In order to talk about Roman Nose General Store, I have to mention the park that it operates in…read moreabout an hour and 15 minutes west and north of Oklahoma City. Roman Nose State Park, named after Cheyenne Chief Henry, is one of the original seven Oklahoma State Parks. A former Cheyenne winter camp, the park is set in a beautiful canyon, surrounded by gypsum rock cliffs. Roman Nose boasts a stunning golf course, stables for horseback riding, hiking trails, WPA buildings, an enormous spring fed swimming pool and two spring fed trout stocked lakes. There are Cabins, Tee Pees and camping areas as well as a Lodge, originally constructed in 1956, and renovated in 2010 to reflect the natural landscape of the surrounding area. It's beautiful. The Lodge does not have dining at this time and that is not a loss, if you don't mind driving up canyon to the General Store. A rustic looking building, the General Store rents canoes, kayaks and paddleboats and sets up horseback riding rentals. Their "store" has a little bit of everything campers might need and fun stuff as well. Oodles of ice cream goodies, beverages and snacks plus a wide array of gear and accessories. Their are Games for rainy hours or nighttime leisure hours as well as the usual first aid essentials. The restaurant itself has comfortably distanced family sized tables in a large dining room. There's a smaller deck with tighter spaced tables. Bathrooms were big and clean. There were paper menus, weekend specials, lots of variety and a Sunday Breakfast Buffet that we had just missed the day before. We were told they do Breakfast all day, which is nice; but their 1/3 lb. Burgers sounded pretty good to us. Basically build your own, we both opted for cheeseburgers and chose sides. It was tough choosing though. In addition to a lengthy Breakfast menu, they had Catfish, Pork Chops, Chicken Fried Steak, Indian Tacos, Chef Salad and a whole section of sandwiches and appetizers. The burgers were cooked medium as requested and delicious. My husband loved his fries and my okra portion was both crispy and overly generous. The bacon was perfect. Seriously. I almost ate it separately! We had a good time. The staff were enthusiastic and friendly. We were on our way out of the park, as we had just stayed overnight at the beautiful Lodge to swim, rest and enjoy the scenery before traveling on to Oklahoma City. I recommend both places in this lovely park, actually. I would be remiss not to mention, though, that one of the lakes is empty at this time while they rebuild the earthen dam - Lake Watonga, I believe. The lake at the Lodge and in front of the General Store is full. https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/roman-nose-state-park

I think I'll give it all 5 stars due to it has everything you might had forgot to pack. Plus it…read morehas a restaurant, as well as souvenirs. We ate at the restaurant, and while it wasn't that great, it was ok and easy. The people who own or work there were very friendly. They have kayaks and paddle boats to rent. We rented a paddle boat, kinda expensive for what we got but ehhh it was ok. Grandson was happy. Over all nice trip, and getaway.

It was the worst horse trail ride I've ever been on. The ole man was rude, give no instructions,…read morestated that he doesn't believe in HELMETS when I asked for one for my child. They sent us on our way with a guide tour in the VERY back that was 16 yrs old! The trail was SO unsafe ( tight roping, with steep down trails ect! My daughter was getting left behind as her horse was extremely slow. Half the time we didn't know where we were going. My horse was VERY stubborn. So glad I didn't take our grandma that used to ride because this was so unsafe. The trough looked extremely dirty it was like a dark green color. We were crossing roads that cars had to yield to us. I DO NOT RECOMMEND the Riding Stables for everyone!

I've been here numerous times with my wife and daughter, and we've always had a great time! Donny…read moreis a straight to the point, no BS type of guy. I guess for some people that comes off as "rude," but I prefer it and he's always great with my kids. A fun place for any skill level. (My daughter's first ride was here.)

Amazing experience!! They were so nice and gentle. They encouraged us to love on and talk to the…read morehorses while on our ride. If you want to ride a horse, come here! It's a slow pace, perfect for kids.

What a great experience! We were in a group of 6 riders ranging from never been on a horse, to…read morecomfortable on a horse. There were 2 staff members on the ride with us- including the ranch dog Rex! The 1 hour ride was so peaceful through trails on their property with a view of the river and woods. Highly recommend wearing jeans and don't forget the bug spray! I had the pleasure of riding Samantha and my husband with Rebel. Great horses, great views, great experience! Thank you Jeanie and team!

We love cross creek stables! When we moved here earlier this year my 8 year old suddenly was dying…read moreto take horse back riding lessons. After calling many different barns with little luck I found Cross Creek and I'm so glad I did. They are truly geared to teaching children how to ride. I am not an equestrian and know pretty much nothing about horses. I needed a good barn which would teach my daughter everything she needed to know and be safe doing it. I love the instructors at cross creek. They are great at managing different ages and riding proficiency in the same group lesson. The lessons are super affordable and they have several time slots to choose from almost every day of the week. It makes finding time to ride super convenient. I love that they offer students the ability to be helpers during other lessons for a discount on their tuition. The facility is well maintained and the main riding area for lessons is covered with fans so no matter the weather the lessons can happen. The horses all seem to be well taken care of and great with children riding them. We attend weekly lessons as well as a camp this summer that my daughter loved. We have had a great experience at Cross Creek!

I was allowed via the kind wife of owner here for a while. Well Randy, your wife sure let me board…read moreand then you returned the present that I gave you. You almost killed my horse because you would not take him to the veterinarian when it was cold. The USEF says otherwise about you, so I won't recommend or be near your barn ever again! Original: I found out some things that were just unacceptable when it comes to trust. I do not like the way they treat the horses and not tell you if they are sick and just administer medication. I had a very hard time getting the owner to help me. The assistant trainer was not good at all. I do not recommend this at all especially for young children

Such a family friendly barn. Incredible people. They really try to incorporate the kiddos in every…read moreaspect of taking care of horses. They truly care for their animals and if they see a horse being neglected or over-used they step in to advocate for the horses health. If your kid is wanting to check out horseback riding, go here. You will not regret it.

It appears my original review on Google was removed, so I'm sharing my experience again to ensure…read moreothers are fully informed about how situations like this are handled. Thank you for your response. I understand your policy and acknowledge that we arrived later than intended. However, the issue is not just timing... it is how your business handled the situation. When I called, the interaction was rude, dismissive, and ended with your staff hanging up while we were still trying to communicate, only minutes away. That is unprofessional and unacceptable. There was no effort to show basic courtesy, offer alternatives, or handle the situation respectfully... only a refusal and loss of payment. Policies do not justify poor customer service. If this is how customers are treated, it will impact your reputation over time. People pay attention to how they're treated, and they share those experiences. I stand by my experience and believe others deserve to be aware before booking.

We've love our experiences at Laine Brook Farm. Karen is awesome, her other teachers are great too…read more They've helped our daughter learn responsibility and confidence. She always feels so brave and proud of herself when she's done riding! Looking forward to lots of riding ahead of us with this stable.

Great horseshows for beginners or schooling young or green horses…read moreClasses for all Nice jumps good arena

This place deserves a no star review…read more Let me preface this by stating I've been in and out of the horse world since 1992. So I'm not new to this game. A few years ago, my daughter had expressed the desire to take riding lessons. I had lost my gelding a few years prior and Just stopped riding all together. I looked back into local barns, she wanted to learn Western. So I showed her a few open discipline barns. And she chose Celtic Cross. I reached out and unfortunately they didn't have any openings at the time. Which was fine. We held off, partially due to the pandemic, until they reached out back out to me saying they had beginner lessons starting. My daughter switched to English after not being able to swing a saddle on a 16 hh horse by herself (she was a petite 9 year old just starting out, didn't quite grasp the mechanics yet) Every time I tried to help, I would get yelled at. That was one red flag I over looked. The conversations that included bashing other riders from other lessons made me uncomfortable. (The other review where the kids were crying? Marilee referred to them as the cry baby sisters). I would reply "that's horrible" hoping she would get the hint, I did not want to talk about others. They have one "coach" that pretty much told my daughter she sucked. Another coach, had the attitude that my daughter was not good enough to be part of her lessons. (Because she's a reserved and cautious rider, not an a*hole with spurs) One rider got kicked hard in the abdomen and required an ambulance ride, they were not pleased about the fact the mom called 911. (Insert another red flag what was over looked) They even said it was the child's fault she got kicked. I know being around horses is dangerous, but this barn has some very unsafe horses. Instead of an adult handling a difficult horse, they make children who don't have experience do it. Or the simple fact that with in the last year, my daughter has almost been ran over twice on horse back during a lesson due to another horse being allowed to run around with zero control while cantering. Communication is honestly non existent. Even on a good day. Also when you pay $40-50 a lesson and the certain coaches attention is more on their phone than the riders. Don't get me started on the "package deals". Prepay, but lessons were always canceled. That money is lost. A lot of other things have happened, but the most recent- my daughter helped out for two summer camps this year. First week seemed to have went fine. Second week, my daughter was accused of dumping manure twice in an area that it wasn't supposed to go (for the last 3 years, every thing was dumped in one spot just outside the one door, mainly due to laziness and improper equipment). She did it once, because that's where it always went. She was told. "Hey not there". She didn't do it again. Later that day, she was cornered and yelled at, accused of doing it a few times. She immediately texted me to let me know. NOTHING was mentioned to me when I got her at the end of the day. NOTHING was mentioned to me at lessons the following week. The week after is when it was finally brought up. Pretty much, they use you. Abuse you. And kick you out. If you want a safe place for your child to ride. This is NOT it. I wish I caught on sooner. (Did you know you can file a report with Safe Sport?) Before any one comes at me, my daughter has had a few other trainers wanting her to be part of their team. One being out in Florida and travels all over the east coast. Final part of my review, they owe my daughter unpaid wages for days worked. While it was considered working for either lessons or classes paid at the barn show. She was asked to leave before she was able to use her "Celtic Cash". Therefore, they owe her a pay check. (I will edit this review once I get that check and it clears. They have until July 31, 2023) In hind sight, I wish I had listened to the several people who told me to stay clear of this place. The toxic environment is not healthy. Updated: 10/30/2023 The Department of Labor ruled in my daughter's favor. I now have paperwork to file a judgment against Marilee and Celtic Cross. (She opted to ignore the DoL) my daughter is owed pay plus damages- they also broke it down to an hourly pay for the time she worked. Since I broke silence, several people have stepped forward to me in confidence about this place. The bullying, the harassment, the neglect. The lies! They aren't my stories to tell, hopefully in due time... it all will exposed.

The absolute best in the industry. Buying and selling…read morequality horses. Training. Full time care. Colt starting. Lessons. You name it... the Topwind team not only offers these services, but does so with integrity, deep expertise and care. I found Topwind by way of social media. I had said that I wanted to buy a horse from them one day, after following their story and learning more about their ability to pair a horse and rider, coupled with patient, yet intentional training techniques. My husband and I purchased a dunalino yearling gelding from Topwind in June of 2022. We then sent him back to Amanda and team to get started under saddle May 2023. Amanda kept us posted along his journey and we always looked forward to her updates. I was able to visit the Ranch a few times, up from Texas, while our horse was in training. Amanda was great at coaching me and teaching me her techniques, so I am able to continue his progress at home. During his last month of training, Amanda even brought our horse down to a horse show with a few others, so I was able to participate in a Green Horse halter class. We had a great time and learned so much. Nick and Amanda are the salt of the earth and I highly recommend any and all of their services!

From the owner: We specialize in quality all-around ranch horses…read more www.topwindranch.com