FAQ
About courses for children:
Q1. I am with an infant/I am pregnant. Can I still take any of your courses?
A1. Young children can take certain courses depending on their age: children over 2 years old can ride kids trail ride. Children under 2 years old or women during pregnancy cannot ride a horse.
Beach trail course is intended for 10 years old and above.
Q2. Can my child and I ride one horse together? How would that affect on the price?
A2. You can if your child is 3years old or younger. For children over 4 years old, we recommend riding a horse on their own since there may not be enough room on the saddle. However, 4 years old children may be able to ride with an adult depending on their size upon a strong demand.
Children up to 3 years old will not be charged for a ride with an adult. Children 4 years old or above will be charged even if they ride with an adult.
About weather conditions:
Q3. What happens if it rains?
A3. We can still operate courses in a light shower/drizzle. We can provide rental water-proof rain coats (500 yen, jacket + trousers) upon your request. If you bring your own rain gear, make sure they are zippered - rain coats with button-front (without zippers) are not suitable (if a gust snaps your coat open, the flapping coat might make the horse scared and out of control).
We might cancel courses when there is a downpour, a strong wind (over 10 meter per second), a typhoon or storm surge.
Horses are more sensitive with strong winds than to rains, and they can be inpatient on a windy day. We might cancel the courses when the weather is not suitable. The weather in Ishigaki Island can change quickly, please note that we will contact you via e-mail no later than an hour prior to your booking if we have to cancel the courses due to the weather condition. No cancellation fee will be incurred in that case.
What to wear:
Q4. What type of shoes should I wear?
A4. If you are taking courses with led-horses, any types of trainer shoes/sandals without heels would be suitable. Note that you will be riding into the water, so it may be a good idea to wear shoes you do not mind getting wet.
However, if you wear shoes bigger than 26 cm size (US size 8/UK size 7H/EUR 41), please note that shoes with wide width (e.g. Crocs sandals) might not fit into the stirrup. We have marine shoes you can rent for free, or you can even ride bare-footed unless the weather is too cold!
If you are taking trail ride on the beach course, you can either use our rental marine shoes or bring your own boots. If you bring your own boots, we recommend you to bring something water-friendly, such as gum-boots.
Q5. I don't know what to wear?
A5. If you are riding a led-horse, although it is unlikely that your clothes get dirty, your clothes might catch the horses' hair etc. so we suggest you to wear something easy to clean.
You can not ride wearing a skirt or a dress unless you wear a swimwear or leggings underneath.
If you are taking trail ride on the beach course, please wear comfortable trousers that are longer than your knee-length. Shorts are not suitable for riding a horse for a long time as your thighs will be rubbed by the saddle directly.
Q6. Should I expect my clothes to get wet when I ride into the sea?
A6. It depends, as the depth of the water changes throughout the day with the tides. In a high tide, the water can get up to right under your feet - your feet will not be dipped into the water, but your legs could get some splashes of water.
Questions regarding access:
Q15. Does Naminma have transportation service?
A15. Unfortunately, we can not provide any pick-up/private transportation service. Please use a hiredcar, bus, or taxi.
Q16. How much does it cost to get to Naminma using a bus or a taxi?
A16. There is a bus service from the bus terminal to the closest bus stop to Naminma (15 mins walk) however there are only 6 buses a day running this route. The bus line is called Kabira Resort line (川平リゾート線) operated by Azuma Bus, and the closest stops to us are "Yaima-mura" or "Mineya-mae". It costs 410 yen from the bus terminal.
Taxi is usually take about 15-20 mins and costs roughly 1500-2000 yen departing from ferry terminal in the town centre, but it varies with the taxi operators so please check with them if you want a precise quote.
Cancellation & amend bookings:
Q9. Is there any cancellation fee?
A9. Cancellation made up to 3 days prior to the booked date will not be charged. Cancellations made between 2 days prior to the booking date and 19:00 on the day before the booking without valid reason will be charged 50% cancellation fee. We charge100% cancellation fee for cancellation made on the day of booking or no-show. Cancellation due to cancelled flight/sailing will not be charged.
In case of heavy rain or other severe weather condition, we may have to cancel your session. In which case, the cancellation fee will not be charged.
Q10. When is the deadline to amend/cancel my booking?
A10. Please let us know as soon as possible when you want to cancel or amend your booking, as there might be customers on the waiting list for cancellation. Please note that cancellation made later than 19:00 on the day before the booking will be charged 50% cancellation fee.
Payments:
Q11.How can I pay ?
A11. When you make a booking,we will send you invoice email so please follow the instructions to pay it online in advance by card by the due date.
Facilities:
Q12. Do you have a bathroom/changing room/shower on your site?
A12. We are very sorry but we do not have any of them on/around our site. We are using a natural beach where building those facilities are not prohibited in order to reserve the environment. Please use the needed facility before you come to Naminma.
Other questions:
Q14. Is there any weight restriction?
A14. The horses at Naminma are relatively small (130-140cm tall) Japanese breeds, but they are tough enough to walk around mounted by human weighing around 100kg.
Q15. One of us is an experienced rider and another is a beginner. Can we go on a ride together?
A15. Yes. But horses are gregarious animals and it is their tendency that when a horse in a herd starts running, the others follow. If you would like to go on a ride in a group, the more experienced riders should ride keeping pace with the beginner. We are very sorry but we don't provide courses for experienced riders involving trotting/cantering.
Q16. British style or Western style?
A16. We mainly use British saddles at Naminma, though Western saddles are available too so please discuss with us if you would like to ride Western style. The bridle we use is called Umui, which is a traditional type of bridle that has been used in Okinawa for a long time. The basic operation is very similar to that of standard bits, so you would be able to control it easily if you are used to using bits.