We had the most wonderful birthday party experience here back in February. I have been meaning to leave a review for months! Having a Feb bday doesn't leave us with a lot of fun birthday party locations so we're always looking for something different. The kids absolutely loved this experience. Learning all about different animals and reptiles. The party room was the perfect size for a kid's party. They provided tables, chairs, and tablecloths which was super helpful. The staff is kind and knowledgeable. We got really lucky with having weather nice enough to be outside to see the outdoor farm. They actually said as long as the weather is not unsafe, they continue to provide that part of the party year long. You definitely don't want to miss that part. I'm not sure who enjoyed this party more, the kids or the adults. Thank you Double J Riding! read more

We enrolled our 9-year-old in the 4-day JJ Horsecamp for $375 after doing extensive research. We drove more than 30 minutes each way because the camp description sounded exactly like what she was looking for. While we understood that activities were "subject to change," we expected an experience that closely reflected what was advertised. Our daughter was by far the oldest child in her group, and I wish there had been more age-appropriate grouping or activities. She came home each day underwhelmed, which was especially disappointing because she had been counting down the days until camp. The biggest issue was that many of the advertised activities felt much more basic than they appeared. There was far less hands-on interaction with the animals than we expected. Instead of an immersive farm or horse experience, it often felt more like observing, listening, or completing simple crafts. For example, "making parakeet sticks" meant feeding the birds with sticks that were already prepared, and "making a goat piñata" consisted of stuffing a pre-made paper-mâché piñata. She also told us that "learning to milk a cow" involved squeezing a rubber glove attached to a wooden calf with blue-colored liquid inside. While these activities may be enjoyable for younger children, they felt geared toward a much younger age group than our 9-year-old. One thing I did appreciate was the check-in and check-out process. The staff had a clear system that made drop-off and pick-up feel organized and secure. My biggest suggestion would be to make the advertising more representative of what campers actually do. A day-by-day sample itinerary or more photos and videos of children participating in the actual activities would help parents make an informed decision. We chose this camp over others because of the detailed activity descriptions, and the reality simply didn't match the expectations they created. read more

My experience as a first time customer at this Double J stables was very unpleasant. I didn't know it was mandatory to wear boots while riding. I never received an email stating equipment needed and I was never told I must bring boots. The stable manager who goes by the name of CC was condescending, dismissive, hypersensitive and seriously lacks customer service skills. She did not make me feel welcome. I took time out of my busy schedule for my lesson and drove all the way from Chicago that day and she didn't care. She refused to do anything to lessen the blow of me waisting time, gas, & money. If offered some type of compensation like one free introductory ride, half price upon your return, or SOMETHING to show understanding, I would have happily rescheduled to come back another day with boots. However, I chose to leave due to her behavior and unaccommodating nature. If you want a stable that appreciates your patronage, and cares about you the customer, go somewhere else. There are plenty of other stables that will welcome you and treat you like a valued customer. read more

If you want your child to have a unique and magical experience, look no further! Someone could seriously write a children's book about this special place. It's wonderful. :) The first program my daughter attended was their Animal Adventure summer camp. She loved it so much we decided to enroll her in Farmhand 101, which is a class she has been attending once a week. In this class they get to do age appropriate farm chores and get to know all the animals. There are a myriad different animals to befriend! (My personal favorite being Cindy the turkey!) They all have fun names and you can tell they are very loved and well cared for. The instructors are very knowledgeable and kind. They all have lots of experience working with animals and share a lot of great information with their students. There's a wide variety of classes, many on weekdays being for homeschooled kids, which I really appreciate! I could go on and on about how great this place is, but you'll just have to go see it for yourself! read more

Oh my goodness, this summer will mark the third year my daughters will be attending their programs including their summer camp. We absolutely love it here. read more

We did the tiny rider lessons. This is a cute experience and a fun way to introduce young children to horse riding. We did trotting and a lot of maneuvering. Some things to improve on: I wish they had told me before hand to bring boots as my gym shoes weren't allowed. I was able to wear an oversized pair of cowboy boots they have in a filing cabinet. Tammy our instructor was helpful and easy to work with. Heather on the other hand needs some better customer service training. Many times she was gruff, sarcastic and down right rude. She also forgot to spray my horse for flies and my horse was not a happy camper during my ride. read more

I just had an awesome afternoon here at Double J for my daughter's birthday. What an amazing time. The parents that stayed throughout the party were impressed and happy that their kids were having such a great time. A few things: 1. - Party room is in the big blue house above the hill, don't go down the steep narrow road to the stables 2. - My party was tough, the day started out nice and then it started snowing pretty bad so some parents weren't prepared shoe wise. You walk down to the stables so if you have your party in the winter, be prepared with snow boots, no way will you make it up or down to the stable without sliding. Everything was so organized. They started out with a big group craft and then split them up between three groups, one groups riding the horses, one group making cookies for the horses and then one group grooming the horses and they rotated. Staff was amazing and friendly. I would definitely recommend having a birthday party here anytime of the year. Thank you to all the staff for making my daughter's birthday so memorable. read more

Our Girl Scout Troop from Lombard had our end of year celebration here today and despite the steamy 90 + degrees, all our girls and the Moms had a great time! My positive experience started when my navigation was slightly off and I called to get directions. The owner, I presume, answered from vacation but still spent time on the phone with me ensuring I made it to the facility. Definitely good customer service! The facility is small but appears to be well managed and maintained. Staff is pleasant and helpful. Pricing was very fair for the number of guests. I felt the girls received a good education about the horses and plenty of interaction. We ll definitely be back for lessons! read more

Double J Riding Club - Horseback Riding Near Me - Countryside, Illinois

Working at Double J is amazing. I feel as though I've made a new family here. Although I've only worked here for 4 months, I have gotten so much experience with animals (and children). I applied originally because I wanted a summer job that was fun and outdoors. What attracted me here was my sister, who told me to apply. Her son used to share board a horse here and this was basically their second home. And now, I feel like it is a second home for me as well. I work as a camp counselor for animal adventure camp and occasionally horse camp, and it is a lot of fun. I have some experience with kids because I have 3 nieces and 1 nephew, and I believe I am a kid at heart. As I've been here all summer, these kids have so much fun interacting with the animals, making friends with other campers, creating crafts, learning about the animals, and being on the farm. Personally, I recommend taking a trip to Double J whether it be for a week long camp or just for a day. It's not only fun and interesting, but also therapeutic being able to pet the animals and the animals appreciate the love as well! read more

Double J Riding Club - Sparky the Horse - Horseback Riding Near Me - Countryside, Illinois

In my opinion, Double J is the best riding barn in the area. The owner and trainers are all so pleasant and genuinely care about their riders. The riders and barn have become my family over the last 4 years. Double J took me from a timid rider to a confident rider who was winning ribbons at hunter, jumper & eventing shows. I was lucky enough to shareboard a wonderful horse and we grew together as a team thanks to my amazing trainer! I couldn't imagine my life without DJRC. Double J offers summer, winter, and holiday camps that are listed on their website- A blast for all ages read more

Double J Riding Club - View of Double J from top of of the hill - Horseback Riding Near Me - Countryside, Illinois

Double J is an exceptional place for kid's parties, camps, and horse riding lessons. The grounds and facilities are well managed and beautifully maintained and the staff very friendly and helpful. Heads up, Double J does not offer trail riding. read more

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Was there this past Saturday for the farm day classs, and the instructor was wonderful! She was patient and informative, my parents joined, and she took the time to explain the programs, animals and her personal experience with the facility. We have not had a bad experience here, highly recommend. read more

Rating it a one star until the class is actually taken . Just want to offer my experience with them so far . I had booked a tiny rider class for my god son who loves horses . Mom got the times mixed up and showed at a different time . The employee told her to email them for the class to be rescheduled she made it seem as if it could be . Mom then emailed them To see if the class could be rescheduled I understand it was moms fault for mixing the times up . Yet as a FIRST time customer maybe an exception could of been made . Unfortunately they flat out said no . I will be rebooking the class as I promised my godson and has been eagerly waiting to be able to ride on the horsey horse as he calls them , and writing up a follow up rating but as of now due to customer service I'm rating it a 1 star . read more

I can't believe what a gem this place is! The owner is super nice and clearly takes pride in her business and takes excellent care of the animals! The two trainers I worked with were excellent and extremely knowledgeable. The horses are healthy and happy and their tack and equipment is well cared for. I have also taken lessons during their kids horse camps and would totally recommend them for any child! They teach the kids all about horse care and good horsemanship as well as how to ride in a very fun and safe environment! read more

We hosted our daughter's 6th birthday at Double J Riding Club, and it was such an outstanding experience! The two party hosts (for 6 kids total) were so friendly and entertaining, keeping all the girls' attention. We moved from lunch, to cowboy hat decorating, horse cookie making, brief horse 'lesson', then grooming, tacking, and riding - for a total of 3 hours. Price is reasonable for such an exceptional party. Thanks to Haley and the staff at Double J for a great day - I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a kids horse riding birthday party! read more

I could never fully explain the sheer JOY this place brings my son. He's 3 & we did the Jr Farmers Camp & WOWWWWWA! The camp runs Labor Day to Memorial Day & is 2-3 days a week, 3 hrs a day. First, the farm. Upon entering you'll feel like you've happened upon a fairytale from a Disney storybook. Horses peeking their heads out of their stalls to say hello, Molly the cow munching on her morning feed, pigs, goats, geese, chickens, turtles, you name it, all happily grazing in clean pens. Staff is happy, warm & welcoming. Wonderful with children & extremely knowledgeable, educating the kids on the science of animals & agriculture. Each week is a new subject & every morning starts with a book on said subject. Then an art craft, a science project, and homemade snacks are baked for a different animal. They go out to the farm & feed the animals their homemade treat & visit with each delighted creature. Every day is ended with what is my son's favorite part of the week, a horse ride. He's only 3, but the skills he acquired in one week alone was shocking. I have no experience with horses, but his passion for them led me to signing him up for the camp & I know we will spend many years of his childhood here riding. This place is a GEM. If you have passionate riders, or city kids that need to get in touch with nature, THIS is the place! They offer Awesome camps all summer long for kids 4+. Experienced & new, young & old, they have something for everyone! read more

Double J Riding Club - Horseback Riding Near Me - Countryside, Illinois

Great great barn! Horses are welled cared for and the trainers care for there students. This is a drama free barn, where no drama is excepted! They offer lots of clinics and even have a Xc field!! I definitely recommend this barn!! read more

This stable isn't fancy, but the first thing I noticed about Double J was the very quaint (modest, but pretty and natural) setting, and the second thing I noticed was that the horses looked happy. It was like driving into a Disney movie where a friendly "black beauty" pops his head out of his stall door to say hi as your car rolls past! And that horse greeted my car pretty much the same way every visit thereafter :) The horses are treated well - have a beautiful pasture to enjoy during turn out. And the overall vibe of the stable is family, casual, wholesome, safe for girls. Be prepared to get dirty, grooming is part of the lesson, and the stable is dusty. They have a large selection of helmets to borrow (free) during the lesson. Western or English. Group or private. Quality horses. Several thoroughbreds, which are my personal fav. Horses for beginners and advanced riders. TIP: if you have horse treats in your purse, don't leave it anywhere near an occupied stall. Also, the saying "every horse has something to teach you" is true. Every horse presents a little different challenge read more

This place is amazing - a very relaxed atmosphere & the most friendly staff. Cindy made it really easy to sign up & answered all of my questions. Sarah greeted us right away & allowed our 9 year old daughter to help tack her horse. She was very calm & patient. Dana taught a great lesson & helped our kiddo learn new skills quickly. I highly recommend Double J - they even have really happy horses! read more

We celebrated our daughter's 4th birthday today at Double J. I booked the party back in February. Since my daughter's birthday is over the Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to have the party earlier in May since a lot of people are busy over the holiday weekend. I wanted to make sure all of my daughter's friends would be able to attend. I communicated with Haley Johnson via email and she was very helpful in helping me find a date that worked the best for us. We chose the Down on the Farm pony party from 3-5 pm. The two hour party included making treats for the ponies, petting and brushing the horses, feeding the goats, pony rides and 30 minutes in the party room. My daughter loved the party. The kids had so much fun. The parents were also impressed with Double J. It took longer than 30 minutes for the guests to socialize and have the sandwiches and cake that we brought. The staff was very friendly. They let us take our time. They even helped us carry stuff back to our car. The only complaint I have is the parking. The GPS told us to turn right down a steep narrow road that runs along Double J. Once we got there, we didn't see an office or anyone who could direct us to the party room. So we drove back up the hill and parked along the fence across from the farmhouse. My husband knocked on the door, but nobody answered. We were getting frustrated because we had a lot of stuff to bring in and we had already wasted 10 minutes trying to find where to park. I called the phone number on the website and asked how to get to the party room. The lady told me to go through the gate along the side of the house and enter the house through the back door. There should be better signs directing people where to park and where to go for parties. I honestly don't know how our guests found their way as we were very confused. Also there are a lot of steps going up and down the hill from the farmhouse to the stables. We have a newborn and it's not stroller friendly. There should be a flat path for strollers. These are just constructive complaints. Overall Double J Riding Club is a very nice place. I definitely recommend hosting a birthday party there. read more

When I first started riding here, I had no experience tacking and no experience on an english saddle. I first met with Cindy, the owner, because I'm an adult rider and didn't want to deal with the nonsense other barns may have. Cindy met with me immediately and I was convinced to give them a shot. I started privates with Kathy for a few months, and then moved into group lessons. I can't say enough good things about Kathy. I had never cantered in an english saddle, let alone jump, and she put me to task in a very safe manner and paired me well with horses - then switched them so that I could make sure I was learning skills and not just getting accommodated to the horse. It's been a little short of a year now and I'm doing small standards and cross poles, cantering, posting on the correct diagonals, and more importantly, getting accustomed to horses in general. I purchased a few lessons at different barns up north in Barrington and the instructors didn't believe I had only been riding for a year (light trail experience otherwise). This speaks volumes about my instructor. It's a small barn without all the bells and whistles, but has truly been a wonderful experience for me. read more