Lisa! Thank you SO much for a seamless and wonderful and homey experience! Our group absolutely had…read morea lovely time unforgettable. It was the first time for one, some their second time. I've never been horse riding at an open stable and this made me feel so alive and one with the horses the way I always wanted! Being able to get hugs, holds, pets, and a ride with the horses was truly life giving and I hope to come back with another group! If we lived closer one of the girls wanted to volunteer--that's just how much we felt great about your stable. Seeing the peacocks made me so happy and meeting a roaming turkey was quite fun. Hope to see y'all again this year. Folks...Go, enjoy!!!

What an unforgettable experience! We booked this horseback ride thinking it would just be a…read morebeautiful ride through nature, but it became one of the most special days of our lives. The horses were gentle, well cared for, and perfectly matched to Us. Our guide, Ella, was absolutely incredible. She made us feel comfortable from the moment we arrived and took excellent care of us throughout the entire experience. Along the trail, we stopped to watch several deer, which was such a peaceful and magical moment. Then came the biggest surprise--we arrived at a beautifully decorated table that had been set up for our engagement. It was absolutely perfect, and everything was arranged so thoughtfully. It couldn't have been a more romantic setting to propose. A huge thank you to Lisa and her Team for helping make our engagement so memorable. Her kindness, attention to detail, and genuine excitement for us made the day even more special. We'll cherish these memories forever and highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for an unforgettable adventure.

Highly recommend. We stayed in the cowboy cabin it was such a cute cabin with the most beautiful…read moreMountain View. Highly recommend for a get away with your sweetheart & your dogs! We rode horses on the ranch, Francisca was the sweetest guide & really made the experience. Our dogs loved walking along the property watching the long horns, cows, & sheep. The sunrise was absolutely stunning from the rocking chairs on the porch. Cute cowboy aesthetic! Everything was clean & tidy. The extra paper towels, soaps, and trash bags came in handy. Such a sweet extra amenity. Celena & Susan were so kind and responsive. We met afew of the other staff along the property and they were all so sweet and courteous as well. The wedding venue looks amazing!! Can't wait to come back!! Thank you so much for having us!!

So after running late for a horseback riding trail in Shenandoah they steered us in the direction…read moreof this ranch. They were so accommodating to book a same day appointment for me and my date. We arrived like 30 minutes early so we got to sign the forms and walk around the ranch. The property is beautiful I wish we could have stayed in one of the cabins. My horse outlaw was the sweetest. This wasn't my first time riding but even if it was anyone could ride him. I enjoyed the trail ride throughly I wanted it to last another hour it was so peaceful! Between the instructor & my man we got great pictures and an unforgettable experience.

Great experience! Mimi and Lilly were awesome. The horses and ride are amazing. The mountain…read moreviews were lovely. This is a must do!

We had the absolute best experience here! Mimi was so knowledgeable, social, and kind to us! We got…read moreto spend time with all the animals, the horses were beautiful, and the winery was amazing! We will definitely be back & recommend booking with her, we wish we did the longer trip!! 10/10 experience and guide.

Five stars really for our guide, Cathy. Four stars for the overall experience. My friend booked a…read moreride for her birthday. She'd never ridden before and I only have sporadically (summer camp outings a million years ago, vacations etc) so we were kind of nervous. Our ride got off to a rough start, the horses did not want to be ridden that day and were kind of difficult to handle as novices. My friend had Hagrid and I had Gracie and both were kind of dead set on doing their own thing. We understood as they are animals with their own minds and personalities. However we were kind of spooked starting off the ride. Cathy did a great job at keeping us calm and guiding us. I will say the horses my friend and I were riding apparently do not do well in close proximity with each other, and that was a disappointment because the whole reason my friend booked was so that we could do the experience together. We actually had to keep a distance most of the time because Gracie did not like Hagrid at all and she definitely let it be known lol. I really appreciate Cathy and Indian Summer Guide Service being so accommodating with us. We were coming from about 2 hours away and hit some unexpected traffic so we ended up late. Cathy still ensured we had a great ride with great views!

We booked a bachelorette weekend tour with Indian summer and it was the BEST trail ride any of us…read morehad ever been on. Most of us are beginners but the bride is a more advanced rider and she had an absolute blast. The horses were beautiful, well-behaved and absolutely full of personality (shout out to Electra). The pace was excellent and everyone felt included throughout the entire ride. Both Ashton + Devon were incredibly nice, communicative, and super flexible with us asking for dozens of pictures. If you can request a ride with them, definitely do it!! The merrie mill trail was also beautiful and a nice mix of open fields, forest trails, and spectacular vistas. This was the highlight of our trip!

What a fantastic experience at Royal Horseshoe Farm! The owner greeted us, was very friendly, and…read moreshowed those of us with little experience how to maneuver our horses. Our trail guide was delightful, and the trails were beautiful, including streams, woods, and open fields! We had the opportunity to walk, trot, and canter our horses, and our experienced young teens had just as much fun as us inexperienced grown-ups! The farm was very nice, and the horses seemed well loved and cared for. We have gone on multiple other trail rides in different states and countries, and this one is definitely a favorite!

Easy to book for family of 5 over phone with Rose. Fit and measured kids for their ride pretty…read morequick....love that they let us get use to horse prior to hour trail ride and gave instructions before leaving Perfect weather! Excellent ride through stream, up/down hills and trails in woods, through open pastures, etc Gianna (sp?) guide was excellent and patient and took good pace for us as beginners w minimal riding experience Hour ride for $50 each was well worth hour drive from WV ....would definitely recommend

Mark Gebhard of Brookhill Farm provided outstanding transport service for our horse. His truck and…read moretrailer are state-of-the-art, in excellent condition and extremely clean. Mark's very professional, friendly and calm demeaner made the move of our horse a real pleasure. On a 5 point rating scale, I have to give Mark a 10! Dr. Thomas Towberman

We had a lovely trail riding experience on horses at Brookhill farm. The owner and staff members…read morewere friendly, Knowledgeable and the property is beautiful. We had over an hour long trail ride through the countryside and it was a very peaceful experience for a reasonable price. I highly recommend visiting Brookhill Farm if you're in Charlottesville!

We have been twice now, each time we come to Virginia we will be using them for trail rides. Their…read morehorses are so well loved (spoiled in the best way) which leads me to feel so incredibly safe riding up and down hills on their horses. My two young children are also able to ride the solo without a worry. It's extremely easy to book and a great price for an hour and a half ride. The staff also are so easy going and fun to chat with along the trail. My kids always say this is the best part of visiting Virginia.

Leslie and our other sweet guide were amazing and the conversation was great - the scenery was…read moregorgeous and serene. The horses are well cared for and gentle. We can't wait to return in the spring !

The trail ride was great, we rode through fields, through two creeks and woods, very nice trails,…read morethe horses were good, it was most enjoyable and well worth it. You don't need any experience as a rider.

Took our two kids on a lovely ride at Star B. Abby our trail guide was incredible, the horses were…read morehappy sillies and the setting and trails are world class. Best day trip we took on our corona "staycation". You get more time than they promise, you cross a good sized creek, you ascend alongside truly breathtaking ravines and get blasted by the beautiful Virginia scenery. We're definitely coming back.....

What an amazing weekend!! Im not sure there are enough words to properly explain how much fun this…read moretrip was and how amazing Dwight, Jennifer, and Eliza were. From the very first moment when I accidentally parked in Dwight's driveway instead of the bunk house to our bittersweet goodbye there genuinely was not a single bad moment during our cowgirl weekend! They went above and beyond to make sure we all had a great time and by the time we were saying goodbye it felt like leaving a family reunion rather than saying goodbye to people we met 2 days prior. I came into this weekend with 0 horse experience, I'd never even pet one but Dwight knew exactly which of his amazing horses to pair me with for my ride (shoutout to Little Bear) and Eliza coached us throughout the ride on how to navigate seating positions so that I knew how to keep my balance and position on the terrain. When we weren't riding we had amazing meals that Jennifer brought and set up for us in the bunk house, starting a campfire for us, and making sure we had everything we needed to have the perfect night! I left the weekend ready to come back and do it all again (and I will be coming back)!!

Extremely rude, disorganized, shocking experience. I really…read moretry not to leave bad reviews but I am shocked at how my dad and I were treated for horseback riding. I had purchased 3 gift certificates from Dwight last June. We weren't able to book last year and after winter I tried several times to get a hold of him to book the half day rides we had purchased. I eventually had to get in touch with them through Facebook messenger. We booked for April 25 at 8:45. We were about to head to the trail and another group drove up and they had also been booked for 9:30. Dwight had overbooked not remembering. They also had a wedding that evening. I understand mistakes are made and everyone is human. However, Dwight proceeded to be extremely rude telling us we had to wait over an hour for them to saddle up four more horses. We were expecting storms that afternoon, that Dwight had called me twice about concerned for the weather that day. We also had paid for 3 people which Dwight had initially said that would guarantee us our own time and private ride. He snapped out me saying no I was mistaken we would have paid $500 for a private ride. I asked him to not speak to me or my father that way and he yelled at me to get off his land and he would refund me. This was so shocking. He knew I had gotten this horseback riding trip for my dad because my mom passed away two years ago in April. I was extremely upset and he wrote me a check for a refund which ended up being $495. I would have paid the extra $5 if that would have actually gotten us a private ride. He was so unbelievably rude we couldn't believe it. I advise to never work with Dwight. The girls that were the trail guides were very nice.

We had a fabulous visit to the farm and facilities on August 23rd, 2015. The highlight was seeing…read moreGabriela Hoard exercise Jackpot and several other ponies and horse. There was also a guided ride from the stables earlier in the morning. It was a beautiful day at Epona.

If you are taking the time to read this review, it probably means that you either own a horse or…read morelove horses. In my case both are true. Virginia has more than 300,000 horses and, in part, as a result, countless places for you to board your horse, take lessons and compete. You can choose according to your budget, your discipline, the level of care, prestige, whether the stable offers lessons, what level of horse shows they compete in - you name it, there is something for everyone and everything. The "horse world" is often competitive, brutal and even dishonest, which is a shame given that owning, caring, and showing a horse is already an activity that is not for the financially weak of heart. However, there is one place that can check so many of the boxes that you need to consider when you are looking for boarding a horse, taking lessons and competing, and that place is Epona Farm, LLC. Located on Gordonsville Road in Keswick in the heart of one of the "horsiest" parts of Virginia, if you are within 1 hour of this location, then you are in luck. Owned by Rebecca West and her husband Marty Hoard, Epona Farm is a multi-discipline "A" level show barn. Epona Farm is managed by Jaime Andrews-Feola, a distinguished trainer and rider across disciplines. Whether you are interested in the Jumpers, EQ, or Hunters, Jaime is the trainer for you. She has competed at the national level to great success in all three disciplines. Sitting and chatting with Jaime quickly makes you understand that she was practically born in the saddle. Daughter of a renowned "Chef d'Equipe" and nationally recognized trainer, Becky Andrews, Jaime was raised to ride. Jaime's training was also shaped at an early age by the internationally recognized trainer, rider and master horseman, George Morris (http://www.equestriancoachworld.com/coach/?tid=1942). Jaime's long experience included being a trusted rider for many horses owned by Hyperion Stud, the internationally recognized breeder and sales operation for jumpers from Europe http://www.hyperionstud.com. Despite her many, many distinctions, Jaime remains down to earth and approachable. As a trainer, her depth and breadth of knowledge will identify and correct issues with your riding that you may have been grappling with for ages. She will equally identify problems that you did not even know you have. As a result, you will notice immediate improvements in your riding, and if you like to compete, and Jaime does and will encourage you to compete, the improvement will translate into accolades for you personally. And, it will be not be just you who will benefit from Jaime's attention. Your horse(s) will be cared for by a team that Jaime has personally selected, keeping in mind at all times the health and comfort of your horse. Your horse will benefit from the daily maintenance of impeccable stalls, appropriate food and water, excellent grooming, well grassed turn out, and a watchful eye. If life takes you away from your horses for whatever reason or whatever length of time, you can rest at ease knowing that they will be in excellent hands. I have two horses at Epona and neither they nor I could be happier or ask for more. Neither has taken a lame step since they have been there and both have never been more fit and healthy. This is due not only to the excellent care and healthful conditions at the barn, but also the quality and excellent footing of both the indoor and outdoor rings - an added bonus that allows you to ride comfortably year round and in any weather. Epona Farm's rates are competitive and fair especially since you are saving in health care and vet bills given the maintenance and upkeep of your horse. I have boarded horses at other places and by far Epona Farm not only offers the best services, but also offers the greatest opportunities for your horse and you as a rider. Moreover, and finally, the attitude and the friendliness of the staff, owners and other riders make it a pleasure to spend your time at the barn.