Disclaimer: This review reflects my personal experience and honest opinion. It is shared for informational purposes and is protected under my First Amendment right to free speech. All statements are based on my own interactions and are not intended to defame, harass, or misrepresent anyone. Please view all the reviews and make your own decision about this place.
Zero stars. I want to clarify that this review is not about dog training, but rather about the behavior of the individual ( Chris Libs) who trains the dogs and owns the property.
Our family has been attending Oceanside Equestrian Center for nearly a year through a therapeutic equestrian program serving autistic children. The program itself has been wonderful, and the staff from Harmony and Horses have consistently shown professionalism, compassion, and trauma-informed care.
Unfortunately, we have had repeated concerning experiences with the ranch owner, Chris Libs. This is our second encounter where she has handled communication through intimidation, yelling, and verbal aggression. The first time, she approached us with three dogs, accusing me of "disrespecting" her property. I apologized, complimented her dogs, and tried to build a friendly rapport. I believed the issue had been resolved and thought nothing more of it--until today.
While calmly walking and FaceTiming my sister on the property toward a duck and a brown-and-white horse, my autistic son was holding a small stick. He was not acting aggressively or swinging it at anyone. We did not see any dogs nearby, nor anyone else around us- just horses. Suddenly, I heard yelling and turned to see where it was coming from. Chris approached us shouting, accusing my son of swinging the stick. As she approached, the dogs also came toward us ( they were not aggressive- I want to make that clear), and she stated that they are trained to attack and demanded for my son to put his stick down. My son out the stick down and one of the dogs took the stick and walked away.
We had never been informed of any rule about holding sticks, nor were we made aware that loose dogs on the property were trained to attack. In a setting where children--especially children with disabilities--participate in therapeutic services, this was alarming.
Despite my calm response, the yelling continued in front of my child. I felt threatened and wanted to protect him, so I raised my voice and said, "Don't you yell at my autistic child!" My son froze, shut down, and began crying silently--an involuntary response when he feels overwhelmed or threatened. I was shocked, saddened, and frustrated; I even cried afterward.
As I was walking away, she continued yelling "Get out of my property!" three times, which only escalated the fear and stress of the situation. As a parent of a child with autism, it was upsetting to witness the interaction regarding our child holding a stick. The manner in which it was addressed left us feeling uncomfortable and concerned.
When we reached the other area of ranch, Nicole from Harmony and Horses immediately stepped in and handled the situation with kindness and professionalism. She apologized multiple times. I am deeply grateful for her support and for the care that Harmony and Horses provides. I later went back to address this and approached her calmly by saying: " Excuse me Ma'am, you cannot yell at my autistic son." She began yelling again and I matched her energy which she did not like.
As you can see, there is a pattern of hostile and intimidating behavior from Chris Libs. No child should be yelled at in a therapeutic setting, and no parent should have to defend their child from verbal aggression.
Because of this experience, I cannot recommend this location under its current leadership. While Harmony and Horses' mission and work are invaluable, the ranch environment does not reflect the safety, respect, and trauma-informed communication that children--particularly autistic children require because of Chris Libs and her behaviors which made me and child feel very uncomfortable.
The good news is that Harmony and Horses will soon be relocating to a better location where this kind of behavior will never be tolerated. Families deserve transparency, and children deserve to feel safe.
P.S. I arrived home, my son is withdrawn, silently crying and refuses to eat. He cannot process what happened. As a parent, what would you do? Would you let this go? I am so disturbed and saddened by this. This could have been avoided by her simply having a professional and calm conversation instead of berating and yelling at a mom and child over a stick. read more
