Yay I get to be first to review Paxton LLC, specifically Dana Robinson. My girls have taken…read morelessons from Dana for the past few months. Since we have some experience getting lessons and seeing different barns in the bay area we have some perspective. In short, Dana is first-rate. If you take lessons through Paxton LLC you will have that wonderful combination of a great trainer, great horses, and a great barn. Its really tough to get that combination here and for us it is worth the drive out to Livermore.

From the owner: Paxton LLC is a boutique hunter, jumper and equitation horse sales/training business offered at…read moreCaldecott Stables in Briones, CA. We provide top tier training and sales for the the serious rider with ambitious competition goals. The horse sales portion of the training business focuses on quality equine athletes paired appropriately for each rider/horse combination. The farm offers top of the line footing in both the large covered arena and outdoor arena. Every stall includes a large stall plus an outdoor paddock, automatic waterers, great turnouts, hotwalker, daily cleaning and both full or partial service is available.

The one thing that needs to be said: you KNOW your horse is being taken care of even if you can't…read moremake it out there! Been there 15 years...

Update at the end of 2024: Cindy has been super busy with…read moreall kinds of projects around the barn. She's upgraded both of the arenas at the far end of the property and they are GREAT! She put mulch down on the bridle paths and it feels like you are walking through a springy forest. Really nice. The place is hopping every day with happy horses and nice people. I feel very lucky we found this barn.

Jessica is one of the best trainers I have ever had. She is not only willing to train you, but also…read moreget on the horse and get it going correctly so that you can feel how the horse is supposed to feel. Her ability to explain and demonstrate complex dressage concepts I am able to grow much faster in the sport than in previously times. Thanks Jessica!

Jessica is an amazing English riding instructor. Flexible, personable, communicative-- and also has…read morethe chops to bring your child to the next level of riding. I've seen her excel with beginners through experienced horsewomen (and men.) Compared to other barns, Rancho del Lago is relaxed and welcoming - just what we were looking for. Jessica has spring and summer camps for kids just getting into riding, too -- check them out for an awesome intro into your eventual horse addiction!

Good water for horses. Fairly flat and well drained pastures & small arena to ride in. New owners…read morehave planted a lot of trees

I boarded a horse here and I can tell you from experience, You and your horse will be happy here…read more The owner gives special attention to each horse. The horse will be safe and cared for with pride. The price is excellent (includes twice a day feeding ) and the grounds are beautiful. Wonderful views of the hills and rolling grass. The barn and facilities are well kept and very clean! The interactions with owners and boarders are excellent, creating friendships and an outstanding experience.

I was only at Sunny Hill for about two months because I am moving to San Diego, but it would be…read moredifficult to imagine a better place to board during my layover. The large jumping arena, the small covered dressage court and the full sized mirrored dressage court and lunging arena are groomed and watered every day, sometimes twice a day. They have an aggressive fly prevention system and haul off all manure. There are hardly any flies and you don't leave the barn covered in dust, which is rare on the west coast. When I was at Sunny Hill, most barns on their road had between 7-10 cases of pigeon fever, Sunny Hill had none. Jennifer the owner, goes above and beyond in horse care. They will even feed your horse out of a slow feeding hay bag so he can eat at a more natural rate throughout the day. Top quality care, pristine boutique facility, oh and did I mention you can ride a short distance to Mt. Diablo trails? Not bad..

I boarded here for a few years. Right next to the trails, which is wonderful. The only reason I…read moreleft was because my horse only got out of his stall when I took him out. I moved him to a facility where the horses are put into herds and put out together everyday except Sundays. Although I don't have direct access to the trails, my horse is a lot happier. If I have to move again, for whatever reason. I would probably go back to Briones Horse Center.

The arena is huge with perfect footing, and the horses are clearly happy and eat very well. The…read moreenvironment is peaceful for both horse and rider. Highly recommend!

We signed our boys up for riding lessons about 6 - 8 months ago…read more I wasn't sure how things were going to go (meaning if my boys were going to be in it for the long haul or get 'tired' after the shine wore off of a new adventure). Kimmie and the other folks at the stables are extremely helpful - answered all my questions - we were invited to book a day (for our family) to "try it out" and get a feel for the lessons, the facilities, the people. It was really awesome and gave us all a very good idea of what to expect and what was expected of us as learners. Fast forward - my kid is getting ready to go to his lesson today. He is so excited! His confidence has improved. He has a deep desire to really learn and further his horsemanship abilities. He shares what he has learned, what he was able to do (after lots of practice), and how that made him feel really great! If you are looking for a stable whose owner has impeccable integrity, a desire to really work with people and horses (together). Look no further.

Yeah, don't go here…read more Your instructions will be teenagers (not even 18-19, like 16-17 year olds). You can pay less than $100 for 3 hours... but about 45 minuted of that is riding. The other ~2 hours? Free manual labour. You pay to turn out and lunge other peoples horses for 2+ hours. The teenagers teach, train, and do barn chores and care for all the horses. Honestly if these lessons were discounted it would be better, but they're $100+ for lessons. For the teenage instructors. It is honestly ridiculous. These horses aren't abused, this is a pretty ethical riding facility other than the kids continuously instructing other kids and getting paid to do manual labour. Turnout and pasture during summer. The stalls can get pretty filthy and according to my daughter, the only "scheduled" cleaning of stalls was the 2 hours of labour the teenagers did. Again, she was only there on Saturdays, so she didn't see everything. I would NOT take training or lessons here.