Lush vistas viewed from horseback

Before moving to Kauai, Alohi lived in Iowa, where she was a beloved member of an Amish family. Hitched to a wagon, she took the children to school on weekdays and the entire family to church on Sundays.

Big, muscular Keiki isn’t one to miss a meal or snack. Part hefty Percheron, he can easily carry riders weighing 300 pounds.

Standing only about 14 hands and weighing less than 900 pounds, sweet, gentle Miwok is a favorite of kids and ladies.

Patty is the leader of the herd. A beautiful chestnut-and-white pinto with an alpha personality, she likes to keep an eye on everyone and everything.

These are just four of the 50 horses that live and work at Silver Falls Ranch, a 300-acre estate in the lush heart of Kauai, which welcomes visitors for daily trail rides.

"Our horses have different personalities and come from different backgrounds," said Robin Kurtz, the ranch’s manager. "They are our pride and joy, and we put a lot of care and effort into making their lives as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. We believe a happy horse makes a pleasant trail companion.

"We have horses to suit everyone — from petite to tall, from nervous first-timers to experienced riders who own their own horses."

Uli Rachner and his wife, Helena, bought the picturesque parcel in the early 1990s. Silver Falls Ranch was born as a way to combine their desire to preserve the natural beauty of the land and to foster Uli Rachner’s love for horses and plants, especially palm trees. He designed the ranch’s 80-acre botanical garden, and tends it with his gardeners nearly every day.

"We have more than 150 different species of palms from around the world — more than a thousand in all," Kurtz said. "They include giant raffia palms from Madagascar, oil palms from West Africa and foxtail palms from Australia. All sorts of fruit trees are also growing in the garden, including lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, pomelo, tangerine, mountain apple, mango, lychee and malabar chestnut."

Horseback tours amble through the garden and along streams fringed with ferns and hibiscus. Bring your camera so you can snap spectacular images of the Makaleha mountain range (on the rides, you’ll get as close to it as you can without hiking boots and a machete).

Silver Falls, the ranch’s namesake, cascades 12 feet over ebony lava boulders. "Its real attraction is not so much the plunge of the water as the quality of the natural pool it flows into," Kurtz said. "The pool’s mineral-rich water leaves your hair feeling silky and your skin soft and smooth. It’s a wonderful natural lotion and conditioner!"

The peaceful ambience, gorgeous scenery and opportunity to "horse around" make this a great family option. "The horses are the glue that binds our Silver Falls family together," Kurtz said. "Our slogan — ‘Happy Horses, Tropical Trails’ — says it all."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won multiple Society of American Travel Writers awards.