I just moved to Driftwood Ranch a few months ago, and I just wanted to say how much I truly enjoy it. I think what ranch works best for someone is based on the amenities offered and the community that boards there. Driftwood is the most affordable ranch in the valley for what one receives. For example, I had my horse over at a ranch off of Leon for a few months because it was cheaper (at the time it was $90 per month although I believe it is now $100), but I definitely got what I paid for...there was one enclosed arena/turnout, one round pen, and one open arena that was rarely available because lessons are given in it, and none of these areas had lights which made it so that in winter when I got off of work, I could not do anything with my horse because it was dark at 4 o'clock! To get to the trails you would have to ride down a long road, about a 15 minute ride, and it is right next to the border patrol station where they would come flying out on their quads freaking my horse out causing me to be dumped more than once. The stalls are attached to each other meaning that horses can reach other horses - I have seen horses hurt on more than one occasion because of this and have seen and heard boarders yelling at each other about it, talking about suing each other - just draamaaa, not what I'm looking for when I come to a ranch. This also caused a problem with flies because if an owner didn't clean their pen, it would directly affect me and my horse, and I just found myself being frustrated all the time. Also, my tack shed was nowhere near my stall, so that was annoying as well. At Driftwood, these things are all non-issues: there are three round pens, one HUGE arena with lights, an oval arena/turn out, and a training oval in the back. There is immediate trail access in both the front and the back of the ranch. There are really knowledgeable and kind people who don't act like know it alls there willing to help you out if you are going out of town or need help with a training issue. The stalls have gaps in between them so horses can't hurt their neighbors. Of course this trail access and space between stalls causes more plant growth, but it's not like it's been hard to clean that up over the past few months, even with the rains. And I heard the owners hired someone to maintain that recently, so it seems to me that things are just getting better. My tack shed is also right next to my stalls. I had to clean it up a bit, but it's not an apartment - I didn't expect the owners to slap on a new coat of paint for every new boarder that comes in, and when I wanted to paint it myself, they said to go for it, that was cool. There were also a lot of spiders in it so I had to bomb it, but would I "blame" the owners for that? Um, no...it's outside...it's a ranch...maybe it's just my perspective, but I do try to be reasonable when it comes to what I expect the owners to take care of and what I use on a daily basis so it would be my responsibility to maintain and to keep nice for the sake of myself, my horses, and my neighbors. Common sense and common decency. Yes, there are empty stalls and areas that could use a little fixing up - the rain and the wind was crazy this winter, and it's not like the owners bought place just a couple of years ago and made everything shiny and new - that would be an unreasonable expectation. Because of this, things aren't absolutely perfect all the time, but when there is an issue with a stall with a horse in it, they are on top of it immediately. Horse and people safety is their number one concern. As things come up, they seem to get taken care of...I can't say this for the last barn I was at, where the rust ate through some bars resulting in sharp edges, which is going to happen over time near the beach, and the stalls are still like that. Again, you get what you pay for!
Any questions or concerns I've ever had to go to management for have been addressed immediately and I've never felt that they were hostile towards me, only supportive. I've also never seen or heard about the owners being hostile towards anyone else. I feel compelled to say this because another review on here stated differently, and since they have been so awesome, in my perspective, I wanted to speak up. They aren't present on the ranch at all times, but they can easily be reached by text, and one of the feeders is there a whole lot. I know that I can talk to her if need be and if she can help she usually does. I also really like the location. It is at the top of the hill on Hollister so it doesn't flood nearly as badly as the ones down towards Monument - those are a lot more expensive too! From what I can tell they are fancy training barns, and that isn't what I'm looking for anyways. I'm just looking for a chill place with some chill people where I can get off work, have a beer,hop on my horse and go on trail for a quick 20 min ride, no fuss, no muss. Driftwood is the best in the valley! read more
