Yay I get to be first to review Paxton LLC, specifically Dana Robinson. My girls have taken…read morelessons from Dana for the past few months. Since we have some experience getting lessons and seeing different barns in the bay area we have some perspective. In short, Dana is first-rate. If you take lessons through Paxton LLC you will have that wonderful combination of a great trainer, great horses, and a great barn. Its really tough to get that combination here and for us it is worth the drive out to Livermore.

From the owner: Paxton LLC is a boutique hunter, jumper and equitation horse sales/training business offered at…read moreCaldecott Stables in Briones, CA. We provide top tier training and sales for the the serious rider with ambitious competition goals. The horse sales portion of the training business focuses on quality equine athletes paired appropriately for each rider/horse combination. The farm offers top of the line footing in both the large covered arena and outdoor arena. Every stall includes a large stall plus an outdoor paddock, automatic waterers, great turnouts, hotwalker, daily cleaning and both full or partial service is available.

Great people, wonderful place, beautiful horses. This is…read morea nice place to spend the day!!! Fantastic!!!!!

I've been running my training operation at Wyvern since 2009. Liz and Chuck are really easy to…read morework with and we strive to keep happy, healthy horses in a safe and enjoyable environment. Please come visit and see it for yourself!!

Excellent facilities and a great trainer on-site. Jill Tindall works hard to maintain a well run…read morebarn.

We board our horse here and it is a wonderful place. The owners are very nice and so are the…read moreclients. The property is stunningly gorgeous. There is a covered arena, an outdoor arena, and a gallop track among other amenities. I definitely recommend checking out Sunset Ridge Equestrian Center.

Thank you Dominic for a wonderful ride! My husband and I did the private hour and a half ride in…read morejack London state park. We rode sunny and Annie, both horses were amazing and rescue horses. You can tell from the moment you arrive the horses are well taken care of and loved. For me, that is the most important thing I look for when trying to find a place to ride. We were lucky enough that we could trot our horses a little as we were the first ride out and no one was on the trail. You will be responsible for your own horse, and you are given clear direction on how to have an enjoyable ride before you leave the grounds. I felt very safe and comfortable out riding, and we will be repeat customers and can't wait to go riding again. Thank you!!!

Brought the family out to wine country for a long weekend to get away during the pandemic. We like…read moreto go horseback riding wherever we go and this place does not disappoint. At first I thought an hour and a half was not going to be enough time, but given the rigor of horseback riding up a steep incline with lots of switchbacks, it was perfect. Our guide was amazing, and the view was spectacular. The horses were very gentle and knew their way. Loved having two dogs along the trail with us, as well. I noticed that they are putting in a couple of tiny houses for people to stay on site. I intend to book one of those as soon as we can. Highly highly recommend.

Nola was difficult to work with because she did not return phone calls or pay much attention to my…read moredaughter.

A few years ago I took my son here for horseback riding lessons and Nola was amazing. When I talked…read morewith her on the phone beforehand she was extremely warm, friendly, and accommodating. Meeting her for the first time she had that same energy in person. My son loved his first horseback riding lessons. Nola was supportive and respectful to my son and made sure that he was comfortable on the horse. She told me she'd never force a kid to do anything they weren't ready to do, and I saw that first hand. Thanks, Nola!

We signed our boys up for riding lessons about 6 - 8 months ago…read more I wasn't sure how things were going to go (meaning if my boys were going to be in it for the long haul or get 'tired' after the shine wore off of a new adventure). Kimmie and the other folks at the stables are extremely helpful - answered all my questions - we were invited to book a day (for our family) to "try it out" and get a feel for the lessons, the facilities, the people. It was really awesome and gave us all a very good idea of what to expect and what was expected of us as learners. Fast forward - my kid is getting ready to go to his lesson today. He is so excited! His confidence has improved. He has a deep desire to really learn and further his horsemanship abilities. He shares what he has learned, what he was able to do (after lots of practice), and how that made him feel really great! If you are looking for a stable whose owner has impeccable integrity, a desire to really work with people and horses (together). Look no further.

Yeah, don't go here…read more Your instructions will be teenagers (not even 18-19, like 16-17 year olds). You can pay less than $100 for 3 hours... but about 45 minuted of that is riding. The other ~2 hours? Free manual labour. You pay to turn out and lunge other peoples horses for 2+ hours. The teenagers teach, train, and do barn chores and care for all the horses. Honestly if these lessons were discounted it would be better, but they're $100+ for lessons. For the teenage instructors. It is honestly ridiculous. These horses aren't abused, this is a pretty ethical riding facility other than the kids continuously instructing other kids and getting paid to do manual labour. Turnout and pasture during summer. The stalls can get pretty filthy and according to my daughter, the only "scheduled" cleaning of stalls was the 2 hours of labour the teenagers did. Again, she was only there on Saturdays, so she didn't see everything. I would NOT take training or lessons here.

I stumbled upon the last review and wanted to post my experience ...we too were at Kismet with…read moreLaura and have stayed since Laura has left . Yes, they had to work out some kinks with taking on alot of students that were with Laura but they assembled the riders as best they could. They continue to hire and build their team there and my daughter as actually turned out to love the atmosphere even more now! My daughter is now in her tween years and this place is the place where her confidence grows and that means everything to me. I believe the lessons are a little more expensive now, yes, but the level of instruction is top knotch and the lessons are one hour as opposed to 30 minutes with Laura ( whom we really loved as well). I wanted there to be a good review on here because it matters. Im sure if the others would have hung in there to see how the place is adjusting to a huge loss with Laura leaving, they would find a great experience too:)

My daughter and I have been riding with Mimi since December 2014…read more I chose Mimi after actively searching for a new barn for a month and a half. I visited dozens of places in the East bay, visited many barns several times (watching lessons, getting a feel of the barn's atmosphere), and finally my daugher and I took trial lessons with a few trainers (I highly recommend trial lessons for anybody looking for a new barn, it is hard to judge a trainer just by looking at them teaching somebody else). In the end, the whole family agreed Mimi had the best teaching skills and we have not regretted our decision to bring our horses to her! I have been riding since I was a child, but Mimi is the only trainer who has been able to teach me to ride properly and thanks to whom I now feel I know how to ride. Mimi is extremely knowledgeable and has a passion for teaching which is so important because many trainers, while great riders, just can't explain how to ride. She is very methodical and helps her students develop the tools needed for any rider who wants to become an accomplished rider. I came to Mimi terrified of jumping. I had jumped 2'3-2'5 with my previous trainer but had many stops and painful falls, and finally been lectured that I couldn't be taught how to ride because I was afraid (I tell you, after falling dozens of times, I think any 45 year old woman has the right to be scared). Mimi was very patient, we started with flat lessons, then poles, counting strides between poles, then cross-rails. I now show at 2'11 successfully with a little arabian horse! I entrusted Mimi to teach my then 14 year old daughter who came to her knowing very little and ended up 2016 USHJA and PCHA champion for 3'3 jumper division! Mimi is not only an amazing trainer for my daughter but she is also a great role model, always working very hard while promoting a relaxed and fun atmosphere at the barn. There has been no drama, no tension in our 2 years with Mimi; just focus, learning, and fun! I know that after my daughter leaves for college she will always look back at her time with Mimi as one of the highlights of her life! I'm so happy we could offer that to my daughter! Mimi takes impeccable care of the horses who are very fit and mentally happy. They understand their work and love it! I know I can travel far away and I have no second thoughts about this as I know Mimi will take care of our horses in the best possible way. She will be there for any medical emergency, will openly communicate, will arrange vet visits, take care of any treatment. I don't have to worry about anything, she is there for the horses. And last but not least, Mimi's barn is located at Sunny Hill Farm in Walnut Creek. I had never seen a barn such as Sunny Hill before I visited it! It is beautiful, very clean, has 3 arenas (one indoor dressage, one outdoor jumping, one indoor jumping). Rain is never an issue. Footing is amazing in the 3 arenas. The jumps look new and Mimi changes the courses several times a week. Because Mimi is the only trainer, there is no schedule conflict to enjoy the rings. Have fun barn hunting! Take the time to do your homework. Make sure to check out Mimi!

I have been riding with Mimi Harwell (Clean Flight Equestrian) for several years and I can't say…read moreenough about how great the experience has been. Mimi is extremely knowledgeable, compassionate, and supportive...she has given me confidence to learn and grow as a rider. She, Carlee and Dan take fantastic care of the horses. They give the clients and horses an outstanding level of devotion and care - - highly recommended!