Alicia is an amazing trainer! If you're serious about improving your riding abilities and willing…read moreto put in the work, she has so much to teach. The barn is tucked back in Carmichael right next to ARC. The arena is well kept and the barns are clean. The lesson horses are great and provided tack is in great shape. If you're seriously about improving your riding, I highly recommend Alicia and her assistant Chloe.

From the owner: Specializing in eventing, jumpers and dressage instruction for all levels of riders. From full…read moretraining packages, to finding your first horse, I can customize a program for you, to help you reach your goals! Our team attends competitions and clinics regularly throughout California that we encourage everyone to join! Supportive team members, in a family style atmosphere.

My barn really enjoys the shows here. The staff is very patient even when my kids are trying to…read morelearn how to do things right and make errors. The facilities are comfortable and you don't have to hike a mile between rings. They may not be the newest thing in town, but they are trying to give folks a comfortable and fun experience.

This was a really nice four day event in April. The weather was perfect, and the grounds are…read morelovely. I like this venue because the walking distances are not too great, and all the rings are nicely sized with very attractive jumps. My favorite part of it is the Sugar Shack, which is a coffee and pastry bar. It has some very special baked goods by Armon, who is a Cordon Bleu trained chef. His special soufflés are incredible! Choose bacon, or artichoke, both are to die for! Armon is so talented! Make sure, if you're in the neighborhood, try the Armon soufflé! Highly recommended!

I started riding here about three years ago, and the progress I've made says everything about this…read moreplace. I went from riding western a few times each summer to now being able to jump cross rails. There's no doubt they know exactly what they're doing. As far as pricing goes, they're by far the most affordable barn in Elk Grove, especially for everything you get in return. Every other place I looked into in the area was way more expensive, and most required you to own your own horse. At Hoofbeats, Jolin (the owner) has lesson horses available, so all you're really paying for is lessons and the chance for you or your child to get started in the equestrian world. It may not be the fanciest barn you'll ever see, but honestly, neither is horse ownership. What matters is the experience, the learning opportunities, and the care that goes into helping riders grow and this place does exactly that.

I would NOT recommend. She is slimy and stole my money by not providing lessons I already paid for…read more I've been riding for years and have had some amazing trainers, this place was bottom of the barrel. You can find much better.

My 10 month old Quarter horse filly became combative, dangerous when she turned 1years old . I've…read morebeen riding since I was 2 years old but never trained a filly ground matters. She wouldn't let my husband get out of the chicken coop when he was feeding our chickens. I was referred to Windward Natural Equine Center by an unprofessional trainer trying to help me with my beautiful filly . I was learned that I was the one that needed training to . Sierra my Fillies trainer works with me and Stormy together And I'm so excited to say Sierra is magic, consistent, punctual, so gifted with her training techniques. It's a God thing.I highly recommend Sierra and the amazing stable .They keep her stalls cleaned and it's a wonderful place to board your horse and for training. The owner Sandy is amazing and really helpful to me . She also gives riding lessons . Thank you all that work at the stable too! Dean ,Andy & Bob.. 5 stars plus for Windward Natural Equine Center . Thank you so very much! Suzanne

This review is mostly based on Jenna who we take horse lessons from. Jenna came highly recommended…read moreand they were spot on! My daughter started lessons at the age of 3!!! Miss Jenna has a long history with horses and is eager to share her knowledge. She's incredibly patient and calm. My daughter has rode 2 of her horses. I'm incredibly impressed at how well behaved her horses are. If you're looking for lessons I would highly recommend her! As for the facility we love going here and saying high to all the horses. Every person we've met here is so nice and welcoming. The horses are well looked after.

This has been our experience boarding for the past 11 months at the Blancos' facility in…read moreSacramento, Beach Lakes Stables, and I strongly recommend staying away. Our horse wasn't fed consistently, and we frequently had to come out at night to feed her grain ourselves because the staff wasn't doing it regularly. Turnout is advertised, but in reality, there was no pasture access at all during the winter, and the only "turnout" offered was about 30 minutes in the arena three days a week--often cut short whenever another boarder wanted to ride, at which point our horse was immediately put away. The hay quality was poor, and on two separate occasions, our mare had colic scares after staff put her in a stall without water. Staff repeatedly refused to clean or refill water buckets, saying we don't take care of them because we have an automatic watering system, which they knew was broken and had on order. Really? Basic care and safety were also a problem. Some horses' stalls were not mucked because workers were "afraid" of the horses, so those animals just stood in filth. Pastures were not maintained--only lightly mucked, with no real pasture management. There was a fire on the property, and management never contacted the boarders. A huge oak branch, which we had asked them to remove for months, finally fell in the middle of the night, injuring horses and contributing to laminitis and colic issues. Management still did not notify us or proactively check on our horse. The facility itself feels neglected and unsafe. River rats get into the lockers during the winter and destroy equipment and supplies, and nothing meaningful has been done to address it. Cross ties were unusable for months because the chains were broken and not repaired. At the same time, the owners were posting about new business lines and quietly increasing board rates on the website without directly notifying boarders of the price hikes. The owners' business ethics and behavior are major red flags. Public news coverage shows that Paul Blanco's Good Car Company admitted to hundreds of thousands of violations of California consumer protection and false advertising laws and is now banned from auto sales in the state. (https://kmph.com/news/local/paul-blancos-good-car-company-admits-to-unlawful-practices-670000-state-violations) That history alone is enough to make you think twice after the fire in the main house (an Airbnb). When the owners first arrived from Texas, they openly bragged that they had insurance and didn't care about the house; about a week later, they were suddenly posting about how heartbroken they were that their "family home" had burned down, glossing over the fact that the ranch house had been used as an Airbnb for several years while they lived out of state. On-site, the Blancos show up unannounced, yell at boarders about how "broke" they are, and insist we pay more so they don't have to spend their own money on their property. Consumers should carefully question the legitimacy of every comment, post, and statement they make. Meanwhile, Putu Blanco walks around taking selfies with horses and using them for her personal Instagram content without ever asking permission from the owners. Whenever boarders try to give feedback or raise safety concerns, the response is to yell, dismiss us as "negative," and deny any responsibility. Between the inconsistent feeding, water, and turnout issues, poor maintenance, repeated safety problems, and deeply questionable business practices, this is the worst boarding experience we have ever had. One star only because zero is not an option.

This barn is beautiful, great location and a wonderful sense of community and safety. That changed…read morealmost overnight when the owners came back into town to run this barn and decided to put their finances and themselves first. They started cutting corners and putting horse safety on the back burner and you CAN'T do that with horses. Due to their lack of horse experience and not putting the horses first, we decided to move our horse to a safer location, as did over half of their boarders. Another concern for us was their desire to turn this barn into a "luxury" camp for people to be around horses and be on the property and we just didn't want any part of that. Look, if this barn is close to you and truly want to move your horse here, I won't stop you, but I want the truth out there with who you would be doing business with. They might not be allowed to sell cars in California anymore due to fraud violations, but they can still run a horse barn for some reason. Please be cautious if you are considering this barn. We would not recommend Beach Lake Stables as long as these current owners are still involved and being hands on. Proceed with caution!

My boyfriend gifted me a 3 lesson Groupon for horseback riding with High Standard Equestrians for…read moreour anniversary. I went to my first lesson Saturday, May 4th with trainer Cecilia. First of all, it's at Brookside Equestrian Park so I thought I was lost, but I wasn't. High Standard Equestrian is toward the back of the property and across the parking lot from the bathrooms. The trainer, Cecilia, and owner, Clint, met me at their office and were very friendly, professional, and helpful. Right away, Cecilia took me to the horse I would be caring for and riding (Stewart) and had me take him out of his stall and into the grooming stall (I don't know what it's exactly called). It was my first time leading a horse anywhere, but Cecilia was encouraging and walked me through the process, as she could tell I was nervous. She taught me how to groom Stewart and then I went through all of the grooming steps (I even picked up his giant hoof and picked the dirt out of it!). She also showed me all of the steps to putting the saddle and bridal on. I led Stewart out of the grooming stall and then it was time to get on the horse! As I was standing on the steps to mount him, I casually mentioned to Cecilia that I was afraid of heights. She assured me I would be alright. I, very ungracefully, got on Stewart and was quite a bit terrified. He happens to be the tallest horse in the stable! Cecilia waited patiently until I was a bit more calm to lead us into the indoor arena. Once in the arena, Stewart and I (led by Cecilia) walked around in circles for a while so that I could feel more comfortable. After a few laps, Cecilia taught me how to do "posting" and once I had a handle on that, we moved onto "two-point" which was easier, but I was more afraid of (it involves standing on the horse while holding onto his neck!). At the end, Stewart and I went for a trot! First, while I was sitting and then we tried posting and trotting (that was a bit sloppy for me). Last, we tried trotting and two-point, which was a lot of fun! I have to say that Cecilia was a great trainer. Every time we moved on to a new "move" she seemed to have more confidence in me than I did! I never felt pressured to go on to the next thing, but I'm glad she was there to push me to learn the next thing because I was quite content walking in circles haha The next day, I could barely move! Apparently I am out of shape and horseback riding requires some muscles I didn't know I had! Two days later, I am still sore but I can't wait to go back! It was so much fun! When I go back for my next lesson, I'll be bringing a bag of carrots for the horses :)

First time training with horses. I found Clint on Groupon. He is absolutely amazing. Well educated…read morein the field of riding and horses in general. I was a little nervous about riding and was feeling discouraged a bit but client has a great way of personalizing your lesson, finding what works for you. He's so patient and has a great sense of humor. He has a hand full of horses to train with so you can find a great fit for you. Definitely recommend taking lessons here!

Well run, beautiful horses, fantastic coaches. My daughter loves every riding lesson!read more

From the owner: Established in 1977, Dragonfire Farm is a family owned and operated business that boasts three…read moregenerations of equestrians and over a century of combined horsemanship and show ring experience. We offer riding lessons for students of all ages and experience, and with two International Three-Day Event riders in Earl and Jennifer McFall, a World Champion Dressage rider in Cheron Laboissonniere, along with a fantastic group of Academy Instructors, Team DF cannot be beat. Students enjoy a world-class facility with a lively, outgoing, and encouraging atmosphere that propels them towards accomplishing their goals. Whether you are part of the Deer Creek Pony Club based at Dragonfire, a member of The Academy @ Dragonfire, or are looking to fulfill your hopes of becoming an International rider yourself, we offer you a variety of knowledgeable instructors to help you achieve your goals.