From beginning to end my wife and I had a great time. Beautiful scenery, horses were great, and the…read moreguide was excellent. I certainly recommend this to any horseback rider.

I took some time to type this review as I would never want to negatively impact a company but…read morethought I owed it to the community to share our experience. We recently had a very disappointing and concerning experience with this horseback riding company. Unfortunately, the horses provided for our group did not appear to be properly trained or well-managed. Several of the horses were extremely difficult to control, and their behavior raised serious safety concerns from the start. During the ride, two horses became particularly unruly and ended up bucking, throwing two members of our group off onto the ground. This was a frightening and potentially dangerous situation that could have resulted in serious injury. While we understand that working with animals always carries some risk, this level of behavior suggests a lack of adequate training, supervision, or proper matching of horses to riders. After this negative experience the Owner refused to reimburse us. She offered us a credit to come back and take another ride with them. After this experience, the ladies are terrified to get on another horse. I would strongly encourage the company to review their safety protocols, horse training practices, and staff preparedness to ensure a safer experience for future guests. I leave you all with the horses are beautiful and you can tell they are well taken care but you should be a very experienced rider if you book with this company.

We had the most magical experience at Poway Horse Party. I came two days in a row, and I truly…read morecannot say enough good things. Jen is the absolute sweetest. You can feel how much she genuinely cares about every child and parent who comes through. She made everything feel so thoughtful, intentional, and special for the kids. Every little detail felt considered, and it created such a warm, welcoming environment. All of the animals are clearly so loved and well cared for, which made the experience even more meaningful. You can tell this isn't just something she runs, it's something she pours her heart into. The next day, she hosted my group of friends and it was just as incredible. We all had the best time and made the sweetest memories with our babies. It was one of those experiences you wish you could bottle up and relive. We will absolutely be coming back again and again. Truly love, love, love this place.

My husband booked this fantastic birthday for our boys. at first i was not sure about the price but…read moreit was worth it for us. we have never seen our one son smile so big. it is a great setting for birthday parties. staff seemed very nice.

Claire is the Best!! Every child that learns with Claire is very. Very lucky. She has the most…read moreamazing way with children and her horses are wonderful. Her love and bond with her horses is evident. Claire is absolutely the best person to introduce and nurture our children in learning about horses and building a lifelong connection with horses. Each child learns at their own pace.

I love Clare! Her love for these horses and passion to teach kiddos about them is above and beyond…read more My about to be 7 year old goes to Clare's for 3 or so hours once a week to not just ride but CARE for these amazing animals. She brushes them, feeds them and loves them, teaching her about work ethic and connection. Highly recommend the experience with Clare! We have so much love and admiration for this wonderful lady.

My 8 year old daughter has been taking horseback riding lessons here for a couple months. It has…read morebeen her saving grace during the pandemic. As I dropped her off this morning, she uttered the words: "I love this place.". That, in my mind, says it all.

Our daughter really enjoys the laid back atmosphere of this ranch. She took several months of…read moreprivate lessons leading up to summer camp last year, so that she could be proficient in riding. She had 3 different instructors, and they were all great! She enjoyed riding the ponies and larger horses, including learning about how to take care of them. The other barn animals (ducks, dogs, chickens, pigs,etc) are pluses as well. Our daughter begged to go back to camp again this Spring Break and looks forward to summer camp again this year.

Had a great trail ride on 2/11/2025. Kaity was very helpful, knowledgeable and had a great…read morepersonality. It's been about 15 years since I've been on a horse and she made it very comfortable and easy for me. I ended up being the only rider at that time frame so I got a personal experience and was a great and enjoyable ride. I rode Maverick and he was very well behaved. Had a great time and will definitely get back sometime for a ride. Thanks again!!

This review is specifically for potential boarders and why you might not want to board your horse…read morehere. I am beyond fed up with the way Debbie and Nicole talk to their customers, and the way they do so publicly is beyond unprofessional. A group chat for boarders was started a long time ago as a way for the owners (Debbie and Nicole) to communicate emergencies with boarders as well as for boarders to communicate with each other. Lately, it has been used for public arguments and power trips. Today, September 8, 2024, the boarders notified management that the horses had no water at 10am. Instead of checking into the issues immediately, they blocked all boarders from being able to communicate. It took 3 hours to get their staff to manually fill waters for 20+ horses. It is 104 degrees. 3 hours to complete this task in 104 degree weather is gross negligence and asking for "time to figure things out" is absurd. Considering this has been a known issue in the past, there should have been an immediate action plan that was put into place the second the first border stated their horse had no water. We all received a board increase notice for October 2024 (which is the second rate increase this year) and the new rates are an astounding nearly $100 increase for many boarders. Their claim is that they can't keep up with costs, but as a boarder it appears to be stupid financial decisions made by the owners. They own 23+ horses of their own that they use for trails and camp. I can only imagine the food, vet, and farrier costs for those horses costs over $70k a year, and I would be willing to bet that the trail rides don't bring in that kind of income to cover the costs. It certainly seems as though the board we pay is also covering the costs of their excessive amount of horses. The ultimate slap in the face happened last week when boarders were repeatedly told that finances were terrible and they just couldn't keep the rates "low" anymore. (Please note this is not an affordable barn, there are many more in poway with lower prices that include the cost of hay). Then we find out in the group chat that they bought a "mini home". Mini homes START at $20,000. I have no clue what they paid for theirs, but you would think if you're experiencing financial issues that cause rate increases that you wouldn't also be spending tens of thousands of dollars on a mini home for who even knows what. Once again, it feels like something the boarders are paying for. Nicole also loves to try to start up new business ventures. She had platforms built out in the mountain area of the trails to be able to host weddings. How exactly do they plan to get the wedding party there? It's up a mountain... no bride is going to walk that, and being carted up in a truck seems weird, especially if you have to cart around 50 guests, but whatever I guess. Though, it would seem prospective brides and grooms may have asked these same questions as they have yet to host a wedding at all (as far as I'm aware), despite the newly built platforms that I would also wager cost over $50k to build. She also thought running a dude ranch at $1500 a week was going to happen?? The itinerary is literally the same work they should be paying employees to do. No one in their right mind is going to pay THEM $1500 to work. Most people don't even MAKE $1500 in a week at their jobs. LOL! $531 a month for a place that can't even clean urine out of the stalls is just plain absurd. Then tack on the way that they speak to their boarders and blatantly refuse to fix simple things like hoses, it really feels like a slum lord situation. Anyway, please see the screenshots attached for info on: The water failure Hose replacement refusal and now deleted messages Other business ventures

I have been at Rancho El Camino in Del Mar for over 23 years and have watched the management and…read morecommunication decline quite a bit, so I'm looking for a new barn. Came out to this barn today and I was really impressed with the health of the horses, the property, people, the trails the location, everything was really inviting. Looking forward to learning more. Going to check out a few more.

The trails are amazing! Super easy access. Good footing in the arenas and the stalls are very…read morelarge. Friendly, drama free atmosphere. Large tack sheds are reasonably priced, and the hay is good quality. My horse and I are very happy here!

I had high hopes, but am very disappointed…read more I purchased a large and expensive package of private riding lessons for my daughter as her main Christmas present. Scheduling was very difficult, and lessons were often cancelled at the last minute. Multiple messages to schedule lessons were never returned. Multiple requests to refund the outstanding balance for these lessons (paid for but never provided) were never returned. Ignoring the problem does not make it disappear, Holly. You disappointed us, especially my daughter.

This may be a good stable to take lessons from, if I had gotten the chance to actually experience…read moreit. I found their ad on Craigslist so I texted the trainer to ask about lessons, as it was stated in their CL ad this was a preferred way of contacting them. I got a couple texts back regarding pricing and then I was told I would be called back the following day with more information so I could schedule a lesson. No one ever called. Now I completely understand not having time to text all day, but when you say you are going to call, actually call. I just found it unprofessional and felt like they didn't care about my business since they couldn't even call me back when I was clearly ready to schedule a lesson. Also, if you can't respond to text, take that out of your contact method on your ad. Or if you don't want any new students stop posting so many ads.

Willow creek is a horse lover's paradise. While it is set up for competitive jumping, they also…read morehave trail rides. And if you have an electric car, there is free charging available. The staff is exceptionally friendly and the facilities and setting is top notch and the owner is very accessible and friendly. By far, the best, most thoughtful facility I've seen!

Gorgeous landscape and beautiful riding grounds. Now known as Encinitas Riding Club. Can't go wrong…read morewith this place and you'll love leaving your horse in good hands. Really well maintained and staff is on top of everything. They have a free charging station if you need to.

My kids have been coming here for the past several months and have loved every moment of it. The…read morestaff has been very attentive and ensures the kids stay safe and learn while having fun. The instruction is a great balance of time spent riding as well as learning about how to care for a horse. They always look forward to spending time on the ranch.

From the owner: Here at The Academy, we’re focused on building a strong relationship between horse and rider -…read moreinspiring the confidence you need to become the best horseman or woman you can be! We offer Dressage, Hunter/Jumper, Equitation, Natural Horsemanship, and Eventing lessons (oh and pony snuggles, lots of pony snuggles).

This is a bit of an overdue review, but I had such an amazing time horseback riding! I hadn't…read moreridden since I was about 5 years old, so I was definitely a little nervous going into it. I'm not sure it's exactly like riding a bike--but Karen made me feel completely at ease from the start. Kiwi, my horse, was incredibly patient and gentle with me. I swear she knew I needed a little extra TLC! It made the whole experience so enjoyable and stress-free. I even got to do a tiny bit of trotting, which was such a fun bonus. Overall, it was such a great experience, and I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking to try horseback riding or get back into it!

Great horses, great guides. It is always a pleasure to do a…read morehorseback ride at Suzie Q Ranch. Lovely afternoon today January 19th of 2026. Will be back! I think this ranch is the best of the area. Thank you Suzie!