My partner and I recently took a private trail ride at the Coupland location and it was amazing. I want to preface this review by saying I had never been horseback riding before so I was sort of nervous about not knowing what to expect, but everyone we interacted with was super friendly and made me feel at ease. To set it up, I filled out a form on their website and then chatted with Kathy via email. She was very easy to communicate with and answered all my questions thoroughly. She was even accommodating to a last minute schedule change due to weather, which we appreciated! When it finally came to the day of our ride, we drove out to Coupland, which was about 40 mins away from where we were staying in Austin. Once we arrived, we had to drive down a long, rocky, dirt road for around half a mile. I wasn't aware that it would be that far down the dirt road, so I began to worry that we might be in the wrong place. So, I gave Kathy a call, and she assured me we just had to keep driving down the road. So, my advice for future visitors is to be prepared to drive down a rocky road until it ends, and then you're there! Once we did arrive, we met a handful of very friendly folks. They had us sign paperwork and borrow boots and helmets. Then they let us choose our horses and practice in a little corral before heading on the trail. Again, I want to reiterate how I had absolutely zero experience riding a horse and they did a great job of being patient and reassuring with us. Our guide, Bailey, then led us on a lovely ride around the farm, for a little over an hour. Bailey was so friendly and easy to talk with, and had great energy. She stopped to take photos of us several times which was great. Our horses pretty much just followed her horse and we didn't have to do much work at all in directing them. The property was beautiful and remote, and our ride was calm and serene. Just what we were looking for. Overall, our trail ride at Tri-Star was a fantastic experience and made for a really special way to celebrate my partner's 30th birthday. Thank you so much! read more

Tri-Star Farm - Trail ride at Tri-Star Coupland - Horseback Riding Near Me - Austin, Texas

Pay for boarding, many horses leave as Nina on the farm yells at family, contradicts herself, has a hand problem and moves your stuff out of rooms with out consent, I've never seen so much of my stuff broken and unsafe materials around horses. I have a sign up to leave my horses mask on due to her eye and Nina keeps taking it off creating eye infections for me to pay for and blaming me and almost lost my horses eye. The disrespect and lack of care and communication is horrible business. There's no accountability and to allow a narcissist like Nina to ruin a farm and hurt animals is insane. I wish this farm all the best - they need to keep the care of animals and communication #1 which has been a struggle for years & no change. read more

We took our Girl Scout troop here for an afternoon to earn a horsemanship badge. The girls had the very best time! We had 15 girls. They were so organized and planned everything, splitting them into 3 groups and rotating through stations. All of the people that worked there were lovely and very patient with our 2nd graders. They loved riding the horses, seeing all the animals and grooming the ponies. It was a very sweet afternoon! It would be a great place for a birthday party too! read more

Amber led the trail ride this morning for me and my husband. So enjoyable and everything went smoothly. Definitely recommend!

Tri-star is amazing! Great place and hardworking people. Can't wait to ride here! Kathy does an amazing job of selecting the right horses for each job, whether it's for the trail rides or for lessons. I happen to ride at the Spicewood location but the horses are ridden both places and it is great to see that the horses get a change of pace sometimes. read more

This is a review for a family trail ride. I booked a horseback ride for our family. Tri-Star's website states children 6+ can ride independently. Based on the this, we expected each adult and child to have their own horse. After paying full price, they had us double-up the children on the parents' laps. It made for an uncomfortable ride for everyone. I emailed the company expressing my disappointment of misstated expectations and pricing. I never heard back. read more

Had an amazing time. Bailey was our guide and she was wonderful. We booked for an hour but she let us go an extra 30minutes because we were enjoying the ride and views so much. We are out of staters and she was very helpful in making suggestions about places to see and eat at. If you're looking to go horseback riding we definitely recommend this place. read more

Low-key, fun place to ride. Kathy, the owner, is a walking encyclopedia on horses & their care.

Visiting from out of town and decided last minute to ride. Kathy and Mel were greats day helped us get an appointment same day!!! I had never ridden before and I felt very comfortable! The trails were beautiful, we saw blue bonnets and a creek! The horses were well behaved and easy to handle. Ladybug and I got along great!!! Thanks Tri-Star Farms! read more

Riding horses has been something I have always wanted to do & I hunted around for about a year for someplace to take lessons that would be a good fit for me until TriStar Farm popped up! They are new to their North Austin location but not new to the Austin area. The stables are a quick 13minutes from my house in Milwood! It is reasonably priced. I ride every week for an hour but am there for about two hours. I am often in classes with other adults as well as a child here or there & would highly recommend Kathy for both especially a child if you have one that wants to ride! As a pediatric nurse, I can say that her communication skills with children are excellent! If I owned a horse, I would also board at TriStar without hesitation as the animals are all very well taken care of. read more

My daughter and I went for a trail ride at the Coupland farm on July 11th of 2021. I had texted the prior week for booking and Kathy was very pleasant. The day of the ride we got to meet Karma, our guide, who was super courteous and answered any questions we asked. The horses were easy going as well, and we had an excellent ride. Would recommend to anyone wanting an easy, peaceful ride. read more

We had a great experience here! My husband, 8-year-old daughter, and I went riding with Stacey in mid-November at the Coupland location. From the moment we arrived, Stacey was very warm and friendly. The stable provided helmets. Stacey took us for a one-hour ride through the property. The trail didn't have a vast variety of terrains. This was fine for me, but my husband didn't find the trail very interesting. The horses were very calm and easy to manage. I would highly recommend this place to beginning riders. Stacey and the horses made our outing very pleasant! I would definitely come back here. read more

I am so excited to have found this place. I called all around trying to find my then 6 year old a place to take lessons. Not a lot of places want to do children's lessons, which surprised me. The place closest to my house was rude, rushed the call, made it like my questions were stupid and literally was twice as expensive as I was hoping. By the time I hung up I wouldn't have had her do free lessons there because I felt like she talked to me like I was a moron. Another trainer I got a hold of that doesn't do kid lessons gave me Kathy's number and highly recommended her. Kathy is super informative and really easy to talk to. I had a bunch of newbie questions and she has never made me feel dumb. The people that board their horses out there are all extremely helpful and even have done demos for my daughter. We've (yes I started lessons too hehehe) been taking lesson for about 6 months and feel so welcome and comfortable here. I notice people always saying sweet things about the other peoples horses and there isn't any of that nasty competition I was expecting. It's like a small little community of people who like horses, aren't afraid to get dirty and are down to earth. I'm so happy to have found Kathy and Tristar and can not wait to see where my daughters passion for horses goes. read more

Tri-Star Farm - Horseback Riding Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Our daughter really enjoyed the horse camp this summer. The owner is great and we're continuing private lessons.

Kathy is wonderful. My daughter just had her first lesson and she loves Tri Star Farm. I'm looking forward to bringing her every week. Kathy made my daughter feel welcome and comfortable immediately. Highly recommend. read more

My daughter just started taking lessons from Cathy here, and we are so happy! We tried several other lesson places in the area before coming to Cathy, and there is no comparison. The other places were a lot more expensive and the lessons themselves left a lot to be desired. Cathy is so in tune with what our daughter needs. She's teaching our daughter how to take care of the horses, as well as how to ride. She's so patient with our daughter and our daughter leaves each lesson feeling so happy, and so proud of herself. I really like how Cathy runs her lessons. She doesn't just put our daughter on a horse and tell her to go. She takes the time to show her how to properly mount and dismount, how to hold the reins, how to guide the horse, etc.... My daughter is quickly gaining confidence and falling in love with riding. This is one of the best experiences she's ever had. I would recommend Austin Tri-Star and Cathy as a teacher to anyone who wants to learn how to ride. read more

We had an awesome trail ride at Tristar Farms. My wife, son and I had a wonderful time - the guide was great as was the scenery. The horses too! read more

This place is excellent for trail rides, training, riding lessons and boarding. Kathy Ellerbeck and Austin Tri-Star have helped give my horse a happy, healthy life and have shown me how to be a better owner and rider. My horse gets excellent care, there's room to ride, the people are all supportive and helpful to each other, and Kathy is a fantastic trainer and instructor. The lesson and trail horses are happy and healthy, too. LOVE this barn. read more

Getting back in the saddle again- literally! I love Tri-Star and trainer Nicole. After an 11 year hiatus from riding, I started taking lessons a couple months ago with my 8 year old daughter. The facilities are great, the horses are well loved and taken care of and the people are welcoming. I personally owned two horses for 12 years and boarded at many stables around Texas and trained with several different folks- this place is top notch. It is a larger operation than I have every been associated with but it runs like a fine oiled machine. The location is perfect- conveniently located off 79, close to 130 toll. They also offer stunning trail rides along Brushy Creek- it is simply beautiful. I love the camaraderie among the riders, parents & trainers out here- it just feels like your home. Everyone is helpful, patient and encouraging. I highly recommend Tri-Star for every level of riding experience. read more

I highly recommend Tri-Star for boarding and lessons. Kathy and her team are super knowledgeable and friendly, and the horses are clearly well taken care of and well-loved! I started taking lessons with Nicole just recently and have learned more in a month than I learned in several months elsewhere. I drive 40 minutes to get there, and even though there are barns that are closer to my home, I wouldn't think of going anywhere else. read more

TriStar how about try else where I would honestly question any positive postings about this place. Has to be coming from owners themselves. Unprofessionally run, high turn over of staff, even they get tired of the bs! Training? Consist of being yelled at through a mega phone and watching her kid and then questions your abilities as a horse rider for her short comings. There is an old saying "those who can do, those who can't teach". Facility is falling apart, the fences are falling down, roofs leak, I question how often the bedding in the stalls are truly changed and how often the rubber mats are cleaned. read more

Great place to board your horse. Great turnout, owner very knowledgeable about caring for your horse, highly recommend Austin Tri-Star

I've dealt with Austin TriStar for several years as a student and as a boarder. All in all, Austin TriStar is a great working boarding & learning facility. All horses - owner's, boarders', students', and traveling visitors' - are well-cared-for and tended. The grounds are good, with nice pasturage and trail riding. I particularly enjoy Ms. Ellerbeck's flexible philosophy about the use of the grounds - different courses are been built, changed and rebuilt to meet riders' and horses' changing needs. I think that flexible philosophy is the result of what TriStar does very well: it trains riders and horses of all ages and skill levels. Ms. Ellerbeck teaches lifelong riding skills, building a foundation and developing and refining the rider's skills. The barn community strives to be as low-drama as possible, and to maintain a friendly, supportive attitude. read more

We drove up to Hutto to celebrate a birthday party here and the woman who did the party itself was fine. Nothing over the top but fine. My problem here was the toddler who I suppose lives at the barn? His father I think or the owner of the facility, I don't know what was clearly intoxicated. We put on smiles and made the most of it but I just can't believe that at a barn that has so many child activities there would be someone so clearly inebriated. I found it to be dangerous and absolutely outrageous. Outrageous. read more