Alma is a great all around trainer whom my daughter loves very much. We've been coming here for lessons for the past year and have been happy with her progress. read more

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Very good trainers and horses, lots of kind people and lessons are amazing (Recommend trainer: Alma) read more

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Had a terrible experience today at Apple Creek Farms with a trainer by the name of Rod. He was rude, condescending, and inappropriate. He yelled at both another trainer and my family, when his horse got scared by my daughter passing by. He immediately jumped to conclusions and accused her of running, which she was not and then proceeded to yell at all the individuals in the barn. I am new to the stable as my 4 year old is taking lessons. Up until today we had a good experience, we love our trainer and the training ponies, however this type of behavior is unacceptable. There are ways to talk to people. Yelling and getting in peoples face is not the way. We all deserve respect. This may not be the family friendly training place I thought it would be. I hope the owner/manager of the stable addresses this issue with the trainer, so that others will not have a bad experience at this stable. read more

So disappointed by what's happened here. Strangles virus has broken out on the property and was improperly managed from the beginning. Veterinary care was not provided until multiple horses were sick, quarantining did not happen, and clients were not alerted to the situation until it was too late. The manager is not a horseman but the eventing trainer did not step in to rectify the situation -- it's primarily her horses that are sick due to improper handling and care. Go elsewhere if you're looking for training and staff that will consider the welfare of the animals over the cash that can be made (or spared by not calling vets.) read more

Barn is under new ownership and they're fantastic!! Any issues are corrected immediately. Several improvements to the property in a very short time. Hirses and riders are happy! read more

New management always creates drama and sour grapes. I am a relatively new boarder of three months and so far, so good. I have had none of experiences like those negative ones listed in earlier postings. Here is what my experience has been: A full time manager: helpful, pleasant, always there, listens to my comments and requests. Accounting and other staff always professional and friendly. Three full time workers: they keep my horse's stall clean with plentiful bedding, feed her accurately and in a timely fashion every day. The barn and stall are very, very clean. The workers are friendly, helpful and work so darn hard! I never see them rest. Resident trainers: are all willing to help me out when I need it, are very friendly and fun to hang around. There is always someone nearby to lend a hand, so I never feel like I'll get in a bind by myself. Other boarders: friendly, communicative and nice. (Do you see a trend here?) I've had interactions with many different people at all hours of the day and, generally, everyone is polite and considerate. Additional notes: this is a carefully maintained barn with employees who appear to genuinely care about the place overall. They have lots of fun events, like BBQ's, potlucks, cattle sorting, picnics and fun "play days" for horse and rider. (Have you ever seen a horse bob for apples???) There are plenty of Western and English riders. They host interesting clinics on various disciplines. The board rate is very reasonable and I have fun and feel safe. I have absolutely nothing to complain about! But don't just take my word for it - come and see for yourself. Giddy up! read more

Totally agree with Alexandra B. My daughter recently started horse riding lessons with a trainer who rents from Rod. I have had multiple negative experiences with Rod, who I believe is the owner. Thanks to him I will be moving onto another equestrian center and trainer. The one star is for Rod, not the trainer, for whom I would give 5 stars. read more

Nice people at this ranch~ Workers are nice & have good attitudes. Feed is good quality hay & alfalfa. Boarders are polite & helpful, I needed to add bedding to my stall and one of the girls that I hardly know was willing to loan me a bag of shavings. People in my barn help each other out on a daily basis by putting on or removing blankets & fly masks. read more

Apple Creek Farms - Typical stall in one of the barns - Horseback Riding Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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This place is awesome and our horses are fat and healthy there are 2 outdoor arenas and one indoor with wash racks and hot - cold water for bathing read more

While Apple Creek looks great, be careful, because its not. They have run out numerous managers in the last couple years, all actual horse people, only to change the manager to biker friends of Ron Simms. All of whom don't take care of their own horses. Nor do they know how to. You can't run a boarding/ equine facility like a motorcylce shop. The swearing, and intimidation, is no way to treat clients/boarders. They ran out of shavings for a week, alfalfa/hay a couple times, and the well repeatedly didn't work the year I boarded there( no water and nobody really cared if the horses had water or not.) Recently the water to the ranch was broke for weeks, while they all went to Sturgis. So the priority really is motorcycles not peoples horses. read more

Been leasing a horse at apple creek for a bit more than a year and everything is great. There is awesome trails to ride as well as covered and outdoor arenas. If you are looking for a trainer they have English and western trainers on site. I would recommend apple creek to anyone that is looking to board a horse. read more

While I do not board a horse here, both myself and my daughter take riding lessons so I am going to base my review on that. We are there every Saturday for 2-3 hours and find it to be very pleasant, and the horses seem to be well taken care of. All of the staff we've come across are very nice and helpful. We even went to the Christmas BBQ party, the food was fantastic!! We take lessons from Sarah Deane who is extremely knowledgeable about horses, as well as both English and Western riding styles. I really wanted to learn to jump and have very little experience riding. Sarah laid out a great lesson plan to start me on my way, and has me matched up with Johnny, who I believe it owned by the ranch owners. She's helping me with my flat work and equitation now. She's also teaching my 4 year old the basics and is EXCELLENT with her. My daughter can be very shy but she took to Sarah immediately and loves Squirt, Sarah's horse that she rides on. If we end up getting a horse, I would be very comfortable boarding there. read more

I have boarded at Apple Creek for three years now and am continually impressed with the quality they provide. Unlike many other ranches I have seen, when the owner of Apple Creek says he will do something, he does it. The follow through is very consistent and very very unusual in the horse world. During the time that I have been at Apple Creek, the improvements have been huge. Dirt roads have been paved, the barns have all been painted and power washed, and the stalls have been redone. Recently paddocks were redone so that even in the heavy rain, my horse has had a dry place to stand. Also, all of the arenas have been refinished, graded, and leveled with new sand. The drainage has been improved to the point where we have been able to ride when other places are mired in mud. The staff has learned how to groom before and after storms to maintain the best quality in the arenas possible. We have three outdoor arenas and one indoor. We have three working wash racks (one with hot water!), and two bathrooms (no outhouses here). Last year our staff cut about 5 miles of winding trails on the property behind the ranch so that we can trail ride on our own property. If you check out the website you can see pictures of the trails on the other side of the creek. We have bar-b-ques, parties, play days, and even have had cow sorting events. We should be offering more soon. The hay is plentiful and fresh. I don't see very many skinny horses here, and the stalls are deeply bedded with sweet smelling shavings. The ranch is clean, safe, and well run. The staff and boarders are friendly and represent a diverse set of equine interests. The western trainer, Rod Hernandez, is the consummate professional with years of experience and a top-notch reputation among other professionals. He has an eye for safety--both for the rider and for the horse. My own riding has improved immeasurably since I began training with him. I can do things with my horse that I never could before and am much more confident and secure. Apple Creek is a bargain. You get a lot of bang for your buck. It saddens me to see how bitter some people have become. Often it's time to move on to a new journey, but one should be very careful about slandering and defaming others in public. That is one of the huge downsides of the internet--what you say is blasted out to a huge audience and can never fully be retracted. For those who have moved on to other adventures, I wish you all well. For those who remain and for my new friends who have recently come to Apple Creek, I'm so happy to have you be a part of my perfectly wonderful horse world. I am completely happy here and more importantly, my horse is happy (he told me so!) read more

This facility is actually wonderful. Rod Hernandez is the best trainer anywhere and the other reviews clearly do not take into account his role on the ranch. My horses are well loved and cared for. In addition, Rod is wonderful with children and my daughter has thrived under his training. read more

Apple Creek is a great place to board. Management is great, stalls are clean, horses are taken care of daily and fed twice a day. My trainer Rod Hernandez has done a fabulous job....The employees that work there care about Apple Creek and the changes have been wonderful. Trails, fun day, sorting, BBQ with new things to come! We have wonderful friendly boarders and I love it there. Sometimes changes are good and I think the change here is better than ever...Anyone who would like a great place to board needs to check Apple Creek out....we have fun...and it is only going to get better there! over 7 years for me...in a few it will be 5 Stars.... read more

Julie R and Eddan K. This review is complete slander and neither of you know anything at all about management or who management is associated with. Daniel is not associated with any motorcycle club nor has he ever portrayed himself as such. The allegations made as to treatment of horses are 100% not true. Anyone interested in boarding at Applecreek just need to ask about the situation and we are willing to give the correct story read more

Very good quality for a reasonable price. All of the bad reviews are left over from the ex manager Lisa Robinson (who has subsequently destroyed and chased off everyone sane from Alta Vista.) Workers do their jobs and are paid and not treated like slaves, so the horses are always fed and cleaned and all maintenance is done. All horses are well fed and there is no argument about it. Stalls are always clean. The arenas are maintained and dragged. The trails are fabulous. For the most part there is no drama typical at many barns. People who love their horses and want them cared for board there, and they aren't there to gossip or attack. read more

All of the bad reviews are when Lisa Robinson was running it and ran it into the ground. She's now doing that at Alta Vista. Daniel is a good manager who runs this place like a business should be. The prices are reasonable and the quality is good. All horses are fed properly, the stall are always clean and bedded, there are always workers there who are happy and taking care of the place. The arenas are groomed and watered daily, and there are two big outdoor and one indoor. They have all of the equipment they need to get anything done, and if something happens, it is taken care of. It has very nice quality trails out the back that you can see the bay from. read more

The worst place I've ever boarded!! I've ridden horses for over 20 years and have ridden and boarded at many different places. Apple Creek is by far the worst I have EVER boarded at. The management is horrible and they couldn't care any less about horses. All that matters to them is money. The only way I'd board there is if I were in training with one of the trainers that could personally look after my horse. That aside, when boarding a horse there are three main things that are important, quality hay, clean water and adequate bedding. This place can't even deliver the bare essentials on a consistent. They run out of bedding frequently and in the summer there are issues with water. My horse was also not fed dinner on occasion and I felt like I had to keep a watch over the staff. There are a lot of options on Crow Canyon and Cull Canyon and any other place would be worth the money!! read more