This is a fantastic place to ride whether you are a beginner or experienced rider. I had never…read moreridden before and they made it such a user friendly experience for me, I have been taking lessons there ever since!

From the owner: We offer horse boarding, horse training and horseback riding lessons. We train and teach English…read moreSaddle Seat, Hunt Seat, Western, and Driving. We actively show on the Pinto circuit.

Hay Creek Day Use Area is part of the Richard J. Doer State Forest. My daughter and I are in Red…read moreWing, MN for a few days and this place is my favorite. A trout creek (shallow during my visit) meanders for miles, and we just did some tent camping on state forest land (dispersed allowed) and wading, biking and hiking. You'll probably see deer and other gentler wildlife. It's legal to pick blackberries and nuts. :) There are some really nice paved trails for biking, and dirt trails for mountain biking. For hiking you'll find meandering paths through the woods. I read that this is one of the busier places because it's near Minneapolis (and touristy Red Wing and Mississippi River), but I didn't find it too busy, but not overly secluded either. For getting out and getting exercise and fresh air and getting into nature or escaping life for a while without having to use survival skills, this is a great place. You can download maps at the Department of Natural Resources website (do a search for "Hay Creek" - the Hay Creek area is within the Richard J. Doer State Forest area - there's limitations within the Day Use area). The Red Wing Public Library also has flyers at the entrance that has a rough outline of locations. Nearby is the paved Pioneer Goodhue Trail (paved for biking) which I believe turns into the Hay Creek trail. (Red Wing is very bike friendly.) "Hay Trail Road" is the primary point of access and is a gravel road a few miles long. 305th street and 310th street (or Recrecation Road) aren't marked (unless I missed it). Private and Public property does interrupt each other, signage is weak but exists. Fishing is allowed (we didn't fish), and there's snowmobiling paths. I do believe hunting is allowed in some spots (check the map). Someone official with papers did stop to ask if we were fishing, pleasant man, we weren't - but if you fish or hunt I'd make sure you had a license if required. (My daughter is only 13 so license is not required for her. Personally, the water was waaaay too shallow to fish where we were so the question seemed funny unless I was fishing for minnows.) Creek water was very clear. Unfortunately, I don't have a horse or an RV, but there's stables (Hay Creek Stables) that offer trail rides, and there's definitely a presence of horseback riders here. Everyone I've met around the area has been very friendly. Down the road is the Hay Creek Campground for RVs and horse owners. Very horse friendly area. I called the office, and "dispersed camping" (free camping in non-designated spots) is allowed on State Forest land but not in the Day Use Area, but parking is limited and you need a good map to see boundaries, although there are some signs that say "State Forest Land." It's not bear country, but they do list coyotes. If I had any reason to pass through here again, this would be a definitely "always stop here" place on my map. Unfortunately, it's about 900 miles from home. Oh ya, and it's free! No parking fees!! (Don't expect restrooms or porta-johns though.) Highly recommend for outdoor horseback riding, hiking, biking, and drinking coffee at the creek in the morning.

Red Gate has been amazing for my daughter. Katie is so intuitive and gives great feedback and…read morerecommendations for her students to grow in their horse-riding abilities. I highly recommend Red Gate Riding!

We cannot recommend Red Gate Riding highly enough! Red Gate Riding has had such a positive impact…read moreon my daughter's confidence/self-esteem. Our riding instructor, Katie, offers a great blend of encouragement and yet still challenges to her students. We were amazed to see how quickly Katie got our daughter to the level of horsemanship she has achieved! We wanted our daughter to enjoy riding but also wanted her to be aware of what is entailed in caring for these beautiful animals. Some of our daughter's personal highlights have been painting the horses and also doing riding games with her fellow students. We've been so fortunate to have Katie as our daughter's riding instructor! I will definitely continue sending her to Red Gate Riding for the years to come!

Nice facility with great prices! Amazing, friendly people and quality serviceread more

We had a really disappointing experience with Windfall Equestrian. My family visited to see a horse…read moreand that same day, we made it clear that we wanted to move forward with purchasing him and would pay in cash pending the vet's clearance. We were simply waiting on final feedback from the vet and felt confident about the next steps. However, we were later told that the horse had been shown to another interested party who ended up placing a deposit. At no point during our visit or follow-up were we informed that a deposit was required to secure him. We absolutely would have placed a deposit immediately if that had been communicated. We were told an email had been sent, but it was missed during a busy workday. Given how time-sensitive these situations are, a quick phone call would have made all the difference--especially since we were only contacted by phone after the horse was no longer available.  Overall, the lack of clear and timely communication was extremely frustrating and left us heartbroken. We hope this feedback encourages better communication practices in the future so other families don't have a similar experience.

I started taking lessons with Windfall just under two months ago. I can honestly say, over these…read morepast few weeks I've learned more and progressed further in my riding journey than I have in my entire life!! Jennifer, Grace and Bri are all tremendous instructors -- very detailed and attentive. They all do such an amazing job explaining things -- each lesson something new "clicks" and I have a breakthrough! The horses are also fantastic and high quality. I can't wait to see where my journey takes me at Windfall!