Towards the end of my lady's and I eight day coastal trip on our way back down we had a blast doing…read morethe two hour private horseback ride, Our guide Romero was a really cool guy Good laughs, conversation, and an overall great experience. Saw a lot of cool wildlife on the ride including a bobcat or a mountain lion cub everything was A OK but the horses could definitely tell there was a predator in the area so they were a little spooked. Had such a fun time I will definitely be coming back for the six hour ride!!!

Loved my visit at the Ranch. I invited my friend to ride together as part of his Birthday gift. The…read moretrail we rode on was beautiful and our guide was very kind and polite. I will be returning here.

Fantastic ride with susan! I am a rider with experience and I highly recommend for other…read moreexperienced riders (as well as beginners). It is definitely not boring like other trail rides. Susan had us meet at her facility and then we followed her trailer to the trail head where she helped us mount the horses. It was super fun and Susan keeps the ride entertaining. Her horses are fantastic and did not seem like they spooked easily. They were very used to cars, barking dogs, hikers, cyclists, etc. Susan also offered to take pictures of my friend and I when we stopped at a scenic spot.

Actually provides some instruction rather than "just sit on the horse and go where it takes you."…read moreAnd a beautiful ride with fantastic views! Thank you!

I have been coming here with friends and family (and obviously horses) for 30 ++ years…read more Just spent three days here in May 2025. Andreas, who is running it now, is a very nice guy. Easy to make reservations. And so well worth the fees. Remember since it's a national park, no dogs are allowed. Things are a little older and rundown a bit, but it's still an amazing place to horse camp! Hey, aren't we all older and run down?? Free hot showers and real toilets. Clean too! Know that cell coverage is limited in camp. Yes nice to get away! There are level sites, fire pits, picnic table, Tielines, water (not potable) and a manure dumping pit plus on the way out, there is recycle bins and trash bins. I also noticed you can rent horse panels if needed. Trails are part of the National Sea Shore. Always beautiful.

I've been camping at 5 Brooks for more than 15years…read more Riding is fabulous, owners are very friendly and accommodating. Grounds are well kept bathroom n showers are clean and easily accessible.

My daughter and husband have been taking horsemanship lessons with Karin for 4 years. Karin is…read moreincredibly knowledgeable about horses, as well as dogs and also has great advice for humans as well! We couldn't be happier with the horsemanship lessons. She has been such a great mentor to my daughter as many of the leadership lessons with horses are so very applicable for a young girl's life lessons. For a young girl to have the confidence to lead these horses - it's just so amazing to witness. Recently we decided to take a staycation at her lovely home and rented out a couple of rooms for us for the weekend. Karin was such an amazing hostess from the very beginning when we got there, to the lavish exit from her property, as she had both her dogs positioned on either side of the gate at the end of her driveway as a send off. We stayed in a beautiful room with incredible views of the Nicasio reservoir. This is a must stay place for any photographer, bird lover, horse lover. It felt like we were completely in a different country, when we were only a 20 minute drive to our home. Karin made us an amazing breakfast each morning, while overlooking the reservoir, watching pelicans, falcons, and yes...bald eagles flying overhead! How incredible! Her house has several rooms to rent, and she also has a treehouse, which my daughter stayed in with her friend. They had a blast. A great skylight above the bed to stargaze. One night we enjoyed dinner at her outdoor 'cantina'. During the day, dipping our toes in the beautiful pool. The kids enjoyed chasing the little lizards that basked in the sun. We brought our dog who had probably the most fun of us all. Finally, a place where a dog can actually be a dog! Did I mention Karin is a fabulous dog trainer as well? Thank you so much for such a fabulous weekend that we will cherish always, Karin!

I stayed at Danehill Manor for a week with my boyfriend and it was absolutely magical. We took…read morenatural horsemanship lessons with Karin who was hosting us and it was incredible to learn from her wisdom. We walked away with new leadership skills, confidence and patience. I would HIGHLY recommend the experience of being with these majestic horses that roam the 35 acres freely eating grass. The property is stunning, it feels like you're in Europe amidst the green rolling hills and Karin is also a phenomenal chef. She makes the worlds fluffiest omelettes for breakfast and incredibly authentic Danish dinners as well. It was so much more than a vacation for us, we will remember the things we learned here for a lifetime.

This suburban farm offers horse boarding, riding lessons, kids camps and birthday parties…read more We have friends who's daughter attended their summer camp and loved it. Based on their experience we decided to have our daughter's 6th birthday party here and it was great fun for all. For Birthday parties you essentially have the exclusive use of a little park-like area in the center of the farm that has a play structure, picnic tables, a good number of shady trees and a small barn with petting-zoo type animals. The party rentals are two hours, with the first hour offering pony rides and during the second hour the petting zoo barn is open. We had two pony's at a time for the kids to ride, and with 10 kids that worked out to about two rides each. This was perfect timing so that we could do Pizza and cup cakes after the pony rides, then once the kids were done eating they excitedly ran over to pet the animals in the petting zoo. For the petting zoo portion there were chickens, pigs, bunnies, goats, sheep and a miniature horse the size of a large dog. The kids LOVED petting and brushing the animals. You don't need to add any additional activities or entertainment for the kids because the two hours are nicely full. The kids were constantly in motion and playing on the play structure when not riding a pony or in the petting zoo. All the kids seemed thrilled with the activities and were having tons of fun. All-in-all the process of having a party here, from reserving the day to clean up afterward, is pretty smooth. The only downside was a multi-page contract form that had to be signed by the parents of all the kids. The forms have to be returned to the hostess and the hostess then returns them to the farm with a guest list, as one packet, the Thursday before the party. It would be easier if the parents could just do the form on-site, but I'm guessing that the management wants to be sure the parents read it fully and agree to the terms in advance. But despite the paperwork I highly recommend Morning Star to anyone with grade school age kids.

Kid's Birthday party review…read more Discovered via local moms club and "background checked" on yelp, we decided to have our son's 4th birthday party at Morning Star and I prayed it would live up to its stars b/c we had friends driving from Concord, SF, and beyond to attend. The verdict is that we'd give it a 6th star if we could! The things we loved were that they have a covered option in case of rain, a sweet playground at the uncovered area, where the 2-5 yr olds had a total blast, and a little petting zoo. The trainer Rachel, who led the kids and ponies, two by two, was a pro and helped even the nervous kids feel confident. Each kid got about two rides, which was perfect. The owner helped us set up tables and put up a shade/rain structure since it had rained all morning and we weren't sure if we'd need it. Also, $200 for a 2-pony party for two hours is a great deal in my book, esp compared to $800-1,000 Discovery Museum party price tag (we love it there too, just, gulp). The only down side, as others noted, is the release forms. They are necessary of course, but the onus of getting each family to sign them and submit before the party is on the party-thrower. It is time consuming up front and I wasn't making any friends for a while there, but it makes it so guests don't have to mess with forms when they get there. One idea is to have people use CamScanner or another scanning app on their phones so it can all be done electronically, and to leave a few day's cushion for missing forms. Lastly, I appreciated that all of the animals looked very well-cared for and the whole property was clean and inviting.

It was a lovely trail ride along the shore with great views. I could really come to peace and have…read morea moment of quiet which I really enjoyed. Trinity did an amazing job , she's got a great personality and open mind which I appreciate! So thank you to the entire team and of course the horses ! Rainy was a real champ such a sweet little lady !

Great ride with Juan! He frequently checked the riders behind him and put the least experienced…read moreperson directly behind him, so he could coach her. Horses were well taken care of...good weight, cinches loosened & bridles removed between rides, water offered and lunchtime grass hay & alfalfa cubes. Great mounting block...a RAMP & high platform! Couldn't have been better & I highly recommend for a trail ride.

I have just started boarding at PBR, but I am so thrilled to be here. My horse Beau arrived on…read moreSunday and everyone here has been so helpful. I'm a total noob and all the boarders and the owner Michelle do everything they can to show me the ropes. Michelle is one of the most friendly and accommodating people I've ever met. Her cheerful attitude makes my day. I'm still letting Beau settle in so I haven't ridden him yet, but everyone raves about the trails. PBR is backed up to Indian Valley and Ignacio Valley preserves and has direct entrances from the ranch. No trailering needed! Good for someone like me with a Hyundai. I'm happy with my portion of the tack room, and Michelle offered to put up another saddle rack for me. She also offered to fix the mats in Beau's stall, as they're wonky and make it difficult to clean. This is not a show barn, so the atmosphere is very relaxed. There are not trainers on site, so you would need to arrange for one to travel to PBR. I've been told there is a dressage trainer down the street, but I'm not sure if they travel for lessons. There is a large arena and large round pen for turn out. No pastures.

Pencil Belly, from Stall to open space in less than 4 minutes. Happy horses, happy people, not…read morecrowded. Way to be Pencil Belly!!

Awesome experience for eight year old girls and their Dads some of whom have never ridden before,…read morethank you!

I waited until I had another experience with a riding stable before writing this review because I…read morewanted to be sure that my experience here was not good. I have never been on a horse before this experience and have a lot of anxiety with trying new and potentially dangerous activities. I shared this with the woman who was our guide for the tour because I figured that would let her know how to interact with me as I'm trying this new thing. However, the guide was not helpful or empathetic in literally any way and when I was nervous because the horse was not following my direction (after confirming I was doing it right) she just told me "yeah they don't listen in the arena"...okay, well if the horse can't follow my direction in the arena how am I supposed to feel safe to take him on a two hour cliffside ride? Absolutely not. I ended up having a panic attack after many more attempts to direct him with no success. At that point I decided not to go on the ride because I know horses are incredibly emotionally intelligent and I did not know how my stress would impact him. In addition to not feeling safe and not feeling like my guide knew how to handle that situation. After talking to the woman who was working that day I requested a full or partial refund if possible and the owner called me and was wildly condescending. She made sure to drill it in that this experience was my fault and everyone else does just fine! So even though I knew that wasn't accurate, I let it go because the refund wasn't that important to me. Yesterday I went on another attempt to ride a horse and again I was scared. I told the guide that I've never done this and I was nervous and she was incredibly helpful and made sure I was comfortable with the horse before we left the arena even though we were on a public group ride. Something that this ranch's staff couldn't manage on a private two hour ride. So for me, the service was an easy 0. However, the location was beautiful and the lunch was decent. Wine was not for me and the gal working couldn't tell me a single thing about any of the wines. Edit: After reading the atrocious response from the business I've decided this place couldn't possibly deserve a two star rating. I wish zero stars and a PSA was an option! I would like to clarify that the ignorance from the business owners is shown clearly in that they are pretending I had ruined an experience for a group of "all other riders" when the entire group was my girlfriend (who had no problem "sitting through it") and I. I also felt I stated clearly in my review that the refund was not a major concern of mine. I don't need the money, I just don't appreciate the way these people treat customers that don't have a stellar experience. Truly disgusting. Your horse did not listen, your horse absolutely did not stay still in the arena, and your guide assured me I was following instructions and navigating just as she showed me. Your guide also stated that horses don't listen until they're on the trail (which is a ridiculous statement and shoes that you do not have control of them. But again, no shade to the horses. They're beautiful and they're animals and I respect them far more than any of the staff at this point) Additionally, the wine was awful and your staff doesn't even know how to describe or recommend a single wine on the shelf. Thank you for further affirming my negative experience and showing even more unprofessional behavior! After reading other reviews and their responses to anyone who didn't leave 4/5 stars...I'm not surprised at the awful customer service!

To my travel crew's either excitement or dismay, I always insist on a horseback ride while on…read morevacation. I understand it can be challenging for trail groups when there's a mixed group like ours - one advanced, some intermediate, and the rest beginners - but Five Brooks made it so every single one of us had an enjoyable time! We chose the Salmon Creek 1.5 hour ride and had a blast with our guide, Jay. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get that close to the creek as I thought we would from other reviews and the description on the website, but maybe it was due to our group size (7 + guide) or our mixed levels of experience. We did get a few opportunities to trot, and the sights were gorgeous. I may have fallen in love with my horse, Cody, a beautiful palomino (which is saying something because I have a palomino of my own at home) but he was so responsive that I really enjoyed riding him. I have family in the area, so I'm already trying to plan my next trip so I can go ride with this group again!

Located just off coastal highway 1, Chanslor Ranch is 378 acres of open space with miles of hiking…read moreand horseback riding trails as a Sonoma County Regional Park maintained for erosion and wildlife protection. Five Brooks is the riding stables that provides a variety of group or private guided horseback rides, with a view of the ocean and includes rides along Salmon Creek or on the beach ! We choose the Picnic private ride along Salmon Creek which included a up hill majestic overlook ride where hawks and Ospreys were, and a duck pond where Herons and Egrets were seen, all beautiful and natural landscapes. We lucked out as it was a cloudless day with 7 mph winds as this area can be more windy and foggy. Andrea our guide was super helpful, friendly, accommodating and so easy to ride with, explaining the personalities of our horses. They help you mount and dismount, fit you to the saddle and encourage you to pet and talk to your horse. We rode up hill and down and the horses were very fit and in good health and eager to trot up the hill! I weigh 207 lbs and my horse Cody was not lazy underneath me a they have horses that will accommodate larger people. The views were spectacular and the trotting was fun. After our ride we came back to the ranch stables for a picnic on a park like table in a meadow that was tasty deli sandwiches, chips, Gatorade and some Snickerdoodle cookies, we brought our own wine which is allowed. It was a great ride, nice pace and the horses were fantastic, easy to ride, steer, and very easy going but energetic and not tired as they can be in public riding stables. Next time I go back I want to do the beach ride! Everything went well overall, the only minor hick up was my triple E width boots were too wide for the stir ups but they just moved them to a sideways position and adjusted the length and was fine. Leave earlier than GPS says as it takes longer on rural roads to give yourself time and there are speed bumps on the entrance road to the Ranch, so it's a slow approach. Cowboy Up!