The owner charged an insane amount for an evaluation lesson. However, the property is charming.

I can't give enough positive feedback on this place, the amazing work they do as a local nonprofit, and how great Meg and all of the staff are. The prices for lessons are extremely reasonable for the services provided, and both me and my daughter do lessons at the same time. So, it's become a nice tradition for us to do together! This is a truly amazing place! Meg is a famous equestrian who has won many competitions and earned many awards for her amazing riding skill. She has competed professionally and taught different types of horseback riding skills all over the WORLD!!! The riding lessons she provides at MARA are individually catered to the needs and abilities of each rider! This is especially important in my case because my daughter has special needs and a real difficulty maintaining interest and concentration on any one thing for more than a few minutes at a time. Meg saw this and has been able to help my daughter to focus and understand how to control the horse and has now actually been able to do some short riding independently! After having had about 6 lessons now, I am able to easily see an increase in my daughter's confidence both on the horse and in daily interactions with people in general. My daughter's mood has gotten better and it is very evident to see that she is happier and much more capable of staying focused on individual tasks. My daughter's teachers have also recently made comments to both her mother and me about seeing improvement in her behavior and focus in the classroom! I truly believe that this place is very special and I firmly believe that because of the magic here, my daughter will continue to progress with her riding skills as she grows up (she just turned 6 years old). I can easily picture her riding as an adult. I am so lucky that I found this place! Thank you Meg! You and the crew are amazing!!! read more

We love Meg and this non-profit farm! Our oldest daughter has been taking riding lessons with her for about 2 months and she's already been learning so much! It's disappointing to read some of the negative reviews here; these animals rely on Meg's business so negativity on the business hurts the animals in the end. it's a farm so I wouldn't expect it to look like a Ralph Lauren ad, and despite that it is well kept. read more

Mega Arte Riding Academy - Horseback Riding Near Me - Escondido, California

I'm so thankful I found this place for my teen daughter. So many of her friends are not allowed to socialize And she needed an outlet to interact with other kids. She is currently participating in a half day week long riding camp and loving it. The girls groom and ride the horses, learn about equipment , learn dressage, interact with other animals on the ranch etc. I'm not at all concerned with cleanliness . The best thing for a body is sunshine and fresh air. Human interaction feeds the soul and increases neuroplasticity. read more

Meg is a highly skilled, excellent rider and trainer. After taking a several years break from riding, I've been riding with her for a couple of months and have learned so much! She's very patient and kind. All her horses and farm animals are rescues. She really cares about the animals and treats them with respect. She's a perfect trainer for beginners up to advanced riders. read more

My daughter (11) started riding here during our 2020 home school year, and has learned a ton from Meg. We were new to dressage and horseback riding in general, and it's such a great experience. Great location, and great instruction. read more

Mega Arte Riding Academy - Horseback riding - Horseback Riding Near Me - Escondido, California

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Great lessons from a professional. patient and certified English horse riding trainer. First time I took English riding lessons and Meg was patient and showed me some great tips. She also has an animal sanctuary and it was such a privilege to see what her work has done for animals. You definitely should pay a visit. I'm planning to bring my grand kids for lessons. read more

This sanctuary is absolutely amazing!! Knowledgeable people, loving people, open people, such a good time and such a good experience, highly highly recommended!!! read more

Wow! We had an amazing experience here with Meg and her horses! She is very friendly and helpful and makes you feel comfortable with riding! My 8 year old daughter didn't have much experience before this ride and now she is much more confident and can't wait to go back and ride again! We were fortunate to ride during a beautiful sunset with an amazing full moon lighting our way. It truly was a great experience and I highly recommend you visit too!! read more

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Loved this place. Meg is awesome. Came for a family ride and Meg and staff were kind and patient with our 10 and 7 year olds and with my wife and I. We had a beautiful trail ride. Kids loved it so much we dropped them in at the camp the next day. They had a blast !!! Certainly telling everyone about this place and so glad we found it! read more

Very fun, professional, and responsible riding lessons. My daughter has been omg for over a year and has learned so much and most importantly has a great time! read more

I would give this a zero if possible. Meg is completely unprofessional. She was argumentative with the adults and constantly was talking about the adults while walking the children around. most of the animals couldn't be pet in the "exotic petting zoo" her ad shows much more than you actually get. Horrible experience and would highly recommend not to have a party here. read more

OMG this has been one of biggest disaster b day party I have been too. It was a joke.the lady "Meg is absolutely crazy".she was yelling at all the parents....rude to the 7 years Olds. Talking about the b day girls mom in front of the kids on the horses. All of the poor animals looked hungry and the chickens had NO WATER. the place is smelly dirty and everything was old, all the chairs were broken or covered in spider web's. I am so mad that my daughters first horse ride was there. And it was way over priced for what she had to offer. I would NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE. .AND I WILL BE TELLING EVERYONE I KNOW NOT TO GO THERE. read more

First let me start off by saying that I am a single parent, Due to 5 surgeries in 2013 I was unable to have a birthday party for my daughter because I was disabled and we did not have much money, so I vowed I would make it extra special for her 7th birthday. She made it very clear she wanted a cowgirl party, on a Ranch, so I saved every penny I could and started calling around to local places that did Ranch party's. To my dismay all of my choices were booked 6 months prior, http://www.sugarsweetfarm.com/barnyard-birthdays.html (highly recommend this place and much cheaper, comes number one rated, but book early) moving on, i came across mega arte riding academy in family magazine, I work in a school so it's delivered once a month, I went to Meg website and saw that she was in fact 200$ more expensive than the 15 other places that I had called, but the pictures posted looked like an amazing adventure for my daughter, and I owed her big. I spoke with Meg two months prior to my daughter's 7th birthday party, I made it clear what I wanted, and I questioned why her prices were so much higher than anybody else, we talked for about 2 hours and she assured me that she offered waaaay more than any other facility and the children's lesson's they were to receive were top of the line, and not just a pony ride, and that the petting zoo would be a great experience and the hour long ranch tour they would get to see all about a real ranch and how it run's. I was sold hook line and sinker, I made one terrible terrible mistake, I did not go out there and check out the site before hand, I trusted some lady over the phone, and I missed the very important details on the website that say DEPOSIT IS NONREFUNDABLE AND YOU ALSO GET CHARGED A FEE FOR USING A CREDIT CARD WHICH YOU HAVE TO DO TO PAY THE DEPOSIT, WHICH IS OVER HALF OF THE PARTY FEE'S, therefore she makes a substantial amount before you even show up for the party, then it's all down hill. I have seen the posts regarding someobody taking riding lessons with Meg , and hay, maybe she is great at give one person at one time with nobody else around, one riding lesson, but No offense Helen C,, THIS WASN'T A RIDING LESSON, THIS WAS MY LITTLE GIRLS 7TH BIRTHDAY PARTY, that cost me roughly around 550$ just for the venue, and that does not include party supplies, or food, or even the treats for the so called petting zoo. Moving on, Meg's website directions are not correct, therefore everybody including the birthday girl was an hour late, second problem, while being lost and trying to locate the site, the neighbors had very unfriendly words to say about this women, finally arriving on the venue I was shocked to see the poor shape it was in, and hoping I was mistaken and it was to be set up elsewhere, that was incorrect, ok, still salvageable, nobody cares about holes in the canopies, broken furniture, mildewed tables and bird poop on everything if the kids have a great time. WRONG AGAIN. Although I spoke with Meg the very night before to assure that everything was A GO for the birthday, upon arrival I was shocked to see her inappropriate dress code, and embarrassed for my daughter and the parents and children arriving that the place was a shamble, still staying strong we decided to just make the most of it, however I had no idea that it could actually get worse. Meg yelled at the children, spoke abruptly and inappropriately about me in front my own child while getting her so called riding lesson, while behaving badly and not paying attention during a lesson while one of the children were on a horse, Meg Brown tripped over a cone, fell down, and was dragged by a horse through the coral. I was just praying we got through the riding lessons safely and all children were unharmed, moving on to the ranch tour and petting zoo, the ranch tour and petting zoo consisted of about a total of 20 minutes, and they did enter a chicken coup type area, and I am aware it does not need a pond, but it does need some kind of water source, and the SPCA i reported her to did agree as well, anyways the children did not, could not , and were not allowed to pet ANY animals whatsoever, which is not what it states on said website, they did get to sit on a wooden bench covered in poop, and hold a small bunny for about 1 minute each child. Also only one parent was allowed per child to walk on the ranch tour petting zoo, so one parent for each child had to sit back at the coral and wait, she did not allow any parents to enter the chicken coup, or the area where the bunnies were, or the coral to take a picture of the children on the horses, as again it shows on her website. I have to conclude because I can only say 5000 words, so trust your judgement, go to the site and form your own opinion, I can only blame myself, as I did not do that, so I asked my daughter, did you have a good party, "well mommy that lady scared me, and she made you cry" that says it all, check it out for yourself. read more

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My daughter loves the programs here. Meg is a wonderful instructor, she has taught my daughter how to ride as well as to respect the horses.

I started riding here about 9 years ago and have never been to a stable as wonderful as this. The owner is a great friend now and takes great care of the horses she has and loves them very much. I would recommend her to anyone in the area. read more

My wife took me away for a surprise birthday weekend. For one of my gifts she booked an hour of horseback riding. She went based on the recommendation of the front desk at our hotel. Before we left on the guided trail ride, Meg went over some basics in the arena. The trail ride was fun and I had a wonderful time. I wish I would have gone on a longer ride. I had great experience. Meg was very helpful and professional and will be back the next time I'm in the area. read more

Our family took a trail ride at this fantastic riding academy and couldn't be happier with the experience! Meg Brown, the owner was really helpful and made it fun for everyone. The ranch is so beautiful and peaceful that I didn't want to leave. She takes care of animals that have no home and I should say they are some lucky animals! Trail ride was great fun, view was beautiful, horses were great, the whole experience was truly amazing. My kids, 17 & 13, cant wait to get back on the horses again and that's why we are going to take lessons there, all of us! Everybody, who's looking for a place to ride should stop looking and just go there, loved it, loved it loved it, thanks Meg! read more

I helped my aunt throw a birthday party for my ten year old cousin at Mega Arte's Ranch, and we had a great time! The ranch is huge, there are all kinds of beautiful plants, small furry animals and incredible horses. Megan was a ton of fun and she is an extremely talented rider. We went on a nice long trail ride and my cousin and all of her friends had a great birthday. We will definitely be back! read more

Meg saved the day for our Girl Scout Troop! We had booked a riding activity at another facility for our girls. This was their big, fun outing using the money that they earned selling cookies, and we had been looking forward to it for months. The other facility cancelled on us 1.5 days before our scheduled visit stating that they had accidentally doubled booked. We were panicked and didnt want to let our girls down at the last minute, not to mention the hassle of having to start over and schedule everything all over again! We heard about Mega Arte from a friend on facebook, and when we called, Meg was super helpful and was able to fit our troop in and make it happen! Thanks Meg! The girls enjoyed their riding and grooming lessons, and they also loved getting to tour the property and feed some of the other animals. We loved that she is a rescue facility too! Just watch little ones near the boars! We had one girl stick her fingers through the fence, and luckily Meg grabbed her hand out before the pig took a bite out of her fingers! :) Thanks Meg! Just clarify directions with office before going because it can be easy to miss, if you dont know what you are looking for. Luckily they let us know that before we came and we were fine. :) read more

Place is run down, falling apart. The animal areas are filthy and inches deep in feces. Meg is crazy, unorganized, unprofessional. Do not have your party here. I have actually been here a couple of times and thought maybe I was being harsh..she said she was fixing it up but a year later and it's awful. First party, she Meg, got distracted and the little girl on the horse fell off and was stepped on. Heed the bad reviews - they are there for a reason. The place needs to be shut down and the animals need to go to good homes. Meg is not fit to care for these animals and the place is not fit nor safe for a kids party. read more

My girls went with a group and had a great time. I'd give it more stars but when we were lost virtually right around the corner the person answering the phone was incredibly rude and unhelpful. It took neighbors in the area to help us find it. Gave the experience a very "sour" beginning. read more

Meg claims that we had 25 kids and teens which is not true. She was assuming that people were children by looking at them and she wanted us to pay for older children whom were not participating in any of the events, they were just there to help with the children and they were over 18. Meg requires that anyone under the age of 21 have a waiver filled out by a parent or guardian when last I check 18 and older you are responsible for yourself. I believe she also was under the impression that I was a teen as well and was included me in that total of 25 kids, but I am over 21 years old. There were only a total of 14 kids participating, which are only 2 kids over what we said because there were unexpected guests. Meg had to of expected that each child would have a parent come along; there was not a huge amount of adults. Regardless the adults being on her property doesn't affect her working with the children in any way. Many of the people were lost and she started without everybody and was not helpful in assisting people to getting to the destination. She claims that her chickens had water, but they did not at all. I have been to quite a few different farms and I've never been to one that smelled as bad as hers did. read more

I normally don't write reviews here on Yelp - only ones I've written are when I've had very negative experiences in which I'm the first to admit isn't the the fairest towards businesses - but I felt it due to give the instructor and staff (and the awesome animals!) at Mega Arte Academy a shout out for their professionalism and expertise. My six-year old daughter has been a regular weekly client for over three years now and I've seen her thrive and blossom into a confident rider, with the help of Meg who has been nothing short of nurturing and positive. My daughter also attended one of her camps that was excellent. And we attended a bday party here a few months ago and it went as smooth and as fun as could be. I did a lot of searching before picking this place and the deciding factors were not only Meg herself, who is as gracious and accommodating as can be (and develops a rapport w the kids like I've never seen!), but bc of being free to take advantage of the ranch itself - which has so much to offer. My daughter and I always look forward to feeding the horses, bunnies, goats, chickens, pigs...even a llama! Also, the fact that these animals are rescues where Meg and her staff nurse back to health, and then train the horses so that they're fit to ride...well that was the clincher for me. The prices are reasonable and fair. When I came here to post this, I happened to notice some negative reviews that have me shocked. At the bday party we attended, Meg did review in detail the do's and don't's and rules/regulations, as I'm sure every ranch director must review with their clients for safety reasons. I would think she would be remiss in not doing so. Perhaps the reviewer who mentioned this grew restless or bored and just wanted to get on with it...not sure how giving a safety lowdown to a bunch of overly excited kids could be viewed as a negative thing! I will continue my daughter's lessons here and without hesitation recommend this academy to others. read more

We had our daughters 4th birthday party at Mega Arte and it was a spectacular time for all. The 12 kiddos we invited got a great riding experience. Not just small pony circles, but in a large walking ring, with "obstacles". She even got my daughter to trot! what we loved most about this place is that it is not your typical hoity-toity riding academy. The ranch is very down to earth; get yourself dirty kind of feel. You get the feeling of being a real Cowboy/ Cowgirl on a ranch. If you have your heart set on a place with lavish stables and fancy tack, go to Rancho Santa Fe and spend double the amount! Meg and her staff were incredible with the riding instruction especially with the children that were hesitant to get on a pony. She even let parents walk along side if needed. I grew up riding horses and I could tell the instruction was up to par. The Petting zoo was such a treat! All the kids loved to feed and pet the wide variety of rescue animals. And despite all the negative reviews, to us the animals appear very well taken care of, and were gentle and appreciative of the hay and carrots we fed them. Yes Megan doesn't beat around the bush. She is straight forward & firm when cautioning us about feeding the animals and giving the rules for the petting zoo and pony rides. If you mistake her personality as being mean or yelling, That's your bad. She was amazing to work with, getting to know her was a privilege. It's just great that there's someone out there to take in animals and rescue them like Meg does. Made us feel like our money was going to a good cause. We plan to start lessons this year for our daughter and hope we continue going to Mega Arte for a very long time! read more

First of all, I can't believe the horrible reviews I have read. I started taking lessons with Meg in 2005. I started taking lessons for Dressage on a beautiful Swedish warmblood. After about a year she worked with me so much that I was able to enter the Del Mar Nationals. She really helped jump start my career. I now teach and train in Los Angeles at the second largest riding facility there. Whenever I'm in San Diego I visit Megs barn and see how well she is progressing with her horses. She's absolutely great with kids and ALL of her animals. I'm really disappointed in these people's reviews. First of you DO NOT need a pond in a chicken coup, and second of all, all these parents who probably have NO idea about farm animals should not be pushing there kids to pet every single animal at the barn. Since she does RESCUE animals and some are not ready for so much interaction. Overall this place is great for beginners and intermediate riders! read more

I enjoyed a fantastic trail ride with owner Megan.Top quality English trained horses that are well cared for and a joy to ride . The ride was also exciting ,we got to do lots of cantering along the trail. I would highly recommend this place anyone interested in riding or wanting to learn to ride properly . read more

My daughter absolutely loves Mega Arte Riding Academy. The lessons have been a great experience for her. Meg is a talented teacher and the location is beautiful. read more

A wonderful experience for both parent and child. My daughter has been training with Meg for several years. In that time I have seen her confidence & self esteem grow along with her riding skill. We no longer live in Ca but return every year for spring break and lessons/camp at Mega Arte. Having moved and expreinced lessons with other trainers, I can say that there is no comparison to Meg's dedication to her students. She truly cares and caters lessons to each individual. read more