Do not board your horse here…read more Poor pasture and forage. Hay is absolute shit, often riddled with weedy invasives that the horses won't touch--in some cases partially rotted bales are brought out to boarding horses. Pastures are flooded with buttercups in the spring, indicating acidic soil about which nothing has been done in at least two seasons. Fields are being taken over by prickly amaranth and other invasives. Run-in sheds are collapsing and in some cases dangerous. Post-Helene, fences stayed down--with wire all over the field--for well over a month. Overall conditions for horses are poor and less than safe. Poor fencing that is aged and badly in need of replacement. Very often horses are forced to be in standing water and mud. There's a reason field board is so cheap here relative to other farms with better accommodation. Farm is under resourced and the land owner is not a fair employer. Underpaid hands and poor working/living conditions. Do not board your horse here.

Mechum View Farm is a fabulous place to board and ride your horse…read more If you don't have a horse, you can join the rideshare program and use one of the wonderful horses on the farm. There are lots of trails to ride and beautiful open fields for troting and cantering.

Great experience! Mimi and Lilly were awesome. The horses and ride are amazing. The mountain…read moreviews were lovely. This is a must do!

My husband and I had such a great time doing the vineyard trail ride. It was an absolutely…read morebeautiful view and with such amazing horses. They all had their own goofy personality and it was all around just really enjoyable. Anna, the trail guide, was amazing, knowledgeable, and very kind.

Mark Gebhard of Brookhill Farm provided outstanding transport service for our horse. His truck and…read moretrailer are state-of-the-art, in excellent condition and extremely clean. Mark's very professional, friendly and calm demeaner made the move of our horse a real pleasure. On a 5 point rating scale, I have to give Mark a 10! Dr. Thomas Towberman

We had a lovely trail riding experience on horses at Brookhill farm. The owner and staff members…read morewere friendly, Knowledgeable and the property is beautiful. We had over an hour long trail ride through the countryside and it was a very peaceful experience for a reasonable price. I highly recommend visiting Brookhill Farm if you're in Charlottesville!

This hike was unbelievable. First, to get here, Google maps…read moresent me thru very rural towns. Similar to how I grew up a bit East of Charlottesville. That was 51 years ago. You can imagine. Beautiful landscape. Gorgeous farms at the foothills. I wished I was more of the passenger. I found my mark after a while. The Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve. Even the parking area was beautiful though I wish they left some tree coverage. It was so hot. Leaving my car here for 4 hours, even the window controls could burn you fingers. I started my trek at .041' elevation. Top peak was 2220' elevation. Let me tell you. It's strenuous. I hiked up Blackwells trail. Straight up. No kidding. I'd take a couple steps and rest. Steps. Rest. Dirt avalanche under my feet. Easy to slip. At the top of Little Flat Moutain Loop there a beautiful overlook. It's a small window of a view but just gorgeous. I didnt come for views anyway. I came to award myself with another *"been there; hiked that" heck my list on yelp for Been There Hiked That. Quite extensive. This is another feather in my hat. And what a great and fee free place to be one with nature! On the way down, it was just as strenuous. Prob took even more muscles to go down. Couldn't go fast, you'd slide right off the ledge or into rocks. Small steps..my hike ended. I was exhausted. Beautiful back country land here. Thanks Albemarle County Parks & Rec.

Set out to hike these trails on a beautiful day in March by recommendation of some locals &…read morethoroughly enjoyed the experience. There's several looping trails of various distances; all are open to hiking, biking, horseback & are dog friendly. We decided on the Crooked Tree Trail, descending down Little Flat Mountain Loop to the Blue Ledge Trail. Total distance was 2.76 miles with a peak elevation of 1834', moderate difficulty with stream views/crossing, several benches along the way & a picnic table. The only thing this route is lacking is a lookout point. Park is open year round from 7am until dark, offers ample paved parking, restroom & information post. Be sure to pick up a trail map, the trails are clearly marked along the way, but can get a bit confusing. Wasn't able to pick up cell service, so plan accordingly.

Five stars really for our guide, Cathy. Four stars for the overall experience. My friend booked a…read moreride for her birthday. She'd never ridden before and I only have sporadically (summer camp outings a million years ago, vacations etc) so we were kind of nervous. Our ride got off to a rough start, the horses did not want to be ridden that day and were kind of difficult to handle as novices. My friend had Hagrid and I had Gracie and both were kind of dead set on doing their own thing. We understood as they are animals with their own minds and personalities. However we were kind of spooked starting off the ride. Cathy did a great job at keeping us calm and guiding us. I will say the horses my friend and I were riding apparently do not do well in close proximity with each other, and that was a disappointment because the whole reason my friend booked was so that we could do the experience together. We actually had to keep a distance most of the time because Gracie did not like Hagrid at all and she definitely let it be known lol. I really appreciate Cathy and Indian Summer Guide Service being so accommodating with us. We were coming from about 2 hours away and hit some unexpected traffic so we ended up late. Cathy still ensured we had a great ride with great views!

We booked a bachelorette weekend tour with Indian summer and it was the BEST trail ride any of us…read morehad ever been on. Most of us are beginners but the bride is a more advanced rider and she had an absolute blast. The horses were beautiful, well-behaved and absolutely full of personality (shout out to Electra). The pace was excellent and everyone felt included throughout the entire ride. Both Ashton + Devon were incredibly nice, communicative, and super flexible with us asking for dozens of pictures. If you can request a ride with them, definitely do it!! The merrie mill trail was also beautiful and a nice mix of open fields, forest trails, and spectacular vistas. This was the highlight of our trip!

Lisa! Thank you SO much for a seamless and wonderful and homey experience! Our group absolutely had…read morea lovely time unforgettable. It was the first time for one, some their second time. I've never been horse riding at an open stable and this made me feel so alive and one with the horses the way I always wanted! Being able to get hugs, holds, pets, and a ride with the horses was truly life giving and I hope to come back with another group! If we lived closer one of the girls wanted to volunteer--that's just how much we felt great about your stable. Seeing the peacocks made me so happy and meeting a roaming turkey was quite fun. Hope to see y'all again this year. Folks...Go, enjoy!!!

What an unforgettable experience! We booked this horseback ride thinking it would just be a…read morebeautiful ride through nature, but it became one of the most special days of our lives. The horses were gentle, well cared for, and perfectly matched to Us. Our guide, Ella, was absolutely incredible. She made us feel comfortable from the moment we arrived and took excellent care of us throughout the entire experience. Along the trail, we stopped to watch several deer, which was such a peaceful and magical moment. Then came the biggest surprise--we arrived at a beautifully decorated table that had been set up for our engagement. It was absolutely perfect, and everything was arranged so thoughtfully. It couldn't have been a more romantic setting to propose. A huge thank you to Lisa and her Team for helping make our engagement so memorable. Her kindness, attention to detail, and genuine excitement for us made the day even more special. We'll cherish these memories forever and highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for an unforgettable adventure.

The trail ride was great, we rode through fields, through two creeks and woods, very nice trails,…read morethe horses were good, it was most enjoyable and well worth it. You don't need any experience as a rider.

Took our two kids on a lovely ride at Star B. Abby our trail guide was incredible, the horses were…read morehappy sillies and the setting and trails are world class. Best day trip we took on our corona "staycation". You get more time than they promise, you cross a good sized creek, you ascend alongside truly breathtaking ravines and get blasted by the beautiful Virginia scenery. We're definitely coming back.....

We have been twice now, each time we come to Virginia we will be using them for trail rides. Their…read morehorses are so well loved (spoiled in the best way) which leads me to feel so incredibly safe riding up and down hills on their horses. My two young children are also able to ride the solo without a worry. It's extremely easy to book and a great price for an hour and a half ride. The staff also are so easy going and fun to chat with along the trail. My kids always say this is the best part of visiting Virginia.

Leslie and our other sweet guide were amazing and the conversation was great - the scenery was…read moregorgeous and serene. The horses are well cared for and gentle. We can't wait to return in the spring !

Jeannette was our trail leader. My wife had never ridden a horse before, so it was surely going to…read morebe an adventure! Jeannette both exhibited and explained in short, precise detail on how to get on the horse properly, how to manage the horse while riding, and more. We had Schuyler and Scout, both very good horses. The ride took us through a couple of stream crossings, through lovely forest and meadow as well. It was very enjoyable. The horses seemed to be taken care of very well.

To celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband and I booked a trail ride. I appreciate that our…read moreguide gave us information on our horses first (as I am quite new to horseback riding) as well as only booked us for the appointment. It was a very intimate and beautiful highlight of our trip. We will be back!