Laughing Pony Rescue is a great place to volunteer, send your kids to a very educational horse camp and take a horse therapy mindfulness session! As a volunteer, I've learned so much about taking care of horses so that they're well cared for and loved. I've also learned a lot about horse rescue and what it takes to maintain a reliable, trustworthy network of people that saves horses, as often as they can, because the horses go to good homes. It takes time and money to do all this good work so be sure to donate to this non-profit charitable organization. read more

Such a beautiful place with wonderful horses and crew. Celia and her team are the best!

Purchased a Groupon for a one hour lesson for $35 bux (normally its $70). The trainers are volunteers who show you what to do. Had an awesome time. Great establishment and friendly staff members. The horses are beautiful animals and definitely would go back and recommend if you are looking for a place to learn how to ride. read more

This review is based on having bought a groupon and NOT being able to redeem it. I called 3 days before my groupon expired and was immediately told that they were booked up for almost 2 months and that because they could not get me in before the expiration date that my groupon would not be honored for the discount. I have had this situation before (where the retailer or service I had a groupon for could not get me in due to an overflow of customers) and was always told that because they could not get me in by the expiration date, that they would still honor the groupon, especially since i called before the expiration! Buyer Beware - Laughing Pony Rescue does not provide very good customer service and apparently do not CARE to have return customers! read more

Tried a LivingSocial deal for a one hour horseback riding introductory lesson for the little one. Pretty good as Katy made sure there were instructors to provide one-on-one lessons for all the kids. These volunteer instructors were very patient as they taught the kids how to pace, steer and instruct their horses. Regular lessons run about $70/hour. Currently, the rescue is taking care of 19 horses and plan to add more once they are able to find homes for those currently being stabled. The rescue is funded solely by fundraising activities, so make sure you check out their website at http://laughingponyrescue.com/ for fundraising and volunteer opportunities! read more

Laughing Pony Rescue - One on one instruction for the little one - Educational Services Near Me

This place is saving my life. When I was going through chemo I got very depressed and a friend suggested I volunteer, I found the laughing pony rescue and my depression is a thing of the past. The owner Celia is amazing and will teach you so much. The lessons are reasonable and the horses are very sweet. The horses and I might come to the rescue broken but we leave healed. The owner and all the volunteers are so dedicated to these beautiful horses. This is an amazing place to be a part of. read more

Laughing Pony Rescue - GREAT place to volunteer or take lessons. The owner Celia is fantastic and will teach you everything you need to know. - Educational Services Near Me

The instructor lady Celia doesn't know how to teach with compassion. She talks in negative sentences that you are doing wrong instead of how to do it right. She doesn't seem to realize that you are there to learn and her job is to teach you not to scold you that you are not doing it right. She seemed like a nice enough person and I think it is just her lack of communication skills, but her constant scolding made the lesson not fun. read more

I volunteered here for a day after attending one of their fund raisers. The Laughing Pony regulars were patient and friendly. Everyone seems to get along and the horses are amazing - all kinds, and each with a heart warming story. There were horseback riding lessons going on while I was helping out and everyone seemed to have fun. read more

This place is amazing doing amazing things. This horse rescue is saving horses and at the same time making people aware of these beautiful animals that need our help. If you are looking for a great organization that save horses this is it. read more

I have been volunteering for 2 1/2 years at the ranch. I have taken occasional horseback rides my whole life, but never been involved in caring for the horses. I have met really nice volunteers and Celia the owner has taught me from the ground up. She really cares about the horses, tries to rescue as many as she can and trains them. All of the horses are really nice and now Celia has rescued 4 donkeys. She knows each animal's personality and if something isn't right, Celia will be up all night caring for the animal. The ranch is very organized and depends on donations and volunteers to keep going. Through out the year, volunteers organize various fundraisers to keep the rescue going. It takes a village to keep this rescue going, and we have a great, knowledgeable leader and hard working crew. read more

Purchased two lessons from a Groupon. My daughter began crying 5 minutes into the lesson and so rightfully she was taken off the horse. While I'm trying to calm her down I am told "We're not going to keep this horse saddled up with no one on it for more than 5 minutes." Not exactly the most compassionate treatment. My daughter did not want to come back. Laughing Pony considered the 1st lesson complete. They told us that her friend could take the remaining lesson, which we then informed said 6 -year old who was thrilled. One day later, they said this child could not use the lesson because of the policy listed on the groupon (imagine a not so thrilled 6-year old). Seems to me they could have shown a little heart and allowed it since they had previously told us that would be okay. Boo to Laughing Pony Rescue. read more

I have been volunteering at Laughing Pony Rescue for over five years. To say the horses, ponies, and donkeys are well cared for is an understatement. Each Laughing Pony receives individualized attention, food, supplements, and even chiropractic care. They get to romp and play with their carefully-matched buddies every day. I thought I knew a lot about horses when I started, but nope! Celia, the owner, has taught me an incredible amount about keeping horses healthy mentally and physically, how to ride safely, how to trailer a horse, and even how to train a horse. Celia is a powerhouse who dedicates every minute of her life to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing equines. (I don't think she sleeps). And the success of this rescue would not be possible without the hard work of smart, dedicated and often hilarious volunteers, many of whom start with no horse experience but excel because they want to learn and help animals. read more

Absolutely amazing!! Bought a groupon for a horse riding lesson for my 6 yr old daughter. It was her first time ever being on a horse and Celia was totally great with her! Taught her all the basics and then let her do it on her own some while she walked with the horse. They ended with brushing the horse and giving him a treat. They even offered for us to hang out and watch them with the other horses when we were done. My daughter loved it and can't wait to go back. We will definitely be returning when we can. I love that there are places like this that take in horses and train them. You can tell the people here truly care and love horses! read more

My daughter Sydney has saved all of her allowance money to purchase a horse riding lesson. She saved up for at least 5+ months and has really looked forward to this day and it far exceeded her/our expectations. Make sure you follow all of the instructions they email to you...this will make for a very easy time getting there, entering the gate, etc. Everyone was really friendly and the horses were beautiful. Horses have been a childhood passion I never got to fulfill, so I am really excited to see my daughters passion for them. She was able to learn horse safety (she rode an icelandic horse that was rescued from Iceland which fell through the ice and was going to be put down), brushed, and rode the horse. I was so proud of her! It truly is amazing how much goes into taking care of horses and this facility is purely based on volunteers... my daughter and I are going to try to volunteer cleaning stales etc. Thank you so much for a beautiful memory we got to share today with my family! Forever Cherished! read more

If you are looking for the best place in southern California to familiarize your child with horses and learn horsemanship or just looking to volunteer as an adult, look no further - Laughing Pony Rescue is the place! LPR is a working horse ranch that rescues horses, ponies and donkeys from all over the country. More often than not, these animals are headed for slaughter or have been abandoned. LPR is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving these animals and the owner, Celia, is the heart and soul of the organization. I have never in my life seen a person work so tirelessly for a cause. My daughter and I learned so many valuable, lifelong lessons at LPR, I am forever grateful for my experience with Celia. If you are looking for an amazing and truly unique experience, visit LPR. read more

Laughing Pony Rescue rescued me. I had zero horse experience 8 months ago when I began volunteering at Laughing Pony Rescue (LPR) and over these past months Celia (the horse & donkey whisperer) and the incredible volunteers have taught me so much. I feel I am valued part of the LPR family. Aside from learning so much, I am in awe of all the good that occurs on the ranch. From our educational programs teaching children about horses to the groups of special needs students we host three times a week to help us on the ranch, LPR is so much more than just a horse and donkey rescue. LPR represents the best of our community and Celia is the person who holds it all together. Her dedication to the care, health and rehabilitation of our horses and donkeys is unparalleled, she dedicates 7 days a week, all day, to these animals and putting the needs of LPR above her own. I feel incredibly grateful I found LPR and have been given a chance to thrive, just like our rescues. Thank you Celia. read more

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I read some of the other reviews and feel bad for everyone. I think that anyone unhappy with their experience probably had their expectations not properly set for the situation. What a great place! Celia is a miracle worker in taking these mentally and physically abused and broken horses and restoring them to a state of health and vitality no one would believe possible. The fact that they let 'just anyone' on their horses amazes me considering what these animals have been through and the risk of having someone undo the progress the horse has made. We had a groupon and my 4th grade son and I went together. They were a little short staffed that day so they kept apologizing for the wait but it was no problem to watch them work. After all it was to be a learning experience foremost! I would have been happy to help them do some work, hear their stories and impart their expertise all morning so the riding was a total bonus. As far as the lesson went, Celia was a pro. She provided rationale for what she was going to teach and then was good teacher and extremely patient with providing needed reminders to both of us. I'd go back in a heartbeat. read more

This rescue is one of a kind! I didn't know what to expect when I first signed up fora lesson at this rescue, but I was not disappointed! Celia took the time to tell me not only how to safely ride, but she also gave me a great deal of valuable knowledge that I can later use when interacting with horses. read more