In all fairness to bel canto farms everybody should learn how to groom a horse excuse me spoiled children don't understand horses and what's involved read more

I came to Suzanne at Bel Canto as a beginner (I'd only had about 25 western style lessons but was seeking something more challenging like hunter/jumper). I'd taken lessons at half a dozen stables around Austin with mixed results...VERY MIXED results... the POINT is that after I found Bel Canto, I stopped looking elsewhere. THE FACILITY: There is a large, breezy barn with tack rooms, an office and a restroom. There's an outdoor horse bathing area, loads of shady outdoor horse pens, 3 large and well-maintained riding arenas with jumps etc, a circular lunge pen and acres of pasture where the horses get to run loose. There's even a short but beautiful trail around the front half of the property for a cool-down ride after your lessons. A good portion of my enjoyment of lessons there is just spending time on the farm away from town. I don't know where some of these other reviewers are used to riding... Buckingham Palace perhaps? But where I come from we DO fetch our own horses, groom them, saddle them, ride them, and then hose them down and put them up ourselves. It takes perhaps half an hour and it doesn't count as lesson time - it isn't like you're PAYING to do it (unlike another stable in town if you read my review on THEM). Also, it's a good bonding and learning experience. THE HORSES: Suzanne has a lot of different types and temperaments at her farm, and no matter what your own temperament and skill level, she's got a horse that is just what you need. When you demonstrate a level of skill that warrants moving on to a more sensitive or challenging horse, she will "graduate" you to another horse. I enjoy getting to know them all. THE INSTRUCTORS: I mostly take lessons from Suzanne. I've met a few of the other instructors, but can't speak to their skill aside from saying that if they are there for long, they must be good at what they do. Suzanne would oust anyone who couldn't do a good job. She wants the lessons to be fun AND informative, and she errs on the side of prudence, which is very important to me. I have always found her to be VERY safe, VERY knowledgeable, and VERY easy to be around. I would just like to mention, having read some of the negative reviews, that you take a risk every time you get on a horse - ANY horse, ANYWHERE. There is always, naturally, some danger in horseback riding. At Bel Canto, all of the possible safety precautions are taken. Only the steadiest, most easy-going veteran horses are used for beginners. But just a warning to idiots: a horse is a huge animal, not a theme park ride (I'm talking to you, herniated disc lady). Bel Canto is a great place to learn if you have half a brain. * To reviewer "Patrick": Don't blame the horse if you're weak in the legs. Girly man. read more

Bel Canto Farms - Banjo- my massive riding buddy - Horseback Riding Near Me - Wimberley, Texas

Did a two person trail ride through groupon and it was so great! everyone was so very nice! we had michelle and she was fantastic! taught us how to do a bunch of stuff and never thought our questions were silly. it was a dream to come here and i am so glad i found it! also their one dog gator is hilarious! definitely come and check them out and on the super plus side salt lick is only 15 min drive away! AWESOME! read more

Terrible service was treated horrible (by young male and female both instructors), property= disaster, obnoxious staff, unless you plan to buy $20,000 horse worth $2,000 dont visit not worth LONG drive to driftwood read more

I boarded my horse here after the owner told me she was building an arena soon and making the fences safer. After a few months no improvements were made and the truth cam out that the "arena" would just be a spot in the pasture with jumps and a few rocks and holes that my horse kept tripping on. My horse was also injured multiple times even after special instructions were given to prevent them. This place is a rip off. Nobody should pay $600 a month to board their horse at a place that doesn't even have a proper arena and fencing. The woman was also very pushy and short and does not know how to deal with people. If your going to travel to do a trail ride don't bother coming here it's only a few acres. Go to post oak farm in burnet, tx. I rode there when I was a kid and the trails are a couple hours long. read more

I have been taking lessons (hunter jumper/dressage foundation) from Suzanne at Bel Canto Farms for a year and a half and I love it! I rode as a kid when I lived in New York and when I moved to Austin a few years ago, I decided to take it up again. I tried out many stables in the area, but they were either over-the-top fancy and expensive, or just dangerous. Then the Austin tack shop recommended Suzanne at Bel Canto Farms. So I went and never looked back. The atmosphere at Bel Canto is professional with a stress on safety, but also friendly and relaxed. For other stables, this seems to be a difficult balance to strike. The lesson horses are all very well-trained and a pleasure to groom and ride. The barn is clean and spacious. There are several arenas and a colorful derby field for jumping. The large property is surrounded by trees and feels secluded and peaceful. Riding horses at Bel Canto (starting from scratch as an adult) has changed my life. Being connected to a beautiful animal and having no choice but to be present and in the moment has been intensely therapeutic, not to mention exhilarating. It's a challenging sport that I hope to enjoy for the rest of my days. I might not, however, feel this way without the help of a brilliant instructor. Apart from her lifetime of experience, which speaks for itself, Suzanne is a very intuitive teacher. She understands that people have different learning styles and cares enough to teach accordingly (she taught my boyfriend, too). She pushes me to do my best and is a stickler for correctness (I've come a long way because of this), but is also good-humored and laid-back. Again, a nice balance that is rare. It's clear that Suzanne is great with beginners and experienced riders alike. She'll find a good horse to match your personality and will tell you that in riding, one must strive for "mutual respect between horse and rider" (love that!). I used to think the quote "Horses lend us the wings we lack" was terribly cheesy... Actually, I still do, but now I know it's true! And Bel Canto is the perfect place to experience that feeling. read more

This ranch is a joke. They don't even have a groom and as a paying client you must go out in the field, fetch your horse, groom it, saddle it and then groom it after your lesson again!!! While grooming and getting the horse ready for my "lesson" the two employees were walking around grumbling the entire time about the working conditions (the owner "Suzanne" wasn't there). I have been riding for years and on my first lesson I was incorrectly instructed on how to hold the reins. One would think that an "experienced instructor" would at least know the basics. It really didn't matter, I was given a twenty year old horse, who was sweet, but not really interested in moving. I paid $175 for six lessons and Amazon local (where I bought them from) agreed with my assessment of this "deal" and refunded my entire purchase. read more

I've been riding at Bel Canto for the past year, and couldn't be happier. The location in Wimberley is beautiful, with a dressage arena, large riding arena, and beautiful jumping field. I take my lessons with Suzanne, and she is incredibly knowledgeable about riding and technique, and I feel like my riding improves each time. The horses are great, and it's a wonderful place to spend a Saturday afternoon around the barn. As an adult rider, I was a little nervous about getting back into the swing of things, but with Suzanne's instruction (and my horse's patience), I couldn't be happier. As riding barns and training facilities go, this is a great community that's as good as it gets. I always look forward to spending my weekend mornings at Bel Canto, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a top notch English riding facility in the beautiful hill country. read more

I have riden at many places in the Austin area and trained with several english trainers. This is by far the worst! If you enjoy being instructed by being yelled at, having the trainer being more concerned with how you hands look than if you are in the right body position to safely go over a jump than this is your place. I had not jumped in over 30 years and by shear luck was not injured because Suzanne was not the least bit concerned that my body was to far forward and my feet to far back to properly go over a jump. I would never train or board a horse with her. There is a reason she does so many Groupons...she cannot keep students. read more

I have been riding with Suzanne at Bel Canto Farms for almost a month. She has a really impressive way of being able to connect with where I am struggling, and reframe the action. This makes it easy for me to find ways to improve my riding skills. She is interested in forming strong riders from the basics up instead of just pushing forward without a strong foundation. This has been ride changing for me. I rode as a child and took 32 or so lessons last year at other stables (I am 25 now). I feel as though in the 3 lessons I have had with her so far I have grown more than all of last year. The best part about riding with Suzanne is that she is an English rider herself, so everything she is explaining comes from her own experiences rather than just an understanding of the riding style. I recommend her a hundred times over. read more

We bought some groupons for a trail ride here a while back. The owner(Suzanne?) was kind enough to lets us use them a little after they had expired., It's a beautiful drive out here, although we relied on my Yelp map app, which took us to the old location, even though the new address was listed. So be careful if you relying on that. It did cause us to arrive a little late. If you are a fan of cats (I am) see how many you can find walking through the barns/stables. Apparently they have no mice. All of the staff was friendly but our trail guide, Belinda was exceptional. We ended up talking to her about her Thoroughbred horse and race horses in general. It was like we got a free lesson in the horse racing industry along with our ride. We were so impressed with her , we asked what she was majoring in. She responded by telling us she was in high school. OK, our mouths dropped. You see, I have a teenage son at home. The trail ride is not real challenging, but I have only ridden western style before so that worked out OK. Lovely drive, lovely horses, lovely staff. We spend the whole ride home discussing why teenage girls are more mature then teenage boys. read more

If I talked to people the way the woman from this place talked to me, I would be fired from my job immediately. She cut me off and hung up on me mid sentence as I was thanking her for her time. I'm trying to cancel my groupon order, as I don't want to be around someone like this on my days off. Hopefully she's not as rude to other clients as she was to me. read more

Just had my first private lesson with Suzanne. Wonderful safe place for horse and rider! I started boarding my horse there 5 months ago due to extended travel schedule. I always find my horse happy, safe, and hanging out with his new horse friends. Have rode at many barns and Bel Canto is the first one that isn't just in it for the money. They really have a heart for horse and rider! Great training program too! read more

I was overly disappointed in the Groupon for 2 people to get horse back riding lessons. A lesson to me would entail the instructor teaching you about horsemanship. What you get is a lousy trail ride through their property. I'm so glad I didn't buy more of these Groupons because the trail ride was lame, especially when you drive all the way to Wimberley expecting to be taught out to ride. read more

i bought several groupons for my daughters to get a basic knowledge of riding and never finished using them. The booking process was very unprofessional, think of booking months in advance and feeling like it's a bother to deal with you. The fascility needs a lot of TLC, its rough. The few instructors(different every time)were capable, but many were volunteers teaching in exchange for boarding and there was no continuity from one to the next so they kept asking, did anyone teach you this? i paid for both of my daughters to have instruction but because they didn't have enough instructors, one had to wait while,the other had a lesson then they took turns with the same horse. I was willing to accept all the above but the proverbial straw was when we showed up for a lesson and our instructor chose a horse that was eating and balked at being pulled away from the hay bale and he turned around and bit my daughter on the arm, leaving a giant bruise. The instructor said he was tired and hungry and didn't want to be ridden. Well, i am no horsewoman but it seems to me another horse might have been a better choice? it's been many months ann my daughter is just now getting over her fear of being bitten and has decided to give riding another chance. I am sure there is a lot of riding skill and knowledge amongst the staff here, but good managers they are not. read more

This place is so dangerous!!! Suzanne does NOT have decent lesson horses! In fact, they will kill you!! I took a lunge line lesson and her "schoolmaster" took off with me, she could not get him under control and it was a disaster. I now have 3 herniated discs, a torn gluteal muscle, tendonitis and bursitis in my hip! After the ride she took me out in amongst the trees by a mare and the horse started snorting. I asked her what to do if he bolted again and she said, "bail"! You NEVER bail from a horse!!!!! I pushed him away from the mare. She paid no attention. Every person I have told this story to either had the same experience or knew someone else who did. She is a dangerous woman and should not be in business!! The place is a mess, too. I emailed her a told her. She blew me off and then argued with me about what happened. I had a friend WITH me who saw the whole miserable thing and she had the nerve to charge me! DON'T GO TO THIS PLACE!!!! read more