The young lady that came out was awesome. She did really good letting everyone pet the little tortoise. Very knowledgeable about the oets. read more

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Zero stars. Almost no communication. Emails are always "on the way" but then never arrive. Was a no show with 10 minutes until the event. Not even an apology. 20 kids left hanging. read more

Amazing! Wonderful owner, sweet and beautiful animals, incredible experience for everyone.

We had an event today with Big D's and we are already excited to plan another event soon. Kelly is amazing. She was in constant communication before, during and after the event, making sure she knew exactly what we wanted and making everything run smoothly. When circumstances beyond her control made coming to our event a bit more complicated than normal, she managed to make it all work, offered us an amazing discount, and brought along the petting zoo for free on top of everything else. Her helpers are great, and the animals were friendly, well cared for, and super calm even with a crowd of kids around. I'll choose Big D's again next time our non-profit has an event. Thank you Kelly for everything! read more

Great experience for our daughter's birthday party! We were told we were getting ducklings, chicks, bunnies, a baby goat and baby pig. We got all that and a baby hedgehog and turkey!! The kids loved it so much and it was a great way to keep everyone, including the parents, entertained. Not sure about the bad reviews, because it was flawless for us. read more

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DO NOT BOOK THIS COMPANY! YOU WILL REGRET IT! My boyfriend and I had booked Big D's Pony Rides for his niece's 10th birthday party. It was a last minute idea the two of us had to surprise her and they were extremely accommodating​, AT FIRST. We booked them with a weeks notice and they told us that despite the short notice they could work with us because they had nothing else booked for that day. Fast forward to a day before, they're supposed to show up 3/8/19, I text to confirm all of the details of the party. The owner starts telling me that she will try her best but she may not be able to get her trailer out of the mud. It was lightly snowing but the entire DC metro area got less the 0.5" of accumulation and nothing stuck to the ground due to warm temps. Then she stated that if she did show up she could only come at 3pm not 2pm liked we had booked because she had another party and could only "fit me in" later in the day. Wait, WHAT!? Earlier in the week she has specifically stated that she could work with me because she was free the whole day. Then the owner offered to bring the petting zoo and not the ponies. This was a unicorn themed party for 10 year olds, they didn't want a petting zoo! Long story short, the owner of this company is a liar. She will tell you whatever she thinks you want to hear and when it's convenient for her to follow through she does and when it isn't she does not. Please save yourself the heartache and disappointed​ little ones and AVOID this company. They are dishonest, dishonorable​ people and they really should not be able to stay in business. I learned the hard way to ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do your research. read more

I couldn't have asked for a better experience!! I will definitely be using Big D's for all of my future events.

You can mark Big D's Amusements and Party Rentals as a "BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!" If you are looking to book entertainment for a party, look elsewhere! We booked a trackless train for my son's Thomas the Tank Engine birthday party TWO MONTHS in advance. When booking, I was told the date was wide open and that I had my pick of times. Two hours before the party they called and said they would be 1.5 hours late because they double booked and the other person booked first...what a lie!! This is a big problem for a little kids' party when naptimes are involved!! They then called at the new arrival time and said the train was there. I rounded everyone up to go outside, and there was no train. In fact, they kept stringing me along for the next hour telling me that he would be there any minute. He never showed. We had around 30 kids waiting for a train that never came. What a disappointment!! They never even called to say it wasn't coming or that something happened. This prevented me from fully enjoying the party and my guests. The next day, we got a quick email saying the driver had car trouble and that they'd send back the deposit. Not a care in the world about disappointing the kids who were excited about this train and the party planned around it!! Please, please don't use Big D's Amusements and Party Rentals!! read more

Big D came to our Montessori School, and we absolutely loved the Petting Zoo! They had a variety of animals like a donkey, chicken, pony, piglets, ducks, goats, bunnies & even a hedgehog! Kelly was incredibly friendly & informative. We will definitely keep in contact with Big D for future events. read more

Do not use this place. My wife booked Big D's for my daughter's third birthday party. They texted us the morning of the party - hours before they were supposed to show up - to tell us they were cancelling because they were concerned about traffic getting here, and the rain. Re: the traffic: it was Memorial Day - we had booked months in advance, and Memorial Day happens every year, so they had no excuse to be surprised. But they claimed to have had no idea things would be happening in D.C. that day. I guess they were concerned about Rolling Thunder and whatnot. I explained at length that they would not need to go near any of the Memorial Day events, and even sent them a map showing how far away from downtown we were (the party was by Sibley Hospital). I pleaded with them - I offered to pay them an extra $200, which was ridiculous, because there was no traffic. People came to the party from Falls Church with no problems whatsoever. But Big D's still refused to honor their commitment. Re: the rain: it was barely sprinkling when they cancelled, and it did not rain the rest of the day. They have not refunded our $100 deposit. I don't know if they were lying or just stupid. Regardless, our daughter's pony-ride-themed birthday party did not have a pony ride. read more

This place deserves ZERO stars. Unless you're looking to chase down an answer for if they're free or not... don't bother and go with someone else. It's enough stress trying to throw an event, you don't need the added stress of an unprofessional business. I called a month in advance and the first phone call was very pleasent! The owner told me it was available that day, that there was a $40 charge if travel time was over an hour, and that she would send me the contract and expect deposit. GREAT. However it took them over a week to send me the contract. That was because I would call or email everyday asking if we were set. She would answer the phone and give me an excuse as to why she couldn't talk. Okay? I just wanted to make sure my daughters birthday had the entertainment set. She wouldn't even tell me where I could send the deposit so that I didn't have to keep calling. After reviewing the contract I noticed the charge went from $40 to $75... we live 56 minutes away from the farm so I simply ASKED if there was any room for negotiating the new price of $75 (since I'm already spending $600) and they could possibly be 10 min over an hour. What does the owner answer with? "Okay I'm taking you off my calendar until you agree to $75". Then stops responding to me at all for 3 days. WHAT?! This is a week before the party mind you... it took her 3 days to answer any questions so at this point I'm freaking out that I don't have entertainment. I sent her a message saying that the $75 was fine and to please not take me off the calendar. She doesn't respond. I thank God I found another company. The minute I texted the owner of Big D that I no longer needed her to respond because we would not be using them... first she sends me an insulting text... THEN she sends me back to back emails and texts begging me not to cancel. BIG D, HIRE SOMEONE TO DO YOUR CALLS, SET YOUR CALENDARS AND WRITE YOUR CONTRACTS. You will never stay in business with these types of experiences. By the way I found another GREAT company who charged me half of what Big D wanted to charge. THANKS, but no thanks. read more

To their credit, Big D's Pony Rides did get back to me, the day before the party (which is why I bumped them up to 2 stars). However, by then I was over it and didn't call back. read more

We had originally arranged to have a train for my son's 2 year old birthday party, but the weather didn't cooperate, so Kelly offered to bring an indoor petting zoo instead as a contingency plan. What an awesome contingency plan! They came early, set up, had LOTS of animals (goats, ducklings, chicks, bunnies, the cutest little piglet who liked to play soccer, a chinchilla and a hedgehog), arranged it all in our garage with tarps and everything, and had bottles for the kids to feed the animals. It was clear the animals were well cared for, and the price couldn't be beat. The kids had an awesome time, and I had no clean up. All around a great experience and I'm really surprised by the negative reviews- maybe it was different management? read more

After reading all the of published reviews, I'll admit that I was skeptical about using Big D's for my son's birthday party. I also saw that there were numerous unpublished ratings that gave them great reviews and decided to try them. Joy was always responsive to my emails, the price could not be beat by anyone else in the area and on the day of the event, a younger girl arrived 30 minutes early to set up the enclosed space for the animals. The kids loved the animals and there was no clean up to do. It couldn't have been more perfect for my son's barnyard themed birthday. I've already recommend this company to two other local moms. read more

Joy made our daughter's birthday the "best ever"! My daughters own words. We hired two ponies and an ice cream truck for two hours. Buttercup was one of the ponies, I believe the other one was Misty. They were both gorgeous and gentle ponies. The kids loved patting them and riding them for the entire time - memorable for sure! Joy was nothing but professional, personable and accommodating. Some of our guests were late to the birthday party; and Joy stayed and accommodated them like a shining star. Joy was about two minutes late and called us from the road. Honestly, we would not have noticed, but totally appreciated her taking the time to call us. The ponies were beautiful, and I even went for a ride. In fact, so did my 85 year old MIL. Joy and her staff were completely attentive and even picked up after the ponies. I could not have asked for a better birthday party, and would recommend Joy and her company without reservation, to anyone that asks. We live in an area where people tend to be demanding, for sure. I always try to be as accommodating as possible, allowing for reasonable issues that may arise; as both a customer and a business owner. Joy and her staff completely exceeded my expectations, and made our day a perfect one. (How often can someone say they had a perfect event without any problems?) As with all of my reviews, I must note that this is a completely ***UNsolicited** review. In fact, I had to ask Joy myself if she is on yelp and if there are any reviews for her company yet. read more

I have no idea how this business still exists and would give zero stars if I could. I had been in communication with them for 6 months regarding a pony rental for my daughter's birthday party. From the beginning I was clear about the location and the date of the party. 3 hours before their arrival time, I received a text message saying they would not be coming because of concerns of traffic getting to our party location. They refused to answer the phone and eventually stopped responding to text. We were obviously devastated and still have not received any further communication from the company. I wish I had read these Yelp reviews before booking them. read more

This establishment is not good at all. I made a reservation with them for a birthday party, but they never showed up. Nor would they answer their phone or reply to any emails. It was very disappointing explaining to a 3 year old that the main entertainment for his birthday party was not going to show up. These people have not even bothered to call or email to apologize for not showing up....never do business with them... read more

BIG D's = BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!!!! I hired Big D's a week before my son and daughter's birthday party. I spoke to a woman named Joy who said they could send a pony to our event at 5:30pm. At 5:40pm the day of, she left a message on my phone saying the driver was stuck in traffic around Dulles and would be late. That must have been some HEAVY traffic because the pony never showed up. I tried calling the office, but no one picked up. Here it is three days later a I have yet to get a call back or an apology from Big D's. I am just so thankful that I didn't pay a deposit and/or give them a credit card number. read more

They brought a mobile petting zoo for my daughter's birthday in October on short notice. We were blown away. They were prompt corteous, and so kind. What set them above the rest though was that they exceeded expectations. They brought way more animals than the package I paid for and stayed an additional 10 minutes to acomodate all the kids. We would use them again without hesitation. The party was a show stopper! read more

Thomas the train was the star of the party and made my 3 year old the happiest kid in the world. Company was prompt, pleasant and professional. I highly recommend! read more

Please don't use the reviews to judge them. The review are 2 years old and I actually made a reservation with them and then cancelled because of the reviews... well guess what the other company I hired actually contracted them. They are punctual and they did a great job with the kids. I would highly recommend to others. Their prices are the best in the area... it is a very good deal... I ended up paying a lot more to only have them contracted via the other company! read more

I booked Big D's pony ride and petting zoo for my daughter's 9th birthday party ( I hour session). They arrived a half hour early to ensure they were set upon time, and the staff was friendly and competent. They greeted me right away when they arrived and gave me a professional invoice with no surprises. The animals were very friendly and well-trained, and they even stayed an extra 10 minutes to ensure all the kids got at least one ride on the pony. The petting zoo had a small pony, a goat, rabbit, and two different chickens. One staff member stayed in the petting zoo while the other led the pony ride. Overall a very satisfactory experience - the kids and parents loved it. I would book them again. The only recommendation I would make to the owner is to provide more proactive communication - I had to email and call the week prior and day of to receive confirmation they were coming (customers appreciate it when they do not have to do this). I would also recommend hand sanitizer be provided as part of the petting zoo. read more

Big D's Pony Rides is a terrible business. Use them at your own risk. We scheduled a party for our daughter two months in advance and confirmed the week of the party with Joy. She promised us she would be at our house at the arranged time with two ponies, but never showed up and ruined our child's party. We called the company when they no showed and emailed them after wards. They did not return our calls or make any effort for an apology. read more

For all the reviewers who wrote in THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have been trying to book with this company for over a month, for a Halloween party this year, and have been dealing with the "no response" or one word response from JOY as well. I will be finding another company to use for our party. THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY HALLOWEEN PARTY!!! and letting me know this company is not legit! read more

We just used Big D's for our daughter's 6th birthday party...imagine my surprise when they showed up almost two hours late. The party started at 3:30 and they were supposed to arrive around 3 pm to set up. I had even spoken with someone named Joy confirming arrival time that morning (based on these other two Yelp reviews, I got nervous). By 4 pm they were MIA. After getting nothing but an answering machine, a girl (and by girl I mean maybe 17 or 18 years old) called me to say she was on her way but she was stuck in traffic. I could not get an answer out of her about how late she was going to be, finally she fessed up that her GPS indicated she was an hour away! When she finally did arrive around 5:15 pm, the ten animals I had payed for ("small petting zoo with ten animals"), was actually more like six. In the end, they would only knock $25 off the price as well. Clearly poorly managed, and kind of a scam as well. DO NOT USE! read more

DO NOT USE! HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT AND WASTE OF MONEY! I booked them for a community event a little more than a month before and paid in full. They were both nice and responsive, but that is where it stopped. The Monday before my event they called to say they had to push it back, which I explained would not work with 500 people coming. She told me she would call me back within 30 minutes. Then nothing. After three days of leaving voice mails and emails, I get a one liner saying my event is fine. The day of the event I did not hear from them and couldn't get them to answer. They called over an hour after the event started and finally showed up and it was a joke. They could have cared less and I never received any call, apology, offer to make it right or anything. To top it off, we now have two goats running loose around our community. Do not wast your time on this. Wish I had Yelped them before booking them. read more