This suburban farm offers horse boarding, riding lessons, kids camps and birthday parties…read more We have friends who's daughter attended their summer camp and loved it. Based on their experience we decided to have our daughter's 6th birthday party here and it was great fun for all. For Birthday parties you essentially have the exclusive use of a little park-like area in the center of the farm that has a play structure, picnic tables, a good number of shady trees and a small barn with petting-zoo type animals. The party rentals are two hours, with the first hour offering pony rides and during the second hour the petting zoo barn is open. We had two pony's at a time for the kids to ride, and with 10 kids that worked out to about two rides each. This was perfect timing so that we could do Pizza and cup cakes after the pony rides, then once the kids were done eating they excitedly ran over to pet the animals in the petting zoo. For the petting zoo portion there were chickens, pigs, bunnies, goats, sheep and a miniature horse the size of a large dog. The kids LOVED petting and brushing the animals. You don't need to add any additional activities or entertainment for the kids because the two hours are nicely full. The kids were constantly in motion and playing on the play structure when not riding a pony or in the petting zoo. All the kids seemed thrilled with the activities and were having tons of fun. All-in-all the process of having a party here, from reserving the day to clean up afterward, is pretty smooth. The only downside was a multi-page contract form that had to be signed by the parents of all the kids. The forms have to be returned to the hostess and the hostess then returns them to the farm with a guest list, as one packet, the Thursday before the party. It would be easier if the parents could just do the form on-site, but I'm guessing that the management wants to be sure the parents read it fully and agree to the terms in advance. But despite the paperwork I highly recommend Morning Star to anyone with grade school age kids.

Kid's Birthday party review…read more Discovered via local moms club and "background checked" on yelp, we decided to have our son's 4th birthday party at Morning Star and I prayed it would live up to its stars b/c we had friends driving from Concord, SF, and beyond to attend. The verdict is that we'd give it a 6th star if we could! The things we loved were that they have a covered option in case of rain, a sweet playground at the uncovered area, where the 2-5 yr olds had a total blast, and a little petting zoo. The trainer Rachel, who led the kids and ponies, two by two, was a pro and helped even the nervous kids feel confident. Each kid got about two rides, which was perfect. The owner helped us set up tables and put up a shade/rain structure since it had rained all morning and we weren't sure if we'd need it. Also, $200 for a 2-pony party for two hours is a great deal in my book, esp compared to $800-1,000 Discovery Museum party price tag (we love it there too, just, gulp). The only down side, as others noted, is the release forms. They are necessary of course, but the onus of getting each family to sign them and submit before the party is on the party-thrower. It is time consuming up front and I wasn't making any friends for a while there, but it makes it so guests don't have to mess with forms when they get there. One idea is to have people use CamScanner or another scanning app on their phones so it can all be done electronically, and to leave a few day's cushion for missing forms. Lastly, I appreciated that all of the animals looked very well-cared for and the whole property was clean and inviting.

Towards the end of my lady's and I eight day coastal trip on our way back down we had a blast doing…read morethe two hour private horseback ride, Our guide Romero was a really cool guy Good laughs, conversation, and an overall great experience. Saw a lot of cool wildlife on the ride including a bobcat or a mountain lion cub everything was A OK but the horses could definitely tell there was a predator in the area so they were a little spooked. Had such a fun time I will definitely be coming back for the six hour ride!!!

Loved my visit at the Ranch. I invited my friend to ride together as part of his Birthday gift. The…read moretrail we rode on was beautiful and our guide was very kind and polite. I will be returning here.

Absolutely recommend Napa Valley Trail rides. My friends and I had such an amazing experience. The…read morestaff is so welcoming and patient. Our guides gave us all the basics to ride our horse and also provided lots of fun facts on the property. I was there for a bachelorette trip and our guides brought out Luna to take pictures with, which I thought was so sweet. I will definitely be coming back in the future! Thank you so much for a welcoming experience!

Katie and Kiera were awesome! Beautiful experience and lovely setting. Highly recommendread more

The place is beautiful with well kept horses. Love it! Cyd is awesome trainer and everything is run…read morewell

Lisa and Cyd run an incredible stable. In 30 years of riding, I've never experienced the level of…read moreservice Longview provides. The horses are impeccably cared for. The training rides are top notch, the show schedule is extensive and the lessons are challenging. I can't say enough to recommend this barn. it's abs the best.

Never did I think I would have to explain to my son why a third private…read moreriding lesson was never scheduled. My husband, son and I decided to stay at our weekend home in North Beach while our kindergartener transitioned to distance learning. Our son's private school offers equestrian lessons to students as little as 2 years old. Our son is going on his fifth year on a pony/horse. While he did dressage at school, he also trained on the sport of Polo with a 5 time Champion from Argentina. Our tour of the stables was scheduled on a Monday at 2:30pm. The summer camp ended at 2:00pm. My husband and I arrived at 2:45pm. She accused us of arriving an hour late. My husband and I didn't bother with her false accusation. Then as we were going over policies and procedures, she made it a point to mention that many of her students find her to be mean. Sarah, I suggest you to be honest with the families that you are perceived as a bully and not mean. That way when you act the way you acted towards our family, we can understand better. First lesson was scheduled and our son was excited. My husband was unable to attend, his had just deployed to the Middle East for a yearlong tour. After his lesson, I was eager to see if my son had liked it and hear how the lesson went from Sarah. She said to me "I think you think your son has more experience than he really does". She proceeded to tell me that he was about to place the saddle backwards on the horse. Than Sarah proceeded to give me this look of disgust that my son would make such a mistake. Second lesson is scheduled, she requires payment well before the lesson. When I scheduled the second lesson I gave her a check, that check was cashed the next day. Cashed not bounced. $75 is super low compared to the $125 we are used to paying in the city. Second lesson starts at noon on Sunday. After the lesson, again I was eager to hear from my son how the lesson was. I tried asking Sarah, but was immediately ignored. While I was standing with my son getting ready to head out, she looked at me and said "we will be in touch for the next lesson". This was back in July. Whatever reason you had to not grant my son a third lesson is your business. I recommend you step outside and see all the amazing things minorities are doing in the equestrian sport. My son trained with two Polo instructors, one from Chile and the other from Argentina. If my son were a beginner, i dont think he would feel comfortable troting while swinging a full size Polo mallet. When we attended Polo matches, many of the players were from immigrant decent. Players from South America, India, American, African American. I would hate to think that Sarah negated service to my son due to the fact that he is biracial. That is the only explanation I can conclude. Our son had the riding pants, boots, helmet, this isn't foreign to him. What is foreign to him is having a middle aged woman have such a rancid attitude towards a small child. Shame on you Sarah.

I am stunned at Jessie's review, so sorry to hear this, and frankly do not understand how this…read morecould happen. My experience has been the TOTAL opposite. I came to Baywood Equestrian in the summer 2010 after a terrible accident in another stable's group lesson. Helle has been so kind and encouraging to me , helping me persevere regain my confidence and teaching me all about caring for a horse as well as riding. ALL the people I have met have been really friendly and welcoming, unlike the previous venue.The horse I ride is the sweetest , calmest horse and he receives excellent care. I can't say enough to praise the operation out at Baywood. I am now riding with greater ease and better form .Baywood is the highlight of my week.

Fantastic ride with susan! I am a rider with experience and I highly recommend for other…read moreexperienced riders (as well as beginners). It is definitely not boring like other trail rides. Susan had us meet at her facility and then we followed her trailer to the trail head where she helped us mount the horses. It was super fun and Susan keeps the ride entertaining. Her horses are fantastic and did not seem like they spooked easily. They were very used to cars, barking dogs, hikers, cyclists, etc. Susan also offered to take pictures of my friend and I when we stopped at a scenic spot.

Actually provides some instruction rather than "just sit on the horse and go where it takes you."…read moreAnd a beautiful ride with fantastic views! Thank you!

Awesome experience for eight year old girls and their Dads some of whom have never ridden before,…read morethank you!

Yes, I 100% called this ranch and did not dial the wrong phone number, but thanks for the lies and…read moreexcuses. Clearly their customer service is non existent responding half a year later, don't waste your time or money here!!!

Great ride and tasting at the overlook. The tasting was very informative and she had great…read morerecommendations for the wine/local cheese joints to shop.

Amazing ride and the guides were wonderful! Our ride was an absolutely beautiful one hour through a…read morewinery. The guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. The horses were also very well taken care of which is extremely important to me! If I am ever in the Sonoma area again I will 100% be back and I hope that I am just to spend more time in this beautiful vineyard with the lovely horses. Thank you so much for an amazing afternoon

It was a lovely trail ride along the shore with great views. I could really come to peace and have…read morea moment of quiet which I really enjoyed. Trinity did an amazing job , she's got a great personality and open mind which I appreciate! So thank you to the entire team and of course the horses ! Rainy was a real champ such a sweet little lady !

Great ride with Juan! He frequently checked the riders behind him and put the least experienced…read moreperson directly behind him, so he could coach her. Horses were well taken care of...good weight, cinches loosened & bridles removed between rides, water offered and lunchtime grass hay & alfalfa cubes. Great mounting block...a RAMP & high platform! Couldn't have been better & I highly recommend for a trail ride.

Wonderful horse boarding barn with easy access to trails in Indian valley. Supportive community of…read morededicated horse owners.