I have ridden here for 6 years now and I own a horse which I board here…read more They have a great place for lessons, which I took for about 5.5 years and learned a lot about western, English and bareback riding. I have boarded my horse here for 2 months and it is a great facility. The arenas are nice and spacious and the place is clean and well-kept. Also, the staff are super friendly and helpful.

There are few things in life that can capture your heart and soul from the very first visit. Misty…read moreRidge Farm is one of these. From the smell of fresh cut hay, fresh shavings in the stalls and the many soft Equine noses looking for a scratch while nickering a soft hello- who wouldn't fall in love at first sight? Memories of many happy hours spent grooming and riding come flooding back. Stop by and see for yourself!

Absolutely horrible service the woman answered the phone with the worst attitude and proceeded to…read moretalk to me with no respect while clearly stuffing her face with food wouldn't suggest this terrible place 0 stars

The owner is a knowledgeable instructor but I did not feel welcome at her barn. Her teaching style…read moreis effective, I guess, but also harsh and berating. She snapped at me multiple times during my first lesson. I politely asked for a refund for the second two lessons I paid for upfront, but she did not agree to give me the refund. I do not recommend coming here for a enjoyable riding lesson.

I have been around horses and their instructors and trainers for the past 20 years since my…read moredaughters started riding at a young age. They've leased and owned horses, and they've shown in both little local shows and the "big one" in Louisville. So I feel qualified to comment. Craig Cates can do it all! He understands horses and owns many for whatever your riding level. Whether it be training your horse, lessons in riding, taking you to compete in a show...Craig has the experience to make it fun and safe for you. He is one of the best instructors I've seen...soft spoken and patient and excellent with both youngsters and seniors. He is also an honest businessman and a friend to all. Boone County is lucky he settled here!

This guy never picks up his phone. I heard he tossed them…read moreinto the Ohio River for some reason. UPDATE: he called me back after I left like a hundred moderate-cringe voice mails, and flat up told me he was booked for the next 30 days and didn't know anyone else who could take me on in the next couple day either - and then hung up. Informative chap.

I grew in or near a city...sort of a city slicker. I do enjoy getting out into nature and I like…read moreanimals. So, with grandkids on Spring Break, we thought we would give them an experience. Judy and George from Eastfork Stables, did just that. They showed us grooming, getting on...and off (yes there is definitely a right and wrong way to do both) a horse. They even taught a city boy, like me, a think or three about horsemanship. Above and beyond their knowledge of horses and their mannerisms, Judy and George are incredibly patient. The kids (and the grown-ups) had a fantastic time in the hills around Eastfork Lake. Take a step...and a breath...away from the city and just relax and enjoy. GREAT getaway!

Impossible to schedule. They only book one week at a time. You are instructed to call on Friday…read moremornings at 9am. By 9:15am, they are no longer answering the phone and are booked. I have called every week since Christmas!

Alright, so I read the first few pages of reviews for Muddy Water, and I can see it's a mix of both…read morenegative and positive experiences. Both sets of reviews are valid, and I am writing based on my experience here. We are from out of town - the East Coast - and we decided to come to Muddy Water Ranch for a group horseback riding experience. One of my friends - an experienced rider, and one who lives in the area - had visited before and recommended this for the group. First, highly emphasize the word "muddy" in Muddy Water. This place is a no-frills, no hullabaloo ranch - and yes, it's filled with mud, rocks, trees, and horse poop. When you pull up to this place, it indeed looks shady, as in unkept and not extraordinarily professional - but we took it for what it was worth. This is clearly a mom-and-pop, cash-only business that operates as such. The staff all have aliases for some reason or another and yeah, you sign 'ska-free' waivers before riding to help delegate responsibility to some other party if something were to happen. So, take this place for what it's worth. It's one of those things where you pay for what you get - and for the price, this was honestly not too bad. But again, it is to be expected. We were a large group - 7 people - and we road with three others, so 10 people all together. After speaking to us about our riding experiences, an old gentleman (probably the one who everyone said is rude) assigned us each a horse. He was an old horse rancher - customer service is not his business, horses are! He was rough around the edges, yes, but just doing his job. Once we all got horses, staff members (there were three) began bringing our horses out. One of the younger ranchers gave us a tutorial on how to ride - posture, where to keep your hands, how to steer, etc. After mounting our horse (again, with help from the staff), we 'practiced' for about 10 minutes, just going in circles around the ring. Then, the trail leader told us it was time to go on the trail. The trail is directly behind the ranch - in fact, you can see it at any given time. We had a trail leader out front, and one in the middle of us, continually calling out commands and advice, which we found super helpful. We road the trail for about an hour, and to be honest, an hour was plenty. The horses mostly moved in a line, one after another, but I do like to think I steered my horse (who's name was Chico) in some direction. The trail was a quite muddy and the horses did their job and went through the mud. Don't wear your best clothes, just an FYI! Wear old shoes (boots, if you got em) and pants that you won't mind getting dirty. Overall, we enjoyed our time at Muddy Water and accomplished what we came there to do - ride a horse on a trail!

I really don't want to be mean but I'm writing for safety concerns. The staff were fine, as far as…read moremanners, at least to me. I agree with some of the reviews that when I pulled up, I had a bad feeling and felt like I should decline this ride. But it was a gift and I went ahead. The horses are kept in what looks like hollowed out semi truck trailers, not barns. It was disturbing actually. Somehow we started off with what I think were three guests and three staff members. Two of the guests had never ridden which always makes me uncomfortable. But on the trail, other people sort of appeared out of nowhere adding to our group? No idea if they were late guests or they worked there. The staff of riders numerous times kept changing up the order of the horses on the trail, switching riding positions. There was not enough room on the trail to do this which I also did not feel was wise or safe. I never thought about it, but after reading the reviews realize I was not offered a helmet - I would have declined but was never even offered one. Using the word "trail" is generous. It's more of an area you circle around in repeatedly and the area is just mud (lots of mud) and logs. So your horse, for the entire ride, is navigating mud and logs. The poor boy in my group that had never ridden - his horse was not even on the trail a large part of the time, the horse would finally figure out to catch up to the group but he was wandering about on other parts of the trail. My horse finally got a bit antsy and starting kicking up a bit, which scared the new riders. I can't blame the horse, the situation seemed very unsafe to me and chaotic. I just feel for safety reasons, this is probably not the best place to go to enjoy a well run trail ride with experienced staff. When I left, I was super disturbed to see a family joining the already full group with a dad and a maybe one year old riding double. I was actually pretty afraid for them to head off with that group. I attached a photo of where the horses are kept - they are kept in these steel trailers. Concerning.

Horseback riding was great. From nature to the river and creeks. The guide was very friendly…read more They have a good weight limit and 1 hr or 2 hr rides. We plan to go back!

Wife and I stopped in for the first time here. Very pleasant country atmosphere. Very pleasant…read moreowners and volunteers. Guide was just awesome. Took an hour trip up in 750 acre woods up hills down hills through creeks and even through the river. This is about riding and being in nature. Loved it will be back!! Additional horses are superbly trained, and very attentive to doing there jobs!

I bought a Morgan horse from Ben over 20 years ago. she was the best trail horse I ever had.read more

What a great experience. Drive past Bens place by chance, saw him wave at us as we drove by, we…read morestopped, and chatted with him for 20 minutes. Came back the next morning and took a great 2 hour horseback ride through the forested trails. Highly recommended!

I have found the folks who own this farm truly care about the horses under their care. They had an…read moreincident with the possums and quickly cleaned it up when discovered. Since the owner's health was poor they do not offer full care. There has always been water and hay available, and stalls available for all owners to use if they wish, but stall cleaning is for the boarder to take care of. These owners have been wonderful for me to work with, including the care of my very old gelding until his death.

From the owner: StoneRidge Stables is a pasture care boarding facility and so much more. We offer riding lessons,…read moretraining, breaking, as well as riding trails, indoor arena rental and on farm horse leasing. We are also only seven miles from A.J. Jolly Park which has 30 miles of riding trails.

This was our first experience horseback riding. My granddaughter is 11 and very hesitant about…read moreriding. Amy was so patient with her. By the time our first lesson was over my granddaughter was completely comfortable, it was amazing to see. I highly recommend Royal Creek Farm.

Went to Royal Creek today to just enjoy some relaxing horseback riding. The experience we had was…read moreabsolutely AMAZING. Jules was our guide. She was absolutely sweet, understanding, knowledgeable, and very patient. My two cousins who went with me aren't very experienced riders, and she walked them through everything. Royal Creek has an amazing way of setting up the entire experience. They are really good at pairing the rider with the house -- not easy to do, but very well done. Once you arrive, you meet your "guide" and then are introduced to your horse. I really enjoyed the fact that you have some one on one time with the horse you'll be riding before you actually get on. You get to give your horse a brush down so they get comfortable with you, after that the horses are saddled up, and they take you to an indoor arena to ride around and get comfortable. Your guide will then make sure you're comfortable to take you out to the field where you'll ride around for a while. This was honestly one of the best horseback riding experiences I have had in a long time. Also, their prices are super reasonable. $105 for 3 people for an 1 1/2 hours