I worked for Mike in Crozet and Raphine. He surrended the horses after neglecting them all winter…read more All horses went 6 months without getting their feet done. They went days without food or water. I lived on the propriety and was banned from going near the horses. He was banned from using the trails so he took customers down a busy road that was hard gravel with no guard rails and steep drop offs. I watched my heart horse lose over 200 lbs and became skin and bones. He surrendered them to Hopes legacy and two horses were immediately euthanized due to neglect and severe arthritis and navicular disease. He took the horses off their arthritis meds bc he had no money. He would beat the horses and scream at them. Please stop supporting the trail riding business.

I got this horse ride as a present for my husband birthday! He never rode a horse before and always…read morewanted, there are a lot of horse riding experiences around but this one stands out! If you want real people that care and love their horses and are just absolutely sweet, carrying and kind- Morning star is a place for you. Starting with stunning views that you can enjoy on a slow and fun ride while Mike is telling you a history of a land and a house, continuing with him showing spectacularly beautiful barn that he rebuilt himself and can be used as a beautiful wedding venue! For me what speaks volumes is that I had unpleasant experience once with a horse long time ago and was very worried going into this ride but Kathleen literally hold my hand for a bit in the beginning and Mike was nothing but considerate and supportive during the whole ride, he helped me battle my fears and was nothing but patient and kind towards me. I would recommend this treat for everyone, thank you, guys

What an amazing weekend!! Im not sure there are enough words to properly explain how much fun this…read moretrip was and how amazing Dwight, Jennifer, and Eliza were. From the very first moment when I accidentally parked in Dwight's driveway instead of the bunk house to our bittersweet goodbye there genuinely was not a single bad moment during our cowgirl weekend! They went above and beyond to make sure we all had a great time and by the time we were saying goodbye it felt like leaving a family reunion rather than saying goodbye to people we met 2 days prior. I came into this weekend with 0 horse experience, I'd never even pet one but Dwight knew exactly which of his amazing horses to pair me with for my ride (shoutout to Little Bear) and Eliza coached us throughout the ride on how to navigate seating positions so that I knew how to keep my balance and position on the terrain. When we weren't riding we had amazing meals that Jennifer brought and set up for us in the bunk house, starting a campfire for us, and making sure we had everything we needed to have the perfect night! I left the weekend ready to come back and do it all again (and I will be coming back)!!

Extremely rude, disorganized, shocking experience. I really…read moretry not to leave bad reviews but I am shocked at how my dad and I were treated for horseback riding. I had purchased 3 gift certificates from Dwight last June. We weren't able to book last year and after winter I tried several times to get a hold of him to book the half day rides we had purchased. I eventually had to get in touch with them through Facebook messenger. We booked for April 25 at 8:45. We were about to head to the trail and another group drove up and they had also been booked for 9:30. Dwight had overbooked not remembering. They also had a wedding that evening. I understand mistakes are made and everyone is human. However, Dwight proceeded to be extremely rude telling us we had to wait over an hour for them to saddle up four more horses. We were expecting storms that afternoon, that Dwight had called me twice about concerned for the weather that day. We also had paid for 3 people which Dwight had initially said that would guarantee us our own time and private ride. He snapped out me saying no I was mistaken we would have paid $500 for a private ride. I asked him to not speak to me or my father that way and he yelled at me to get off his land and he would refund me. This was so shocking. He knew I had gotten this horseback riding trip for my dad because my mom passed away two years ago in April. I was extremely upset and he wrote me a check for a refund which ended up being $495. I would have paid the extra $5 if that would have actually gotten us a private ride. He was so unbelievably rude we couldn't believe it. I advise to never work with Dwight. The girls that were the trail guides were very nice.

Our guide was fantastic, and we all very much enjoyed the experience. I am the only experienced…read morerider in my family of 4, and felt very much at ease with our kids, 7 and 9 on the ride. He got us some good pictures, and I took some myself. He wasn't in a rush, and we only had this on the schedule for the day. The girls are raving about the ride!

My friend and I had a fantastic experience, even though I am a complete beginner!Our guide, Kim,…read morewas incredibly knowledgeable, sweet, and accommodating. She gave us thorough, detailed instructions on how to ride. She even matched us with horses that perfectly fit our personalities!We laughed so much, enjoyed every moment, and completely fell in love with our horses. I especially loved Storm--she was so calm yet playful. It was a wonderful ride, and we highly recommend it!

We had a great time on our 1 hour tour…read more We arrived early and were able to enjoy the small petting zoo. (Like 4 animals.) The young kid working there was friendly and knowledgeable about the animals in the zoo. The guides took their time explaining the horses, precautions, and how to ride. They then took their time picking the right horse for the right person. And they also made sure everyone from the young kid to the older folks with mobility issues were able to get into the horses. It can be a little tough if your group is large or can't be split up. One of the guides leads and one picks up the rear. So things in the middle can be missed. On a side note: the shop sells locally made Amish pies. They're delicious.

Overall, a positive experience. The mountain views were breathtaking and my horse (Spirit) was a…read moregreat trail horse. She handled my 6'3" and 240 lbs with ease and listened to my every command. The process for mounting the horses and the extreme disorganization at the end of the ride were much less enjoyable. After being placed on your horse, you are left while others are mounting theirs for the ride. We waited at least 10 minutes on anxious horses that weren't happy standing around. They walked us into tree branches a few times. When we returned from the ride, the lack of staff to assist was even more apparent. Two staff members to assist 12-14 riders and horses is not sufficient. My girlfriend's horse led her through 3 prickly trees. My horse went to the watering trough and was almost bitten by another horse. This caused my horse rear back, sprint a few steps forward and start to buck. I haven't been on a horse in over 30 years, so I feel very fortunate that I was able to get her to calm down and not toss me. These issues could all be alleviated by adding 2 additional staff members. $45 for an hour trail ride seems like a fair price, but at that price you should also have enough staff on hand to handle paying customers and ensuring a pleasant and safe experience.

Took our two kids on a lovely ride at Star B. Abby our trail guide was incredible, the horses were…read morehappy sillies and the setting and trails are world class. Best day trip we took on our corona "staycation". You get more time than they promise, you cross a good sized creek, you ascend alongside truly breathtaking ravines and get blasted by the beautiful Virginia scenery. We're definitely coming back.....

The trail ride was great, we rode through fields, through two creeks and woods, very nice trails,…read morethe horses were good, it was most enjoyable and well worth it. You don't need any experience as a rider.

Such an amazing experience! Not much to look at on the way up, but definitely enjoyed the ride…read moreitself. 100% worth the $40.

I was expecting a bit more on the trip up to Seneca Rock. The trail itself is rocky, and there…read moreisn't a great deal to look up during the ride. We spent about 15 minutes at the top, which is not near enough if you want to explore the entire rock formation. The office at the stables smells, but the water in the restroom is so bad, you wonder where the source is. Some of the horses seemed a bit old to be carrying folks up this trail 2-3 times a day.

To celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband and I booked a trail ride. I appreciate that our…read moreguide gave us information on our horses first (as I am quite new to horseback riding) as well as only booked us for the appointment. It was a very intimate and beautiful highlight of our trip. We will be back!

Jeannette was our trail leader. My wife had never ridden a horse before, so it was surely going to…read morebe an adventure! Jeannette both exhibited and explained in short, precise detail on how to get on the horse properly, how to manage the horse while riding, and more. We had Schuyler and Scout, both very good horses. The ride took us through a couple of stream crossings, through lovely forest and meadow as well. It was very enjoyable. The horses seemed to be taken care of very well.

We had the absolute best experience here! Mimi was so knowledgeable, social, and kind to us! We got…read moreto spend time with all the animals, the horses were beautiful, and the winery was amazing! We will definitely be back & recommend booking with her, we wish we did the longer trip!! 10/10 experience and guide.

Great experience! Mimi and Lilly were awesome. The horses and ride are amazing. The mountain…read moreviews were lovely. This is a must do!

wow! what a terrific ride!…read more At the start, the guide demo'ed and had us try some fundamental riding techniques to make the ride safe and comfortable, and then led us on a 2+ hour trail ride suited to our interests and skill levels. She periodically asked about our comfort levels and what we wanted us to see, while pointing out things about the environment (such as a bear scrape on a tree). The trails were well-maintained, the views gorgeous and -- most importantly -- the horses seem contented, healthy and well cared for. Hoss and Charger were lovely horses and gentle for us beginners to ride. All in all, a fantastic and fun outing and a great way to experience time with beautiful horses in beautiful surroundings.

We had the best experience! I love that the site was a small community with a saloon and everyone…read morewas so incredibly friendly. I wasn't sure what to expect but they exceeded whatever that expectation was. I can't wait to bring the kids back and also come back without them. The complimentary breakfast was a little less than expected but lunch is provided with zero complaints and the guides were absolutely amazing.

We had such a fun time white water rafting! Overall, it was a really great experience, and the…read moreentire staff was so kind and welcoming. Loading and unloading were very organized, and Gary, our bus driver, was absolutely great. We were pleasantly surprised to find they had a little snack-style breakfast available before we loaded, although we didn't know about it until right before we left. Lunch was probably the biggest disappointment, mostly because we didn't stop until we were almost finished with the trip. We also weren't sure when we would be stopping, so we didn't have water with us for quite a while... we were definitely the last rafting company to stop for lunch, the moral was getting low. Even our guide mentioned something about not knowing when we would stop. Our guide seemed fairly new, but the river wasn't overly intense, and we never felt truly unsafe. There were a couple of moments that made us a little nervous, but overall the rafting itself was SO much fun. One thing that definitely affected the experience was some of the other guests. Unfortunately, you can't control people's manners, and there were a few who were pretty rude and inconsiderate, especially at lunch. It was supposed to be ladies first, but we watched people cut the line and take huge amounts of food for themselves and their husbands. It was honestly pretty frustrating to watch and took a little of the fun out of that part of the day. That said, we had a blast and would absolutely recommend giving it a try! The staff was kind, the organization was good, and being out on the river was an awesome experience. A few small improvements with communication around food, water, and lunch would make an already great day even better.