Thank you Dominic for a wonderful ride! My husband and I did the private hour and a half ride in…read morejack London state park. We rode sunny and Annie, both horses were amazing and rescue horses. You can tell from the moment you arrive the horses are well taken care of and loved. For me, that is the most important thing I look for when trying to find a place to ride. We were lucky enough that we could trot our horses a little as we were the first ride out and no one was on the trail. You will be responsible for your own horse, and you are given clear direction on how to have an enjoyable ride before you leave the grounds. I felt very safe and comfortable out riding, and we will be repeat customers and can't wait to go riding again. Thank you!!!

Brought the family out to wine country for a long weekend to get away during the pandemic. We like…read moreto go horseback riding wherever we go and this place does not disappoint. At first I thought an hour and a half was not going to be enough time, but given the rigor of horseback riding up a steep incline with lots of switchbacks, it was perfect. Our guide was amazing, and the view was spectacular. The horses were very gentle and knew their way. Loved having two dogs along the trail with us, as well. I noticed that they are putting in a couple of tiny houses for people to stay on site. I intend to book one of those as soon as we can. Highly highly recommend.

Simonne was great with my first lesson. She was very positive, and gave great feedback. She…read morealways encourages me to push myself to improve. Her care and understanding in riding techniques shows in each of our riding sessions.

Awesome little place for a rural feel country horse ride place, and though we didn't avail of this,…read morethe boutique is super cute with Western west theme that's not gimmicky. They have shirts and tees, as well as jewelry aka brass/copper/silver/turquoise galore. Very quaint and prices to match! Warm and friendly customer service!

It was my wife's birthday and it was a special landmark birthday, so I told her to do something…read moreexciting that she would love to do and all of us are completely off the hook pleased with how wonderful this whole experience took place. Amber was our fabulous wrangler. We checked in at the office and they gave us instructions to drive down the highway to another location where the horses would be waiting for us at the trailhead. This is where we met up with Amber and her dogs and the horses. The horses names are Kiki (Ambers), Quinn ( my wife's horse), Traveler ( my daughter's horse, and I got old but dependable Walter the former draught horse. We found out after a while that no matter how tall you are how big you are they have a horse for you and you just call up and tell them what your needs are and then make sure that you get a horse that suited it to you. Let them know whether you're novice or an experienced rider. That makes a difference in the selection, but all the horses are sweet. I cannot tell you how incredible it is to ride through the dunes and pop out onto the beach, looking at those white sands and crashing waves. It was such a beautiful day to go out. I want to go back.

My son and niece had the best week last week at A-1 Horse Programs at Owen Ranch in Middletown…read more Helen, the ranch owner, and the instructor knew what each kid needed to be successful in their horsemanship journey, whether it was confidence, courage, encouragement, discipline, etc, she was there to provide what each kid needed to succeed. I was so impressed with her innate ability to understand the needs of the kids and provide what was needed at the moment to get the best results. It was really hot while we were there, like triple digits hot! The kids were hot and tired after each day, but they were still excited about camp and eager to go back each morning. Helen and her assistant Sam were good about keeping an eye on the kids and cooling them down frequently with a hose down, which the kids loved, lol. The kids also absolutely adored their horses. Both horses were very sweet and gentle. The kids loved rewarding their horses at the end of each day with an apple. From day one the kids were hands-on learning how to properly care for their horse and prepare it for a ride. On the very first day they learned how to securely tie it to a post when not being ridden and not in a pen, they learned how to harness and lead their horse out of the pen, they learned how to brush their horse before saddling, they learned how to bridle and saddle their horses. They learned how to walk their horses to warm them up before a ride, they learned how to properly hose a hot horse down to cool it down after a ride in hot temps. They did all that and still had some arena time so that they were also able to learn how to properly control their horse. Day 2 they did all their horse prep and care then had some arena time to strengthen riding skills and then they were off for a trail ride that was about an hour long. The rest of the week was about the same with the kids in the saddle a good 2 hours each day. On the 4th day they learned how to wash the horses and the last day was dedicated to a show the kids put on for the parents to show how well they had learned to direct their horses. On his first day my son was slouching in his saddle and saying he couldn't do a lot of what was asked of him. By mid-week his riding posture was greatly improved and Helen had him saying "I can, instead of I can't" She told him if he could control a 1000 lb horse at just 7 years old, he could do anything! I hope he remembers that forever! He was even excited to carry his horse's rather heavy saddle by himself by the end of the week because he knew he could do anything. Thank you Helen for the best week we had all summer, we will be back.

This place exceeded our expectations! Our non-equestrian family had an amazing time at the ranch…read more Helen was a patient, well versed trainer. She welcomed us to play with the goats while she saddled the horses. She matched us perfectly with the horses, from my 6'4" husband, my 60+ yr old mother, and my elementary age children. She was great with instruction and safety, and the trail ride, which included a walk through the running water was an hour perfectly spent. She even took photos that she shared with us at the end of the experience. Incredible customer service. Absolutely worth every penny!

If you are looking for patient, kind, steady sensible horse-training, this is the place. Monica…read moreVanoni is as wonderful as all the proceeding Vanoni horsetrainers that came before her. Her wonderful grandfather is still very much a presence in the horse training business, but Monica earns every dollar you pay here when starting new horses or tuning up your stale one. She rides your horse nearly every day and knows what she is doing. She is thorough and not trendy, and horses listen to her. She is good with owners too, not giving the impression that she thinks you are inexperienced or clumsy. You will love and respect her and so will your horse. As you can see, I wouldn't recommend any other trainer.

We had originally booked with Wendee on Airbnb, but had our event cancelled by Airbnb due to…read moreCovid-19. Wendee was sweet enough to reach out to us to ask if we still wanted to have our experience outside of Airbnb and we were so excited to take her up on the offer. We booked a Reiki meditation with Horses session ultimately :) After a beautiful hour drive up to Wendee's location from Santa Rosa, we were greeted by the wonderful Wendee herself. We were offered some wonderful mint tea w/sweetener as well as some fresh fruit to snack on while we opened our reiki meditation session. Following, we were able to down to the fields and join her beautiful three horses and use our reiki meditation to invite animals into our space and use that time to bond with them, as they were willing to. We learned about each horse and what made them special. I ultimately felt like I had a connection with Brioso and I was happy to see that he felt that way with me too :) We were also able to bathe Arturo and Brioso and had some special appearances from Wendee's cats who were super friendly and allowed us in their space with lots of purring. Ultimately, my guests and I had an absolute blast. Wendee was a terrific host with three beautiful horses that allowed us to practice and learn reiki meditation in a very helpful way. Could not recommend this experience enough. If you are in the Sonoma or Napa area, this is a beautiful experience that you shouldn't miss out on. Definitely bring a hat and sunscreen if the weather is hot, Wendee's place is beautiful but the sun has no mercy and you'll need the protection. She does provided plenty of hydration for the heat though. See my pictures below to see how happy I was with this meditation

Words can't express how highly I recommend Wendee & Friends! As a lifelong animal lover her Reiki…read moreprogram really spoke to me. We spent the weekend walking through the practice and connecting with her horses, cats and sweet dog Ruthie. I walked away with a new set of skills, a daily meditation practice and an improved outlook on life. On top of that, her property is absolutely stunning and takes you out of the hustle and bustle of touristy highway 29 for a breath of fresh mountain air. Whether you're looking for a new way to connect with animals, a respite from your hectic day-to-day or a unique experience during a trip to the valley, I would definitely recommend a visit.

Highly recommended. I booked the "Wohler Bridge Tour" as an outing for my wife and my anniversary…read more Sadly I failed to read the instructions and went to Rubicon's offices instead of the Wohler bridge launch site (oops!) which meant once I got back into cell phone range and figured out my mistake, we were an hour late to our scheduled time. Bill was waiting patiently and was incredibly gracious. He took my wife and I out for a 2 1/2 hour SUP tour of the Russian River, providing tips and guidance along the way. I'm thankful that I came across Rubicon as I now feel that I have both a strong comfort with paddle boarding and better a sense of the Russian River and where we might go paddle boarding in the future. Bill has a great wealth of knowledge and we appreciated his casual style. It's worth noting that Rubicon's rates are incredibly low, particularly given the personalized attention you get on these tours. Looking forward to coming back.

Learned a lot and had a great time. it was good time and would even do it again. the river was…read morebeautiful, great location, an excellent experience.

My long stay with Ali and her animals was extremely healing and rewarding. She was so helpful as a…read morespiritual advisor and life coach. I left feeling renewed and had a greater sense of self and my place in the universe. Ali is the the Real Deal! Her country side property is on 2 acres and is the perfect place to connect with nature. Serenity is the word that comes to mind when I look back on my stay. Spending time with the animals was great for my soul. Her 2 pups actually ran up to me as soon as I arrived and they made me feel welcome and warmed my heart. The exotics in her barn and home have so much personality! It was fun to observe them and just let them be themselves. All humans can learn from animals! I look forward to my next visit for when I need a few days to catch my breath and ground myself again. Can't say enough great things about Ali and her animal family!