I went to Tamarack for a morning trail ride on my birthday and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I…read morehadn't been on a horse in at least 15 years but the instructors there were patient and helpful. I was the only person that morning so it was just me and my guide peacefully riding through the woods. I will say it rained the morning I went and for some reason that equates to spiders coming down from the trees and riding through their webs that you couldn't really see coming.... let's just say my first lesson of 33 was to *breathe*. Luckily, my instructor was in front of me and caught most of the webs before I did. Lol. Afterward, they were okay with me walking the grounds a bit which are beautiful and I watched some of the kids take lessons and chatted with the horses in the barn. It was really enjoyable. I'll be back.

Some very rude staff. Not sure she's still there, one of the lead teachers, Susan was very…read moredysregulated and would yell quite a bit at the riders in an unhinged way, it was abusive. They got this feedback before from others and don't care. Beware.

I started riding here just over a year ago, Gretta has been an amazing instructor and role model!…read moreShe has taught me so much. No other barn has taught me so much in such a short time. My riding has improved tremendously in that time. I've since then become the week day instructor and it is an amazing opportunity. The people here are amazing and so are the horses. I really appreciate and love how well the horses are taken care of and the effort put in to keeping this place a fun relaxing place. 10/10 would recommend to any beginner, intermediate, or advanced rider.

Our eight year old had an amazing experience taking a riding lesson from Jade at White Oak Stables…read more She was absolutely thrilled that she learned about caring for horses, that she was able to put the tack on herself (with Jade's assistance), and with how much fun she had riding. She learned more in this one hour lesson than she has learned with several rides at other stables. She enthusiastically declared that this was the most fun she has even had around horses and that the next time she gets to ride she "definitely" wants it to be here. Jade, thank you for making her day and I hope we will see you again soon!

I was looking for one riding lesson for my 15 year old daughter. Our time frame to attend was…read morequite narrow, but Lucia was able to squeeze us in by exhausting every possibility, and by being extremely flexible with the Farm´s schedule. The lesson itself was perfect. Lucca was clear and dedicated. It shows that the people at Stonelea Farm love their horses, and treats them very humanely. We were very happy to attend, and remain grateful. Mario (Lima, Peru)

My 5 1/2 year old has been begging for horseback riding lessons, but I hesitated to sign her up…read morebecause I didn't think she was quite old/strong enough to control a horse. I signed her up for a One-day Horsemanship Camp, which was a 3 hour class that taught the basics about horseback riding and horses. The instructor, Lucia, carefully and repeatedly instructed the children on how to be safe on and around horses. I was very impressed with the emphasis on safety. We will be taking lessons here again.

I've been taking lessons here with contract instructor Britton Marcoe for over a month. It's been…read moreincredible. I came to LBF feeling intimidated because, although I've grown up riding Western, I'd never ridden English nor tacked a horse, even though I worked at a horse farm during college. LBF insists you tack your horse, get him or her out of the paddock, etc. It's a real experience that teaches you to respect the animals, the sport and joy of riding. Britton is awesome to work with; she's kind and patient but doesn't let you off the hook. She expertly manages to keep your self esteem afloat while forcing you to improve. The farm is a surprise--it sits at the end of a nicer housing development and you'd never know it was there unless you were looking for it. Mark, the owner, is very cool and laid back, trusting of his riders and instructors. There is one arena, there is no indoor riding. It's not the fanciest of farms but that's just perfect for a novice like me who is already feeling a bit unsure. The last thing I need is a group of prisses casting sideways looks my way because I'm unschooled in picking hooves. I highly recommend this farm and Britton in particular. It's a great addition to your life. While it's a bit expensive, compared to other riding clubs and farms it's a steal.

This is a tough update to post. I like the staff of LBF, I think it was a great place for a…read morebeginner rider, but... the owner recently increased the prices considerably. After a bit of outrage by all he changed his original increase from doubling prices to a $50 a month increase. I still have nothing but respect for the staff there and think it is a great place to learn to ride. As my daughter is getting more skilled, we have moved to an indoor arenas where she can jump snow or sun.

Protect this family-owned riding school at all costs!…read more This riding school has been operating a popular summer camp for several decades and it is easy to see why! The camp is jam-packed with activities with things like horseback riding, horsemanship, horse training, drama, music (I was shocked that my daughter learned how to play a few songs on the guitar!), baking, archery, photography and more. For littles, there is a barn camp where you are able to ride a pony and play with baby animals all day. I wish there was an adult version of this because, seriously sign me up. My two children have two very different temperaments (think down with everything ... to not down with anything lol) and they were able to accommodate both of their needs really well. Both of them absolutely fell in love with their horses and came home every day regaling me with stories of all the things they did and learned. Heck, they even had my children doing barn chores and made it fun! Truly a highlight of their summer! A few things to note: - Suggest purchasing your own helmet instead or renting - Website / communication is a bit antiquated so hard to find the information you need but have found week of communication via text to be great. Again, this is a family-owned shop so their focus is on horses and providing kids a great and safe time. - Pay for the picture option, it is WELL worth it. - Early drop off / late pickup is also well worth it to avoid the long carpool lines.

My daughter has been riding for over 12 years now. She's been with Scattered Acres for over a year…read moreand we cannot imagine a better place for our horse boarding and eventing training! A+++

Summary: an Introduction to Horsemanship lesson for three of my grandkids; it was simply, superbly,…read moreexcellent! In early April l contacted Scattered Acres about getting an introduction to horses lesson for some of my grandkids. Autumn promptly returned my call, asked relevant questions (ages, sizes, personalities) and worked with both myself and the boy's mother to set up a time and plan. The lesson itself lasted over two hours and included both Autumn and Lisa from the farm to guide the boys through a load of great learning; horse safety, riding safety, care of the horse, getting them saddled, mounting, gentleness but presence (confidence); it was just excellent. I was also very impressed with the way Autumn and Lisa divided up the instruction. The youngest boy can be a bit timid and Lisa was great about encouraging him and helping him along while still making sure he was really doing what was needed. It was a great example of nurturing a student along but not just doing it for them. Despite the occasional rain, the time flew by and all 3 kids had a great time and kept talking about how "cool" it was and how nice Autumn and Lisa were. As it happened both the Vet and Farrier were there that day and as a group we also took time to observe what they were doing. I could not have asked for a better introduction to the world of equines than the kids had that day. Just as important, both the boy's mom and myself (who can be adventurous but always extremely safety conscious) felt that everyone (including the animals) were always being handled in a safe manner. Whenever even a potential safety issue was seen the boy(s) were called out and constructively corrected. I had contacted six farms in the area, quickly narrowed it to three, and honestly feel Autumn and Scattered Acres was the ideal choice and stood well above the others. I have no hesitation totally recommending the farm, Autumn and Lisa.

This review is for the splash pad and playground. The incredibly awesome and very, very free splash…read morepad and playground. This new splash pad and playground serves as a reminder that damn Loudon County has some money. We got here at noon with our toddler and only planned to spend a couple of hours and ended up basically being here until they closed in the middle of summer at 8 PM. I think it's an amazing design to have three playground design for different ages right near the splash pad. Luckily it was like 5000° out so kids dried off the minute they left the waterpark to go to playgrounds. So being a wet mess really wasn't a concern. There are a few rules to the waterpark that includes no toys and no dogs and the standard diaper requirements for the incontinent , but otherwise it's pretty open and people were really really well behaved. The bathrooms are amazingly clean for a public bathrooms and offer wide enough stalls to change in. It's highly recommended because of temperatures and the fact that most of the place is concrete to wear water shoes. The only issue we had was that a baby kept putting wet banana peels like this was Mario kart in the splash pad and people kept tripping on them. Most of the water features are well functioning and a lot of fun. The playground themselves range from ages 5 to 12, and have a lot of hills with Astroturf, which is kind of fun to just roll down and they have slides built into them. There are a lot of climbing activities. The slides do get hot on a sunny day, but since the kids are already wet from the waterpark, they seem fine. And the park is very clean. We went on a weekday and it wasn't really that crowded, but I can see how weekends could be pretty full. They also have lots of tables for our families to sit down and enjoy some picnic items.

My kids love it. It's clean and lots of parking space and well maintained. It's worth visiting.read more

Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) is their expertise! I discovered Surf Reston through a friend of mine…read more She had taken SUP with them and had said great things. My first experience with SUP was at the Georgetown marina. There was no lesson. I had gone with friends who had SUP'd but it was new to me. It was scary and the Potomac is a beast to paddle. When I read and saw the Facebook photos of the classes and events run by Surf Reston, I knew this place would take care of me. Sign up was easy, it's all done online. Before I signed up, I had a few questions. I texted them and received responses right away! Once we arrived we saw the staff working diligently to get all the boards and life jackets together. We got a very detailed land lesson(about 10-15 min) and then the rest of the time was on the water. Steve and Sabrina were awesome. They know their stuff. My main issue is getting from the knee position to the Stand Up position. They had a few helpful tricks and then I was standing! They take lots of photos and sent them to us the very same day. The location is one of the Reston Lakes. We were on Lake Newport. It was very calm and we had the lake to ourselves. Once on there water we were free to paddle on our own. Steve and Sabrina were always there if we needed anything. Everything from questions, to registration to event was perfect. They offer group discounts so ask about it. If you are curious about SUP, then this is the place to try it out!

I don't think they exist. Their website is awful, no one called me back after 2 messages, the GOS…read moreis very wrong to find them. Was looking forward to trying this place but I don't think they exist anymore.