Amazing ranch with awesome owners. Great people who truly care for the ranch and all the horses on it. Great trail access and beautiful huge arena and round pens. My boy loves it here read more

Driftwood Ranch - Horse Boarding Near Me - San Diego, California

As a retired University Professor, an important part of my life now is my two horses (Skylar and Darcy May) and my pony Misty. Today I leave my boarding ranch that I have been at for over ten years. It makes me sad that it is not like it was in years past. My move makes me feel secure that my horses are going to be safe and it makes me happy and secure. My concerns about this ranch have motivated me to make this hard decision to leave. Communication issues are a major concern for me. One of my horses was being cared for by a veterinarian for colic and the doctor ordered that the horse not be fed. I followed the way this was to be communicated to the feeders and despite this my horse was fed twice during the time she was not to be fed. On more than one occasion things about me or my issues were discussed by one of the owners with other boarders rather than directly to me. If you make a comment that seems negative to the owners, they become very angry, defensive and almost hostile. I see the ranch becoming in more disrepair, two of my horses were moved due to a sheet of metal being blown off the roof and the box stall tilting and falling down. I was told that it would be taken care, but on July 14th it will be 9 months with nothing having been done. As you ride through the ranch you can see rails falling and disconnected and you can also see a number of shelters that have blown down and they have not been repaired for months. Earlier this summer, I expressed my concern over the fact that a rattle snake was killed on the ranch and two of my friends have seen other rattle snakes. When I expressed my fear for the safety of my horses and myself, an owner responded to me by saying that she was from Arizona and saw much more dangerous snakes on a regular basis. Snakes on a ranch happen, but contributing factors like uncut weeds and clutter can increase their presence. This evaluation is based on my perceptions. I often think of those in the past who keep this ranch my "happy place". The people like Bobbie, Ralphie, Cathy, Mel and even Floyd are in my thoughts. I will miss my many friends and hope our paths will cross again! Happy Trails. read more

Awesome place to get away from the city. They have a nice set up for the horses, awesome location and the employees and owners are good people! Thank you Driftwood Ranch! read more

This is long overdue - I've been here over a year now and I can truly say that I enjoy the environment and the community at this ranch. Everyone is super friendly and helpful, the trails are so close to the ranch you can head out in any direction and be on a path of amazing scenery in minutes. The owners are really awesome and attentive to priority situations that come about. It's not a full service ranch so you don't have someone cleaning your weeds in your area or picking up your poop daily (but there is options you can pay someone to do that for you for around $45 a month extra which is a steal) so you do need to come to the ranch and maintain your space, but that's what this is all about right - being around the animals you love. Also this price is hands down the best in town. Some people that may have left bad reviews I have personally seen leave their horses for months at a time without a single visit want to be militias towards the reputation here but I can assure you it's a load of bologna. If you want to have horses you need to show up and do some chores, this isn't a 700 a month boarding facility - not everything is handed to you especially if you don't even show up ever. I never meet a family so loving and caring towards their passions like Heather and Paul (the owners) anytime I have ever needed anything the are on it ASAP. Hope this helps show the true colors at Driftwood Ranch. read more

Great ranch to board your horse. Everyone is laid back and willing to help each other. It's a great community. Rates are reasonable considering the amenities on the ranch and the quality of care. It's like my second home. read more

I just moved to Driftwood Ranch a few months ago, and I just wanted to say how much I truly enjoy it. I think what ranch works best for someone is based on the amenities offered and the community that boards there. Driftwood is the most affordable ranch in the valley for what one receives. For example, I had my horse over at a ranch off of Leon for a few months because it was cheaper (at the time it was $90 per month although I believe it is now $100), but I definitely got what I paid for...there was one enclosed arena/turnout, one round pen, and one open arena that was rarely available because lessons are given in it, and none of these areas had lights which made it so that in winter when I got off of work, I could not do anything with my horse because it was dark at 4 o'clock! To get to the trails you would have to ride down a long road, about a 15 minute ride, and it is right next to the border patrol station where they would come flying out on their quads freaking my horse out causing me to be dumped more than once. The stalls are attached to each other meaning that horses can reach other horses - I have seen horses hurt on more than one occasion because of this and have seen and heard boarders yelling at each other about it, talking about suing each other - just draamaaa, not what I'm looking for when I come to a ranch. This also caused a problem with flies because if an owner didn't clean their pen, it would directly affect me and my horse, and I just found myself being frustrated all the time. Also, my tack shed was nowhere near my stall, so that was annoying as well. At Driftwood, these things are all non-issues: there are three round pens, one HUGE arena with lights, an oval arena/turn out, and a training oval in the back. There is immediate trail access in both the front and the back of the ranch. There are really knowledgeable and kind people who don't act like know it alls there willing to help you out if you are going out of town or need help with a training issue. The stalls have gaps in between them so horses can't hurt their neighbors. Of course this trail access and space between stalls causes more plant growth, but it's not like it's been hard to clean that up over the past few months, even with the rains. And I heard the owners hired someone to maintain that recently, so it seems to me that things are just getting better. My tack shed is also right next to my stalls. I had to clean it up a bit, but it's not an apartment - I didn't expect the owners to slap on a new coat of paint for every new boarder that comes in, and when I wanted to paint it myself, they said to go for it, that was cool. There were also a lot of spiders in it so I had to bomb it, but would I "blame" the owners for that? Um, no...it's outside...it's a ranch...maybe it's just my perspective, but I do try to be reasonable when it comes to what I expect the owners to take care of and what I use on a daily basis so it would be my responsibility to maintain and to keep nice for the sake of myself, my horses, and my neighbors. Common sense and common decency. Yes, there are empty stalls and areas that could use a little fixing up - the rain and the wind was crazy this winter, and it's not like the owners bought place just a couple of years ago and made everything shiny and new - that would be an unreasonable expectation. Because of this, things aren't absolutely perfect all the time, but when there is an issue with a stall with a horse in it, they are on top of it immediately. Horse and people safety is their number one concern. As things come up, they seem to get taken care of...I can't say this for the last barn I was at, where the rust ate through some bars resulting in sharp edges, which is going to happen over time near the beach, and the stalls are still like that. Again, you get what you pay for! Any questions or concerns I've ever had to go to management for have been addressed immediately and I've never felt that they were hostile towards me, only supportive. I've also never seen or heard about the owners being hostile towards anyone else. I feel compelled to say this because another review on here stated differently, and since they have been so awesome, in my perspective, I wanted to speak up. They aren't present on the ranch at all times, but they can easily be reached by text, and one of the feeders is there a whole lot. I know that I can talk to her if need be and if she can help she usually does. I also really like the location. It is at the top of the hill on Hollister so it doesn't flood nearly as badly as the ones down towards Monument - those are a lot more expensive too! From what I can tell they are fancy training barns, and that isn't what I'm looking for anyways. I'm just looking for a chill place with some chill people where I can get off work, have a beer,hop on my horse and go on trail for a quick 20 min ride, no fuss, no muss. Driftwood is the best in the valley! read more