Ride and Dance : Local stables offer beach rides and sunset outings, and one even teaches the Achy Breaky and other Western steps.

You’ve told yourself that there are two things in life you must do in order to feel complete: Learn to dance the Achy Breaky and gallop through the surf on a charging steed.

Now’s your chance.

Riding a horse and learning the latest country-Western line dance just got easier--at area horse rental stables that feature a variety of rides, one paired with dance lessons. Other stables feature dinner, sunset, moonlight and beach rides or family-oriented riding that includes child care complete with pony rides and a petting farm.

The following rental stables, which require a nominal deposit, welcome beginning to advanced riders. Reservations are recommended.

Osborn Stables has access to 50 square miles of riding area in Big and Little Tujunga Canyons and Orcas and Hansen Dam Parks. The stable of 40 horses, lodged on Osborne’s 10 acres, rents animals for $14 an hour, $11 each additional hour. Riders must be 6 or older; younger children are not allowed to double-ride with adults. Trails can be navigated with a guide at no extra cost. Pony rides cost $5 for one half-hour.

A ride, barbecue and country-Western dance event will be held Sunday. Participants are encouraged to ride before the barbecue at 5 p.m. Country-Western dance lessons will be given from 6 to 7 p.m.. with live music from 7 to 10 p.m. Cost is $28, which includes a one-hour horseback ride, or $15 for the dinner and dance only. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 11035 Osborne St., Lake View Terrace, (818) 899-9042.

Red Barn Stables, in the Santa Monica Mountains, offers a variety of rides. A one-hour tour takes riders through hills and meadows and a two-hour ride passes behind Saddle Rock Ranch. Sunset and moonlight rides traverse the same trails. “From the top of the Santa Monica Mountains you can see a spectacular sunset over the Pacific and lights from Westlake Village,” said Red Barn employee Allison Hayward. Cost of the rides is $20 an hour.

A dinner ride, priced at $53, follows the same routes, with a barbecue cookout and campfire topping the evening. A beach ride, priced at $40 an hour, allows riders to run one of Red Barn’s 45 horses through the surf along a two-mile stretch of Nicholas Canyon County Beach. Riders unfamiliar with the trails must be accompanied by a guide, at no extra cost. Children 5 and older can ride solo. Hours are from 9 a.m. until sunset, daily. 327 Latigo Canyon, Malibu, (818) 879-0444.

Circle K Stables features 60 square miles of area strung with bridle paths in the mountains and canyons of Griffith Park. The stable’s 40 horses rent for $14 an hour, $11 each additional hour. Children 6 and older can ride solo. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 914 S. Mariposa St., Burbank, (818) 843-9890.

Bar S Stables offers 50 miles of equestrian trails in the Griffith Park area. Riders can choose from 50 horses that rent for $13 an hour, $12 each additional hour. Children over 7 may ride solo. Groups receive a discount. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. 1850 Riverside Drive, Glendale, (818) 242-8443.

Sunset Ranch Stables began operations in the hills west of Griffith Park more than 100 years ago. Today, the ranch’s three acres stable 50 horses. Fifty square miles of Griffith Park and Hollywood Hills trails are available for riders who pay $15 per hour and $10 for each additional hour. A sunset dinner ride leaves each Friday evening at 6. Children under 12 can ride with adults for a $10 charge. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 3400 N. Beachwood Canyon, (213) 469-5450.

Santa Clarita Equestrian Center features riding among 500 square miles of wilderness in the Angeles National Forest. The center’s 38 horses rent for $15 per hour or $25 for 90 minutes. Group rides, with a 10% discount for groups of five to 10 and a 20% discount for groups over 10, are also available. A guide leads all rides.Children must be 8 to ride solo and must wear a helmet provided by the center if younger than 12.

Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 30230 N. San Francisquito Canyon Road, Saugus (805), 297-3142.