Kimberly farms has taught me a lot and I have been there for 7 years the horses are great and the people there are very nice and kind.

This sleep away camp was very disappointing and dangerous. My daughter was a camper last summer. She was so excited to go and experience a horse camp experience. On the registration, you were required to specify riding ability, age, height, and weight. My daughter has been riding for about 4 years and is a fairly experienced rider. She also is 5'10. I questioned the camp if they would have a horse for her to ride and it was confirmed they would. Upon arrival, my daughter brought in her bags to the bunk house that was probably 500 square feet and would sleep 15 girls. The bunk beds were so thin and the ceiling so low, that my daughter could not even sit up in her bed. She bumped her head every night. At the time I dropped he off, I didn't realize that not only was this the bunk house but also were the girls did everything. They are in this small area too. The week's weather was quite rainy. The instructor had the girls riding bareback in the rain. All the horses were mostly ponies and looked sickly and were left outside in a small corral even at night. At night, when it was time to go to bed, my daughter informed me that the bathrooms were locked and they would have to squat outside. I asked if they at least supplied flashlights and they didn't. My daughter lasted 2 1/2 days. When she was calling home and was miserable, she didn't tell my husband and myself any of this information. The last straw was when she called and told m husband and I that the campers were driven into town for dinner and there was not enough seats in the van so the girls had to sit on the laps of other girls. When my husband finally went to pick her up after the 2 days, the director locked herself in her farmhouse and refused to speak to him. No money was returned to us, no apologies, nothing. Maybe at one point this might have been a nice camp, but now it seems that it is not run well or even cared for. When my daughter told my husband and I all that went on, I felt terrible I kept her there that long. The week she was there, 3 other campers left as well. This camp truly needs some help. read more

I absolutely loved Kimberly Farms! I made my reservation for a weekend trail ride about five days in advance and they were able to accommodate a group of 4 for a noon ride. I let the office manager know we'd be 4 beginners and she assured me that'd be fine. Once we got to the barn, we met our guide who went over some safety basics and after assessing our individual skill levels, introduced us to our horses and provided some information on their backgrounds and personalities. We were provided assistance (even stairs!) mounting the horses, and Bronwyn, the guide who led us up the trail was extremely patient, knowledgeable and checked in with the group regularly to make sure everyone was comfortable. I was in love with my horse. Even as an inexperienced rider, I had no problems keeping him on track (not to mention he was such a cutie). The views were beautiful, staff was super helpful - it was a great experience and a really fun day. Thanks guys! Would love to see you soon! read more

Kimberly Farms - View - Summer Camps Near Me - North Bennington, Vermont

Kimberly Farms has a lot of virtues but also gave me reasons to pause. The farm/camp is convenient to the upstate New York area just over the New York-Vermont border in North Bennington. There are pastures and trails for rides, and there are several horses of varying sizes and shapes. The facilities include a main house where the owners live, a bunk house for sleep-over campers, a counselors' cabin and a horse barn, along with a few other buildings. The camp seems to accommodate only girls. The camp counselors encouraged the campers to be "hands on", i.e., tack up and take down saddles, get out and put away tools and equipment, etc., without much assistance aside from instruction. Autonomy was encouraged. Campers are required to wear helmets and boots, and encouraged to wear pants. All of this was good. There were also some "features" of the camp that were less favorable in my opinion: 1) Food: The camp advertised no junk food of any kind but that snacks and food would be available even at off-meal times if campers were hungry. As a parent, this policy implied to me that wholesome meals and an array of fruits and veggies would be around a lot of the time. From my observations on visiting the camp at lunch time mid-week, this was not the case. Some of the campers were micro-waving leftover macaroni and cheese that, to me, looked a day or two old. I arrived to find my daughter microwaving an English muffin for lunch on which she had spread butter. This was not something I'd seen her do at home, so I wondered what she was doing. She said she would have made a PB&J but there was no bread left (I later learned, the bread was gone after 3 days -- not surprising with 8-9 campers and 4-5 counselors staying at the camp). I'm not sure if the campers were supposed to request that these sorts of staples be replenished, but it didn't seem to me that this should have been my 10-year-old's responsibility. I had brought an apple, peach and nuts with me to snack on and my daughter ate them after her micro-waved English muffin. This left me with the impression she was famished. I think part of the problem was that the teen counselors are happy to have a little down time around lunch, and the camp owner isn't there to guide the younger campers in how to put together meals with what was available. We "think" breakfasts and dinners were better organized. One evening, they made hamburgers and hotdogs and another they took the campers to a snack stand where my daughter bought her own hot dog. I'm not sure what the arrangement would have been if she didn't have her own money. 2) Riding Time: The camp advertised 2-3 hours of riding time in the morning and afternoon. This sounded great, however, it turned out there were 3 groups that were divided into that riding time, so the campers got on the order of 50 minutes to an hour or riding in the morning and then in the afternoon. The time was filled up with "clinics" about the taking care of the horses, etc., which is fine, but the amount of riding time was not as significant as we thought it would be going into the camp. 3) Sleeping / Bunk House: The bunk house was where all the overnight campers, 2 counselors-in-training, and an elderly woman stayed over night. The bunk beds were narrow (hey, this IS camp) and rough, but adequate. There were 9 or so bunk beds in the room, so 18 campers or staff could stay in the room at a time. In the center of the room, there were some older furniture that sort of served as a "living room". There is no bathroom in the bunk house, so the kids have to walk outside to a toilet that is attached to the horse barn. Each camper has a dresser to share with the upper/lower bunk. We arrived in the middle of the group and found mouse droppings in the drawers. This probably isn't uncommon for a "rustic" camp, but we thought it would have been nice if they cleaned up a little before hand. My daughter got "spooked" by the older woman that stayed in the room at night. She wasn't available to meet when we dropped our daughter offer, so I can't comment about her first hand, but my daughter didn't like her. "Creepy" was the word she used, but that could have just been a personality thing. However... 4) Availability of Calling: The camp suggested that campers could call home at any time. Our daughter didn't have a cell phone, and the camp owner collected cell phones anyway. After a field trip and "evening barn duty", our daughter got back late (after 9pm) and wanted to call home. She was cut off by the older woman in the bunk house. This completely unsettled our daughter, and I wasn't very satisfied with the explanation given by the owner for the imposed restriction. Our daughter was uncomfortable sleeping, which made for a long week. Calls involved crying, partially home sick. We picked up our daughter a day early. I doubt we'll go back to this camp, though she said she had fun after she got hom read more

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I had purchased a groupon for rides for myself and my granddaughter. The process getting a timeslot was difficult. I had to call the number given on the groupon, was told that there was no weekend availability and was referred to the website, to fill out a questionairre which included the time and date requested. I received an e-mail stating that there were no vacancies on my chosen date and to choose another day. I asked that they send me a list of available times and was told that they didn't do it that way because schedules change quickly. My second application (had to fill it in again) was also declined and I had to choose yet another date without having any idea of times available. So then I sent a request indicating 3 dates and asked for a number to call to make arrangements if these dates were no good. I was then sent a time that was acceptable and, after reading reviews, printed out that e-mail just in case. We arrived about 45 minutes before our ride which was scheduled for 1:00 and was told that our ride was scheduled for 11:00 and we were listed as a "no Show" . I produced the printout of the e-mail and the guide immediately said OK and told us she could fit us in. Deanna gave us a ride to the top of a hill with a great view. She had a fine narration, history, info about the horses, her college courses and planned internships. She had a walker go with my granddaughter to keep the horse from eating grass as it had a digestive condition. My granddaughter was not given the opportunity to ride at her level despite the questionairre which asked about experience of the riders. Our gourmet lunch consisted of a steamed or boiled hotdog (brought to us without condiments) 5 or 6 taco chips, baked beans, iced tea and a small piece of dry pound cake. While we were waiting for our ride, We had the opportunity to observe and talk to the ferrier who was having difficulty fitting a shoe to one of the horses. I overheard him talking to the owner about a hoof that was not growing. Overall, A decent ride and a fun activity to do with my granddaughter but I wouldn't recommend this stable. read more

Horses aren't really my thing, but I came here for a trail ride and I had a wonderful time. The location is absolutely stunning - it is the epitome of everything that's beautiful about Vermont, complete with rolling fields, forests, and mountains. As someone who loves camping I found it very welcoming to be able to lose myself in nature here. The trail ride itself was a lot of fun and very relaxing. The horses seem very healthy and, while they all have different personalities, they are very well behaved. The guide was friendly, helpful, and professional. The trail was breathtakingly beautiful, coming to a stunning mountaintop view. Overall it's as very nice place, very rustic and friendly, and the horses are happy and healthy. I was pleasantly surprised. read more

It seems like this business is in the habit of lying to potential customers, based on my experience and that of other reviewers here. I bought a Groupon for a trail ride and meal for 2, and my husband and I planned to use it as part of a wedding anniversary get-away. When I tried to call and make a reservation, I was told that all weekend trail rides were booked through the end of the Groupon time period and that I needed to go to the stable website to reserve a spot on a weekday. I then went back and forth attempting to reserve on a Thursday, then a Wednesday, each time receiving email responses that my requested dates/times were unavailable. Finally, my husband called and attempted to make a reservation over the phone, without letting them know we had a Groupon. He was told that the entire weekend we wanted (June 22-23) was wide open and we could schedule a ride for any time we wanted. At this point, I called Groupon and explained the situation, and they promptly refunded my account. My husband and I are now trying to decide on a plan B for our anniversary weekend. read more

I purchased a groupon for a 1 hour trail ride plus lunch or dinner for 2 for $49. I was very excited about this as it seemed like a fun outing in a beautiful part of Vermont. The ad on the groupon said reservations were required, and on the Kimberly Farms website it said reservations were required 24 hours in advance. I called approximately a month and a half before the groupon was set to expire and was directed to the website to complete a reservation form. I completed the form and was emailed back the next morning saying that time slot was not available. I send a reply email asking what weekend times were available for the rest of May and through June. I was told none except the occasional 8 am. I explained I had the groupon and asked what would be done about lunch/dinner with an 8 am ride. I received an extremely rude email back, despite this I asked what dates an 8 am appointment was available. I was told none. I had to drag information out of Kimberly Farms and nearly beg for an appointment. I was pretty much told my best bet was to use the groupon after it expired and pay the additional money (+$70). This was an absolutely horrible experience. I was directed to a website and then engaged in countless back and forth emails, certainly a phone conversation would have been easier. The emails were rude and did not offer any possible solution for when I could schedule a ride. Thankfully groupon refunded me the price of the groupon, after the terrible treatment I received via email I had no desire to ever visit Kimberly Farms. read more

Lovely horses, well trained and great safe rides.

Today (6/30/16) was my first time Horseback riding and my mother joined me for her first time as well. The owner was very kind and helpful. She taught us how to hold the stirrups, how to steer the horse and how to stop it. Three younger girls brought us out for a 1hour trail ride and it was such a great experience. They were kind, helpful, made sure we were comfortable and safe. The horses were wonderful and oh so beautiful. We both can't wait to do it again. During the trail ride we rode the horses to a wide opening with an amazing view! They let me take some photos and one of the girls took photos of me and my mom. It was such a great experience and I'm so happy we chose Kimberly Farms! I highly suggest checking this place out for Training, Trail Rides and more! read more

My daughter attended camp for one week this summer and had a fabulous time. Like Rusty wrote, the bunk cabin is far from special and the bunks are small, but if you are looking for an old-fashioned simple camp that isn't about being fancy or "modern", this is it. The girls were friendly, the counselors were lovely, and the riding lessons were fun. My daughter chose this camp because one of the two daily group lessons was a bareback lesson and she loved it. The facilities are nothing special to look at (though the situation of the farm is beautiful) and the folks who run it are stereotypical down-to-earth New Englanders: they look after the girls, support them, and keep it simple. Arriving here was like stepping back in time when camp was about roughing it (the bathrooms are down the hill from the bunk and meals are eaten outside) and childhood was about caring for animals, making god's eyes and drawing, meeting new friends, and just palling around. read more

Kimberly Farms provides a beautiful setting with expert and caring horse lovers. I went on a trail ride with some family members and since I am not a very experienced rider, the owner made sure I had a helmet and was comfortable with everything before I left. The owners are obviously competent and caring people with a great passion for horses. I saw the owner talking to a parent of a young rider and she was both encouraging and knowledgeable. The horses were in excellent condition and well cared for. This is not a resort, it's a horse farm, and as such is rural & rustic in nature and that lends to its charm ! read more

Stayed at Kimberly Farms on a sisters trip and loved it. It was fun staying in the bunkhouse to get the total experience of being at a horse camp. The staff was well trained and enjoyed the the trail rides and beautiful scenery. The owners are very lovely people. Thanks for a great time. read more

I bought the Groupon for a trail ride and lunch or dinner for 4 as a birthday present for my daughters birthday. Before I purchased I checked the weight restrictions since my husband is 6'3" and 250 lbs.. The weight limit was 250 lbs so I purchased. I called Kimerly Farms mid May to schedule our trail ride for the end of June when the kids get out of school. I was directed to the website and told that if I was looking for a weekday I would have no problem scheduling. I promptly went to the website and filled out the questionnaire about the people in my group (height, weight and age). I requested a 3 or 4pm time slot on a Thursday. I received an email back with the title "Sorry" and telling me that date was not available, but Monday at 8am, 9am or 10am was. I emailed back saying that my kids were in school and I needed either Thursday or Friday after they were finished with the school year. I got an email back offering Friday at 3pm, but the email also said "oh and sorry, the 250 pound person cannot ride, our weight limit is 225." I immediately went to the groupon site and checked that I had read the weight limit correctly and once I confirmed I did I called Groupon to complain. The woman at Groupon was so helpful and placed me on hold to verify that the limit was indeed 250 pounds and promptly issued me a refund. As for Kimberly Farms they said "will do" when I told them I was cancelling my reservation based on their false advertising and was getting a refund from Groupon. In my opinion if a company participates in a Groupon they are probably trying to get new customers, but this company seems to be losing them before they even take a trail ride. read more

I am not a disgruntled employee but did have a bad exprience over the phone. I never had a chance to exprience the ranch because I was not allowed to use my groupon. I was sent an email that I never received because I made a mistake typing in my email. I never received a phone call telling me about the reservation or that I missed the reservation. I tried to rescheduled but was told that the dates I chose were unavailable. My groupon had expired due to the lack of available dates, but was told I could still redeem the groupon towards a ride. I made another date and was sent an email with a notice to call with a credit card. Once I called to confirm and provide a credit card I was told I couldn t redeem it because I missed the appointment I never knew I had. It was extremely upsetting considering this was my sister s birthday present. This is one of the worse business practice I have ever exprienced. THIS WOULD BE NO STARS BUT IT WASN T AN OPTION. read more