Both my husband and I started taking lessons in the fall, and couldn't be happier!…read more Rhonda (the owner & instuctor) is amazing! She breaks down each movement clearly, so whether you are just starting or working on more advanced maneuvers, she passes on her considerable knowledge in a way you'll understand! She teaches adult and kids alike, both English & western disciplines, and even preps students for local shows! I also like that she tailors lessons to each individual .... My husband and I ride during the same time, and she has me focussing on collection & bending, while he is working on his posting trot & his seat at the lope. It's nice that she doesn't overload us during our lesson, too. She'll give us something to work on, explain it & answer questions, and then let us do our thing. (I have had other instructors in the past who barely let me accustomed to a new concept before briskly moving onto the next. I found it hard to build muscle memory or fully grasp what they were teaching.) I felt so at home here, that when I bought my first horse in October, I decided to board him at Big Oak. My little arab is currently in training with Rhonda, and he is shaping up to be a wonderful mount for me! She has taken an introverted, easily spooked, green-ish gelding & given him confidence through training to simply blossom! Now, even with all those evil shiny tarps or scary tumbleweeds, he doesn't bat an eye and keeps focussed on what we're doing! He even moves off my leg now, collects nicely, and keeps a nice head position despite all those scary distractions ;)

If you're looking for lessons, training, or horse boarding get out here. It's a lovely area, Rhonda…read moreHeiner is the trainer and instructor and this woman is great. I've been taking lessons here for about three years now and when I finally get my own beastie I'll make the 20 min drive out there. It's a beautiful area, very woody and clean looking. The people up here are great fun and very friendly and they have a nice range of lesson horses for people from "I've never seen a horse in person" to "I ride championship" So if you're thinking about a lesson or anything take the trip out here, but be sure to call ahead and get the gate code. The property owners aren't happy when they get calls to the house from Rhonda's people.

I have had Katie Hoefs Martin as my and my daughter's trainer for nearly 6 years. She is a gifted…read morerider and trainer, with extensive experience in bringing riders and horses along, from totally green to PSG. She has guided us in choosing appropriate horses, and appropriate goals for our training. The atmosphere in Katie's program is very professional, yet very relaxed. Unlike other trainers I evaluated before choosing Katie, she considers riding client's horses part of the job, and her calm, even manner of dealing with training issues is appreciated by client and horse alike. I had worked with several other trainers prior to Katie, so this stood out to me as particularly valuable in a training program. After a thorough interview process, Katie moved her program to Gilroy Gaits, and we have been really happy there and so have our horses. Katie has two veterinarians in her program, and they trust her with the care and training of their horses. She has provided excellent care for all of my horses (3) through a variety of ailments. At Gilroy Gaits, we have an on-site vet clinic, so horses who require care are very closely monitored and the vet works very closely with Katie. She brought my young horse back after OCD surgery, and I went on to enjoy a full show season. Over 5-6 years, with three horses, we've had several occasions to require support from Katie in caring for them, and nothing has ever occurred to suggest that she is anything but competent at following a vet's instructions, including knowing when to involve the vet at any point in a health issue. I find these review forums useful, but occasional they are abused to settle personal vendettas. As the horse involved in a previous review is MY horse, I feel compelled to set the record straight: The accusation in another review that Katie was prosecuted for drugging a horse is completely inaccurate. I was disciplined for not filing the correct paperwork, not for drugging a horse. As my trainer, Katie was subject to fines as well. If you have any doubts about that, read the link. And then interpret the rest of the remarks in the other review with that intentional misrepresentation in mind.

As an adult rider, I am deeply committed to Dressage. It is my passion and I have had some great…read moretrainers, clinicians and horses. In fact my gelding Sebastian is currently being ridden by a member of the US Para Equestrian Team with many championships under her belt. I take the sport of dressage seriously, although I am happily an amature rider. That said, I was thrilled to be introduced to Katie Hoefs Martin at Gilroy Gaits. Her teaching style is kind and supportive, but as challenging as I want it to be. Her vocabulary to help me get what I want to get out of any movements is broad, giving me plenty of ideas of how to achieve what I want to achieve. Most important to me is her approach to the horses which is with love and respect, born from years of experience which can't be learned without hours in the saddle. Katie's style is the same as my longest and most favorite trainer, and I expect to be with her for some time.

I can't say enough great things about Nicole and her stellar instruction. My teen daughter has…read moregrown so much in two years training with Nicole and looks forward to her lessons every week! Nicole's horses are beautiful and she takes impeccable care for them and it shows. They are happy to be doing the job they do and get all the proper love and attention so that you or your loved one can have a positive experience learning to ride, just coming out for horsemanship lessons or even experiencing the healing energy of horse as therapist Do yourself the favor of signing you or your loved one up and come meet the barn family!

Best place to board your horses! Billy Martin and Linda Maki are absolutely the best at training…read moreand keeping this place looking amazing!! Always running into friendly people here!!!! I wouldn't trust my horses anywhere else!!! They care!

I would give this place 0 stars if I could…read more Boarded my horses here for years and always paid on time and when I arrived to pick them up to relocate bars Linda Maki refused to let me take them and gave me a bill for $2187.00 and said it was for miscellaneous charges. (No details were provided on the bill) Once the matter was resolved and I was allowed to see my horses again there was obvious abuse to my animals. She's is a monstrous woman and I will do everything I can to keep others from making the same mistake I did. DO NOT USE THIS BARN!!!!!

Great horse facility in beautiful setting. Pleasant staff and great atmosphere. Came for a…read moretraining clinic as an observer. Highly recommend.

I was recommended to Ramon by a friend, and I'm so glad I listened. When he first came out to shoe…read moremy mare, she was so anxious from past bad farrier experiences that she needed to be sedated. I'd only had her a few months, and I was nervous about how it would go. Ramon handled her with such patience and gentleness that after that first visit, she never needed sedation again. She trusted him, and so did I. Since then, Ramon has continued to exceed my expectations. He truly understands horses, not just how to trim and shoe them. He's incredibly calm, patient, and kind, which makes a world of difference for horses that need that extra reassurance. Recently, he worked on a rescue horse we took in who hadn't had proper hoof care in years. His feet were long, overgrown, and he had zero handling experience. Ramon took his time, never rushed, and somehow turned it into a non-traumatic experience for the horse. By the time he was done, the horse's feet looked amazing--a total transformation. I've recommended Ramon to everyone I know who's looking for a farrier. I saw another review mentioning communication issues, but that has not been my experience. Ramon has always done his best to keep us informed and shows up when he says he will. I also don't believe it's fair to give a business one star without ever experiencing their work firsthand. Once Ramon works on your horses, you'll never want another farrier. His prices are fair and very competitive--especially compared to others in the area. Expensive doesn't always mean better, and Ramon proves that time and time again. He's not just trimming and throwing shoes on--he understands hoof angles and proper biomechanics, which is so important for long-term soundness. More than that, he's a great man with a great soul--and your horses will recognize that from the moment they meet him. Highly, highly recommend.

Ramon has been providing farrier services for my horses for the past 5 years. Ramon is very…read moreknowledgeable and very patient. He has always shown up when he says he will and if for whatever reason he needed to push back my appointment he's always kept open communication with me to inform me of any changes. His prices have stayed consistent and he is always happy to help. Ramon has a really positive attitude and a great personality. He also has someone that helps him and they're both great! I have never had any complaints and I've recommended him to others. He's done a fantastic job and my horses all seem to be very comfortable around him. Thanks Ramon for all your help and for continuing to make the drive out to keep my guys feet looking good!

What a good time! Olivia was a fantastic guide and the horses were so well behaved. Also such a…read morebeautiful trail. Will definitely be coming back again!

We tried to schedule a horseback ride with this operation and it was frustrating…read more It took repeated phone calls before anyone answered (there is no email address and calls were not returned). The person we spoke with (Olivia) said she was incredibly busy and could not talk then. After a second call that she answered, she texted us a form that asked for names, weights, heights, contact info, etc. We texted all this as requested. We assumed (naively) this was a confirmation since she had given us a time and date for the ride. Wrong! It meant nothing. We got no response to that text or another text requesting a written confirmation. We showed up on the day of the ride, earlier than the time scheduled for us. However, there was no record of anything! They might get great reviews by people who have actually gotten to ride; however, buyer beware. If you do not have a definite confirmation (and we have no idea what that might consist of), you have an excellent chance of not having a ride. In our opinion, this is not a customer-friendly and professional operation.

I've always had a peripheral itch to try polo (current hunter/jumper rider), and recently got a…read morerecommendation for this club from a friend. Within the first five minutes, I was sold. It felt intuitive, invigorating, more exciting than any sport I've tried in a long time. Urging my indefatigable pony, Nala, onwards to score our first goal felt as if I had found myself on a ferocious, beige little Pegasus. I already signed up for Polo Academy this spring! So stoked. The instructors were awesome, and I enjoyed the mini drills and scrimmage that we did during the lesson. Totally recommend

Long overdue post on my new favorite hobby at my absolute favorite place, South Bay Polo! I started…read moreout super cautious and being absolutely TERRIFIED of hitting my horse instead of the ball. Fran was patient with me and very understanding and so was everyone else at the club! Polo is usually considered a sport with a very high barrier to entry: typically most people think you need to be an avid equestrian, you need to be super athletic, you need to be crazy rich, you need to own multiple horses, and thats definitely not the case. South Bay is an incredibly welcoming, safe place to learn how to play polo. Fran has an excellent program called "Academy" where you'll be placed in a group of your peers who are also new to polo and you all learn the basics at a comfortable, stress free pace. No one is ever pushed to go faster than they are comfortable going and emphasis is placed on accuracy with the ball and safety ALWAYS safety first! Some people may think of polo and think SPEED but...as one of the pros say "theres absolutely no point in being the fastest to get to the ball if you don't know what to do with it once you get there!" Club members are absolutely wonderful and kind, always super patient with all my questions and super eager to help out. Some of the members are really all-stars competing in tournaments at levels I could only dream of, but when you surround yourself with players at that level they help you improve simply by watching them and interacting and practicing around them! You can always try out a private lesson first to see if polo is for you- it is very different from any other style of riding Ive ever done, the reins are held in your left hand and mallet with the right hand. But I promise you, the second you hear that perfect THWACK sound when you have your first connection with the ball you'll be addicted to it! (for the record I whiffed the ball maybe 10-20 times before ever actually getting a solid hit lol) I still have a very long way to go in my polo journey and I am super excited to have found a place that nurtures my growth!