Thunder Horse Outfitters has taken the hearts of Highland Lakes riders by storm since it was established in 2021 at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet. The horseback riding and camping business was voted a 2023 Locals Love Us Favorite Outdoor Activity by The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners.
Travis Caffee runs Thunder Horse on the 1,300-acre outdoor adventure ranch located at 105 CR 114, just east of Lake Buchanan. He has trained more than a dozen rescued horses for trail riding.
Surprisingly, Thunder Horse Outfitters is the only full-service horseback riding operation in the Highland Lakes.
“There've been a lot of people in this area that were looking for something like this,” Caffee said. “I know the lack of public land can be tricky, so having a big space like Reveille Peak, that accommodates a full-scale horseback riding experience, is something that was definitely needed and exciting to have in such a pretty place.”
He praised the ideal beauty of the Texas Hill Country and the diverse trails at the ranch, highlighting the waves of wildflowers that bloom each spring.
Caffee is a native Texan, raised just a few miles away in Travis County, but spent many years working in Colorado before returning home.
“I’m a born-and-raised Texan on both sides, and I just love the Southern hospitality,” he said. “It's been awesome to move just outside of Austin and have that small-town feel. With everything constantly growing, people are going to need to have this access to the outdoors.”
Caffee is in the process of adding new trails and building new pens, hoping to inspire the next generation of riders.
He's happy to have the Locals Love Us award under his belt.
“It’s just awesome, and thank you,” he said to voters. “I think everybody loves horses. It's such a Texas thing to be out riding.”
Also voted Favorite Outdoor Activity were LakeFest for the Marble Falls area and AquaBoom for the Kingsland/Llano area.
Flip through the digital 2023 Locals Love Us magazine for a full list of winners.
dakota@thepicayune.com
2023 Locals Love Us Favorite Outdoor Activity: Thunder Horse Outfitters
Travis Caffee of Thunder Horse Outfitters on Caspian, one of his many rescued horses, at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey