With the four-person minimum, it suits exactly the multi-generational groups our villas attract — grandparents ride at the same pace as teenagers.
Any evening in season, finish a day with a polo match. It costs nothing, requires no booking, and pairs naturally with an early dinner at the Marina afterwards. Conveniently, La Romana sunsets land between the final chukka and an 8:00 reservation.
Groups celebrating something — a birthday, a corporate retreat, a wedding party — should pencil donkey polo in for a late afternoon. Above all, warn nobody in advance about how competitive it gets.
Booking and Practical Details
Everything at the equestrian center is booked through the resort concierge (809-523-3333, ext. 5249) or, for our guests, through the Caribbean Paradise Homes concierge service. We confirm sessions before you arrive, which matters in high season when the two-hour ride slots fill first.
The essentials: book 24 to 48 hours ahead (donkey polo requires two days and prepayment the day before). Wear long trousers and closed shoes — helmets are provided. Finally, remember all rates exclude taxes and can change at the resort’s discretion. The center operates daily, 8:30–11:30 and 2:00–6:00. Villa owners receive a courtesy-card discount on the Rancho Peligro tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does horseback riding cost at Casa de Campo in 2026?
Trail rides inside the resort cost US$40 for 30 minutes, US$65 for one hour and US$99 for two hours, plus taxes. Riding and jumping lessons cost US$100 for 30 minutes or US$150 per hour. The off-property Rancho Peligro ranch tour costs US$300 per person.
Can beginners play polo at Casa de Campo?
Yes. The Casa de Campo Polo Club teaches complete beginners, with classes from US$150 with an assistant pro and US$250 with the head pro. Equipment and horses are provided, and experienced players can join chukkers (US$200) or book stick-and-ball practice (US$150 per horse).
When is polo season at Casa de Campo?
Matches run year-round, three days a week. However, the high season is January to April, when the Polo Challenge — the Caribbean’s most important polo event — is staged on the resort’s three tournament fields. Spectating is free.
Is the equestrian center suitable for children?
Yes. Pony rides for under-sixes cost US$50 for 30 minutes, and children aged six and over may ride independently on lessons and trail rides. Sessions are supervised, and helmets are provided.
How do I book riding or polo at Casa de Campo?
Book through the resort concierge on 809-523-3333 ext. 5249, or — if you are staying in one of our villas — through the Caribbean Paradise Homes concierge, who can confirm sessions and preferred time slots before you arrive. Allow 24–48 hours’ notice.
Related Reading
- Casa de Campo for Families: The Complete Guide
- The Spa at Casa de Campo: The Complete 2026 Guide
- Casa de Campo Marina: The Complete 2026 Guide
Planning a stay around riding or the Polo Challenge season? Tell us your dates and our villa specialists will shortlist the homes closest to the fields.