Long review but well-deserved…read more Dede/Urban Horseman owner/operator/trainer deserves 10 stars. My adult daughter and I had our first lesson with her today and I cannot say enough great things about her. She has the experience, knowledge, and ability to teach you, your kids, or anyone how to ride correctly so that you are confident in the saddle. She also shows you how to groom and tack up (saddle) your horse which increases your confidence around horses. She is definitely safety first, has incredible patience, no judgment, and is a lovely and friendly person. Everything you could possibly want in a riding instructor. I have ridden a fair amount over the years but haven't been on a horse in several years. I wanted to improve my form and technique while getting back into riding. Dede was the perfect choice to get started again. My daughter and I took a lesson together (great bonding experience, parents!) Very helpful to eavesdrop on the tips she was giving each of us while we were in the arena. There is also the option of doing trail rides while we learn which we'll definitely take advantage of as we progress. Who knew there were gorgeous trails right off the 605/60 freeways?!?!? Dede has a number of beautiful, well-trained horses to suit every rider and their ability. The Whittier Narrows Equestrian Center is a large and lovely facility, well maintained, with easy access off the 605, and immediate access to riding trails. With summer vacation on the horizon, Urban Horseman is the ideal source for riding lessons, horsemanship camps for kids, individual (or perhaps small group/friends lessons), or parent/kid time together. Reasonable rates for quality instruction. You will absolutely get your money's worth at Urban Horseman and have a fantastic time learning or improving your riding skills. Take that 5-star rating I gave Urban Horseman and double it. Can't wait to go back for more!

Dede is wonderful in many ways! Come see for yourself! Thank you for being you!…read more Riding lessons, trail rides, all sorts of fun stuff going on here! Come check in!

Berated and yelled at me and my little sister for not having horse riding skills when we were…read morebeginners. She was late to our lesson! How unprofessional! She tried to make up for the whack lesson by offering a free class to us but I declined by how terrible she treated us. Do not come here at all, please take your money elsewhere.

Holly is amazing she made my daughter feel so comfortable. She knows her horses so well and knows…read morewho will fit well riding them. I'm so glad I found her here on yelp for last min search.

Great place to board! One if the few - if not the only place - in Los Angeles to have pasture…read morespace! Technically dry lot, but I'll never go back to box stalls again! Very private place and no show barn school, so the arenas don't get busy. Plus easy trail access.

Cesar is very responsive, communicate, and his animals are very loved and well taken care of! I…read morehighly recommend hiring his mobile petting zoo and pony rides for your next event.

Everything was amazing from the beginning to end! Great communication! Everyone at my party loved…read morethem! I got their full on package which included the petting zoo plus the pony's & horses! Everything was amazing! Definitely will be booking them for future parties!

took my 3yr nephew to the Montebello Barnyard Zoo last weekend and had a really nice time overall!…read moreIt's definitely on the smaller side, which honestly worked out great for us--no wait to get in and easy to walk through without feeling overwhelmed. Perfect for younger kids. Parking was probably the only downside. Since you park in the main park area, it was pretty packed with baseball games and birthday parties going on. If you're going mid-afternoon, just be prepared to circle a bit for a spot. Pro tip: get the Groupon! We grabbed a family 4-pack for only $13 way cheaper than paying at the gate, which made it feel like a really good deal. As for activities, pony rides were $10 and the tractor ride was $12. My nephew skipped the ponies but loved the tractor ride. Feeding the animals costs a couple bucks ($2-$3 for pellets), but just keep in mind you can only feed the llamas, goats, and one pony. Still fun though! He also got to interact with a chicken, which he thought was super cool. Overall, it's a cute, simple spot for a quick outing with kids. Just go in knowing it's small and plan ahead for parking, and you'll have a great time!

I found this spot when looking up things to do in montebello…read more You can get a great deal on group on for an admission of 2 for like $8. Since buying the ticket in person is $11 per person. There is ample parking since this place is located at the park. It's a small walk from the parking to the barn. Once you enter you can purchase small bags of animal food for $3. Once we entered we were able to see the stalls with different animals. Some animals you can feed others you can't, so please read the signs posted. It was fun to see small goats hopping & the bunnies snacking. It's a small spot but cutely decorated. The staff were friendly & open to questions. They also seem to host larger parties in where you have a small section for yourself which is nice. There is also pony riding & a small train for the little ones to explore. A nice spot for some bonding with critters.

I decided to write a review regarding the horseback riding lessons at this wonderful stable and I…read moremust say, it has been an incredible experience for my daughter Delilah. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff who made us feel welcome and at ease. The instructor, Laura, was knowledgeable and patient, taking the time to explain everything in detail and ensuring that my daughter feels comfortable before getting on the horse. The horses themselves were well-trained and gentle, making it easy for a beginner like my daughter to learn the basics of riding. The facilities were clean and well-maintained, with a spacious arena for practicing different exercises and techniques. Throughout the lessons in these past 6 months we have see the improvement and how she is gaining confidence with each ride. Laura provides helpful feedback and guidance, pushing Delilah to challenge herself and try new things. Overall, I highly recommend taking horseback riding lessons at this stable. I read a recent review left by someone claiming that the staff here are not kind or welcoming to minorities. This has never been the case for us as we are Mexican. So that statement is far from being true. I highly recommend this place to all who are looking to start horseback riding. My daughter is 14 and looks forward to her classes with Laura and her favorite horse, Skylar. Thank you so much! Best, Delilah's parents

My daughter has been taking riding lessons here since March of this year. She's been riding off…read moreand on for the last few years and we moved here from horse town USA, Norco. This is a great riding center. Trainer Laura is amazing and she is so great with the students. She is patient and really teaches. All the school horses are are great and very well taken care of.. They teach/train all levels, from beginners to advanced. My daughter's riding has improved so much since starting here and she loves it. The pricing is very reasonable and I think you get so much more vs other riding schools/centers we've been too. All the staff is attentive and courteous. The barn area is always clean and organized. There are quite a few riding schools in the area and we checked them out. I am so happy we landed here. We love FFF!

This is a bit of an overdue review, but I had such an amazing time horseback riding! I hadn't…read moreridden since I was about 5 years old, so I was definitely a little nervous going into it. I'm not sure it's exactly like riding a bike--but Karen made me feel completely at ease from the start. Kiwi, my horse, was incredibly patient and gentle with me. I swear she knew I needed a little extra TLC! It made the whole experience so enjoyable and stress-free. I even got to do a tiny bit of trotting, which was such a fun bonus. Overall, it was such a great experience, and I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking to try horseback riding or get back into it!

Great horses, great guides. It is always a pleasure to do a…read morehorseback ride at Suzie Q Ranch. Lovely afternoon today January 19th of 2026. Will be back! I think this ranch is the best of the area. Thank you Suzie!

I was asked to pull my original review of this place down because parents were worried about the…read morereputation of the barn reflecting poorly on their kids. Well. Upon further reflection and new information that has come to light, I feel the right thing to do is inform people how terrible this place is. Do not come here. I'm sure at one point, this was a good place,but it seems like the good people left. Not only is this place on a death spiral grind to survive, it's full of lying, manipulative, toxic people. The place is run by a completely unprofessional human being named Joel Griffin - who has a known track record of harassment and apparently a history of being hostile. If you want a community of riders to grow and share bonds over animals - these are not your people. This is Mean Girls on a budget. The owners work harder at excuses and blame than they do providing the services you pay for. They will not clean your stalls. They will hide the stuff they are supposed to clean under your shavings. You will get extra helpings of passive aggressive behavior if you mention it. Joel, the owner, has no problem spreading rumors and information about anyone's personal lives to anyone who happens to be around. There's no limit, or any filter. He's actually said that he won't answer the calls of some boarders because they annoy him. He is also cheap. Did I mention he was inappropriate? Don't tell him or anyone anything personal unless you want others to know. They will not fix anything for you unless a situation turns into a blow out. Our horse and several other horses have sustained repeated injuries due to stall conditions, and nothing was done about it. They will do the bare minimum with feeding. If you use a slow feeder or have special dietary needs, you're on your own. They will not help. When we discovered a horse living in squalor, and temporarily moved it, they accused us child endangerment. And after getting angry and confronting people about lying and spreading misinformation, there is now a rumor going around saying I threatened to punch a woman . This behavior is ABSOLUTELY NOT OK and it is dangerous. Fortunately we have a couple of witnesses to the contrary, and learned of an illegal recording that was made during that confrontation, so should be easy prove otherwise. We are definitely talking to our attorney about what actions we can take against this place and any slanderous/libelous claims made against us both from the owners and any remaining boarders who just don't seem to get how bad and serious these claims are. They will definitely throw you under the bus, before even considering the acceptance of anything remotely resembling their own accountability. This isn't normal. When we left, due to all of the drama and complete unprofessionalism (not to mention keeping up the stall became a nearly a full time job despite paying for it), we were locked out of our locker, instantly - even tho we had paid for the whole month. We want to go and recover our remaining items and food,, but now don't feel safe or trusting of the people there. You never know what will be said about you next, or what will be manipulated into something else The barn is not secured. Odd people randomly come thru off of the street, and it doesn't feel safe at night. It's sandwiched between railroad tracks full of garbage and the occasional homeless tents, some processing plants... and the 710. There are groups of riders who take over the barn at night, party, get drunk and rowdy. Some say some beat their horses, but the owner turns a blind eye because "money is money". There have been claims that worse behavior towards other boarders has occurred. I cannot personally verify these claims, but I've heard similar stories from unrelated people elsewhere, who had boarded there and left. We have spoken with a few previous IEC boarders now at our new location as well as people from across the city, who all have their own horror stories. This includes vets, horse professionals, caretakers etc. this is obviously a huge problem. Joel is a huge problem. And to the people out there worried about the reputation of the barn... you should be. And you should do something about it. These are your decisions. It's your responsibility. I will not subject my family to this place for one second longer, or cover for one of the worst experiences of my life for the sake of others. That is just irresponsible at this point and my family deserves better.

My son and nieces attended the horse camp for a week, and they loved it. The horses are well taken…read morecare of, and the camp coordinators were awesome. Thank you, IEC, for providing kids with an awesome learning experience.

Wyatt has been amazing with our two pups. We've been training for a few weeks now and have seen a…read morenoticeable change in their behavior. He's given us tips and tools to use with reinforcement! Reduced aggressive behavior, less pulling on the leash and we have much more pleasant dogs. I should add that our dogs are rescues so it has been a dream so far!

I purchased a package deal and let me tell you, Wyatt is wonderful! He explains things so well and…read morereally helps you gain the confidence that you need to get better. He observes how you ride, notices things that needs to be adjusted/worked on, and makes sure we get it down and right before moving forward. Also, I can't forget Sally. She is such a beautiful and well trained horse. My gosh. The way she listens, you can tell she wants to help you get better too. 10/10 recommend.

Hi, I would just like to let you know. That this is really disrespectful to put your signage over…read moreour business flyer as there is plenty of space on the board. It's really a slap in the face to another business and unethical.

I volunteered over the course of 4 months at the Fahnestock Ranch and it had such a positive impact…read moreon my life. Never has my nervous system been as calm as when I got the chance to consistently be around horses. I am honoured to have been able to work beside Michael and learn from his experiences in horsemanship. In my eyes it was truly an enriching experience to see how we can teach a horse to trust again through consistent presence, training and care. Overall working with the animals and Michael has helped me attain much confidence in my abilities. Hopefully I'll come back in the near future.