Lone Oak is a great boarding stable. The facility is very clean and quiet. They have several arenas. You will most likely have the arena to yourself. The arenas have great footing. They take pride in the facility and security. The only downside is fall is in the winter time only the covered arena is open sometimes. They do seal the outside arenas. So once the outside arenas dry out they open them back up. read more

I've been taking private lessons with Shari for about three years now, and I couldn't recommend her more highly. I was initially referred to her because of the facilities, and the care for her horses. I also appreciate that Shari owns the barn, so I never have to guess where my lesson will take place. A lot of trainers in the area seem to move barns frequently, but with Shari everything is consistent and reliable. Plus, as Morgan Hill can get hot, I really appreciate having access to the indoor arena. There is also a dressage ring and an outdoor ring, so there's plenty of space and flexibility depending on what you're working on. I got back into riding about five years ago as an adult after growing up with my own horse, although now I ride mostly to stay connected to horses and continue learning in a safe, supportive environment. Shari does a great job meeting riders where they are, whether you're returning to the sport or advancing your skills. Shari also hosts local competitions at the barn, which creates opportunities for riders who want to push themselves further. Overall, it's a great place to ride, learn, and be part of a welcoming horse community. read more

Lone Oak Equestrian Center - Horse Boarding Near Me - San Martin, California

I am reporting my personal experience as follows with the owners of Lone Oak I was a boarder and student of Shari's for several years. However, Shari often badger me and even told me that I must be deaf because my I didn't understand the instructions (how can you when she merely repeates everything the sameway). Finally(and thank God) Shari just gave up on her and passed her to another trainer that was MUCH better. Since then I progressed in my riding immensely. It wasn't until I decided to sell my horse did they showed their true colors: 1. Stephen on Christmas Eve demanded that I get a money order for a bounced check by the next day, acknowledging that it wasn't possible. I did not volunteer as Stephen would claim.I tried to compromise but they wouldn't have it. Instead,I had to tell them to stop messaging her because I was with family. I paid in cash on Christmas to which Shari said I wasn't allowed to do that again (even though in the same text her husband said cash was fine). From then, I made sure to take pictures of paying them to the point of videoing counting the money and putting it in an envelop and the payment box. 2. They came up with charges when my horse was away- never once discussing it with me. Then they demanded that I show them the bill of sale for my horse when it was none of their business. I never intended for my horse to come back to this ranch because he was under fed. At that point they said I couldn't take lessons with my trainer because "they said so", knowing this was a financial burden to my trainer and that I was improving. If they don't like you, you're out. This really just shows how they don't care about fostering the love of horses or encouraging people. Shari has done this to her own clients too in the last month. 3.Since leaving, the owners owe me about $300 for services not given. My horse left on the 4th and they have not reimbursed me for hay, cleaning, or shavings since his departure, but kept his entire board.Nothing in the contract says this. Stephen claims that it's like an apartment. However, according to the contract I have paid and bought 3bags of shavings a week and 4 flakes a hay a day since Jan 4th. That will then be used for someone else and even though I paid in full for this, I wont be reimbursed for not needing it. 4. When my frind posted this on Yelp, Shari even verbally accosted me and said "You better take down that review or my husband is going to come after you."- You can see this in their responses Overall, it has seemed to me that Shari and Stephen put a target on my back when Shari failed to train me and I began to progress. Once their opportunity came to stick it to me, they did. This was seen by how Shari would make snide comments about me to my new trainer, Shari would show up and linger around her lessons specifically, and even called her "kiddo" when my friend is a grown woman. So if you don't want people that create a toxic environment, make up silly rules (you can't video tape your horse or kid), and hidden fees don't ride with these people or board here. It's not worth it. *Please note. This is only a reflection on the owners and their actions. Lone Oak provides other trainers that are better and more competent. RESPONSE TO OWNERS 2/15: Stephen and his son are notorious for drinking on site with kids around. His son will operate heavy machinery after a beer and vaping. Wine is easily reachable in office for small kids. So is this really a safe environment for kids? As to the written notice, I gave verbal 30 days notice in November and followed up with a text at the end of December reminding them I had given 30 days notice. (see photo) My new trainer is now financially in the hole thousands of dollars which is a burden on her. To address I'm trying to "take them down" and the owners response. I would be an idiot if i had told them I was going to take them down. But I'm not and idiot and I'm not trying to do that. I want to share my story. You can tell from the owners NEW message that he is desperate to save face for his wife's sake. Like I've said, try another trainer if you want to progress in your riding. P.S. The true harassment is the owners as seen by their response. They can't prove I never improved as I never rode in the same area as them and avoided times I knew Shari would be around. Frankly they can't prove whether I did or didn't but it's also not their business once I left Shari as a student. read more

Lone Oak Equestrian Center - Horse Boarding Near Me - San Martin, California

it's a great place to board a horse or even take lessons. My whole family has taken lessons there from Shari and enjoyed every moment of it. I highly recommend this place read more

Between me and my clients we have 11 horses boarded at Lone Oak Equestrian and they are all happy and healthy, Everyone is so nice and supportive. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a place to call home for your horse! read more

We love this place! Shari has been giving lessons to my daughter for over 3 years and she has learned a lot and grown as a rider. Definitely recommend! read more

Shari is amazing! We love her! Our granddaughter is taking lessons and she seems to have discovered her passion! Thank you, Shari!

So blown away by this place. Shari is very friendly and professional and knows what she is talking about! We have a 2.5 year old and they introduce toddlers to horseback riding in hour long lessons. That said, Shari is very generous with her time and will spend time showing my daughter how she feeds the pigs and goats and chickens on their ranch after our actual lesson (not what we expect each time by any means, but our daughter has loved it!) What I love about this place is that you can start your kiddos super early and they teach the kids how to feed the horse, brush the horse, and overall care for them. As a parent, you ride with your kiddo on the horse, which makes it a great shared experience with your kiddo. Shari is also amazing with kids. She engages with them and challenges them by asking them questions. She incorporates games into it as well, which is so fun. Definitely a drive from San Jose but 100% worth it. read more

We had big summer vacation plans to go to our dear friends cattle ranch in Montana/Wyoming last summer and we also had a 7 year old who didn't have any experience riding horses. Over a year later we are still taking lessons from Shari, who is now a trusted and kind adult in our daughter's life. Shari has coached our kiddo to be comfortable on both lesson ponies and horses and indulges her playful spirit by helping her practice lassoing. Shari always imparts her lessons with a clear and positive message and is very encouraging, which is super important at this age. We have had riding summer camp and lessons from a couple other people and ranches in the Bay Area but Shari stands out for her excellent communication and fair pricing as an instructor. It can be a drive out from San Jose but it is worth it and we have recommended Lone Oak Equestrian center to our friends and we recommend it to you too read more

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Three of our granddaughters ages 8, 12, and 14, along with a friend have taken horseback riding lessons from Shari McHenry at Lone Oak Equestrian Center this summer, and they all say it has been incredibly fun, and a great learning opportunity. They were riding after their first lesson. Shari does a great job making the children feel comfortable with the animals before they get on a horse. She has other farm animals as well and the children get to hold and feed them, if they would like. Once the children are ready, they help with the whole process of getting the horses prepared to ride. Shari teaches them all of the technical details of riding and understanding why each one is important. They also learn how to interact with the horses to build a bond and provide the right amount of control. We would highly recommend Shari for any child looking to have a wonderful horseback riding experience. read more

I take lessons from one of the trainers based at Lone Oak, Kate Little, and she is absolutely amazing! Her approach with helping humans help their horses is so well-rounded, as she is gifted in how to read horses and how to communicate with her students so that we can improve (thusly helping our horses) I love her combination of classical good horsemanship, with biomechanics (for both horse and rider), and applies that to disciplines like Eventing, Dressage, HJ Your horse will thank you, if you can learn from Kate! I highly recommend her! read more

This review is about Lone Oak Ranch. Stephen and his wife were rude. This was an email I got from Stephen on June 4, 2021. "So I want to be clear. I did not see this happen. Either the breakage or the "pitching/catching". The sum of the data points I have is 1) when I left Sonoma on Sunday, the taillight was not broken, 2) the pitching/catching was going on behind the RV today, 3) several loud "thunks" were heard (presumably because of missed catches), and 4) tonight there is a broken taillight. Did I inspect it every day between Sunday and tonight? No. But, in 18 months of owning it, there has never been any damage incurred on facility. AND, if it were on the front, I could easily believe that a rock flew up and hit something (e.g., a headlight). Less so for a taillight. Can I prove you did it? No. But... Now, (and I want to be perfectly clear about this, whether you broke it or not) we are an equestrian center. We are not a batting cage. We are not a catching center. We are not a baseball facility. We are not a playground. Horses can be easily spooked by many things, and sometimes that results in the rider being thrown and sometimes injured. This is a liability for us. It is NOT ok to pitch/catch balls in our parking lot, or really anywhere else on property. If you are bored and/or not interested in watching while your daughter rides, you should find some local place that caters to the sort of activity you want to do while she is riding. And, (not that you have done these things but they have been done on our facility) it is also not OK to do wheelies and donuts in our parking lot (and yes, both of these have happened - which is why I'm so grumpy about this). If you're thinking "Who would do that?" - now you know what is going through my mind about pitching/catching in our parking lot. Who would do that? I can't believe this happened, and if it ever happens again, you will not be allowed to return to Lone Oak." Here's the email I sent back on June 5, 2021, explaining what really happened. "Hello Stephen, I don't know you, and I'm a little put off by this email that my son and I would even be considered to be blamed. So l will inform you of the real story that happened that day. My daughter is taking riding lessons from Kate Little, and this was her 4th or 5th lesson. On this day, yesterday, my wife needed some time off, and I had no place to take my son, so I brought him with me to Loneoak Stable. I got my girl to her riding lesson and went back to get my son. We got out of the car and went beyond your RV toward the entrance because I know that this can spook horses, and I've seen your RV there, so we made sure to have our distance from anything. We were 30 or more feet from your RV, and we were 20 feet apart from each other. None of our throws would even have the power to crack anything on your RV, even if we missed our target. And about these "thunks" that apparently were heard, we had one past ball that finished in a slow roll on your back tire. This was a ball I threw to my son who missed it. There were no other incidences with your vehicle, certainly no "thunks." Now, I've been to several equestrian centers and have played with my son in different ways. We are always respectful of the facilities and would never disturb horses or people's belongings. I have no idea about this donut or wheelie thing you're mentioning, but I find it interesting how you blame a committed family to horseback riding rather than the people who do donuts and wheelies on your facilities. Thinking more logically, it makes better sense that a random flying rock from these wheelies and donuts you speak of to have broken your tail light over some random rolling ball. Scolding me or my family or directing your frustration and anger toward us over apparent slights that didn't even happen was not the right way to handle this. I would have gladly listened and spoken to you about this issue. And just so you know that I mean what I say, I'll personally pay for your tail light bill even though we did nothing to your RV. I'll come down to your facility next week with an open check in my hand, ready to write up the amount that it will cost. Fixing it yourself will be about $75, or a service will likely cost $200. I hope the way you handled this situation doesn't represent the equestrian center's values at Loneak." I went there today, June 18,2021, to address it. Shari and I had this interaction. I went to the office, knocked on the door. No one was there. Shari asked if I needed help. I said I was here to pay for a taillight I was accused of breaking. She said Stephen was not there. Now, I knew my conflict was with her more than him because she was the one who observed us playing baseball, so I said the way it was handled was rude. She said that I shouldn't have been playing baseball. I said she could have told us a different. She defended Stephen's action and if I don't like it to not come back. read more

This was a nice, peaceful barn to visit. I've brought my daughter (3 years old) here several times, and she enjoys seeing the goats, horses, and friendly barn cat (Salem!) My daughter also did her first horseback riding here on her birthday and has gotten comfortable enough to ride a horse (tommy!) by herself. We like this little spot and the simple, rustic amenities (convenient bathroom, picnic table, shaded and open arenas). Thanks to Kate Little and her assistants for helping my daughter learn about horses. read more

This review is based on trainer Kate Little solely! My daughter has been getting classes by Kate for many months. I thought everything worked really well until COVID happened. I have been texting Kate for months, she responded once and never again. I just needed to know when my daughter can come back for classes. She got my daughter super excited about offering leasing a horse and than no word after. I know that she is offering classes to other kids. I found this very unprofessional, unconcerned and unethical! At least she could let teenager know where she is standing so she is not endlessly waiting to get a word about her horse classes. Horses are her biggest passion. Luckily, my daughter was able to find a caring trainer and a nice stable where she gets classes now. read more

The main lesson program at this facility, Kelequestrian, is remarkable. Kate Little is an intelligent, hard working, and lovable instructor who has been a constant joy in my life for the past 5 years. Not only is she a great teacher but she is amazing with the horses. Kate is always concerned about both the rider and the horses well-being, while also making sure to keep the lesson fun and engaging. I am extremely grateful to be a part of her team. read more