We held the Numi Tea annual retreat at Hawkwood Hill and could not have asked for a better…read moreexperience. First off the property was absolutely gorgeous. We took full advantage of the area next to their lake for both the retreat and then later fun with kayak's and SUPs. We used their beautiful manicured garden by the milk house for our evening dinner. Nicki and Evan were simply amazing. They recommended vendors and then worked with them on our behalf. Then, the day of the event they coordinated so much, even picking up our lunch! They couldn't have made it easier! I highly recommend this venue for any event!

Super thankful to have found Laurie Scott on BAEN. She is a fantastic teacher and really has you…read morelearning (or re-learning) to ride the right way. She emphasizes awareness of your and your horse's body, muscle strength, and proper form, not just to look nice, but to actually communicate with your horse more effectively and comfortably. Whether you're a beginner or advanced, check out the Paddock Club for great training!

I am an experienced rider and have recently taken dressage lessons from some other well-known…read moreteachers in the Bay Area. I have found the quality of Laurie Scott's teaching to be the best. Laurie is a very articulate, calm and knowledgeable teacher of not only dressage, but of general horsemanship. I recommend her highly.

I have just started boarding at PBR, but I am so thrilled to be here. My horse Beau arrived on…read moreSunday and everyone here has been so helpful. I'm a total noob and all the boarders and the owner Michelle do everything they can to show me the ropes. Michelle is one of the most friendly and accommodating people I've ever met. Her cheerful attitude makes my day. I'm still letting Beau settle in so I haven't ridden him yet, but everyone raves about the trails. PBR is backed up to Indian Valley and Ignacio Valley preserves and has direct entrances from the ranch. No trailering needed! Good for someone like me with a Hyundai. I'm happy with my portion of the tack room, and Michelle offered to put up another saddle rack for me. She also offered to fix the mats in Beau's stall, as they're wonky and make it difficult to clean. This is not a show barn, so the atmosphere is very relaxed. There are not trainers on site, so you would need to arrange for one to travel to PBR. I've been told there is a dressage trainer down the street, but I'm not sure if they travel for lessons. There is a large arena and large round pen for turn out. No pastures.

Pencil Belly, from Stall to open space in less than 4 minutes. Happy horses, happy people, not…read morecrowded. Way to be Pencil Belly!!

Good water for horses. Fairly flat and well drained pastures & small arena to ride in. New owners…read morehave planted a lot of trees

I boarded a horse here and I can tell you from experience, You and your horse will be happy here…read more The owner gives special attention to each horse. The horse will be safe and cared for with pride. The price is excellent (includes twice a day feeding ) and the grounds are beautiful. Wonderful views of the hills and rolling grass. The barn and facilities are well kept and very clean! The interactions with owners and boarders are excellent, creating friendships and an outstanding experience.

This suburban farm offers horse boarding, riding lessons, kids camps and birthday parties…read more We have friends who's daughter attended their summer camp and loved it. Based on their experience we decided to have our daughter's 6th birthday party here and it was great fun for all. For Birthday parties you essentially have the exclusive use of a little park-like area in the center of the farm that has a play structure, picnic tables, a good number of shady trees and a small barn with petting-zoo type animals. The party rentals are two hours, with the first hour offering pony rides and during the second hour the petting zoo barn is open. We had two pony's at a time for the kids to ride, and with 10 kids that worked out to about two rides each. This was perfect timing so that we could do Pizza and cup cakes after the pony rides, then once the kids were done eating they excitedly ran over to pet the animals in the petting zoo. For the petting zoo portion there were chickens, pigs, bunnies, goats, sheep and a miniature horse the size of a large dog. The kids LOVED petting and brushing the animals. You don't need to add any additional activities or entertainment for the kids because the two hours are nicely full. The kids were constantly in motion and playing on the play structure when not riding a pony or in the petting zoo. All the kids seemed thrilled with the activities and were having tons of fun. All-in-all the process of having a party here, from reserving the day to clean up afterward, is pretty smooth. The only downside was a multi-page contract form that had to be signed by the parents of all the kids. The forms have to be returned to the hostess and the hostess then returns them to the farm with a guest list, as one packet, the Thursday before the party. It would be easier if the parents could just do the form on-site, but I'm guessing that the management wants to be sure the parents read it fully and agree to the terms in advance. But despite the paperwork I highly recommend Morning Star to anyone with grade school age kids.

Kid's Birthday party review…read more Discovered via local moms club and "background checked" on yelp, we decided to have our son's 4th birthday party at Morning Star and I prayed it would live up to its stars b/c we had friends driving from Concord, SF, and beyond to attend. The verdict is that we'd give it a 6th star if we could! The things we loved were that they have a covered option in case of rain, a sweet playground at the uncovered area, where the 2-5 yr olds had a total blast, and a little petting zoo. The trainer Rachel, who led the kids and ponies, two by two, was a pro and helped even the nervous kids feel confident. Each kid got about two rides, which was perfect. The owner helped us set up tables and put up a shade/rain structure since it had rained all morning and we weren't sure if we'd need it. Also, $200 for a 2-pony party for two hours is a great deal in my book, esp compared to $800-1,000 Discovery Museum party price tag (we love it there too, just, gulp). The only down side, as others noted, is the release forms. They are necessary of course, but the onus of getting each family to sign them and submit before the party is on the party-thrower. It is time consuming up front and I wasn't making any friends for a while there, but it makes it so guests don't have to mess with forms when they get there. One idea is to have people use CamScanner or another scanning app on their phones so it can all be done electronically, and to leave a few day's cushion for missing forms. Lastly, I appreciated that all of the animals looked very well-cared for and the whole property was clean and inviting.