I ve been neighbors with these owners for years and have nothing bad to say about them. The area is…read moreclean and any problems they take care of, also their summer program for kids give them some time to enjoy the farm and learn about horse care and responsibilities.

Run down facility, poorly cared for animals and thoroughly unpleasant staff. Just drive a little…read morefurther north for better barns

If I could give the volunteers and fellow boarders 5 stars, I absolutely would. They are the only…read morereason this place functions and they are the ones who truly care about the horses. Unfortunately, the actual business practices and treatment of clients were some of the most unprofessional and unpredictable I have ever experienced. The financial terms of our contract were changed behind our backs and behind the backs of multiple boarders. When we questioned why we were suddenly being charged double and asked about the changes in the contract language, we were told not to question her authority because she's "the business owner" and that we should just pay because we are "wealthy and have fancy cars" (see pic). "60 days" you are asked to pay when leaving turns into 90+ days upon departure- its insane and if you contest it- that's when things turn very nasty. The people giving 5 star reviews will see at some point what this place is and who management is if you contest their fraudulent practices. The lesson company on the property, Valara Equestrian Academy, was also charging our credit card through a completely different company (The Peaceful Equine LLC) that has been administratively dissolved since 2023 (and isn't even filed as a riding/training business) That is ILLEGAL We asked for the legal business name multiple times and it couldn't be produced. I'm not sure how that works with liability insurance but I wish I had looked into this sooner but initially we were naive. We had no idea because the company name processing the charges was different from the one listed on the paperwork and branding. We only discovered it later after going back through records and statements. . We slowly uncovered fraudulent, unethical, and deceptive business practices at every turn. Beyond the financial and business issues, the conditions & care for the horses were less than satisfying and safety was a big concern. Our stalls constantly had manure left in them even after they had supposedly been cleaned the pic was before the horse was even turned back into the stall). And honestly, this was not the workers' fault. Expecting one person to properly clean that many stalls by 2pm was unrealistic. The staff work hard -- management cuts corners at every chance they get for example getting rid of "night check" so the last time the horses have any forage is 2pm UNLESS the boarder provides more hay and is on property to fill and hang hay bags. Plan to spend a lot of additional money from buying shavings that won't hurt your horse, a ton of hay and additional fees to store said hay. Having horses go from 2pm- 6am with no forage is not good care. One of our horses ended up with Ulcers- (this was also not cheap to treat ) due to stress and limited access to adequate forage and the other lost a ton of weight. see pic Top- week we bought him and brought to ST. Middle - Week we left ST (he had been there only 4 months) Bottom- taken today at new barn 4 months later We couldn't be happier with our new barn and the care they get. We also had to spend our own money making both of our stalls safe and habitable because of rotted flooring and sharp boards sticking out from the stall walls. Boarders should not be expected to repair dangerous stalls themselves just so their horses can safely stand inside them. Boarders were expected to pay out of pocket for repairs and safety fixes to their own stalls, despite the facility itself not being properly maintained, because we were repeatedly told "the barn can't afford it." The shavings were also unsafe (see pics), I don't know if I would even call them shavings. On several occasions there were loose wires hanging in the paddocks and in the dirt causing one of our horses legs to get caught. The manipulation and toxic behavior from the trainer -- especially within the group of teenage girls -- was also incredibly unprofessional and honestly pretty disturbing to look back on after leaving. The texts I have uncovered from trainer to my daughter and having her call her at all hours. Very un professional. Their response to another negative review on Google should tell you all you need to know. (See pic). Looking back now, there were red flags everywhere. I genuinely wish we had left far sooner than we did. I have heard from many people/boarders past and present that years ago this was a beautiful family run establishment but unfortunately has gone down hill under more recent management. Dont be fooled by positive reviews. I wish we hadn't been. I wish we paid attention to the mass exodus of boarders leaving when we first arrived.

Amazing barn amazing people I have been here for a year and a half my daughter and I took lessons…read moreand we leased a horse and now boarding it's beautiful the horses are treated wonderfully everything's above expectations

Great facility. I'm someone new to riding horses. I toured other facilities and decided on Chrislar…read morebecause they seem to have somewhat of a curriculum. Another words they have milestones to work towards and when you qualify you move up to more advanced work. I find that very exciting, it's a great way to see how you are advancing. Other benefits are the borders and other students there so nice and helpful it's ridiculous! One of the owners Chris can be seen strolling around taking care of duties and has on more than one occasion answered my newbie questions. The other owner Larry is there too, I just haven't had the chance to bug him about anything LOL. The stable itself has been around for decades and I think some of their instructors have as well which says a lot and is probably why everyone seem so happy there. I Chrislar.

We LOVE Chrislar! The owners are so down to earth. The other members are helpful & nice. We…read more'assumed' everyone would be snotty, but we couldn't be further from the truth at this farm! The instructors take the time to teach technique & make sure your safe and confident before moving up in skills. My 10 yr old daughter would set up a cot and live here if I'd let her lol I'm so happy we found a place so well rounded &positive.

I have been to Sons of the Wind twice at their Loxahatchee, FL location. Once last year and again…read morethis year. I had such a great time last year that I returned this year and brought 3 friends along. .. Unfortunately, this year's trip was not as positive as last years. On the positive side, the facility is beautiful, and the horses are wonderful. Where things fell apart a bit this year was in the lessons. There are three instructors, Vitor (the main instructor), Maggie, and Vincent. Vincent taught one of the group lessons (3 of us) and did a wonderful job. Clear and concise instruction, well balanced, and very informative. I took lunge lessons with Maggie and they were also excellent - exhausting but well worth it. Vitor struggled a bit more with time management - especially in the group lessons. In at least 3 of the lessons, he focused 80% of the time on one of the riders while the other riders just walked around. Then they got a few minutes at the end. In another lesson, he took a student off their lesson horse to show them how to do something on that horse and then spent at least 20 minutes schooling that horse (still not getting it do really do what he was asking) before getting off and having that student get back on to just walk around the rest of the lesson (the poor horse was completely fried by then). When he is focused on you and gives instruction, it is generally very good. That said, what really got to me was the response when I voiced my frustration with basically 30% of my lessons being pretty much a non-lesson. At the end of my last lesson, my frustration was pretty clear. When Maggie asked what was wrong, I expressed my frustration with the 3 lessons that were basically me auditing while sitting on the back of horse, the response I got was "I am sorry you feel that way" followed by "You don't need to come back". That just blew me away - instead of taking the feedback and saying "so sorry that happened, thank you for letting us know and we will work on that" - I basically get told to go find someplace else to go. That lack of concern and empathy for the people who have come here was disappointing to say the least. While they did reimburse me for the three lessons, that wasn't the point and not what I requested. This did nothing for the other individuals who were impacted by this. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I cannot recommend them anymore.

I have nothing but the absolute best to say about Vitor Silva, everyone that works for him, and the…read morefacilities at Sons of the Wind (SotW). Riding with Vitor has been a transformative experience for me, not just because riding one of his Lusitano schoolmasters is like nothing I had experienced before, but because I was finally able to begin to take what I'd learned by watching for so long and do something with it. He presents information in a way that is easy to understand, is patient, and I feel completely comfortable asking about anything I do not understand. And when you ride one of the SotW schoolmasters, it is evident how much time has been spent with each horse so that they too have something to teach us and as a result, you are able to get the most out of your ride. The facilities at SotW are simply wonderful and although I could spend several paragraphs elaborating, I'll instead recommend checking out their website where all of the facility details are available in detail. I also want to highlight the SotW staff who are uncompromising when it comes to providing exceptional care to the animals as well as the maintenance of the facilities. Their overall attention to detail and their ability to work as a team is second to none. I have been a boarder here and I have the utmost confidence in the care being provided by SotW. You hear many stories in the horse world and I am glad to be somewhere that is filled with dedicated professionals who do not cut corners and who take great pride in everything that they do. I wholeheartedly recommend SotW and urge you, whether you are interested in learning about classical dressage or in need of training for your horse, to contact them for more information.

Thought this was going to be a decent place for my son to continue riding lessons after the other…read moreplace he went to closed. Everything seems ok upon initial contact we were told there were different camp week available this summer (2026) with different focus. We found two our son was interest in. the asked for a full week cost up from and 100.00 deposit on any additional weeks listed. So we paid for a week and added a deposit on the additional week. (525.00) My son went to the first day of the camp. when he was to get pick up he was up at the parking/lot driveway waiting. He did not have a good experience and indicated he was not going back. He said the other kids at camp (only 4 others) all seemed to know each other and it was very clique-y but that some were outright insulting. Not sure if any of this was heard by one of the counselors or the instructor, He decided that he was not going to participate in the last actvity of the day and wen to sit on a bench but was handed a broom so he could clean up the barn area.... Called to let them know he wasn't happy and that he would not return. asked for a pro-rated refund which i though was fair and was told that they have a policy to not give refunds, this "polcy" is not listed anywhere in any of the paper work that was signed. Since then they have ghosted and not answered calls, texts or emails. This is a shameful way to run a business.

I would like to give a tremendously appreciated shout out to everyone who now owns & operates this…read morefarm. My grandparents Robert & Barbara Evans originally owned and operated the farm for 25+ yrs, offering lessons, boarding, summer camps, horse shows and training which I was beyond lucky to have grown up there and rode until they sold the farm to retire when I was about 14. I still miss it and all the unbelievable memories. The current owners have welcomed me to come visit the farm anytime I'd like to. And i can not thank them enough for that opportunity.

My experience Back Bay Farm has been nothing but the best. Robin Petersen is a great teacher. She…read moreis very knowledgeable and observant of proper horseback riding posture & technique. I have always learned a lot from Robin and have found her to be direct and disciplined while being caring and compassionate. As for the barn; it is well kept and I always have fun and feel comfortable with fellow riders and the barn staff. Robin also has the nicest dogs they are so really fun to play with. Overall I think that Back Bay Farm is a great place to ride and would recommend that any one should feel comfortable to stop by and see if it would be a good fit for them.

Such a friendly professional stable. Riding instructors super and trainers awesome. There may be…read moreplenty of places to go but not many that make you feel at home.

Hi-I was wondering what your Hourly rate is for lessons please?…read moreDo you have lesson "packages! To save

I love Plum Grove! The facility is beautiful and clean with a great indoor arena as well as an…read moreoutdoor, and a fabulous network of trails (my favorite)! There are lots of lesson options for adults and kids as well as camps offered for children during school breaks. Maybe most importantly, the owner, Dani, is knowledgable, personable and takes amazing care of her horses. We love it at Plum Grove!