Laura Persons is an absentee owner who cares more about her own horse show circuit than she does…read moreabout what goes on at her barn. After many months of regular weekly lessons, our child was not past walking the horse in a small enclosure. The large riding ring was always occupied with advanced riders. I emailed a number of requests for progress reports, but never got an answer. The instructor we were assigned lacked basic safety training and put our child in dangerous situations. In one instance she was thrown from a horse. When we tried to discuss the hazards, the the owner refused to acknowledge any responsibility and asked us to " go "elsewhere" for lessons. I strongly recommend staying away from this farm because of overall poor management.

This place is awesome! We have had a great experience here. My daughter went from a total…read morebeginning rider to jumping 3 feet fences here. The two trainers here Laura Persons and Guen Holden clearly care about the girls and the horses. They have helped my daughter reach her goals and have always been open to talking with us. I can't recommend it enough!

Our outing with Maverick Horseback Riding was the highlight of our entire vacation. My family of…read morefour are wholly inexperienced riders; Joan Marie and her team were superb guides with the right balance of instruction, independence, and fun. Joan Marie did us an immense favor, too, by allowing us to start our ride a couple hours early in order to avoid an incoming thunderstorm. I'm sure she saved our weekend! And a final kudos for an excellent BBQ joint recommendation; we went straight there for lunch after our ride and got a "full" Lockhart experience! Strongly recommend Maverick for an excellent equestrian experience!

If you're looking for a mindless trail ride where you just sit there while a horse follows a tail…read morein front of it, this is not the place for you. Maverick Horseback Riding is for people who want the real experience. Our guide Emily was wonderful and incredibly knowledgeable. She is a total pro. But you also have to give it up for the owner Joan Marie. She is friendly but very blunt. She is not there to play nice or baby you. She is there to teach you how to properly handle a horse. If you are shy or easily offended, you might want to look elsewhere. You need to be able to take direct feedback and use it to improve your riding game immediately. They start you off with the fundamentals like brushing, saddling, and mounting. You are expected to actually do the work. They even give you cowboy boots to wear which makes you feel right at home. I rode Sheila and we spent about thirty minutes on a short trail just reviewing the basics while Joan Marie gave proper instruction on what to do and what not to do. After that initial lesson, both ladies took us out on the trails for about an hour of riding. I think if we had gone to some other ranch that just let us be lazy rookies, we would not have had nearly as much fun. We left feeling like we actually accomplished something. Huge thanks to Emily and Joan Marie for a great day.

Top horse trainers, well kept horses and extremely clean barn. Our daughter was able to take horse…read morelessons here on a leased horse for over a year. However, they told us up front that they expect riders to buy their own horse eventually at this farm so she enjoyed horse lessons while available as a special circumstance. My daughter just rides for fun, not competitions, but this is a very competitive farm with top skilled riders and trainers. Since my daughter is a skilled and experienced rider, they were happy to train her just like they do the competitive riders even though she chose not to compete as her personal preference. We would still be taking her to lessons here if we could lease time on a horse instead of buying it. We really liked the owner, how well she and the back-up trainer worked with our daughter during private lessons and most importantly how well they took care of their horses. Their animals are definitely loved and cared for.

What can I say? I started riding at 62 and am now 65. I enjoy myself so much that I should pay for…read moreit! Oops I do and will definitely keep doing so because Crista is a superb trainer, the facility is beautiful, the riders are like family and I absolutely love Oliver, the school horse. Crista has me competing and guess what I've actually beat some 9 year olds. I encourage anyone from a rank beginner to an accomplished rider to come out and have the time of your life!

Amazing experience with our guide; Dario! Very kind and hard working young gentleman. We arrived…read moreearly and he was going around the whole ranch feeding over 24 horses, moving hay and continued his day by giving us the tour! I hope this guy gets taken care of and paid well because he deserves it! The trail for this tour is very lush and beautiful. When you gain a little elevation the skyline is beautiful. It was a peaceful ride and pleasant conversation with Dario! Highly recommend! Not sure what pricing is because my husband surprised me for my bday. Overall great experience!

Took my wife here for her birthday on a Saturday and the ranch was very peaceful and we had it all…read moreto ourselves. Pretty place and beautiful horses. Our tour guide and horse caretaker was a fellow named Dario and he was very friendly informative and professional. I sure hope they take care of this kid because I can tell he's a hard worker. He was probably the best part of our ride very friendly and I loved the way he cared for the horses. The trail was so so, not much of any type of back country we went through some property and then up a dirt road which turned around in a parking lot. There wasn't any steering from a walking pace which honestly was a little slow for me. I enjoyed my ride but probably won't return. If you ask me the ranch should do more for their workers.

Took my family out for a lesson and we had a blast. The horses were amazing and responsive to each…read moreof our riding abilities. My 11 year old rode for her first time ever and was ecstatic to be able to trot by the end.

Horseback riding has always been on my to-do list, and after doing some Googling, I came across…read moreSouthern Trails. I had never been on a horse before, but thanks to the wonderful guides--Hailey, Ashlyn, and Savanna (sorry if I misspelled any names!)--the experience was amazing from start to finish. They were friendly, professional, great communicators, and kept everything running smoothly, which made the whole experience feel comfortable and enjoyable. I was also lucky enough to catch a beautiful Texas sunset during the ride, especially with how unpredictable the weather can be here. If horseback riding is something you've been thinking about, don't hesitate--just do it. I enjoyed every second and would definitely recommend the experience

We didn't do the trail rides which I assume is where they get better reviews, but the cow cuddling…read moreexperience was disappointing. There wasn't actually any place to "cuddle" the cows; you simply stand around and pet them. We got a small cup of pellets, and once those were gone, the cows had little interest in interacting with people. One cow had large horns and was much bigger than expected based on the photos and "mini cow" advertising. That cow specifically seemed pretty over the whole experience. The other two were much smaller, and they were all very cute. There was also no place to wash your hands, only wipes, which is understandable. However, when we asked where the trash can had been moved so we could throw the wipes away, one of the ranch hands responded with an attitude. The lady leading the experience was very kind though. While petting the cows was enjoyable, the experience felt worth closer to $20 than the $50 charged. That's the main reason for the low rating. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it.

My 6 and 8 year old children were taking lessons here for about 2 months. The lessons were…read morestructured that one child had the main instructor and the other child had a student helper. At one lesson, I realized that the student helper wasn't having my daughter do much at all, i.e. she did not let my daughter lead the horse out of the stable or steer the horse as they were doing the rounds even though she had done in previous lessons (felt like she was at a carnival or fair). I asked the main instructor if the helper knew how many lessons my daughter had, as she wasn't having her do much. The instructor told me that some helpers are not very vocal or assertive, and that she was content with a warm body. Before our next lesson, I asked if we can have a more assertive helper so we can get the most out of our lessons as these lessons are $80 each and I wanted them to be instructive for both children the entire time. She told me to find somewhere new and good luck. I felt this was pretty unfair as we had a decent rapport over our previous lessons. I was completely caught off guard and disappointed with the unprofessional and rude departure. Please be prepared if you have more than one child to possibly be disappointed.

Best care anywhere in central Texas. Visited many barns before finding Weddle and would not board…read moremy horse anywhere else. All the horses are happy, content and extremely well cared for. They get turned out every day in shady paddocks. All stalls have rubber mats and very deep bedding. The horses are fed quality grass hay and top-of-the-line grain. There's a huge arena and very a large, high-wall round pen so there's always a place to ride your horse. Dana is an accomplished horsewoman and a wonderful trainer and riding instructor. Dana teaches adult beginners (like me!) as well as young riders. She emphasizes safety and enjoyment of both rider and horse. Her lesson horses are retired champion show horses with the training and experience to develop confident, skilled riders. Weddle specializes in Arabian and half-Arabian horses but ALL breeds and disciplines are welcomed! This is a professional operation, a hidden gem in Southwest Austin.

He is great at starting young horses or rehabilitating badly behaved horses with any sort of…read moreissues. he has had several of my horses over the years

I just love this place, the horses, the PEOPLE! DAN and his cowboys are the best. Coming back from…read moreyears of not riding and then an injury Dan had me feeling like a new rider in the first lesson! Can't miss Black Betty the goat, and all the gorgeous horses there for training. Professional, NEXT LEVEL Clean, Kind, Knowledgeable and Safe. I'm so stinking happy with this place!! And I'm a much more confident and comfortable rider for my horse.