Nice big place for boarding! It was a bit too far to travel from San Jose and they had some…read morepotholes in the dirt roads.

Wonderful place to ride. Excellent horses and very experienced instructors. Just off 280 in…read morePortola Valley.

Absolutely thrilled with my experience at Nessa Cossentine Equestrian! Nessa is an exceptional show…read morejumper, a phenomenal riding instructor for both beginners and advanced riders, and an outstanding horse trainer. Unlike half of her students, I don't own my own horse, so I ride one of her ten incredible horses. If you've ever taken lessons at other barns with their typical "lesson horses," you'll be amazed at the difference here. The quality and temperament of Nessa's horses are unmatched in the Bay Area. I started my lessons on a very experienced horse that kept me safe and taught me so much, taking me through the journey from walking over poles to jumping to 2' fences! As I progressed, I earned the incredible opportunity to ride Grand Prix horses in my lessons! This kind of experience is truly unique and invaluable. Nessa's friendly and always smiling demeanor makes every lesson fun and enjoyable. I can't recommend Nessa Cossentine Equestrian enough for anyone looking to improve their riding skills in a positive and supportive environment!

From the owner: Equestrian lessons, horse training, and boarding in Portola Valley, CA…read more 1/2 lease and lesson on one of our experienced mounts or bring your own horse. Positive environment specializing in riders with some experience who wish to take their riding to the next level. We have limited availability for new riders so text, e-mail, or call Nessa, today. Convenient to Woodside, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Atherton, Hillsborough, San Jose, Moutain View, Sunnyvale, and San Francisco.

The horses are great, the management is friendly and horse care oriented and the lessons are…read moreexcellent. This is a great barn - they're hard to come by! I have been here 4 years and am having the time of my life! Heather the manager, is horse knowledgeable, friendly and an incredible instructor who explains things clearly! Sierra is fabulous at taking riders up to the next level and wonderful to work with and an excellent teaching style!

SUMMER CAMP REVIEW:…read more My daughters had a great time at summer camp here, Although we signed up through another equestrian-riding site... The location was at Glenoaks merged with their summer-camp. The girls became comfortable with riding horses and learned how to care for them. The camp counselor (Maya) that was in charge of my daughters group was great at handling both the kids and the horses. :) There was lots of other activities as well including crafts, games, and time to run through sprinklers on a hot day.

Our family started riding with Olivia in 2014. While our eldest son has headed to university, our…read moreyoungest is thriving in the Dawson Grove program -- and so is his horse! And I am thrilled with the new leased horse that Olivia found for me, a steady schoolmaster, and with Olivia's confidence-building approach to teaching, I'm already jumping courses. I can't wait for our family to get back to the jumper ring in 2022! Whether you're just starting or you have aspirations to compete nationally, Olivia helps riders accomplish their goals. Our family rides for the joy of horses and we always feel safe and cared for while still making progress with our jumping at home and shows. We are never pushed or over-faced. Olivia has a tip top team with her assistant trainers, Amanda and Nicky, and grooms, Manuel, Flo, and Oscar. We have known Amanda almost as long as Olivia and our family is so grateful to her for the patient groundwork in lessons, and her care of all the horses that consistently goes above and beyond. Happy horses, happy riders -- and many congratulations to Olivia on starting Dawson Grove Farm!

Outstanding trainer and barn - producing high quality and competitive Jumper and Equitation riders…read more Olivia and team take excellent care of the horses. Proud to be part of such a professional organization.

Incredible place to learn more about horseback riding and humanity! Among the absolute best…read moreteachers that our kids have ever experienced.

I normally give very good reviews, so this is my "venting" review so to say…read more.. I have taken two lessons at Misty Ridge Farm of the Portola Pastures. The lessons were with Bobbi Petrov. I am extremely upset with the outcome of the whole thing. I paid for 4 lessons: $230 and could not attend two of them due to a very rigorous work schedule. When I e-mailed Bobbi to let her know I was not gonna be able to make it, I was informed that she needed a 24 hours notice if I wanted to cancel the class and then retake it at a later time. This was not explained to me beforehand and I am very upset w/ them, since I paid for 4 lessons and I only got 2 out of it. I wasn't even given time to read over what I signed, because Bobbi was late to the first session and I was simply given a form and asked to sign it. Now, in terms of the lessons themselves- Bobbi probably does care for the horses, since you're given about 30 minutes to groom and tack your horse first and then almost 1 hr on the horse and 30 more minutes to untack and get the horse ready for feeding and bedtime. My problem with the lessons was that Bobbi didn't actually show me anything. The more advanced girls were asked to show me things and then she was just yelling instructions from this little stage area next to the barn. I am very disappointed with the way lessons are taught here and I am also disappointed with the way they do business. I doubt I will ever take classes here again. Or at least not at this farm. Portola Pastures has a lot of opportunities for lessons, so I might end up choosing a different farm and/or instructor.

I love riding at the upper barn now after my wonderful first 3 years at their riding school and…read moreappreciate how Sierra and David have given me so much opportunity with wonderful horses for improvement! My family and I are very happy because this barn keeps me and the horses happy! this is a great barn - they're hard to come by! Isola is the gold standard in the area with private gates, trails and gorgeous barns. They have been there forever in terms of horse world and that's a barn you can count on!

I ride at Isola and love it, i think they have great instructors and everything. Well i have always…read morebeen a horse lover, but i do really love riding at isola and i think the drive is worth it! The owner Andrea left the stable and isola is still running pretty stable. !!! Even with just taking lessons you get 3 outdoor rings a cross country jumping area (not used often) A ring for like walk trot and walk trot canter and the last one is used more for like jumping for the beginner jumpers and normal jumpers. I personally have had an amazing experience with Isola riding academy, and will keep riding here i do not know a better Facility then Isola. Thank you Isola, I love your Facility! If i could give more than 5 stars to this place i would. !!!

We love Strideaway Farms! Nancy Hey is a local longtime respected rider and trainer. My 10 year…read moreold daughter has been riding with her for 2 years and has grown tremendously as a rider and a young woman. She loves escaping the stress off school and family into the world of horses and Horse people! Check an article about her in Gentry August 2015...

My daughter started riding with the Strideaway Team when she was 5 ... back in 1993…read more Eventually, she was successfully at an advanced level. But competitive success was the least of what I appreciate about Strideaway Farms. Nancy and her team (the assistant trainers, the ponies, the horses, and the grooms) not only taught my daughter how to ride, but how to care for horses and, I think most importantly, character-building skills. Examples of character-building would be: To regard your mount as a being with its own needs and desires. When things don't go as you like, how to bounce back. Another would be, when your performance wasn't what you expected, how to sincerely cheer for a team-mate whose performance exceeded your own. If you want your child (or yourself!) to have a good grounding in horsemanship AND have a family-centered experience, I'd highly recommend Strideaway Farms.

Me and my gf had an amazing experience horseback riding with the help of Kiera and Katie, guiding…read moreus through and making sure we are comfortable and safe. I had a wonderful time with Dozer! I highly recommend trying this experience as a beginner like me :))

Absolutely recommend Napa Valley Trail rides. My friends and I had such an amazing experience. The…read morestaff is so welcoming and patient. Our guides gave us all the basics to ride our horse and also provided lots of fun facts on the property. I was there for a bachelorette trip and our guides brought out Luna to take pictures with, which I thought was so sweet. I will definitely be coming back in the future! Thank you so much for a welcoming experience!

I've been riding with Pam and her crew for almost 4 years now and can definitely recommend it. She…read morereally cares about her horses' welfare as well as safety for all. Even though I don't take private lessons, her attention to detail in group settings has improved my riding more in a one year than it had over several years with other instructors. Her assistant instructors are timely, excellent riders and instructors who are patient and respectful. Frankly, all of them have been provided better instruction in individual or group settings that I have gotten almost 95% of the time in the past 20 years of riding from lead instructors, no joking. She'll also never over-mount you or put you on a horse that you need to tune up for the program so she can make money off the horse before it's actually ready to be a program horse. Also if you do package lessons or lease, she'll help you squeeze in extra rides if she has horses that need to be ridden. This helps your riding and also helps fit in make-ups if you are, sick, traveling or lessons were rained-out. Pam is also incredibly ethical; she's the most ethical person I know in any line of business. This means she's not putting her interest in making money over yours: she won't try to sell you a horse, push you into a lease or lesson packages you can't afford or won't benefit from. If you're nor interested in any of these options; she'll treat you just as fairly and equally as any other rider. Regardless of whether you ride once a month, once a week, or 6 times a week, she treats all student the same: with respect, patience, fairness and diplomacy. The final part is that it is a relaxed barn atmosphere. Safety is upmost: but no one cares what attire and equipment you wear as long as it is functional and meets current standards. Horses are kept tidy, but there are no full time grooms handing you fully groomed, impeccably trimmed and polished horses. The upside is there are no high-maintenance people, nor is there pressure to show, or pressure to fit into a certain mold in terms of fashion, dress, or brands of attire.

Seven Oaks was recommended to me when we moved to the bay area. I have been riding for over 20…read moreyears and have found that these ladies really know their stuff! I've been riding with them for the past 4 years. All of the instructors teach Carrie Coe's and Pamela Miller's carefully thought out training program, so you never need to worry about who is teaching you because they all follow the same methodology. Also, they have been working with my horse and have helped us go from training level to third level while keeping my horse happy all along our dressage journey. I would recommend Seven Oaks for anyone interested in dressage. Not only is it a fun, friendly environment, but if you are interested in competing, they can help you reach any goal you set for yourself.