The trail ride I did a while back was beautiful--can't beat the setting. Thats why they get two stars. However, the owner is very rude. I recently called to book a ride last minute after purchasing a yelp deal that was about to expire (I forgot!) and it was dissappointing to me that they were full and would not even extend the deal one week to let me use it. But i can accept that. It sucks, but rules are rules and you can still always use the purchase price paid. (As an aside, most business i have noticed will extend their deal slightly if you call before the expiration and they are full.) What I can't accept is that I got one hell of a lecture from the guy on the phone about calling last minute and expecting to get something and how "people had to take responsibility for their own actions!". ( I mentioned casually it was a shame Yelp doesnt send a little reminder email like Groupon does......). Well, he let me know what he thought of me and my kind! I am clearly just a lazy a*#% who cant get my act together!! So glad he cleared that up for me! My thoughts? If he doesnt want to deal with a last minute rush, then don't offer deals through deal sights. And further, if the point is to get more customers, lecturing them is not the way to reel 'em in! I dont need to deal with people like that. I'll give my certificate away. Too many other good businesses to patronize. A shame all around as my brother and his family are coming to town soon and I was going to suggest we do a ride. Maybe I'll just give him those expired deals :-) read more

I took my kids, aged 13, 11 and 9 for the 2-hour ride. Our guide was "City Slicker Dave." We all had a great time, loved trotting and cantering. Dave made sure that everyone was having fun; he was charming and considerate. My kids are beginners, and he respected that. Our horses, Snip, Trigger, Olly and Scout, were mostly well-behaved. The equipment seemed fine. I've ridden a fair amount, and guests almost never get to canter on rides like this. I loved that and will return for a longer ride and galloping on the beach. read more

"City Slicker Dave" is the best! My 11 year old son and I had a wonderful time riding through a beautiful setting with great instruction from Dave. It was my son's first ride and it couldn't have been more perfect for him. Dave explained how to ride in a way that was fun and easy to learn and understand. He even got off his horse to take some pictures of the two of us. Thanks to Dave I think my son is hooked. read more

This place is fantastic! I grew up on a ranch, riding horses bareback and these stables fit my riding experience to a tee. I came out for my birthday with a few of my friends who are also advanced riders. Our guide's name was Warren and he allowed us to trot and canter intermittently up the trail. It was late in the day, and I worried that the horses would have been tired but these guys spread the 20+ horses for various rides. It was my horse's first trail ride of the day and he was ready to go! I was acting as a tourist and asking our guide questions about the different birds and flowers and Warren was gracious and knowledgeable. We took the Fir Top Trail which was a panoramic view of Olema Valley. We were able to beat the heat of San Rafael which was like 90 degrees to a perfect 75 degrees. I definitely would like to become a sponsor for $250 per month and come ride weekly. read more

Lovely place. Our guide Ryan was wonderful. We shall be coming back soon!

My husband and I have taken trail rides all over the world (seriously) and Five Brooks was by far the best. From the moment we arrived, we were treated great. Carol, our guide, was friendly and professional. The horses are very well taken care of and are easy to handle. Even before the ride ended, I was mentally planning my next visit and wishing my daughter was along. I can hardly wait to come back. We took the 2-hour fir ridge trail ride and the area was gorgeous. Five Brooks deserves 10 stars! read more

I booked the 6 hour ride for my daughters 16th birthday and had a fantastic time. The trails are absolutely gorgeous and the ride on the beach was spectacular. Our guide was Cowboy Dave and he was a lot of fun. We enjoyed it so much. We will definitely do this again. The horses are well kept and very good trail horses. read more

This was our 2nd year of horseback riding at Five Brooks Ranch. My girls age 9 and 12 love it. Cowboy Dave, our guide, is part of the awesome experience. He talks to my girls and consults with them about how quick or slow they want to ride. We go on the 2 hour ride and I like how the rides are in small groups. Last year, Cowboy Dave was our guide and there were 2 families on the ride (total of 7 of us + 1 guide). This year we had Cowboy Dave to ourselves (3 of us + 1 guide). My 9 year old daughter is horse crazy and Cowboy Dave took the time to answer ALL her questions and turned the day into a great memory. Thank you Five Brooks Ranch !!! read more

I signed my dad and I up for a beginner 2 hour ride, our male guide started having our horses "trot" which felt like a run for a loooong time to the point where I had to tell him can we please walk because I wanted a relaxing ride and it was pretty terrifying and felt like my phone was going to fly out of my pocket. He would have us walk for about 10-15 minutes then trot/run again. 2 times my dads horse was completely left in the dust and out of sight where I had to yell at the instructor to stop riding and wait for my dad. He seemed annoyed by me multiple times but I wanted a relaxing ride+ my dad could have been completely lost and alone in the middle of nowhere. I cannot imagine a child being on that ride it would be extremely dangerous. He took our horses down this small hill just to turn them around which seemed unnecessary and my poor dads horse dropped on all 4 knees and could barely get back up and my dads legs somehow did not get hurt on the ground but I almost started crying. I have ridden all around the world on these leisure rides to enjoy the scenery and there was no enjoyment but only holding on for our life and pain. The staff at the ranch were just fine and let me borrow a rain coat because it was pouring rain but the ride itself was terrifying and painful+ did not get to enjoy the absolutely beautiful scenery of the ranch. Beginner rides should be a walk period. read more

When I came I was a bit nervous because I once fell of a horse when I was a child and I have not ridden since. But I wanted to go for a horse ride and some friends did recommend this place to me. Before we did go riding one of the guides, Tina, carefully considered which horses would fit together on this specific trip and also who should ride which horse. They really know their horses and how they react on different things. The horses are well trained, so they were easy to control for a beginner like me. My horse was named Dusty. I would definitely recommend this ranch. The atmosphere is so good and it is such a beautiful place to go horse riding in. Warren was a good and patient guide. I'm already planning my next trip. - Birgitte Vang (Denmark) read more

February 2006 I became a sponsor at Five brooks Ranch, it has, and still is, one of the best experiences in my life. When I was a kid I had a Liver-Chestnut Morgan gelding with a flaxen mane and tail, his name was Sundance. I raced barrels, was a member of the Petaluma Junior Riding Club, that horse would do anything I asked. He was my best friend in the whole world. When my parents sold him, I was devestated. I didn't have anything to do with horses for 20 years after that. Then I became a Five brooks sponsor. They connected me with a Liver-Chestnut Morgan mare with a flaxen mane and tail, her name is Ginger. Ginger and I have been all over those beautiful trails out there. The beach, Bass Lake, Bear Valley and alot in between. Since then, I bought my own horse but, Ginger has my heart and I have hers, as she nickers and meets me right at the gate before I even get out of my car whenever I go to visit her. I also volunteer out there from time to time and just love it. All their horses have such great personalities, like Paulie,, whenever you can't find him, look in the hay barn and that's where he'll be. Or Dusty, taking the duster off the fence with his teeth, running around the corral scaring all the horses including himself!! What a histerical sight that was. Andrew, Tina and all the Five brooks team have been like my family. Thanks guys for changing my life. Sincerely LeeAnn Woodard read more

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and we both loved it. I got the 2 hour private tour, so it was just the tour guid, my boyfriend ,and me. This was a while ago, back in August, so I don't really remember the tour guid's name, but she was really nice, knew what she was doing, made us feel comfortable, when I say us, I mean me since my boyfriend has ridden horses before. What was really cool is that they put us on two horses that were brother and sister and who are the only ones that can ride side by side. The tour guide asked if we wanted to gallop a little and told me exactly how to do it and we did a few times. The weather was really nice, considering it was a really really hot day, but the path was mostly in the shade and since we were near the ocean it was nice and cool. The tour guide even took a picture of both of us on our horses. I hope to come back here soon. read more

My mother and I chose the two hour ride, and were thrilled with the results. There were four riders total in our group, each with a different experience level. 'Cowboy Dave' was an excellent teacher to the less experienced, and still managed to allow the more experienced riders some time for a few brisk jogs and lopes. The horses were healthy and well looked after, the tack safe, and the scenery was beautiful. All in all, a wonderful experience, and we both look forward to returning from the East coast to ride with Five Brooks again! read more

As a rider since childhood that rarely gets to ride anymore I am glad to have this place to turn to to get my fix now and then. When my son or friends come to visit I take them here. The crew is fun, knowledgeable and competent. They do well matching you with a horse that suits your ability whether you are a novice or advanced. I hope to do the beach ride one day. It sounds epic!! read more

I didn't enjoy my trail ride. They gave me a horse that seemed irritable and angry. It kept stopping abruptly and chasing the horse behind it. Instead of helping, the guide stayed way up in front and yelled at me to "loosen the reins and kick the horse's sides". I did this repeatedly and also almost completely let go of the reins, to no avail. She told me "you have the reins too tight", which was completely untrue. Furthermore, I found out that my horse had attacked another horse just that day. Very irresponsible of this stable and as I have seen from the other reviews they definitely have safety issues. read more

Five Brooks is one of the few Bay Area stables that will tailor private trail rides to riders' experience levels. Super affordable and a really great option for both beginners and more advanced riders. Had an absolutely wonderful 3 hour ride when I rode there in early August. read more

they don't give great care to the horses. there are many riding places around this area, and five brooks seems to only care for the money over the horses. read more

Let's see...2 hour ride and $130 got me a visit to the Novato Community ER for a concussion, bruised ribs and a separated shoulder after being thrown from a nag named LuLu...who clearly was not up to the ride duration and appeared to not be in the healthiest condition. I was shocked at how unprepared they were to deal with an injury of this sort...the trail leaders were hapless and the owners acted as though they have never had to deal with an injury before...really folks??? The worst part?...Five Brooks stable insisted on charging me the whole fare. Priceless??...not at all...this horse ride will cost me over $3K in medical and 12 weeks of rehab. read more

Took the family horseback riding here and the staff was warm and welcoming. This is my second time here and I highly recommend it. Horses seem well taken care of. read more

For our 6th anniversary my boyfriend surprised me with a day of horseback riding at Five Stables. I was super excited because not only was it something new (I haven't ridden since I was a kid) but it sounded kind of romantic, plus I love animals and being outdoors. So we get to 5 Brooks for our noon appointment. Everything seems great and the horses appear to be well taken care of (which was my main concern). Our "guide" was Adam. We signed a couple of papers--on which we clearly stated that we were both beginners--and up in the saddles we went. He was not a talkative guy, which was fine, but he had a better-than-thou attitude that just made you want to slap him. We asked him a couple of questions and tried to make small talk but his brief and mumbled answers made it clear he was misearable. Five minutes into the ride he asks if we want to trot. Before we answer he tells me to give my horse, Dancer (which was in front of my boyfriend's horse, Samson) a kick so he could see how I trotted. When the kick did nothing he told me to slap my horse in the neck with the reins. This was obviously not my idea of a fun or romantic Saturday afternoon--beating up a horse--but I lightly let the reins fall on to Dancer's neck so that Adam wouldn't yell at me. When that didn't work Adam whistled and called Dancer, and that got him trotting--for a little while at least. He didn't even ask my boyfriend to demonstrate, even though Samson, the horse he was riding, was a towering 9-feet tall, and my boyfriend hasn't ridden a horse in like 20 years! The trotting was extremely bouncy and since both of our stirrups were too long there was nothing we could do to control the bouncing! About 30 minutes in to our 2 hour long ride, Adam's eyes lit up and his voice expressed true joy for the first and only time on the excursion. He jumped off his horse only to run to the bushes on the side of the trail and pick up a deer antler. Well that made him happy. For about 5 minutes. His horse was very antsy and wanted to run, or at least gallop, but since my horse would only pick up the pace when Adam whistled and called him, Adam tried to control his beautiful white horse's ambitious and free attitude by constantly pulling with all his weight down on the reins, which put a ton of pressure on the metal bit in the poor animal's mouth. It didn't take long for Adam to become frustrated. He rode over to a tree on the side of the trail, pulled of a small branch. He rode back to me, shook it in Dancer's face, and told me to hit him with it to get him to move faster. He told me my horse was "lazy." Wonderful, I thought to myself. Playing jockey and beating an animal was not my idea of a a good time, and certainly was not what we payed to spend our day doing. So when Adam told me to use the stick and "kick him hard" I merely grazed Dancer with the stick. It didn't do any good anyway. Dancer only ran when Adam called him. Kicking, beating, or whipping on my part wouldn't have done any good. The horse knew I had no idea what I was doing and therefore was not going to listen to me no matter what! Just as I didn't think things could get any worse Adam's horse started getting more aggravated. He was jumping around and was pissed off that some other horses had passed us on the trail and they were now leading. Adam jerked downward on the reins and whipped the horse in the face with the loose end of the reins!!! I was mortified and have never seen anything so horrible in my whole life! He yelled at the horse "G*d d*mnit you F**ker!!!!" My boyfriend and I just gasped and looked dumbfounded at each other. Who the hell did this guy think he was?! Luckily we had only about 30 minutes remaining--30 minutes of riding in fear. Both in fear of this crazy guide, and in fear of falling since the muddy trail was now in steep decline, and while my "lazy" (possibly sick or exhausted) horse kept slipping, my boyfriend's horse kept trying to ride off the trail or walk underneath trees in an effort to knock him off!! Where was Adam? Who knows? Way ahead of us, probably yelling at his horse more. When we got back we had thought we'd take pictures of us on the horses, but instead we dismounted and the horses ran directly for food and water, and Adam ran directly for his cigarettes. Needless to say I will NEVER go back here, and I hope this Adam guy gets reprimanded for his behavior. I would never recommend this place, and will be reporting what I saw to animal welfare authorities! AVOID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Have been here a few times to ride with my daughter, now age 7. The owner of the stable is lovely and we have always had fun. But the last trail ride we did was lead by an overbearing, know-it-all, cowboy who would not stop talking. He was very harsh in how he spoke to the children in our group. I am experienced rider and did not appreciate his tone or attitude. I hope to have better luck next time we ride here. It is a great spot. read more

This was a horrible experience. Yesterday, for my neighbors 8th birthday her parents and I decided to surprise her by taking her on a trail ride. I wish I could say that we had a good experience up until the point where the shit hit the fan, but that would be a lie. I am an experienced rider myself, but both parents had never been on a horse before and the little girl is still learning the basics. There was no extra effort made to help them feel comfortable nor were our horses chosen by our ability levels, we were just thrown on seemingly at random. Instead we were all given the same instructions given hurriedly as our stirrups were adjusted. "Kick to go, pull back to stop, right rein to go right, left rein to go left" Then our horses were led by our ground helpers into line and our guide, Leanne, led us off. From the moment we left I wasn't liking what I was seeing. Our group was positioned to that the father, who was the most nervous about the ride and on the largest horse, Lulu, were at the rear of the ride. In front of them rode the 8 year old riding Harley, who I would have preferred to be closer to the guide, or at least where I could see her. In front of her I rode on Concho, a little white horse who seemed to be at least part Arabian, In front of me rode the mother on Cajun, a paint horse who was pulled out at the last moment, then Leanne on her horse. For the initial 15 minutes of the ride, everything went okay we would walk then trot for 30 seconds intermittently. I didn't feel that Leanne gave enough warning to the back of the group that we were going to start trotting. I was fine with this because I could stop my horse if I needed to, but the two behind me weren't having that much luck. As our ride continued, Harley was traveling slower and slower until there was a sizeable gap between myself and the back of our group. A while later I noticed the 8 year old was crying, and when I asked her why she said she was frustrated because Harley wasn't listening to her and that Lulu was scaring her by coming so close when we were trotting. As we came to a stop we asked our guide for help and even volunteered to go back, but she couldn't seem to come to a decision so I volunteered to ride behind Harley, since I could keep control over my horse. This seemed to solve the problem, but Harley still wasn't going very quickly and the poor girl was trying so hard but just couldn't keep her going (this was also Harley's second ride in a row). This resulted in a huge gap in the middle of our group. I didn't like it at all but kept my mouth shut because it's not my job. However, as we rode, I noticed that Harley was missing a back shoe and when I mentioned it to Leanne she hadn't noticed but didn't seem concerned about it. This I really didn't like because if a horse is accustomed to wearing shoes their feet aren't tough and walking over rocky ground can be painful (like us walking on rocks without shoes). After we had ridden an hour we turned around and rode back. This became another problem because while we we were going up we were on the right side of the road hugging the hill side of the trail, now we were going down and on the right, now close to the steep downhill side of the trail. Since I am used to riding these trails I didn't even think twice about it, but the 8 year old became very scared because she was so high up. I noticed her trying to move her horse away from the edge but the horse just kept in line. Tears began again and I tried to help coach her through what to do, but the horse just did not respond. When the mother tried to get Leanne to help her all she said was "Pull on the left rein, kick with the right leg" after several minutes more of crying and frustration Leanne finally offered to lead her. Again this seemed to solve the problem and our ride went okay except for the occasional Cajun stealing a snack and being pulled back on the trail and Lulu continuously tripping and scaring the crap out of the father because he felt like she was going to fall. Our group was very spread out, which infuriated me, because I have ridden these trails many many times and I see the Five Brooks horses all the time and I have never seen them that disorganized but our guide didn't do all that much to keep us together. Our was strung out over 100'. Out of nowhere Cajun EXPLODED! I have never seen a horse buck like that except for at the rodeo. There was no excuse for it either. He didn't spook, the rider had been sitting quietly, and there had been no bugs out all day. The mother hit the ground HARD on her head and elbow. Horse took off. They handled the emergency horribly, I had to gallop back for help, radio didn't work. They actually ecpected her to ride or walk back down the fire road. It was a huge mess and when I got back to our group they took the horses and LEFT US ON THE TRAIL! Since they had "already called for help, and there was nothing they could do" I am disgusted read more

Awesome experience. The people were very attentive and kind. The horses were amazing, the trail was spectacular. Loved it. Would definitely recommend it!! read more

The horses are beautiful and have been treated well. It is clear the staff and owners care about them. The ride was fun, the trail lovely. Private rides are the best. read more

Went on a 3 hour ride on a beautiful day, with great company and lovely, well trained horses. Our guide was fun and obviously enjoying herself. I can't wait to go back. read more

My friend and I went for the 2-hour ride and we both had a fantastic time. The trail guide, Sharon, was very attentive to how everyone was doing, and was always monitoring to make sure folks were having a good time and were feeling comfortable. There were beginners and advanced riders in the group and there was something for everyone. We got to canter a few times which was really exciting for a beginner like me, and also entertaining for the more advanced riders. I would definitely come back to try the 3-hr ride. I would highly recommend coming here! read more

I took the 6-hour beach trip. This is a beautiful place to ride. Cantering on the beach is exhilarating, but the rest of the experience left a lot to be desired. All members of our party were on time (early actually, as instructed) but we were rushed off with minimal instruction. My sister and I owned a horse for seven years in our teens, so we marked ourselves down as 'intermediate' riders, but expected all of the horses to be safe horses. My horse wasn't well saddled. It was torqued to the left for the entire ride, which may have contributed to how irritible Daisy was. (I tried to stand with my weight in the right stirrup to adjust it, but couldn't fix it that way.) Daisy had her ears laid back for almost the entire ride and tried to turn her head to bite my leg at least a dozen times. Until I saw her lunge for the horse behind us, who was crowding her, I'd been given no indication that she had a biting problem. It didn't make for a relaxing ride. Our guide was unconcerned about it and said that riders didn't discipline her enough when she tried to bite. I think it's unrealistic for the stable to think day riders will cure the behavioral deficiencies in their horses. I'd have thought twice about signing the release form had I known what a low standard they have. (The guide also talked about one who had been bucking and another that tried to back her off a cliff.) A less-experienced rider had even more excitement when his mount decided to roll in the sand at the beach with him still in the saddle! The guide hadn't warned him of this possibility and wasn't helpful beyond telling him to try to jump off. She didn't apologize. She gave after-the-fact instruction about watching for whether Cody put his head down as a sign that he might try to roll. The beach part of the ride was the best. My sister was disappointed that her request to walk down the beach in the other direction while the horses cooled down after the run was denied. (We were perhaps short on time because our guide decided to follow a strange man who boarded his horse at the ranch on a different route than the one she'd originally planned. We ended up going at his pace (slow, on a lathered horse with a deep cough). His route may have had the better view (?) but included a lot of riding through poison oak. Our guide seemed content to follow him even though he was flapping his arms irratically and riding very poorly. She seemed like she was on autopilot, not paying a lot of attention to the riders bringing up the rear and occasionally saying that she thought trailriding at a walk was boring. At the end we were offered a few more minutes ride through a meadow, but the man whose horse rolled with him declined for all of us. I wish we'd spent that time on the beach. I guess the worst part of my ride was returning to the stable and having Dave (?) yell at me that my weight was unbalanced and that it was hard on the horse. After six hours up and down hills it wasn't exactly comfortable for me either and HE saddled the horse that way. I might have been able to fix it after lunch, but wasn't inclined to risk it with a biting horse. There was no photo-op and no real debriefing about how the ride went aside from trying to get us to say that we had a good time. Basically they just wanted us off the horses and to go home. Of everyone at the stable Jesus stood out as the calmest and most capable around horses. If you have a chance to request a guide, he is who I would ask for. read more

David was AWESOME. Real cowboy and funny. Taught us how to ride at lope speed. Very helpful and catered to each persons' ability.

We had great experience at the stables. Both David and Ryan were very funny and informative. We had lots of fun.

I have been a customer of Five Brooks for over twelve years. I sponsored a horse every month for many years and now I own and board my horse at Five Brooks. This inspired me to write a book with my horse about the trails entitled Riding the Pt.Reyes Equestrian Trails.Five Brooks is a great place to trail ride, board or sponsor a horse. You have access to this magnificent park which includes beaches, ocean views, lakes and much more.Dennis Portnoy read more

We boarded our horses there for 5 days and Five Brooks was very good to them, and all the other horses. Five Brooks is a wonderful place to board your horses or just to go on a fun ride. My best friend (Chantelle), her mom (Lola), and her moms best friend (Lesli), all boarded our horses their. It was a wonderful experience and Five Brooks made it a lot better. Whenever we needed a little favor they helped us. Cowboy Dave was also a big help. He showed us fun trails and beautiful scenery that we couldn't find ourselves. We rented a horse once while we were there and the had him all ready to go when we came. Lisa did so much for us as well. We hope to come and board our horses there again because of the memories. They were amazing! We had such a great time! Thank you for the memories Five Brooks Ranch! read more

I was pretty excited to go here with my mom as late birthday celebration, the pictures made it look so nice and peaceful. But it was completely nerve-wrecking and chaotic, I would not recommend this place. As much as I love being around horses, they do NOT take care of them or the customers. We decided to do the 2 hour fir top trail because it looked peaceful and fun. I wasn't really bothered by the fact that the guides were late from the trail they took another group on prior to us, everyone looked happy coming back. We had one of the newer male guides, but he seemed to know what he was doing. I will admit that most of the group was nervous, but the people there reassured us that it would be fine, it's completely normal. Without warning, the guide would start to trot which we didn't realize, would make all the other horses do the same. It scared my mom and another woman because he did it randomly so we would keep up with him. If we didn't keep up with him, he would yell at us, which he did a lot. At one point, because one woman's horse and mine wouldn't listen to us, he picked up sticks, handed it to us, and told us to hit them in the rear with it. That was NOT okay. These horses seemed tired and also hungry (I expect horses to graze every now and then during trails, but they did it so much it was concerning, and we felt bad), this was completely unprofessional to ask random strangers to do this to our horses. At one point, a guy's horse tripped, which sent the guy off the horse and into some brush. Luckily the guy and the horse were okay, but the guide didn't really seem to care, he was rushing us because we were taking too long and told the guy to get back onto the horse. No where on the site does it say that people who are uneasy should not do this trail ride, but it didn't stop the guide from making snide comments about the people behind us because they were going too slow. The other woman was nervous after her boyfriend had fallen off his horse, and I don't blame her. We still had an hour to go and I did not once enjoy this ride whatsoever. Our guide was aggressive, rude, and was too concerned about time to even care if we were enjoying the ride. I didn't get to take any pictures or enjoy the scenery because he did so many things that made everyone on edge or angry. I would highly advice that he needs to work on his customer service experience because that could have completely changed my opinion on this trail ride. I take horseback riding lessons often and they are more patient with me than this guy was with us. read more

This is a great way to spend an afternoon in a lovely setting. The horses seem happy - not like the plodding hacks at most rental riding places. Our guide was quirky, to say the least. read more

"Lisa"our trail guide was patient and knowledgable. She paid extra attention to my 7 year old daughter who is a beginner rider (4th time on a trail horse.) Lisa educated my daughter on building confidence by being assertive in controlling where the horse was suppose to go. She taught my daughter skills to gain confidence and control of a horse. And I learned a few things from Lisa, too! At the end of the 2 hour ride, my daughter was trotting with confidence and wants to come back tomorrow for another 2 hour ride! Thank you Lisa!!! read more

I want to start by writing that overall it was a fun and positive experience and Carol really saved the day for some. So, I took a group of 10 inexperienced riders out for my birthday and we had a blast. However, the experience of the trail riders closest to the trail guide, Karen, was different from those closest to Carol, the blonde soft-spoken woman on the palomino bringing up the rear. Carol was fun and relaxed and conversational. Karen was heard to complain, curse under her breath and smack her horse a bit too much. She seemed stressed. Karen took us up a trail with a steep hill, back down and then tried to end our ride about 15 minutes too soon. Our ride started late at that, which was our fault as 3 of our 10 riders arrived behind schedule. Carol took most of us back out for about 15 minutes to trot and canter which made everyone ecstatic! Thank you, Carol! Most of the horses were nice trail horses, though there was at least one who looked a little too old and skinny with a big hunter bump---signifying muscle loss. I think they should retire him or her. The staff and Andrew the owner were very nice and welcoming. They offered to take pictures for us and gave us carrots to feed our mounts after the ride. I would love it if they took the saddles off the horses and properly cooled them out in between rides. But the horses otherwise seemed pretty happy. Some were grumpy with one another on the trail. Maybe it was just a horse thing. read more

Five Brooks Stables is a great place to go for a horseback riding lesson. Prior to going to Five Brooks, I had not ridden a horse since I was about 7 years old, so I didn't remember a thing. They were careful and safe, even asked me to get on the horse while standing on a bench so it was easier. From what I could tell, they choose the horse for you according to your height. I rode their daughter's horse, which was pretty well-behaved. They gave me tips before the ride about that particular horse and how to work with her most effectively and get her to listen. It was a bit scary trotting (I'm lightweight and felt like I was going to fall off) but got used to it fairly quickly. Things to know before you go - dress accordingly (I think loose clothing is best), and wear close-toed shoes. You can't wear anything tied around your waist if I remember right. Also, bring cash for tips. I went on a Groupon coupon with my fiance and we were so glad we went! Great experience, professional and down-to-earth staff. Oh yea, if you're new to riding like I was - it's best to ride close to the front so the guide can hear you yell for him to stop if you need to. read more

Vacationed in Point Reyes for a week this year, our second year. We had City Slicker Dave as our guide and he was great! Our ride was very much fun, much better than your standard trail rides. I had two small children, 6 and 9, and he really help them to improving their riding skills. Just a great place to ride and it's beautiful there. read more

Great riding stables. Second time there in 2 years, and we took a 2 hour ride up the trail into hills. Beautiful scenery, shaded. Guide (Sharon) was great and thoughtful about our kids limits. read more

I have ridden horses all my life and had to sell my horse after having kids. It's been 18yrs since that day. After riding recently at stables in Pismo Beach and Half Moon Bay, I decided to sponsor a horse with Five Brooks Stables. This stable is very well run, much better than the other stables we tried. They matched my beginner boyfriend and I (advanced) with horses that were perfect for both our levels. Barb our trail guide was very entertaining and accommodating. The trails are shaded with lots of greenery. I'm looking forward to bringing my kids and friends as well. read more

Just wanted to let you all know that Five Brooks Ranch just emailed me some pictures that Scott took on our ride. I was surprised that I got them so quickly, and that they were able to match my email address with the pictures of my boyfriend and me. What a great experience! read more