Liberty Stables is an absolute disaster. The owner is awful to work with, and has been involved in…read moremore lawsuits than I can count. I watched around a dozen staff members turn over in less than a year's time due to not being paid by Mandy, so there was no consistency in the care of horses, or instruction of riders. They also have a skinny horse problem for sure - none of the horses were at an ideal weight that I saw, and many were horribly trained to top it all off. I've been a life-long rider, and I signed my daughter up for "horsemanship" lesson to get her involved. Every lesson horse was lame at one point or another over the course of the 10 weeks. I have personally been at many barns over the years, and have never seen lameness and injury issues like this. For several of my daughter's lessons they didn't have enough safe, un-injured horses for the students to ride that, so they put her on an advanced horse that was FAR too much for her to handle - I was very concerned, and we have not ridden there since. The instructors for their "horsemanship" classes are well-meaning, but hardly the professionals that are advertised - they are just boarders with, at best, intermediate riding skills, and many of them are other children! Hardly worth the nearly $400 to put my child on an unsafe horse with mediocre instruction. Finally, the facilities are a mess. The "paddocks" are complete mud pits that Mandy refuses to invest in fixing. The pastures are over-grazed, and fencing is falling down - I saw several broken gates during our time there. The indoor arena has VERY minimal footing that I saw several horses slip on, and the outdoor is literally built on a hill. The stalls in the lower barn are depressingly small, and they had 1-2 horses in them that just simply did not fit - they could barely turn around appropriately, and were asking for injury if they tried to lay down. AVOID. Go literally anywhere else. There are amazing barns and amazing trainers in the Madison area that actually care for their hard-working horses.

As an adult who is just learning, the horsemanship class has been great to learn to ride, but also…read morelearn to groom, tack-up and care for horses. After talking with some of the parents of the children in the course before mine, it sounds like the youth horsemanship courses are just as good. I am about half way through the session, and I have improved so much. Friendly, personable, and knowledgeable staff are very flexible and adjust the course material to both the horse and the rider. Miriam has been an absolutely fantastic instructor. They take the time to try and pair you with a horse that you will really connect with. Every horse I have worked with has been very gentle and safe. The barn has a port-a-potty instead of a bathroom with running water, but it is well taken care of and fairly clean. I thought I would just take one session of classes, but I am definitely going to sign up for more!

I've taken my oldest grandson for one stable tour and two lessons; his two younger siblings just…read moretook their first tour and I'll be getting some lessons for them as well. By the end of our tour, our very reluctant granddaughter was feeling comfortable around horses and ready to try an actual ride. You can just feel the energy in the barn! Every visit has been informative, inclusive, and fun. Neva and all of the staff are knowledgeable, helpful, and eager to introduce you to the world of saddlebred horses. LaFleur has a variety of excellent programs that teach you all the different aspects of horse care and riding, and they are ready to work with both casual and competitive riders.

My daughter has been coming here 4 or 5 years now weekly. She loves her lessons, the horses, the…read morestable and her coaches. She has learned so much and has gained a confidence both on the horses and in life. There is no where she is happier than at La Fleur's. She's attended the day camps in the past and is now a camp counselor. Those camps allowed her to gain an understanding of the care and keeping or a horse, the responsibility that goes with it and so much additional one on one with the horses that the lessons just don't have time for. It's also fun to hear her talk about what they do for fun like horse weddings or scavenger hunts, getting the minis out with the carts.. I recommend anyone serious about horses to go to LaFleur Stables. I have included pictures of her from the recent stable show as well as her first lesson.

My mother had never rode a horse and she wanted to check it off her bucket list. Canyon Creek…read moreRiding Stable was the closest horseback riding activity near our hotel. Initially you pay and sign waivers at a small building and the actual stable where you ride the horses is right across the street. I paid a little over $50 for the both of us, at the stable you walk onto a tall platform where the employees walk a horse up to you and you get on. My mother got a horse named Pepper and I got a horse named Scrappy (his name is quite suiting). This experience reminded me of why I don't like riding horses and why I hope to never ride one again. Although, they are beautiful and majestic Mr. Scrappy made it very clear that he was the one in charge lol. Despite my efforts to steer him with the reins, Scrappy was in his own little world. He would sometimes stop in the middle of the trail and when I gently kicked his side he just looked at me like I was stupid from his peripheral, he would turn completely around and just stand still facing away from the rest of the group, he would leave the single file line to grab a little snack (the surrounding plants), and he kept invading Pepper's personal space by walking too closely behind him/her. Scrappy was beautiful but he terrified me lol. (Obviously, the staff can't control the horse's behavior, this portion of the review is not reflected in the rating). The trail was beautiful and we even got the opportunity to see some deer. I agree with previous reviews about the animatronics being too much or a little tacky. I just think they're unnecessary, the trail is beautiful in itself, no need for the extra props. I definitely feel like you get your money's worth, the ride last about an hour, no exaggeration. Unfortunately for me I was ready to get off Scrappy 15 mins into the walk lol. I've seen some reviews complaining about the staff not being friendly, I have to disagree. I never felt like the staff was being rude. However, some Horses did have a bad cough including Scrappy (for the first portion of the trail), additionally the staff is really strict about taking pictures, I'm not sure why. It's unfortunate I couldn't take pictures of Scrappy or the trail. After Horseback riding you have the opportunity to checkout the petting zoo. They recommend you go to the petting zoo after riding with the horses because apparently the horses don't like the smell of the other animals (which mostly consist of goats and I saw 1 donkey). All in all Canyon Creek is really good for beginner riders and first timers. Staff is friendly, and the trail is pretty. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

This was one of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had. The staff was rude,…read moreunwelcoming, and made us feel like we were an inconvenience from the moment we arrived. The older woman working at the front desk was especially unfriendly and came across as mean and dismissive. A front desk employee sets the tone for the entire experience, and unfortunately she did the opposite. If this stable wants to improve its reputation, it should seriously reconsider who represents the business at the front desk. We came expecting a fun experience and left feeling disappointed. I would not recommend this place based on how we were treated. Oh and someone ahead of us go extremely hurt and the ambulance should up to rescue the rider.

Dawson Pointe Stables is a beautiful facility with acres of riding trails along with indoor and…read moreoutside riding rings. It appears as though the animals at the stable are well cared for. So, you may ask, why a one-star review? For starters this review is written from the perspective of a person who leased an animal at the stables. Leasing is a great option for those who know how to ride but need much more than the guided trail rides most commonly found. So when we found a stable near where we live that leases we jumped at the opportunity (actually my wife, an experienced rider, was the one who leased.) She contacted the owner of the animal (in this case a lovely mule), went to the stable and after meeting Molly (the mule) decided to sign a lease with her owner which allows you three days a week to ride. The stable has rules, which are common. Riders must wear a helmet, the proper footwear, and follow procedures. Anyone who accompanied my wife must sign a waiver. And, from the list available at the stable, if the person leasing the animal brings a riding guest they must also be properly set up. This is all fine. As for the lease, the stable isn't involved. That transaction is between the owner and the leasee, and the owner is supposed to provide you with a copy of the lease. In our case that didn't happen. Now for the one-star part. My wife took our granddaughter out to the stable the day before Thanksgiving to see Molly, and to take a short ride. (We hadn't seen our granddaughter since the outbreak of covid). She is 14, and has actually been riding a friend's horse for several months. She isn't an expert by any measure, but is confident on a horse, or in this case a mule. We made sure she had a helmet, boots with heels, and proper clothing. My wife drove out with her to the stables, and took the mule into the indoor riding ring. They stayed for about an hour. While my granddaughter was on the mule during some of the time my wife trotted alongside, even holding the reigns. But in general they each rode Molly allowing her to walk and trot. If she cantered my wife had my granddaughter bring her back down to a walk or trot. They were the only ones in the ring and had a great time. That day the mule's owner called us at home to tell us the lease was being cancelled. During the call she was unable to give us a reasonable explanation as to why. She vacillated from telling us that rules had been broken to beginning an explanation that the mule's back was sore. While unsatisfactory it was what it was. A few days later my wife drove out to get her riding helmet, where by coincidence the owner of the mule was present. Still confused about the reasons for the cancellation and asking for a reason the owner then explained that the stable manager had called her, WHILE MY WIFE AND GRANDDAUGHTER WERE STILL IN THE RING, to tell her to cancel the lease because (as the story now went) they were acting in a "dangerous" manner. This is why I rate this as one-star behavior. What kind of a stable manager, on witnessing "dangerous" behavior occurring right in front of their eyes runs to the phone to resolve such behavior via a phone call? What kind of stable management doesn't have the common sense, or courtesy, to instead approach the individual in question to either inform them that they were doing something wrong and thereby educate them and fix the situation, or even tell them personally that they are being expelled from their lease immediately? My wife, as mentioned, is an experienced rider. She is also a senior citizen and loves our granddaughter. There is no possible chance she would ever endanger herself or our granddaughter by allowing dangerous behavior to occur while riding. And, if somehow what she was doing was being perceived as being "dangerous", there is no way she wouldn't have ceased such behavior immediately if so informed by the stable manager. Who, by the way, was never available to answer our phone calls after we were told that our lease was being cancelled at Dawson Pointe's demand. Perhaps Dawson Pointe Stables treats horse owners who board their horses with a bit more respect than they do those who lease. Perhaps if they observe a horse owner not behaving within a certain behavior they actually have the professional courtesy to talk to them about it, as opposed to allowing such alleged behavior to actively continue while instead running to make a phone call. The bottom line is our experience with the managing staff at Dawson Pointe Stable was that they are extremely unprofessional. Maybe they don't like to be bothered with those who lease an animal during a holiday down time. Who knows? All I know is I'd think twice about leasing there, make sure if you do that you get a copy of the contract before riding (our mistake) and don't count on guidance from management. Our experience was confusing, groundless and a huge emotional downer for my wife.

I just moved my horse here and so far so excellent. Management is on top of things, boarders are…read morefriendly and helpful, and the place is just so well thought out.

Today was my birthday and it started so wonderfully at Dan Patch Stables! The staff, the trail, the…read morehorses all get high marks from this retired teacher and horse lover! If you are looking for a traditional trail ride with family and friends, this is a great choice. I wish trotting and running were allowed, but really, no place that I've seen locally has that option. I thought the staff was so kind, thorough and professional. The horses were well trained and sweet. Go have fun!

The staff at Dan Patch Stables are top-notch! They are very professional, yet super friendly and…read morehelpful. Andrea, our guide, was patient and kind when answering my granddaughters 100+ questions as we rode. I appreciated that as I know she was nervous. It was a long awaited dream come true for her and the staff, horses and ride itself helped to fulfill that wish.