As a long time equestrian and horse owner, I can honestly say it doesn't get much better than…read moreSapphire Riding Academy. Whether you are looking for a hunter/jumper training facility for your horse, or a place to take lessons to improve your skills, Sapphire has everything that will fulfill your needs and bring you to the top of your game. Doug Boyd has 40 plus years of equestrian experience and there is no better trainer around (in my opinion). He can teach as beautifully as he can ride. The horses used for lessons are hardly your "run of the mill school horses." There are horses for every level and can go from the schooling ring to the show ring with ease. Ashley March, the Assistant Trainer, is a skilled equestrian as well, and she is a patient and calm teacher. I highly recommend Sapphire Riding Academy for whatever your hunter/jumper ambitions are.

Get a new manager. She is a pathological liar, creates a toxic environment and has a horrible…read morereputation. I know the farm is being torn down in 2027 which will be a huge loss for the horse community as there are fewer and fewer good barns that are affordable any longer

My daughter and I have been boarding our gelding at Townline for 6 years now. The barn itself is in…read moreamazing shape, the grooms are amazing and love the horses and treat them with individualized care, and there is a tremendous community of people who equally love their horses and sharing a conversation or two! Whether I have had full service or just a few services, my gelding is still treated like he's the owners horse! The best tell for how wonderful it is, is that people who leave, no matter why, return! They say that there is no place like Townline. It's absolutely the truth. My daughter even feels like the barn manager is like a second mom. It's a family here, and not just for our horses!

I LOVE riding with Wildflower Arabians! Marie is the most talented and knowledgeable trainer in…read morethe area. Cash and I are in good hands and look forward to many long years with this program.

Marie at Wild Flower Arabians has been such a remarkable influence in my daughter's life. When we…read moremet Marie, my daughter was nervously learning to canter. Marie's endless patience, confidence, and talent have helped my daughter grow into a confident and skilled rider. It is just amazing to see her doing things she could not have imagined having doing just a few years ago. My younger daughter is now also taking beginner lessons, and Marie is equally wonderful working with her, making sure her lessons are fun and safe. She helps her riders set goals and then works with them to achieve those goals. As a parent of a beginner and an advanced rider, I strongly recommend Wild Flower Arabians for riders at all levels.

I have been at McCrae Farm for the past 4 years with my horse and as a student of Jill's. Could…read morenot be happier with my experience here. Not only is Jill a great trainer but she is very understanding of rider's and their horses. I can not imagine having a better group of boarders at a barn and we all have so much fun together. Jill has managed to craft a very unique experience at McCrae Farm with amazing people and horses. Cannot recommend McCrae Farm enough for anyone looking to board their horse or take lessons. Jill specializes in French Classical dressage but we also have clinics on Quadrille riding, Working Equitation and Liberty.

I cannot thank Jeff (owner) enough for creating such a memorable first time riding experience for…read moremy 6 year old niece! He matched her with the sweetest trainer Kelli who took the time to decorate the, already beautiful, horse's mane with roses and put a unicorn horn on his bridle. Kelli engaged my niece throughout the entire 45 min lesson with different games. The lesson ended with the horse "taking a bow." After the lesson we sipped on hot chocolate and Kelli took us on a tour of the beautiful property to see the other horses, goats and chickens. It was a magical experience, and one Jessie will remember forever!

Walk On provides adaptive horseback riding to people with all kinds of disabilities, from very…read moreyoung kids to senior citizens. I cannot say enough positive things about Walk On, its staff, and volunteers. I wish I had found adaptive horseback riding sooner. I tried to when I was younger, but I couldn't find a place that would let me with my physical disability, even through my special recreation program. I heard horseback riding is beneficial for people with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities. I have chronic pain in my neck, shoulders, and back from sitting in my wheelchair for long periods of time. Riding definitely helps relieve my pain for several hours at a time. Mary Illing is Walk On's Program Director and President. Mary is a Licensed Occupational Therapist, PATH Certified Master Level Instructor, Certified Carriage Driving Instructor and Meredith Manor Horsemanship Certificate holder. She is very nice. She's a knowledgeable and involved instructor. Mary oversees all of the lessons and the initial evaluation, at least she did for me. You're in good hands with Mary. Mary will assess your ability to ride and your unique the level of assistance you need while riding. For me, I usually need three people assisting me; one person walking the horse and two people (one on either side) holding my thighs and/or leg. I feel totally secure and haven't fallen (knock on wood). I'm not the most graceful mounting the horse. They have a ramp so that you can take your wheelchair or mobility device and be high enough to mount the horse. I'm able to mount with two people assisting me walking on both sides of my waist; I swing one of my legs over and then sit down. They also have a lift that goes around the shoulders and picks you up if you can't do it manually. The dismount is easier. It involves me putting one arm around Mary while someone else is on the other side of me and then swinging my leg over and jumping off to a standing position. The following is an e-mail from Mary. It's from the spring of 2015, so keep in mind the prices may change. I'm sharing this just to give you an idea of the price: "Here are our fees. We require an OT evaluation which costs $150. We offer 1/2 hour semi-private (2 riders) at a cost of $35 per lesson. We offer 4 sessions winter spring summer and fall. Sessions are between 8-14 lessons depending on the session. You sign up for a session. If you sign up in the middle of a session then we prorate the session cost. There is an administration fee of $25 per session. Those are all the fees. We encourage you to come out and see the facility and meet us. There are extensive forms to fill out before we can start riding. I hope this helps. If you need more information please e-mail me or call 847-381-4231." You can do more than 30 minute sessions here: semi-private 45 minute sessions are $53 each and semi-private hour sessions are $60. If you do the math, the 45 minute session is the least cost effective, but only by a few cents per hour. The riding fee seems more affordable than the other adaptive horseback riding organizations in the area (https://www.rush.edu/health-wellness/autism-resource-center/child-adolescent-services/recreational-events-and-programs-0), although I can't speak to the other organization's evaluation fees. There was confusion on how to get the application form. Mary initially said I could come in to get the forms, but there wasn't any when I went in. They were able to e-mail me the forms. Risa is the Office Manager and is usually the person responding to e-mails. Their e-mail address is walkonfarm@comcast.net. There is a medical authorization form your doctor needs to sign. I enjoy the social component of horseback riding; getting to know the staff and volunteers, who put up with my uncontrollable laughter. My session is at the end of the day, so Mary sometimes lets me feed Taco, the horse I ride, snacks from a big bin from my lap. I enjoy this time with Taco as much as riding. Everything is wheelchair accessible. They have a big accessible restroom with low grab bars, probably for the children. They have a spacious parking lot with accessible spaces. My iPhone Maps doesn't recognize this address, but it can find N Hart Rd and W Cuba Rd, Barrington, IL. Walkonfarm.org says: "Walk On's mission is dedicated to providing equine assisted activities to people with physical, cognitive, social and emotional disabilities. Equine assisted activities provide motivational, educational and recreational benefits that enhance the quality of life through interaction with the horse. The goal of Walk On is to partner with the horses to inspire the participants to reach their highest potential. While riding a horse, students are given the opportunity to feel freedom and power through movement..." I realize that horseback riding isn't for everyone. I recommend checking it out if you are interested. It seems beneficial for people with all kinds of disabilities.

I don't understand why they don't help financially if you can't afford the entire fee for riding…read more My son has Down Syndrome and has rode since he was 3 yrs old in different states who always had open arms and a big heart! This place won't ever call me back because I have asked them to reduce what I would have to pay as always been done at his other stables as a non profit organization.

Vanessa Rachmaninoff truly knows the fine art of dressage training. She values the rider's…read morerelationship with the horse and works diligently to develop her student's skills while also making it a lot of fun!

Its length, secluded appearance, and terrain were three reasons why I ventured out to the Green Bay…read moreTrail rather than the Des Plaines River Trail or Chicago's Lakefront Trail, which are two areas where I love to conduct long runs. As for its length, per sources the trail extends 9 miles from Wilmette to Highland Park which makes it the perfect spot for a long run in preparation for the Chicago Marathon. As for secluded, the majority of Chicagoland trails give off that vibe of being secluded in comparison to Chicago's beloved Lakefront Trail, a trail that sometimes drives me bonkers encountering many individuals doing multiple activities. The secluded vibe is one thing that I love about the Des Plaines River Trail and what keeps me returning. I figured that this trail was no different. As for terrain, after I viewed pictures shared on both Yelp & Google, the Green Bay Trail appeared to be a mixture of gravel and paved which eliminates the whole muddy experience when damp. A muddy trail is the last thing I wanted to have dealt with while conducting a long run. I eased into running on this trail because I was not familiar with it. As expected, the path was a mixture of gravel and paved which appeared as an off-and-on path that takes you through parking lots, downtown areas, and other parks. The path starts in Wilmette and ends in Highland Park; the Metra train station in Highland Park from what I experienced. I had a hard time finding parking in the Wilmette area, so I drove out to a park known as Shelton Park, a park located in Glencoe which worked out just fine for me. In the meantime I will most likely continue to make it my starting point until I am fully accustomed to running this trail. I also hope to discover where the trail picks up once you hit the Metra train station in Highland Park because I did not see it. Not only did I encounter a deer during my run, but also a chipmunk, and a redwing blackbird. And with the path being along the railway you will hear the sound of the Metra train zooming by every now and then, which will be viewable off to the side. Very clean and maintained was this path that even had garbage cans along it. And for those that bike there are bike pumps in select areas where the trail resumes. At times the bike pumps helped guide me on the way. Other than its broken up appearance taking you through parking lots, downtown areas, and other parks I was not let down by experiencing the features I visited for such as its length, secluded appearance, and terrain. I would surely venture out again from time to time because the area is a different experience. ~Blessings~ Thomas G

Beautiful bike trail - rode from WIlmette up to Highland Park and then Lake Bluff. Spectacular…read moretrail with beautiful trees, wildflowers and foliage on either side for a long time. Well maintained and easy ride. A joy to experience.

I did the Shine tour 2015 Color run this summer and it was a bit of a let down. First of all, it…read morewas cloudy at the start line and then the skies began to darken. My friends and i then heard the claps of thunder and then it was like, OH SH*#, its coming down. And then it did. As we started to run, it began to pour! And not just a brief shower, It rained the whole race!!! Not that any of us could control the weather but as Lily Z. had mentioned, the event planners were ill prepared for the rain. Instead of getting a "dusting" of colored powder, you received a heavy sling of colored mud (because the powder had already mixed with the heavy rains) as you ran through each color station. And just when you've hit the 3.1 mile marker, drenched and cold and perhaps starting to get the shakes from hypothermia, you are hit one last time in colored mud... Only this time its GOLD powder!!! Yes people. You're hit with gold colored mud only to be glowing like a sad looking Oscar statue at the end of the finish line. Let's just say it was the piece de resistance to end it all off. My guess was that the crowd either loved and embraced the drenching experience or hated it completely. I'd hear runners say, "This is so BLEEPIN" awesome! Let's do this next year!" And then there were those that were like, "This Fn sucks. I'm never doing this again." And then there were those families with their 2-3 year old crying incessantly because they're all wet... The blowers at the end of the race were of no use to anyone there since you were already covered in rain and powder. The powder just stained you and anything you touched. Luckily i was smart enough to bring a towel to sit on in the car ride home, otherwise i would have had a helluva time time doing detailing on the car seats!!! Post-racers left the event looking like "Carrie" from the movie but instead of blood, you were a rainbow/glittered hot mess... I guess the only consolation prize this year was that they gave you a finisher's medal. Perhaps next year will have better weather.

The most low key 5k ever. This was my first and everything was oh so casual! I wish the different…read morecolor stations were better prepared because some of them ran out of powder by the time we arrived. Also, I don't know if they were adequately prepared for the rain. The post-it wall was a wreck. The Shout station was closed. I was not impressed with the SINGLE leaf blower for the entire race. The organizers made it seem like the leaf blower was some amazing post-race cleaner. No. it was really a guy with a leaf blower. A bit disappointed but at least the other runners made it fun and energetic.