Horse boarding is this area is not cheap at all, but my mom and I found Willowcrest Stables and…read morethought the pricing was more than fair for the value it offered. First off, the location is amazing. It is less than a 10-minute drive from my work in downtown Redmond. I need to emphasize what a benefit this is because most of the horse places are far off in Woodinville or even farther in Monroe. And if you want something close in Kirkland, be prepared to pay more for keeping your horse there than your own mortgage. Every horse gets turned out in a pasture to graze every day and are stalled at night. There are a couple of stalling options including a 16x32 stall and run outdoors for $700 (really good value). The other option is an indoor stable with daily shavings for $800. Boarders also get really generous lockers for storing tack. There are two arenas, one indoor and outdoor. I never rode in the indoor arena for a couple of reasons. The arena is very small and narrow. With a large horse, you have to make a lot of tight turns. Additionally, the wall is made of hard cement material, versus a wood, so if a horse kicked the wall for any reason, this could make for a very bad injury. The outdoor arena is great, but the only problem is that it's outdoors... and we are in Washington. I've enjoyed the outdoor arena in the warmer months, but it's a shame when it rains. There are two round pens for turning your horse out or even riding. One of the best parts about this facility is that there is a trail that goes around the property that's about a mile long. The community itself is incredible. Everyone is really friendly, and you don't get the common barn drama that you will find in many locations. All of the staff members are also knowledgeable and work well with the animals. I'd definitely recommend checking out Willowcrest if you are looking for a place to board your horse. However, I will caution you about the arena situation, given that it rains a lot and then indoor arena isn't great.

Lisa Copeland is a great instructor and the care of the horses here is fantastic. One of the best…read morehorse boarding experiences I have had in the Redmond Washington area. Horses are immaculately cared for and tailored care for each individuals needs.

I boarded at San Sebastian Equestrian for 7 months and took lessons for almost a year. In the time…read moreI have known Lisa (Owner) she has been nothing but exceptional! Her facility is beautiful and the horses are WELL taken care of. Her feed management program is amazing and she really works hard to care for each horse individually. Lessons at San Sebastian are goal orientated and really produce results! I original had the intention of selling my horse but after training with Lisa have decided he is actually a very suitable partner for me! If you are interested in making a huge change in your riding, this is your place! The only reason I am no longer there is because I moved to another state.

Flicka Farm in Bridle trails is the barn for a person who wants to learn the full circle of horse…read moreownership. It is a combination of youth lesson barn and horse owners from all ages. The number one thing is the Flicka Family. It is a true community feeling at the barn and the age bracket among the riders are all from young beginners to riders up in their 70s. Recently more and more men have showed up for beginner lessons. The instructors teaches both western and English riding. I would highly recommend learning western at this barn. It is fairly easy to find instructors for English riding. Proper western riding is harder to find, unless you There are few lesson barns that are not show-barns that give such an in depth education in western riding. If you are looking for a hard core competition barn, this is not the place for you. If you on the other hand want a thorough education in how to take care of and keep your horse as safe as possible, maybe attend a couple of shows a year, just for fun, this is your place. The barn is in direct access to all the wonderful trails of Bridle trails and lessons are provided to teach appropriate and safe trail-riding.

A dear friend invited my three year old son and me to the farm since she had a Groupon for pony…read morerides. It was utterly so kind of my friend and I'm grateful for her friendship. She's always so generous like this. The kids had fun, however, the farm does not abide by safety rules. My son and my friend's daughter climbed on their log fence to watch the horses and got shocked by their ELECTRIC FENCE, meant to keep large horses in. The electric wire was a thin braid of wire somewhat hidden behind the log fence. I read on the Internet that by law, you are supposed to post warning signs every 50 yards, however, there was no such signage. Also, the main wire had been pulled from a mobile home across a grassy picnicking area and plugged in to the unit. It seems like reckless negligence on the owners' part. Please keep your toddlers safe and don't let your guard down because of its idyllic setting, as I did. I don't know anything about the American countryside and what types of stuff they use. Electric fences never even crossed my mind. Needless to say, my son was traumatized and in pain. I've never seen him cry like he did and look at me with such an expression of helplessness as I looked him helplessly back. As a mother, my heart wrenched. I wish I had known of such things as electric fences or at least been provided a verbal notice by the farm. I am 38 weeks pregnant and couldn't get to my son in time as I heard him being zapped and crying. It happened yesterday and I've been unable to sleep or rest since it happened. Please be safe if you do go there and take care of your kiddos.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the negative reviews. After reading those, we weren't sure what…read moreto expect but throughout the visit, my friend and I kept commenting to each other "what the heck is up with those reviews? This is awesome." Our guide, Kathy, was so informative and she was great with our kids (age 3). They got to feed goats, hold bunnies and pet a super soft chinchilla. Brushing the miniature horse's mane was so fun for them also and they enjoyed walking through the mud to go visit the mini cow. After showing up half an hour late due to traffic and horribly bad weather, we expected our tour to be cut short or possibly even cancelled but Kathy spent over an hour with us and we never felt rushed. My friend was asking about horseback riding lessons and Kathy gave her lots of information about RA, the owner/instructor, but was never pushy about it. My friend's daughter was recently in a bad accident and is on very restrictive instructions from her doctor for a few more weeks. She can't do "normal" kid activities for risk of further injury. This was a wonderful, low-risk and fun experience for her and no visit to a farm would be complete without a face plant in the mud so my son filled that requirement for us. It was a lovely time and we felt so spoiled having a private visit with all the animals.

Bridlewood is the best facility/barn I have ever boarded with. Sue and Jeanne Wolfe are incredible…read moreequestrians with decades of experience. Sue is a perfectionist in making sure that every horse there is healthy and fit and that the barn is spotless. She gives tirelessly of herself in answering questions and helping in medical emergencies. Everything at Bridlewood is the best that money can buy: the hay, the bedding, the arena footing. The proximity of Bridle Trails Park across the street is just an added perk. The people who board there are uniformly friendly and drama free. It doesn't get better than this.

From the owner: We offer full care personalized horse boarding. Indoor arena, outdoor round pen, wash rack with hot…read moreand cold water and heat lamps, large individual tack lockers, individual turn out pens, single or double stalls, hay fed 3 times daily, stalls cleaned and deeply bedded with shavings 7 days a week. Manager, trainer living on site. Directly across the street from Bridle Trails State Park. We do not offer public lessons or horse rentals.

I have been riding at Legacy for the past seven years and love it. There are a several reasons why…read moreI decided to start riding at Legacy: 1. They care a lot about the safety of the horse and the rider. The horses are treated GREAT here. They have chiropractor, acupuncture, and massage appointments, are shoed regularly, groomed, turned out every day, fed high quality food, and are kept in incredible condition. The retired horses often go to the Northwest School of Animal Massage for students to practice massaging on. 2. If you don't have your own horse, they have lesson horses. This was one of the hardest things to find when I moved to Washington because I don't own a horse. The lesson horses are super high quality and not over worked at all. 3. You have to take ownership in what you do here. Some other barns will tack up the horse for you and have it waiting once you arrive. At Legacy, you're responsible for retrieving your horse from its stall/paddock, grooming, tacking up, untacking, and cleaning the tack. This is great for some of the younger kids because they learn the basics to taking care of a horse. 4. They host their own fun shows, giving the riding academy and training program students opportunities to compete in a fun environment. The training program is really successful and the students involved are often traveling for horse shows in the warmer months. The facility itself is located at the old Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Woodinville with some trails behind it. There's an indoor and outdoor arena for when it's a nice day out. I would highly recommend Legacy!

I've been riding in Legacy's training/competition program for almost 8 years now. I came to Legacy…read moreat 14 and head trainer Shelly Kerron worked with me to help me truly understand and be able to execute the fundamentals of proper riding and brought me through the ranks to competing at a national level. Shelly's teaching style is a combination of explaining concepts of riding and then creating exercises that encourage riders and horses to demonstrate the concept she is teaching, weather that be straightness, smooth turns, or proper position. Shelly is an excellent horsewoman and Legacy horses all receive impeccable care and training. One of the most notable aspects of Shelly's program is how she teaches proper horsemanship and leadership qualities to young riders and encourages everyone to be involved with the local equestrian community. Many of us who rode with Shelly as juniors became captains or presidents of our college equestrian teams and served on the board of the Washington State Hunter Jumper Association, which puts on shows in the area. Lizzie Kerron, Shelly's assistant and younger sister, is also an excellent instructor and is wonderful with younger kids as well as adults. Lizzie's teaching style compliments Shelly's by her ability to help a rider mentally break down an exercise and explain what riders should be feeling their horses do through each step of the exercise. Legacy also has a lesson program with some of the nicest and well trained lesson horses I've ever encountered. The lesson program always has top quality instruction to teach the basics and offers summer camps and fun shows throughout the year. Horse care at Legacy is a top priority, and many of us call the barn "Spa Legacy" because of all the services and amenities offered (equine massage, chiropractor, therapeutic equipment, equine treadmill to keep horses in shape, just to name a few). If you're looking for a place to learn to ride, take lessons, or compete at the highest level Legacy is the best in the Seattle area.

My wife and I have had our horse here for a few months and could not be happier. The atmosphere is…read moregreat. Everyone pitches in to make sure the barn and arena stay clean and ready for the next person to use. The trainer and barn manager both deeply care about the horses and their well being (even going so far as to give up their holiday to make sure the horses were doing ok with all the fireworks). Well organized and on top of schedules and communication. Would recommend to anyone looking for a hunter/jumper home for their horse.

From the owner: Oxer Hill Farm is a full-service, private equestrian stable specializing in English riding sports…read more The facility is one-year-new and impeccably maintained with professional onsite staff to care for your horses 24 x7. We are conveniently located in Clearview, WA. Onsite Trainer: Courtney Palmer of Noble Jumpers offers Hunter/Jumper training and lesson programs for beginners to experienced riders.