Go elsewhere!…read more Hillside facilities are very run down and have a lot of deferred maintenance, but my daughter started riding here because I liked the owner Kathy Pead. Unfortunately, as time went on, it was apparent that her lesson instructor Destiny, who is only 18 years old, needed some additional teaching experience and mentorship. She is quite young and doesn't have the best judgement yet (however, in Destiny's defense, it seems like she has a lot of responsibility at the barn and is doing the best she can). Sadly, my 12 year old daughter was put on a horse named Daishar who was too advanced for her skillset and he BOLTED off during a lesson. My daughter was screaming and crying as she had no control over the horse, but eventually was able to roll off him when he slowed down. Thankfully, she did not sustain any injuries. This scary incident could have been prevented as she asked Destiny to get off the horse before leaving the arena, and also asked Destiny to grab the reigns to help guide her out as she sensed Daishar's energy changing and told her she was scared. Destiny did not take these requests seriously and told her no. I'm also horrified that Destiny had her get back ON the horse after this happened (despite my telling her I didn't think that was a good idea). After this situation, I thought it was important to discuss the situation with Kathy and confirm she had insurance coverage. I requested a declarations page to show the policy is paid up and active as I understand she is on MediCal and insurance is expensive. She said I am the first customer in 50 years to ever request this and told us we are not welcome for lessons anymore. If she had the coverage, don't you think she would've just showed it to me? In hindsight, this was a blessing in disguise as I am looking forward to finding a barn that takes my child's safety more seriously. Be careful if you decide to take lessons here.

Positives: -Great location: easy access to Orangevale Park…read morefor trail rides, etc. -Affordable -Owner is pleasant and lives on-site -Riding lessons for beginners and mommy-and-me available weekdays and weekends -Relaxed environment -Kid friendly! -Work Exchange Accepted! You can work in exchange for lessons and boarding of horses. Cons: -No front gate between main road and facility -Many areas where maintenance is overdue -Limited training or lessons for intermediate or advanced riders/horses -Many of the barn staff lack general horse knowledge and/or are under 18yrs old.

I practically grew up here, it was my favorite place to be and I will always be grateful to Tami…read moreand Ralph and their facility. Trainers of all types came and went over the years, some better than others, but this is not unique to GBEC. One thing that never changed was the dedication the barn owners had to the care and welfare of their boards. Tami worked nonstop from the morning to night, and she always contacted owners if she noticed a potential problem, etc. She was EVERYTHING to that facility and she always made herself available to boarders. I took lessons from outside trainers, I was assistant trainer to 2 wonderful resident trainers, I leased horses, trained horses, started horses.... Everything. Thank you T & R for everything

We interviewed four equestrian centers before placing our horse here last year. They provide good…read moreservice, reasonable rates and plenty of options from which to choose. It would be nice if they provided a table and chairs outside the arena for those people who like to hang out or bring work with them, though.

I have come here many times since I was a little girl, so I was very excited to share a trail ride…read moreexperience here with my daughter on Mother's Day! She is 11 years old, and this was her very first time ever being on a horse. The entire staff is SO lovely, and they were incredibly attentive and caring when my daughter expressed feeling nervous in the beginning. They made her feel so comfortable that she was fully able to relax and truly enjoy the ride. We had such a beautiful Mother's Day at Shadow Glen. In fact, my daughter loved it so much that she's already ready to do the 2-hour trail ride next, and I'll definitely be signing her up for lessons here! Shadow Glen truly is a wonderful place filled with great people and beautiful horses. Thank you for allowing me to share my deep love for horses with my daughter and helping create such a special memory for us both!

Such a fun relaxing trail ride with my daughter today for her Bday. We loved our friendly horses…read moreChowder and Lefty. They are very organized at Shadow Glen. We met our "wrangler" Grace who gave us a refresher on the do's and don'ts while riding before starting. She gave very clear instructions and tips along the way as we rode. Anyone new to riding would have a great experience if they follow the instructions. Not our first time riding, but if you don't ride regularly it's still good to have a refresher talk. Grace also had some interesting historical notes about the landscape. Lots of beautiful wild flowers and butterflies made for a fun picturesque ride. We only did the hour ride today, and on a weekday the group ride was just the two of us which was nice. Beautiful scenery, nice staff and friendly horses.

It was so beautiful, so much fun the horses were so beautiful you can tell everyone takes good care…read moreof the horses. Marina was very attentive explained the process well made the whole experience wonderful and she took plenty of pictures thought out the ride and airdropped them after. I Definitely would go again, highly recommend this.

What an amazing experience! Couldn't have asked for better weather or a better guide. Mariana (I…read morehope I got her name right and apologize if I didn't) was an awesome guide. She knew all the horses personally and could read them like a book. She also took pictures of us along the way and air dropped them to us at the end of our trip which was a huge plus. The place was easy to find, plenty of parking, and the instructions for riding you receive ahead of time (as long as you follow them) are perfect. I do recommend a hat or sunscreen. The trail ride is beautiful, the lake even more so. This experience was an anniversary gift to my wife because she loves horses and grew up with them and this was the perfect gift. I rode on Hercules and my wife on Rango, the cute inseparable duo. Hercules had me laughing throughout the ride and definitely has a mind of his own and a stomach as much as I tried to keep him from snacking along the way. I highly recommend the trail ride, we had a blast and will definitely be doing it again in the future. Cheers!

The facilities at Flying M Ranch are AMAZING and the owners are very involved and always making…read moreimprovements. The prices are very reasonable, and Cantera Farms Riding Academy is the best. My daughter has been with Cantera for 4 years, and at Flying M for approximately 1 1/2 years. I can't say enough about this AMAZING barn!!

Good water for horses. Fairly flat and well drained pastures & small arena to ride in. New owners…read morehave planted a lot of trees

I boarded a horse here and I can tell you from experience, You and your horse will be happy here…read more The owner gives special attention to each horse. The horse will be safe and cared for with pride. The price is excellent (includes twice a day feeding ) and the grounds are beautiful. Wonderful views of the hills and rolling grass. The barn and facilities are well kept and very clean! The interactions with owners and boarders are excellent, creating friendships and an outstanding experience.

I've boarded at 8 oaks for about 2.5 years now, and I love it! I've been to a few boarding…read morefacilities in the Sacramento area, and this is the best place I have been. Amenities: large arena with lights and sprinklers, round pen, shared pastures, tack shed OR free trailer parking, short ride to miles of trails! We keep costs down by sharing the cleaning of our pastures with our pasture mate, but if you have a regular schedule this takes about 10-15 minutes. It's a good system, in my opinion. There is also someone available to pay if you don't want to clean. Cathy feeds good quality hay and is very knowledgeable about horses. She is very reasonable, accommodating, and friendly. I have never had a negative experience with her. The place is beautiful and has a nice, relaxed vibe. The owners live on site and they are constantly improving the place. Since I moved there, they have added arena sprinklers and lighting, improved the round pen, added better footing to the arena, added the tack shed, upgraded the boarder driveway, and several other things I'm forgetting.

The Good: The facility is nice with 1 large arena with…read morelights and 1 round pen, both with great footing. The boarders are friendly and the horses have plenty of room to roam in their pastures. Each pasture has off the ground feeders. We were told Folsom Lake was a short ride across a neighbor's property however we were (understandably) denied access at the time due to the heavy rains and uneven footing so I cannot attest as to the distance of the trails. Four very sweet dogs greet you upon arrival and Rory (owner's son and ranch hand) and Greg (owner's husband) are both incredibly sweet and easy to talk to. The Bad: Tack Space / Trailer Parking: Originally we were offered space in the community tack shed. Upon arriving with our horse, we were advised that community tack shed would not be provided because it was free tack storage OR (not and) free trailer parking. We were told to use our trailer for tack and supplies. That is not what was quoted prior to arrival, as you can check on craigslist posts. Restrooms: There are none outside of the owner's home. Fine for adults, difficult with kids. Self-Cleaning: This facility requires self-cleaning of the pastures every day (shared with your partner). There was a gal there you can pay however as of 03/22/17 she is no longer offering cleaning services. Our unfortunate experience: Our boarding adventures at 8 Oaks lasted all of two months before things escalated beyond acceptability. Our horse is a post-impaction survivor as of only 5 months prior and oat and other cereal hays are highly discouraged by his vet. We were skeptical to move to 8 Oaks as they offer grass and oat hay in a 2-horse shared pasture setting. After many conversations, Cathy Andrews (the owner) ensured us that our horses' diet (grass & alfalfa/ digestive smartpaks) would be accommodated by separating the two horses during breakfast as our intended pasture mate was also on an alternative diet and would need to be separated for breakfast (only) regardless of who he shared with. The accommodations were honored for a short duration. It didn't take long before we were repeatedly reminded by the owner of the inconvenience separating during breakfast caused. We were asked to compensate additional monthly funds to supply our hay choice outside of our boarding agreement on two occasions. We were later then "offered" the option of picking up the hay ourselves. There were several instances where our horse was injured, in which we felt we should have been notified yet weren't, including obvious lameness due to a bloody leg injury. When various concerns were brought up to the owner her responses were indifferent or dismissive. On one occasion, upon seeing my horses injuries, the owner noted in passing that "I saw that a couple of days ago, and thought about texting you..." but she obviously didn't, then redirected it back on me as my fault for not having been there the last 2 days. Additionally, it was discovered that our horse was being left in the breakfast pen until mid - late evenings. This was contrary to assurances from the owner that he was to be moved back to pasture after breakfast. The pen had nothing in regards to shade or shelter, and is too small for him for that long duration of time as well as denied the option of shelter from sun/rain/hail that the normal pasture provided. The client-customer relationship degraded further when we found him in that breakfast pen mid evening, surrounded by the debris of a broken metal structure that had fallen apart. Overall I felt the lack of care and concern demonstrated by the owner to be unprofessional and in our case, inhumane. Since leaving, I've heard a few horror stories regarding others' experiences at 8 Oaks that I wish had been published when I was looking, including issues with another past boarder that had a similar experience with feed. I wish better luck to the next person, but would advise against boarding there if you expect communication of any sort if your horse is ever injured or ill, or if your horse has dietary needs other than grass/oat hay. *************Response to Owner Rebuttal************* Unfortunately there's a character limit so I've attached a picture to my original review containing my response to owner's rebuttal.

Been riding out here since I was 7; so 15 years now. This barn has become family and takes great…read morecare of all horses. Lessons, boarding, training, and more at GCEC and they take everyone in as if they were family. GCEC is geared toward more entry level riding up to B Rated shows. The amount of riding one does is up to you (the client) and the level of training you want is up to you as well.

Great riding place, lots of fun for kids! Everyone is extremely nice and their are about 100…read moredifferent kinds of horses there (all breeds and sizes). Again a great and safe place that teaches good responsibility and helps you meet new friends that also love horses (all ages). If your interested in horses, you should check them out!

My 10 month old Quarter horse filly became combative, dangerous when she turned 1years old . I've…read morebeen riding since I was 2 years old but never trained a filly ground matters. She wouldn't let my husband get out of the chicken coop when he was feeding our chickens. I was referred to Windward Natural Equine Center by an unprofessional trainer trying to help me with my beautiful filly . I was learned that I was the one that needed training to . Sierra my Fillies trainer works with me and Stormy together And I'm so excited to say Sierra is magic, consistent, punctual, so gifted with her training techniques. It's a God thing.I highly recommend Sierra and the amazing stable .They keep her stalls cleaned and it's a wonderful place to board your horse and for training. The owner Sandy is amazing and really helpful to me . She also gives riding lessons . Thank you all that work at the stable too! Dean ,Andy & Bob.. 5 stars plus for Windward Natural Equine Center . Thank you so very much! Suzanne

This review is mostly based on Jenna who we take horse lessons from. Jenna came highly recommended…read moreand they were spot on! My daughter started lessons at the age of 3!!! Miss Jenna has a long history with horses and is eager to share her knowledge. She's incredibly patient and calm. My daughter has rode 2 of her horses. I'm incredibly impressed at how well behaved her horses are. If you're looking for lessons I would highly recommend her! As for the facility we love going here and saying high to all the horses. Every person we've met here is so nice and welcoming. The horses are well looked after.