Susan took me on a 2-hour ride up Black Mountain, I am so glad there is a place the takes great…read morecare of their horses and caters to more experienced riders.

The BEST advanced ride I've ever been on! An absolutely unforgettable adventure! Riding a…read moremagnificently smooth Arabian horse through the awe-inspiring redwoods, guided by the incredible Susan, was nothing short of magical. The perfect blend of an exhilarating fast pace riding, stunning natural beauty, and amazing company--pure perfection! Can't wait to ride with Susan again.

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.

had a great experience at Ocean View Stables. There were many beautiful horses, and everything felt…read morewell-organized. We went there for horseback riding, and it was really enjoyable. The price was very reasonable--about $20 per person for three rounds, which I think is quite fair. Overall, it was a fun and pleasant experience, and I would definitely recommend it to others!

Went horseback riding here recently and overall had a great experience…read more The location is beautiful and not overly built up, which makes it feel really peaceful. It was the get away I was looking for. There are a lot of trails, and while we didn't spend a ton of time right along the ocean, the hillside views were still really nice. We had a great guide. The setup is cute, and I loved that they let you interact with the horses beforehand -- they seem to take good care of them while still making it enjoyable for guests. On our ride, we were paired with a couple who has been taking lessons there and they had nothing but great things to say, which was really reassuring. Only downsides: the website is pretty confusing and pricing for certain things wasn't very clear. It is a bit pricey, though. That said, I'd definitely go back -- and if I lived closer, I'd even consider lessons. But it is just too far for me to make the commitment.

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!!

My boyfriend surprised me for my birthday by taking us to Sonoma for the weekend. The highlight was…read morewaking up Sunday morning for a horseback ride with one of the most beautiful views. Our guide was wonderful and friendly, the horses were absolute gems, and overall this is one of the best trail ride experiences I've ever had. Getting the mountains, water, and some redwoods was fantastic! We were fortunate to be in a small group (us and two others). It made the ride feel more intimate. I rode El Negro and highly recommend. His gait is smooth! (He is a walking horse after all). My boyfriend rode Leslie who was a bit slow and liked to trail at the back but sure footed and a sweetheart. We ended the ride with a glass of wine overlooking the lake. This space is often use for weddings as well and I can absolutely see the appeal! I would love to go back some day!!

If you only read one review, read this one! First, their music venue offering is quite good,…read morebeverage service in more than one area, usually food and ice cream, vendors varying event to event, live music, dancing, roping, cornhole. After going to the music venue for a summer, our son decided to get married there, and at first everything went smoothly, the owner we dealt with was Nikki and she was quite a good communicator, friendly and engaging, business like, although became a brusque and a bit snippy as the wedding grew closer. Our wedding planner sheltered us from most of it but said "this is how she talked to me the entire time". Not quite what we expected when you are throwing $10K + their way for a 5 hour time slot. Note: The bride bought her wedding dress from The Ranch during a wedding dress expo they put on. We invested in these people!!!! The 1-star is because when the wedding was complete and we were cleaning up, it was discovered we had danced on some rose petals in one section of the concrete in the barn, there was some staining from the red petals which we offered to clean up. At this point we were dealing with the husband, not Nikki. He didn't allow us to try to clean, as he was worried the cleaning might harm the sealer. He said it was sealed once a year, but in a manner that wasn't visible, nor an actual vapor barrier to the concrete as it can't be slippery when wet for safety. He said they had the concrete mottled with a brownish color and didn't want to possibly harm that with our cleaning. We were going to use water and Dawn dish soap as a start, mixing with some rubbing alcohol if needed, this is safe for concrete and grout. You can view previous pictures from others with time stamps, my pictures are time stamped 6/27/26 and you can "maybe" see what they are talking about, you can also see the concrete is far from perfect, many marks, cracks and stains. So, while we offered to clean it that night, or the next morning, we were refused. My son had taken out a $1MILLION insurance policy for this 5 hour event, and The Ranch has kept our $250 safety/cleaning deposit and filed a claim with the insurance, which is a $1000 deductible to us + the $200 for the policy. We also have email from Nikki exclaiming surprise that we are "coming at them this way". (Offering the insurance policy???) We tried to clean, were denied, and offered the insurance as well, what more could we do...but more importantly folks, this is a horse ranch! They didn't even clean up all the poop in the yard where we could walk! But our rose petals were the breaking point? It is noteworthy that there is NO clause in their contract denying rose petals. This is a wedding, so it's quite common for a flower girl to toss petals in the aisle. They are claiming that this concrete is special, was treated to simulate the look of leather because they are a horse ranch, and our rose petals have stained the concrete ruining the vibe for their music events and future weddings. (We have been to music events where they have had large carpets covering the entire seating area, with chairs on top, effectively hiding this concrete and the leather vibe they claim to want to portray. The staining was so very minor that we are worried the insurance will deny the claim and come after our son personally. Think about this for a minute - wedding, roses, minor staining that they have probably already cleaned up, it's a ranch where horses walk and do their thing, and they are making a really really large deal about this. I think this speaks to their character and just want anyone else looking to have their event here, to consider our experience. For us, we will not be attending another music event, we will share our experience with all that we know, and I hope that somehow the owners learn from this, and relax their stance and attitude a little, and realize that folks don't go to a horse ranch or a music venue to inspect the concrete. If this wasn't so serious for us, it would quite a laughable manner. Thank you if you have read this far. IMPORTANT: If the owners read this review and contact us to drop this frivolous claim, I will remove, or edit this review to 5-stars, because other then the "staining and complaining" this was a 5+ star experience for the rest of us!!!