Son Rise Ranch does not meet my expectations for a horseback riding lesson facility. It is simply not professional for a variety of reasons. The instructor is emotionally abusive to her students and is not in the physically shape needed to safely run a lesson. I have witnessed abuse from her first hand and second hand. She sends disrespectful messages to her clients including those that are children. It is not appropriate behavior for a business owner. The lessons are not safe because she teaches them from a wheel chair. She isn't able to handle her horses, so she relies on her other students. In the event of an accident she isn't able to assist the rider. I personally would want someone able to handle horses and help me when I fall off teaching me. On top of the owner not being professional the horses do not receive adequate care. She has been known to feed moldy hay causing horses to pass away. This is just one example of poor care. Horses do not receive vet care. This includes annual vet checks and regularly dental care. Many times horses that are ill or lame are found being used on her lessons. This is unacceptable and a poor example for students. She claims she is running a Christian facility, but as far as I know God would not care for his people or horses this way. It is a bummer that she claims to be someone she is not. I hope you take this into consideration before signing your child up for lessons and they have to experience the abuse first hand. read more

Son Rise Ranch - Horseback Riding Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

** Abbreviated version of the review** They have you sign a waiver and if your child gets hurt they do not have any protocols on how to tend to the hurt child. They will ignore a child with a potentially serious spinal injury. The long version: We had a child's 11th birthday party at this establishment on 6/23/23. We had three 11 year olds and one 9 year old. The 9 year old is very small for his age. He wears 7 year old clothing. And weighs 60 pounds. When dismounting the horse the teacher (Monica) was standing at the horse to assist him down. She saw he was scared and holding on to the saddle because he didn't want to fall. She pried his hands off the saddle and then didn't catch him or ease the fall. Even though she was standing there. Our 9 yo landed with his knees locked and immediately started crying and grabbing his back saying "My back! My back!" At which point Monica completely ignored him and his cries. As I rushed to asses the situation since I was standing 2 feet from where everything happened and I witnessed it all. Monica carried on with the next horse. The next horse was the bday girl, and our daughter. She asked Monica what happened to her brother? To which Monica replied: "He'll be fine!" In the meantime the 9 year old had had the wind knocked out of him and was having a hard time breathing and still holding his lower back and crying. Neither Monica or Pamela who was outside the riding area and didn't have a full view came to him/us or assisted him/us. They *never* checked on him or checked in with him. They didn't even acknowledge a child got hurt. We were so busy scrambling to asses his injury, while checking urgent care hours, and seeing if he could calm down and breathe we were there for another 20-30 mins after. They had plenty of time to check in with us and our son. They completely ignored the issue. When we were on our way out Pam said "Well he looks like he's walking fine!" We left and texted Son Rise Ranch the next day letting Pam know our son was doing ok but that we wanted to discuss the incident with her and that we were disappointed that the teachers entrusted with his safety didn't seem to care that he got hurt. She said oh Monica wanted to make sure all the kids got off the horse safely. Again, Monica *never* even acknowledged the child that landed started crying and grabbed his back and cried "My back! My back!" We initially had several text messages with Pam. She was asking if we'd still like a call, which we said yes. We didn't hear from Pam again. If you want a place that cares about your child when they get hurt, please take your child elsewhere. If we hadn't been there to rush to our child, they would've ignored him with a potentially serious spinal injury. read more

I wish I could give this a zero. I attended this horse camp , twice when I was younger. And I know by reading these reviews that they are all true, because I was there when I was young. Safety- an issue. The horse I had, Tessa, was a mare known for biting. I never understood why I was left to handle her on my own (I was 7 years old) when she had bit me and nothing was done, nor was I helped. Looking back, the horse could've been In pain when being saddled. That, or she simply wasn't a safe horse for kids. Pam physically couldn't do anything to help anyone, she was in a wheel chair, all she did was turn red and yell. She depended on older riders , who seemed to be beginners themselves. She would yell , I remember being frightened of her and she was passive aggressive and just seems irritable. Being older and being around horses, I've realized what Poor condition those poor animals were. I remember them "walking weird" , coming to realize later, that some of them were limping , resembling lameness. For the camp itself- we watched movies longer than we rode. I remember riding 4 times for no more than a half hour, and this is out of the whole week. I remember doing chores, cleaning out the llama pen and horse pens, and being in a dirt pasture cleaning and moving hay. It really was just free labor for her. I remember her yelling at this one older rider. It was silent, and we were all uncomfortable. I remember her dogs didn't like us, and the dogs didn't know how to behave around horses as a dog chased one and the horse was freaking out. She had these big pigs, they were not nice either. They nipped my leg and would chase us. I didn't understand why she had them out free roaming when she told us that they were mean and not to go near them. Wasn't a safe place for kids. And even weirded that the parents weren't allowed to stay and watch even if they wanted to. They only came on the last day. Interesting that we did no chores the day that our parents would come. Few years after, I found out that a couple of the horses passed away. I was confused. Because by this time, I knew more about horses (I went to another riding place) and from their knowledge obtained , I knew the horses I rode weren't that old. My horse Tessa, was 10 when I rode her. My sisters, Rio, was around the same age. When I found out that Rio had died, I was really sad and broken. Because I knew his death could've been prevented and it was probably from neglect under Pam's care. Rio was a sweet, calm, soul. Beautiful diamond on his forehead. He was really small, and seemed tired all the time. Reading that she feeds them old moldy hay, I could only imagine what the cause of his death was. PLEASE. Do NOT go here. All you see is heartbreak for these animals. The camps is just chores and movies for your kids, with riding horse for a mere amount of time and the horses are NOT well taken care of by any means. Your child will learn nothing here. In general it's hard to teach when it cannot be shown, Pam is in a wheel chair. And her attitude alone is another reason why you shouldn't attend. None of the girls in our camp were comfortable with Pam. It hurts my heart knowing a young kid, and more kids like me, were most likely riding horses who were neglected and in pain, and they died so young. Please. Look elsewhere. Do your research and make sure wherever you go is a safe place for both the animals and your children. But do NOT come here. Pray for the horses and people who do attend here. Thank you. read more

This is the only summer camp my kid has ever disliked. She has loved other horse camps and wish i hadn't tried something new and closer to home. I wish there were more reviews about this camp and not just from riding lessons. We were expecting a week of fun, planned activities and horseback riding, and of course horse care. I wish this establishment was more clear about what the camp entails because it is definitely not horse camp. Kids do all kinds of chores (pulling weeds, moving rocks, feeding pigs, ducks, rabbits etc and cleaning those pens) from 8-10 in the morning. While I expected all the horse chores to be responsibility if the campers, these are not horse chores. Then from 4-6 PM the kids watch a movie. Between 10-4 there are many more chores, a 1 hr lunch and half hour periods where kids are locked in so the owners dogs (who dislike kids) can come out. Each camper spends 1 hr riding a day. Crazy I'm just super disappointed by the camp. I told the owner this and she told me they're a full blown ranch and on the 4th day explained what the schedule is and why so many chores. With the amount paid per camper one would think they could hire a ranch hand to help with more tedious tasks. Lastly , on the day of the performance the owner gave my child a passive aggressive award for showing up the last day despite being unhappy with the "rustic" camp. It was just an all over negative experience and run very unprofessionally read more

We have loved taking horseback riding lessons with Ms Pam. My son is enjoying not just riding but learning about horses and the responsibilities that go with horsemanship. A great program- so glad we found it! read more

I've been hesitant to write this review for awhile now because of the heartbreak it brings me to even think about the pain riding here has brought me. To this day my heart is still very much broken as to how someone can be so heartless. I don't typically post things like this but considering the circumstances I can't stay silent any longer. This lady has run the most corrupt horseback riding program I have ever been to where she leaves people with metal scars from emotional abuse. Shortly after getting into a bad car accident I was left not able to ride for awhile due to immense amount of pain. Upon finally recovering and wishing to come back and ride my horse that I have been paying to lease I was told that I was not able to come back and would not be reimbursed the money I had initially paid when first leasing (first and last month) then she further on went to emotionally abuse me stating that I was the reason my horse was being sent to the slaughter house. Please get as many people to share this, I really don't want anyone to have to go through the emotional and physical abuse and scarring I endured for years due to this lady and her business. I will forever miss my beautiful, loving horse Kota. read more

Son Rise Ranch - Kota - Horseback Riding Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

Absolutely in love with this place . My daughter considers it her piece of paradise , where she shares her passion for horses with her friends. Perfect place to connect to nature, animals and friends. This business is run by an amazing charismatic person that is always there for her students , friendly and professional , an inspiration for all of us . I'm glad I finally found a place where my daughter can really learn , improve and get ready for the next step . Since she started, her personality changed, she is more confident ,very motivated and Enthusiastic, even improved her school 's grade! The experience delivered at Son Rise Ranch is very educational because it isn't all about riding , it is also mostly about horses!!! You learn how to take care of those beautiful creatures, you learn how to read a horse's mind and how to be safe around horses by using precious criteria that Miss Pam always teaches . She is very supportive and sweet , she encourages her students and help them to become more responsible They also do A nice variety of activities , from parades to campings, from award ceremonies to barn sleepovers ... my daughter never gets bored at the ranch, there is always something to learn and tons of things to do. It is so priceless to see her riding her favorite horse , it is so beautiful to see how much care and passion she put on everything she does at the ranch . I would highly recommend this ranch to everyone who is looking for a perfect , educational and professional experience in the equestrian world. read more

This is a great place for horseback riding lessons and horse summer camps. The horses there are amazing and properly used. If a horse is lame ( they are hurting ) they don't get a lot of work put on them or we just don't ride them at all for them to rest and recover. In my personal opinion this is a great place and everything is properly used. We don't ride with bits until people learn to ride horses with a halter, that way they don't put a lot pressure on the horses mouth and make them have a dead face. They teach you how to clean stalls and horse care. I've been going there for about a year and I'm not planning to be switching to another horseback riding place. And for horses it's fun at ride at will in lessons, means you can do anything you want but only if you know how to properly do it or have done it before. More energetic horses love cantering and doing patterns. Son Rise teaches you how to ride horses correctly and a lot of horse sciences and a lot of fun activities. 500% recommend I love this place read more

Pam is an amazing lady. She has done so much for my daughter and taught her so much. She teaches the kids not only how to ride, but also how to take care of the horses. She spends endless hours taking the kids on field trips, campouts, fairs, parades, and amazing summer camps. I would highly reccomend this amazing woman and her camp! Thank you Pam! As for emotional abuse, Pam suffers from an autoimmune disease. I highly doubt she would want to cause anyone any kind of pain beyond what she suffers. read more

Our daughter has been receiving lessons here for over a year now and our daughter absolutely loves going to the ranch for 3x p/wk lessons!

This is the worst place. These are not lessons the kids are receiving, but a glorified pony party. The kids are being taught incorrectly, and it's sad to watch. As someone that grew up riding horses, I found it to be a joke. I pulled my girls out within only a few lessons because I felt there was a lack of safety, and they were not learning a thing. If you want your child to truly be able to ride a horse than go somewhere else. I also completely agree with another review about how the kids are just there to do chores for the woman that runs this place. Save your money. read more

Wow, where to begin. First off, I should have been scared away pulling into the facility as it is filthy and run down. I signed up my child who had no experience so I was naive and thought the horses seemed to be ok but as I learned more I became aware of what poor condition they all were in. The lessons themselves are a joke as each child rides for maybe 15-20 minutes at the most during the entire 3 hours they are there weekly. To be honest, the children are giving free labor to the owner for the remaining time. After researching other stables I learned that even so called advanced riders at Son Rise are mere beginers elsewhere. Save yourself the time and money and avoid this place at all costs. read more

Awesome place for lessons! Cheap and very beneficial! The first review was a long time ago so don't let that change your mind

I don't typically post reviews like this however considering the circumstances I needed to speak up so no one else goes to this horrible place. For years I was emotionally and sometimes even physically abused by the riding instructor miss pam. Many people there including myself leave with horrible mental scars that leaves them in the need of psychological help from the amount of anxiety they gain. Not only does she yell at you for any and everything she also expects everyone to donate more money than they are already paying and time constantly. Not only this but she really doesn't teach you anything. Many kids are left to depend on their mentors who are kids who have road long enough to handle a horse on their own. Overall please don't let any of your children or yourself go here there are much better places with the same pricing or less that will treat you much better and actually teach you how to ride. read more