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    The Natural Connection

    5.0 (1 review)

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    Recommended Reviews - The Natural Connection

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    4 years ago

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    Brentsville Stables - My daughter's riding lesson with the instructor at Brentsville Stables.

    Brentsville Stables

    5.0(6 reviews)
    33.2 mi

    My painfully shy 6 yo granddaughter has a history of disliking and then quitting any activities…read morewe've offered - swimming, soccer, gymnastics, etc. She absolutely blossomed during her first lesson, though! Marina was an engaging, energetic, and informative trainer and Teddy was the perfect first horse to ride. She's hooked!

    I'm a novice in this area so my review is based mostly on the horseback riding instruction they…read moreprovide. I had been searching for lessons for my child and stumbled across their site and ad on Craigslist. I was impressed with the instructor's credentials and work with kids so it seemed to be a good fit for my needs. Upon my first visit, she greeted me promptly at our lesson time. She introduced herself, pointed out the horses and pony and started instruction immediately. What I liked is that she began the lesson with getting my daughter familiar with the pony, safety, grooming, saddling, picking, etc. The instructor is patient and my daughter is very comfortable around her. It also helps that she's a military brat :). There are a lot of "brats" around these parts and I try to support these business owners when I can. Unlike many facilities, they are closer to areas in eastern Prince William County, a definite plus for those in Woodbridge/Dale City. It is a small stable with 4 horses and 1 pony on the premises from what I've seen. The horses appear healthy and well maintained. The barn is kept clean. I don't know how long my daughter will want to continue horseback riding lessons at her age but she appears to really enjoy them and her time at the stables.

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    Brentsville Stables - Instructor teaching safety and cleaning the horse.

    Instructor teaching safety and cleaning the horse.

    Brentsville Stables - Learning to pick hooves!

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    Learning to pick hooves!

    River's Bend Ranch - Getting to know our horses

    River's Bend Ranch

    5.0(25 reviews)
    33.7 mi

    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.

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    River's Bend Ranch - Getting ready to ride

    Getting ready to ride

    River's Bend Ranch - River bend

    River bend

    River's Bend Ranch - Stable

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    Stable

    Mountaintop Ranch

    Mountaintop Ranch

    4.3(3 reviews)
    36.7 mi

    The views were definitely epic, but they came with a couple of big hurdles…read more The first was that when I booked online there wasn't any way to put the ages of kids or expertise level of the people riding. It's fine, but they claim that you don't need any experience. When we showed up, our guide saw us waiting outside of the car and he told us to sign in. After filling the paperwork he came out and said he didn't know that there were kids riding on their own. (I had my 11 and 9 year old riding by themselves). He seems like a very nice guy, but the whole time he was complaining that he already dealt with kids that morning and the slow horses had been used so he didn't have slow horses for us to put the kids on. The second hurdle was that his horse was not listening, I think he might've been a young horse that wasn't as broken-in as his usual horse. He said his horse was hurt, so he couldn't use it and he had to ride a horse that was "nuts." There were horses that were in the back that he had swapped so I don't know why he couldn't switch his horse to different one. He kept having to smack him and pull the reins to try to get him to keep going on the trail because he wasn't listening. This wouldn't have been a huge issue, but he insisted in holding a lead to lead my daughter's horse since she was riding on her own. (he suggested my son go ride with my husband doubled up) His horse kept moving abruptly, and I felt like it was more of a safety issue for my daughter to be near his horse so I asked him to let go of the lead, and have her ride by herself without him pulling the horse. She seemed to do much better without him holding it because, thankfully, her horse (Diamond) was cooperative and chill. The whole time he seemed very frazzled and worried. Although it is understandable for him to want us to have a good experience with the horses and for everyone's safety, I think that him having a different horse and there being better communication when booking a riding session would've made for a much better experience. The whole time we pretty much felt like a nuisance, and I felt sorry for him. He suggested that we get a partial refund because our experience wasn't as great as it should've been since we didn't have the correct horses to have a smooth ride. When I communicated with the owner, they just said thank you for letting them know and they didn't offer any sort of compensation or refund. In future, if we were to do this experience again, it would probably have to be with a different guide, but I don't think that I would come back to this Ranch I would try somewhere else. On a positive note, the views were amazing, the horses that we had were pretty chill and kept trying to eat, but other than that they didn't cause trouble. They had helmets for us if we needed them and the guide was upset, but he was apologetic the whole time. The guide did a great job at posing the horses for our family picture.

    My wife and I stayed in one of the cabins here over the weekend. We had a fantastic experience to…read moresay the least. Our host, Jess, was extremely welcoming, helpful, friendly, and made sure our stay was top notch. She provided detailed information, maps, a guide, food recommendations that were spot on, and brought us pizza our first night that was delicious. Our second day, Justin gave us a guided hike through the mountain to a couple private waterfalls. He was very friendly and accommodating of personal limitations for the group. Later on we had a trail ride on horseback with Justin. He made sure to pair each rider with an appropriate horse based on their skill and experience level. The views were absolutely stunning, and the ranch definitely lives up to its name. We enjoyed every second of our stay and did not want to leave. I hope to return sooner rather than later.

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    Mountaintop Ranch
    Mountaintop Ranch
    Mountaintop Ranch

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    Castle Strasburg

    Castle Strasburg

    4.2(20 reviews)
    27.4 mi

    Seems like they're on Groupon all the time. Our horseback ride started about 1.5hours late. I…read morewasn't happy about this at all. Not simply because he was running late, but because the house (castle/waiting room/party room) was absolutely filthy. I was really taken aback by a business looking like this, even if it's a business that works w/ animals. When we got there, the owner and assistant were on a ride w/ another group. Then the group we were supposed to be riding with were an hour late, so we had to wait for them. It was just annoying, although Steven (owner) was friendly. When we walked into the empty house it looked like a construction space, a hen was walking around the inside and I even saw it poop IN THE KITCHEN! Things finally turned around when I hopped on Sherman (my white horse w/ black spots). He was a greedy little thing and ate up all the grass but he was a great horse. Steven immediately put ppl on the horses and taught us while we were riding. He was a straight to it teacher and I liked that. He definitely knows what he's doing when it comes to animals. He took a bunch of pictures and videos and sent them to everyone in the group. I'm thankful to have such awesome pictures that didn't cost us extra. I'm giving 4 stars despite the filth because Steven was friendly, welcoming, and I enjoyed the experience. Tip: -don't eat there if germs bug u -don't arrive early, there's no point -yes, you're in the right spot, even though it looks a little funky on the outside

    It's funny this guy is trying to say we never went when we did - I'd love to see what evidence he…read morehas considering during our entire time there he never once asked for our names or checked that we even had a reservation. He also never redeemed our Groupon. He has repeatedly messaged me and begged me to remove this review and has even reported it to Yelp to try to get it removed. Not only do I stand by my review but this Steven Strasburg owner has proved himself to not only be completely unprofessional but also desperate and dishonest. My advice: TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY for your business instead of accusing people of posting fake reviews or saying "it must've been another place". This is the ONLY time where an owner has not only not apologized but tried to say I'm posting for the wrong Castle Strasburg. How many Castle Strasburg horseriding places are there in Midland, VA? SHAME ON YOU!

    Photos
    Castle Strasburg
    Castle Strasburg
    Castle Strasburg

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    The Natural Connection - horsebackriding - Updated May 2026

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