It has sadly closed down However, my time there, I was treated like family. Taught to ride from the best of the best. And it left me with Amazing memories of great summers. read more

Clay Hill Stables - Horseback Riding Near Me - Hyattsville, Maryland

Clay Hill Stables Purchased Oct 10, 2014 1.One 60-minute beginner horseback-riding lesson Cant wait to use voucher read more

worse barn ever- went because of a groupon. It's dirty, the women has a horrible attitude and treats her customers with pure disdain. Most importantly, I was looking for an advance lesson ( I ride since over a decade, and compete successfully on the second level) She claimed her horses are all grand prix level, but really, the horses are old and tired school horses (who should already be retired) that have been misritten for so long, they do not even respond to the riders' aides any more. They only respond to her voice. read more

This review is several years old since I took riding here as a kid, but I'm genuinely making it so people will not send their kids here for lessons. I remember my experience well because it was absolutely horrifying. Most of the horses were old and badly cared for and because of that they were badly behaved. I kept getting put with a pony that would constantly bite me, as a beginning 11 year old I think I did everything I could to stop it, and I know horses bite sometimes. But I think the pony named "Starry" really just didn't want to be ridden anymore. I mean he bite hard, tried to stomp on my feet, and wouldn't respond to me at all. After four weeks I asked the instructor for a different horse and while I remember her being understanding and sympathetic, two weeks later things got much worse. The owner that everyone is complaining about was running the lesson and she met me in the tack room and called me a spoiled brat for not wanting to ride her 'best pony' and matched me up with him again. I think it was because I was so nervous that this horse was ten times worse than usual. I'm not blaming the pony, I'm blaming the owner for forcing a child to ride a horse she wasn't comfortable with. He bolted twice during the lesson, and tried to throw me. I was a tough kid but after that I was crying, I wanted to get off and go find my mom who was waiting down the hill. The owner, who didn't come over to help until I shouted for her, was so angry that I had yelled for help that she ignored my pending panic attack, and said work for word 'shut up, or I'll really give you something to cry about' I didn't tell my mom, frankly I was scared, but I wish I had. I did refuse to go back and just blamed it on being scared of the horse instead of the owner. She doesn't just have a horrible attitude she will abuse the kids she doesn't like. Don't send your kids here. I don't care how cheap it is. If you decide to risk it, do not wait out of sight like they tell you too. Don't leave your kids alone with her. read more

The only bad experience I had was making the reservations. There was a lot of confusion and mix-ups. I finally went and I was so nervous but the instructors there were so nice and reassuring. They made me feel comfortable. The horse I rode was called "Speedy" and that even intimidated me even more!! At one point I was gonna quit but the instructor said they will be there to help me and they did. I actually had a good experience and I'm glad I followed through. I paid for 2 lessons but I think I'm good with just one...lol read more

I have learned that detailed reviews save consumers from bad and unfair experiences. I wish I had read these reviews before I purchased groupon. For the first lesson, I was greeted by no one so I asked a young student who was passing by about where I should check in. She was around 10 years old, and was a student, but she was the one to run around to check me in, have me sign a waiver at a table outside, and show me a bathroom which was inside a house which was inside a house on the property yet very dirty and smelly. There was no office or even a sitting/waiting/check-in area. It was disorganized. This young, around 10-year-old student at the stable began the lesson by showing me the horse I will ride and showing me how to clean and groom. The stable and horses were in such a dirty condition and I sensed they were poorly cared for. After about 15 minutes in, an adult instructor began a lesson. I drove an hour again for the second lesson, but there was no one to start a class. I asked around to find an instructor and saw the owner just starting her class with two kids. I told her I was there for a class and she told me there is no class for me. The owner, unbelievably began complaining to me that her instructor didn't show up, which she found out only 15 minutes ago. The owner went on ranting her excuses, saying that she didn't even know there was a class at that time. I asked her name and told her that she was the person to email me the schedule in the first place. She unashamedly told me to come back next month for the lesson. Appalled at such unprofessionalism and lack of any sense of responsibility from the owner's attitude, and without any guarantee that similar event would not occur again, I asked for option for refund, but she angrily raised her voice at me saying that I'm not appreciative of her offer to give an extra lesson. At this point, it was clear and obvious that this owner was not capable of handling any business in a professional and sensical manner. She did not stop ranting for few minutes, complaining about how her morning went wrong, and when I told her she doesn't need to tell me all the details, she spitted the word "whatever" turned around and walked away. read more

I typically don't like leaving negative reviews but I felt compelled to because the horses at this stable looked like they were on death's door. It was actually a depressing experience. My horse was old and foaming at the mouth. I'm no expert and maybe I'm wrong but I hope that these animals are being well cared for. read more

I too bought some Groupon deals for this stable.......I drove out there with two eager girls and we all found the stable to be extremely dissappointing. It was unatractive and messy, no indoor arena, owner/manager/intructor was very unfriendly. Fortunately for us there was a communication breakdown between us and the owner and she had scheduled someone else for the lesson time. We were relieved as my girls did not want to take a lesson there. The website for the stable is very misleading. read more

My daughter and I were looking for a new riding stable and decided to try this one because we bought a Groupon. We had a very difficult time making our reservation. Since we had bought two lessons instead of one it was very hard for her to schedule two at one time. When we got to the farm it was very dirty and not takien care of the bathroom was scary. The owner went out of her way to be rude disrespectful and unfriendly. My daughter and I were each on the horse for five minutes or less out of an hour lesson. The owner walked away and left a little boy to walk the children around the ring for 15 minutes Of the lesson. As a seasoned rider I felt it was quite unsafe for her not to be there and leave a 16-year-old boy who was unfamiliar with the horses to watch young children. When my daughter and I finished my daughter turned to me and said she had no interest in coming back to take the second lesson she thought that the instructor was rude and unsafe. Neither one of us went back to take the second lesson as we were so dissatisfied. Would not recommend this barn in anyway. read more

My husband and I visited the stables this past weekend to redeem a Groupon. We were disappointed with the whole experience. The "instructor" was rude and condescending; the hour spent in her company was a test of our patience. The horses are old, tired and not very responsive. Don't be fooled by their website, this place is run down and unfriendly. read more

I made the first inquiry about reservation in August, and still haven't received a confirmation for reservation. The person who handles reservation has awful attitude and doesn't seem interested in communicate with customers. Wish I didn't purchased this groupon and now I cannot return it! read more

I can't believe this place is still open!! It has to be by FAR the worst riding stable in the state. I've ridden/boarded/taught at many stables in the DMV area, so I feel my opinion is worth something. I rode at Clayhill for a few months, and one experience that has always stuck out for me was when I was riding one of the horses, Robby, and he seemed to be overheating. I was his second or third rider in a row and so shortly after the lesson began I expressed my concern for him to the owner of the stable, who was also teaching my lesson at the time. She forced me to keep going. The second I put that poor baby back in his stall, he dropped to the ground. I ran to go tell the owner and she just nonchalantly said "he does that, he'll be fine." I was 17 at the time, and even I knew that Robby clearly had Cushing's or some other metabolic condition that was causing his coat to grow long without shedding, and still, he was worked as much, if not more, than the other horses and he was NEVER properly groomed (unless I was there!). he always had huge chunks of matted fur and his man was always tangled and in his eyes. I heard about 3 years later from some other ex-Clayhiller's that he eventually passed away. In addition to the mistreatment of the horses, the tack room smells of mould and mildew and some of the grooming supplies are literally deteriorating!! Oh and as a cherry on top, they force students to clean the stall of the horse they rode, as if we weren't already overpaying for the lessons. It's one thing to have students catch and groom their school horse, but as a former barn manager I would draw the line at REQUIRING young children and teens to actually muck the stalls. Speaking of the stalls, they were only 8'8', which was suitable for the ponies but way too cramped for the bigger horses. And many of the doors for the "old barn" stalls were hanging on the hinge or half-fixed an old lead rope. And speaking of ponies, most of them didn't even have their own stall. Instead they just live in the "pony field" which is like a small riding arena-sized dirt "field" packed with upwards of 15 ponies of all sizes. Overall, there's way too many animals (including a pig and like 5 fenced in jack russels) for the amount of space they have. I'm surprised Clayhill has not shut down yet. Everyone there is a REALLY good rider, but I suppose that's at the expense of the horses' health and happiness. It's so depressing to be there. Wish I could give 0 stars, but all I can do is pray for Mrs. Prettyman and those poor babies and leave this review. read more

The worst place you could get a groupon for is this. The emails I received were rude and to the point of obnoxious. Its like the person was not understanding english and would snap back in her emails. Then we drove a long way for the hope of having a nice lesson but once we got there we saw no office except for a table outside in the cold and nobody to greet us so waited until she finally came out and without a pleasant demeanor collected all groups and went back in. The horses old and scruffy and looked half dead and the place unkempt and small and dirty. They told the parents to stay away not even watch. My son told me for the most part the instructor was a 10 year old and spent a long time just brushing the horses and very little in the way of instructions. The helmet they give the kids looked dirty and unsanitary. No info was given regarding the class to the parents either before or after. We left thinking what a waste of money. We had a different groupon last time to a different place named Equestrian Center Redeemed in MD . They were very professional, clean and helpful with great lesson content and clean helmets and a caring attitude towards horses and the kids. I have complained about the poor value I received for my money. I believe this business should be investigated for their handling the horses to make sure they take proper care of these animals. We are definitely not going back. read more

I had a great time horse riding for the first time and would do it again but elsewhere. I too only went there for the Groupon deal. My friends and I had a difficult time scheduling for our lesson, mainly for many misleading information given all thru email with very poor customer service. Once there we saw the place was poorly taken care of and it was rather small in my opinion. Some horses did seem not to follow directions, but I thought that was normal horse behavior with a stranger on their backs. I have to admit the owner seemed very unfriendly with little patience and until I met her in person, I really couldn't stand her for the way she handled our reservation thru email. But later I couldn't help, but feel a bit sad as she works very hard to keep the place in order and she seems to have little help. I still wouldn't go back, but hope the reviews make a difference in improving customer service. read more