Get a new manager. She is a pathological liar, creates a toxic environment and has a horrible…read morereputation. I know the farm is being torn down in 2027 which will be a huge loss for the horse community as there are fewer and fewer good barns that are affordable any longer

My daughter and I have been boarding our gelding at Townline for 6 years now. The barn itself is in…read moreamazing shape, the grooms are amazing and love the horses and treat them with individualized care, and there is a tremendous community of people who equally love their horses and sharing a conversation or two! Whether I have had full service or just a few services, my gelding is still treated like he's the owners horse! The best tell for how wonderful it is, is that people who leave, no matter why, return! They say that there is no place like Townline. It's absolutely the truth. My daughter even feels like the barn manager is like a second mom. It's a family here, and not just for our horses!

As a long time equestrian and horse owner, I can honestly say it doesn't get much better than…read moreSapphire Riding Academy. Whether you are looking for a hunter/jumper training facility for your horse, or a place to take lessons to improve your skills, Sapphire has everything that will fulfill your needs and bring you to the top of your game. Doug Boyd has 40 plus years of equestrian experience and there is no better trainer around (in my opinion). He can teach as beautifully as he can ride. The horses used for lessons are hardly your "run of the mill school horses." There are horses for every level and can go from the schooling ring to the show ring with ease. Ashley March, the Assistant Trainer, is a skilled equestrian as well, and she is a patient and calm teacher. I highly recommend Sapphire Riding Academy for whatever your hunter/jumper ambitions are.

I have ridden at somerset for over 12 years now and it is like my home. I adore the trainers here…read moreand love everything they taught me from sitting on a horse for the first time, to jumping 3'3 at NHS and JHF. They have given me nothing but love inside and outside of the barn, coming to some of my events such as my middle school graduation and all my birthday dinners. I have never met such amazing people in my life. They always make sure I have a smile on my face even if my ride is the worst thing they have ever seen. Both me and my mare adore the facility and I personally love all of our lesson horses. They are all such a staple in my riding career. I love this place like no other!

I've ridden at Somerset for over five years, and let me tell you, it's an amazing stable…read more The instructors are knowledgeable , understanding, and great teachers as well as horsemen. They treat all of the horses and riders at Somerset with respect and kindness. Although all three instructors have different teaching styles and may disagree on each others methods from time to time, they are overall great teachers. Somerset is a family run business, owned by Sandy Walker, and her two daughters, Tiffany Walker and Tammy McConnell. One major focus that all three instructors focus on is posture and form. Unlike other nearby stables, the three instructors make sure you know how to do basic stuff correctly before you get to jump. Although this may be frustrating as a student at times, it's a very good way to go about teaching, as you get the basic moves concreted in your head before moving on to complicated stuff. The horses are not million dollar, Olympic winning horses. They are older, and cannot jump as high is you are a more experienced rider (probably about 3' is their max for the majority of lesson horses), but they are valuable and teach good lessons to both new riders and advanced riders. They all have their own quirks that make them unique, and all of them behave differently. No two horse is exactly the same, especially at Somerset. The stable itself is much smaller than other stables, especially within the arena. But the smaller arena teaches riders how to use all the given space possible. They also have a decent sized outdoor arena that they use during the summer, and decent sized pastures for the horses. The grooms are extremely nice and willing to help- especially the girl that the instructors have taken under their wing, Ava. The price of lessons is fair, and cheaper than other stables in the area. It's $40 per half hour lesson, but once you're advanced enough to be jumping with a group of kids, it usually takes anywhere between half an hour to an hour. The riders at Somerset are all welcoming and inviting, and always willing to lend a hand or a few minutes of their time for you. Somerset is an amazing barn to be at, whether you're completely new to riding, or a more advanced rider. Somerset is like a community with open arms.

Do NOT buy from this man. He has a very bad reputation in Wisconsin. He has sold many horses saying…read morethat they have papers but never provided them. He is a fraud. Please be ware of him.

Great family feeling, you can tell they care about you and their horses. I just had my first lesson…read morethere with Jennifer and will definitely be back.

I cannot recommend Freedom Woods, nor my instructor, Steven, highly enough!!…read more I had limited opportunities to ride over my lifetime, but at 51, a couple of months ago, I signed up for formal lessons under Steven's tutelage. He is an incredible instructor, who rightly places the horses's welfare and comfort level, and the rider's safety, above all else. He clearly factors in my (in) experience and age as well as the various horses' ages, temperaments, personal quirks, and any extreme seasonal weather, to make sure both myself and the horse are safe, comfortable, relaxed, and having fun - and every ride has demonstrated that, crystal clear. He will not hesitate to point out any mistakes I am making, especially when they may impact the horse's comfort level - which is exactly what should happen. He then gives very concise and clear explanation of the mistake, as well as what the correct approach should be, and often circles back later to make sure the correct approach was understood or to verbally let me know I properly understood and implemented it. The horses I have ridden so far are honestly perfect - I call one the Cadillac of horses haha - so any issues with my rides are entirely on me not communicating properly to my horse or following Steven's directions properly. I am old enough to muddle things up in my mind when I'm trying to think, ride, and listen all at once these days, but I can see he is factoring that in as well constantly, and he works piecemeal on specific aspects of riding so I get repetition and practice...and hopefully something sticks to the flypaper in my brain! I also feel like every single lesson offers the chance for improvements, however small - small not because of the stellar horses or teaching haha but because this student has so far to go and isn't the fastest learner!! Even so, it is awesome and empowering to feel I'm maybe a teeny tiny bit of a better rider in some way, every time I dismount after a lesson here. I tell Steven the same thing every week because it is my heartfelt truth - this is the best part of my week! What a joy!! I cannot recommend Freedom Woods highly enough!

Ive been riding every day since summer and have completely transformed not just as a person, but as…read morea rider. Everyone is so kind and welcoming. I was very anxious due to my high stakes tech job and this stable healed me. I volunteer in their hippotherapy program which has done wonders for the children that need it. Thank you to the family of Freedom Woods :)

This is a beautiful and well kept facility. My only complaint is not unique to this facility but is…read moredirected at the people responsible for competition format. There is no apparent schedule and thus you have no idea when your child (or in our case, your grandchild) will compete. Consequently we sat in the heat and humidity all day just waiting for her to be called to the ring.

A good quality hunter jumper barn if you are in the area! Hosts great quality horseshows and Anita…read moreis super helpful and friendly

CLOSED PERMANENTLY No longer is a business. Barn/area not open to public…read more Look elsewhere for a barn.

Friendly and professional...the trainers and working students are great with riders of all ages and…read moreskill levels. Both the lesson horses and boarded horses are well taken care of and are happy and healthy. I would recommend this riding stable to new riders who are looking to ride for either show or pleasure.

Walk On provides adaptive horseback riding to people with all kinds of disabilities, from very…read moreyoung kids to senior citizens. I cannot say enough positive things about Walk On, its staff, and volunteers. I wish I had found adaptive horseback riding sooner. I tried to when I was younger, but I couldn't find a place that would let me with my physical disability, even through my special recreation program. I heard horseback riding is beneficial for people with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities. I have chronic pain in my neck, shoulders, and back from sitting in my wheelchair for long periods of time. Riding definitely helps relieve my pain for several hours at a time. Mary Illing is Walk On's Program Director and President. Mary is a Licensed Occupational Therapist, PATH Certified Master Level Instructor, Certified Carriage Driving Instructor and Meredith Manor Horsemanship Certificate holder. She is very nice. She's a knowledgeable and involved instructor. Mary oversees all of the lessons and the initial evaluation, at least she did for me. You're in good hands with Mary. Mary will assess your ability to ride and your unique the level of assistance you need while riding. For me, I usually need three people assisting me; one person walking the horse and two people (one on either side) holding my thighs and/or leg. I feel totally secure and haven't fallen (knock on wood). I'm not the most graceful mounting the horse. They have a ramp so that you can take your wheelchair or mobility device and be high enough to mount the horse. I'm able to mount with two people assisting me walking on both sides of my waist; I swing one of my legs over and then sit down. They also have a lift that goes around the shoulders and picks you up if you can't do it manually. The dismount is easier. It involves me putting one arm around Mary while someone else is on the other side of me and then swinging my leg over and jumping off to a standing position. The following is an e-mail from Mary. It's from the spring of 2015, so keep in mind the prices may change. I'm sharing this just to give you an idea of the price: "Here are our fees. We require an OT evaluation which costs $150. We offer 1/2 hour semi-private (2 riders) at a cost of $35 per lesson. We offer 4 sessions winter spring summer and fall. Sessions are between 8-14 lessons depending on the session. You sign up for a session. If you sign up in the middle of a session then we prorate the session cost. There is an administration fee of $25 per session. Those are all the fees. We encourage you to come out and see the facility and meet us. There are extensive forms to fill out before we can start riding. I hope this helps. If you need more information please e-mail me or call 847-381-4231." You can do more than 30 minute sessions here: semi-private 45 minute sessions are $53 each and semi-private hour sessions are $60. If you do the math, the 45 minute session is the least cost effective, but only by a few cents per hour. The riding fee seems more affordable than the other adaptive horseback riding organizations in the area (https://www.rush.edu/health-wellness/autism-resource-center/child-adolescent-services/recreational-events-and-programs-0), although I can't speak to the other organization's evaluation fees. There was confusion on how to get the application form. Mary initially said I could come in to get the forms, but there wasn't any when I went in. They were able to e-mail me the forms. Risa is the Office Manager and is usually the person responding to e-mails. Their e-mail address is walkonfarm@comcast.net. There is a medical authorization form your doctor needs to sign. I enjoy the social component of horseback riding; getting to know the staff and volunteers, who put up with my uncontrollable laughter. My session is at the end of the day, so Mary sometimes lets me feed Taco, the horse I ride, snacks from a big bin from my lap. I enjoy this time with Taco as much as riding. Everything is wheelchair accessible. They have a big accessible restroom with low grab bars, probably for the children. They have a spacious parking lot with accessible spaces. My iPhone Maps doesn't recognize this address, but it can find N Hart Rd and W Cuba Rd, Barrington, IL. Walkonfarm.org says: "Walk On's mission is dedicated to providing equine assisted activities to people with physical, cognitive, social and emotional disabilities. Equine assisted activities provide motivational, educational and recreational benefits that enhance the quality of life through interaction with the horse. The goal of Walk On is to partner with the horses to inspire the participants to reach their highest potential. While riding a horse, students are given the opportunity to feel freedom and power through movement..." I realize that horseback riding isn't for everyone. I recommend checking it out if you are interested. It seems beneficial for people with all kinds of disabilities.

I don't understand why they don't help financially if you can't afford the entire fee for riding…read more My son has Down Syndrome and has rode since he was 3 yrs old in different states who always had open arms and a big heart! This place won't ever call me back because I have asked them to reduce what I would have to pay as always been done at his other stables as a non profit organization.