Review for lessons only, not boarding. Jaynesway is a breath of fresh air for barns around the…read morearea. They're easy to get a hold of via phone and flexible in scheduling if you need to reschedule. I've been lessoning with Rose who is great at pushing you, giving good, positive feedback, and matching you with a horse best for you. One of the main things you'll notice is that all the horses seem really happy. I've ridden 3 different lesson horses who all are ready to go and never seem overworked. You can tell the staff is all super familiar with each and every horse and the boarders and frequent lessoners. Very welcoming and a good place to build confidence and skills as a beginner. One only minor complaint is that it's such a well oiled machine with so much staff that I don't get a lot of experience with tacking, brushing, cleaning, or other horse care. They usually have staff that take care of it for you.

I am not a boarder, rather, my daughter takes weekly riding lessons here. They take children young…read moreas 5 or 6 so we started lessons as soon as we could. We have not had a negative experience here. In fact, this facility has been super accommodating to us and she has learned a lot. She works with the same trainer every week and it's wonderful to note her progress after every lesson. Our trainer has been wonderful. My daughter responds well to her teaching style. She knows how to get my daughter to do her best and that's awesome. You can tell she cares. The overall feel of this facility is easygoing and we never feel out of place here. The relaxed atmosphere has helped my daughter relax too. I will continue to use Jaynesway Farms. I recommend this place to anyone looking to start riding.

Its been a couple months shy of a year now and I see sooooo much improvement in myself. I came to…read moredunham woods with high nervousness around horses from my earlier childhood experience. Now I am much less nervous and have developed many new skills. I enjoy working with the trainers here, they are very patient and understanding. The horses are great as well, they have my different personalities and options for ever level of riders. I highly recommend this club to anyone looking to get into riding horses, or equestrian sports.

Rose and Michelle are two of the best in the business. Not only are they genuine and honest, they…read moreare true horsewomen who prioritize the well being of horse and rider above all else.

I am not sure how it has taken so long to write this review! Two years ago, TQA literally saved me…read more My confidence had unfortunately been broken by a series of unfortunate circumstances. As much as I loved every aspect of riding and horsemanship...I truly was at a low point, and possibly could have quit any day. Dundee and T'Neil are so understanding and in-tune with their students. They have helped me believe in myself again! They have also matched not only myself, but also my daughter with our dream ponies. We have learned so much, and have had a great time doing it. The property is beautiful, and the horses are HAPPY and HEALTHY! Sabrina is so attentive to our horses-and treats them as if they are her own. Our TQA family is worth every mile driven (we live in Chicago!). Love TQA!!!!

Truly the best experience I've had in my 5 years of riding! I'd previously ridden at two other…read morebarns and the trainers at Thoroughquest put in so much work and time to give me what I can say was the best experience and the most help to restructure my riding technique. They used methods I'd never seen before to tweak little aspects of my posture and riding altogether. While my previous instructions at other barns had been rooted in posture and somewhat jerky hand and leg movements the trainers here helped to establish my understanding of how we can communicate with horses fluently through the gentle yet effective signaling of our hands and leg. Dundee and TNeil are some of the most knowledgeable (and patient) trainers you'll meet and the way that they instruct is clear and concise! Lots of reminders to stretch through my lower leg cause that's what I struggled with in the beginning lol. I've never been to a barn that takes better care of their horses from hoof to ear I'm sure their ponies are amongst the happiest in the world! They have large turnout areas a lovely indoor and outdoor arena and hosted get togethers to bring the team closer together. The barn is clean and I've never met anyone there that wasn't kind and helpful. They're truly a dedicated group of riders and I wish I'd found them sooner.

Love Kinvarra! I took a break from riding after college and didn't ride for 6 years and was very…read morenervous to start up again in a new city where I didn't know anyone/ my riding skills were quite rusty. I was put on safe, level appropriate (and extremely nice!) horses and I have never been remotely uncomfortable. I take 2 lessons a week and they have done a wonderful job of getting me back in riding shape both physically and mentally. I learn something new each time, and am progressing faster than I imagined/expected thanks to their careful and extremely knowledgeable instruction. Everyone (instructors AND boarders) are very kind, encouraging. A very professional, well run, and safe, barn with a positive environment!!!

I signed my nine year old daughter up for lessons at Kinvarra because they were the only barn that…read morehad ponies and I specifically wanted her to learn on a suitable size animal. My daughter was riding twice a week and loving the barn, new friends and the two ponies she was riding. The trainer started pressuring me right away to lease a horse and I wasn't interested until she had at least six months of lessons. They bought in a pony and wanted me to see it...it was really old and overweight...I really couldn't believe it!!! They asked me for THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS a year to lease this horrible looking pony....I actually did laugh as it was so ridiculous...A half lease anywhere costs 250.00 a month at ANY barn. I have been an equestrian for thirty years...they just didn't know it. We arrived at our next lesson and a seventeen hand horse that was way to advanced for a beginner was given to my daughter...I questioned what was going on and was coldly told that the ponies would not be available any further to us as we did not want to lease!!!! My daughter was in the very small arena and they bought in an out of control horse that was bucking and rearing to lunge...with my nine year old in the ring just ten feet away....I entered quickly and took my daughter down and left Kinvarra for good. It was the most dangerous , negligent ...on purpose bunch of crap I have ever seen at a barn. These people are con artists and if they don't get what they want they will put your child in danger.

Wonderful stable with great instructors and horses. We love lessons with Miss Terri, she is top…read morenotch. There are many school horses at all different levels. Very impressive show team. The owners are such kind people and take great care of the horses. We have really enjoyed meeting people and making new friends.

We've boarded our horse for two years now. The self waterer, the heated barn and the care have been…read moreexcellent. Our horse is thriving there. The facility is well cared for and the care schedule is great. Horses are turned out everyday except Sundays and holidays with the option of paying guys extra for Sunday turnout. Blanket, mask, boot service available. Several trainers available for lessons on multiple days a week at various times. Multiple levels of disciplines.

McCarthy Farm is a privately-owned stable located on 25 semi-wooded acres in Elgin. Directly across…read morethe street is a beautiful forest preserve with trails for riding. It's 400 acres! And approximately 5 1/2 miles of paths. The facilities feature a heated barn with large stalls and two arenas (one indoor and one outdoor). Amenities include large tack rooms, wash stalls for horses and wash rooms with showers. My friend boards her horse here and we went one weekend. The grounds and stables are immaculate, the horses very happy and well cared for, and the people there look like they just enjoy every minute of their time there. Even though I am generally not a fan of this area, if I could work here I would leave the city in a heartbeat! It's that great.

I've ridden at Somerset for over five years, and let me tell you, it's an amazing stable…read more The instructors are knowledgeable , understanding, and great teachers as well as horsemen. They treat all of the horses and riders at Somerset with respect and kindness. Although all three instructors have different teaching styles and may disagree on each others methods from time to time, they are overall great teachers. Somerset is a family run business, owned by Sandy Walker, and her two daughters, Tiffany Walker and Tammy McConnell. One major focus that all three instructors focus on is posture and form. Unlike other nearby stables, the three instructors make sure you know how to do basic stuff correctly before you get to jump. Although this may be frustrating as a student at times, it's a very good way to go about teaching, as you get the basic moves concreted in your head before moving on to complicated stuff. The horses are not million dollar, Olympic winning horses. They are older, and cannot jump as high is you are a more experienced rider (probably about 3' is their max for the majority of lesson horses), but they are valuable and teach good lessons to both new riders and advanced riders. They all have their own quirks that make them unique, and all of them behave differently. No two horse is exactly the same, especially at Somerset. The stable itself is much smaller than other stables, especially within the arena. But the smaller arena teaches riders how to use all the given space possible. They also have a decent sized outdoor arena that they use during the summer, and decent sized pastures for the horses. The grooms are extremely nice and willing to help- especially the girl that the instructors have taken under their wing, Ava. The price of lessons is fair, and cheaper than other stables in the area. It's $40 per half hour lesson, but once you're advanced enough to be jumping with a group of kids, it usually takes anywhere between half an hour to an hour. The riders at Somerset are all welcoming and inviting, and always willing to lend a hand or a few minutes of their time for you. Somerset is an amazing barn to be at, whether you're completely new to riding, or a more advanced rider. Somerset is like a community with open arms.

I do not recommend this barn. My daughter went there a couple years and rode on their IEA team…read more Overall I found it poorly managed and unprofessional. They do not invest in their facility and it shows. Bad roof leaks. Questionable electric. A bathroom that never worked in the 2+ years we were there. They do have a year round porta john. Promises to create an outdoor arena that never happened while we were there. They had some great lesson horses but they were overworked. Anyone who raised concerns about this was immediately shut down. The horses very, very rarely went outside. They're either in the arena or in stalls. I once heard the owner say "our horses don't like to be outside." Huh?? I saw a stall in back the size of a dog kennel that a medium sized pony lived in for months. They openly bad-mouth people (kids!) who leave the barn. I watched several families leave and soon figured out why. It's just not a good environment or well-run business. You can find a much better place to spend your money and time.

Started out here at their summer camp when I was in third grade, which is a little late to start…read moreriding. However, they put me with people my own age and they worked with everyone individually, and by the end I felt very comfortable here. I rode her for about three years, until I broke my toe(not from horses) and stopped for two months. I came back for camp, which was great, although Kara no longer works there. The new instructors were really nice, but the lessons were only half an hour but still cost $60, which we couldn't afford. However, if you can afford this, I really, highly recommend Galway because they can teach any level of rider and I learned something every time. They have great lesson horses and take really good care of the horses they board. I still really miss this place.