I've been taking lessons here with contract instructor Britton Marcoe for over a month. It's been…read moreincredible. I came to LBF feeling intimidated because, although I've grown up riding Western, I'd never ridden English nor tacked a horse, even though I worked at a horse farm during college. LBF insists you tack your horse, get him or her out of the paddock, etc. It's a real experience that teaches you to respect the animals, the sport and joy of riding. Britton is awesome to work with; she's kind and patient but doesn't let you off the hook. She expertly manages to keep your self esteem afloat while forcing you to improve. The farm is a surprise--it sits at the end of a nicer housing development and you'd never know it was there unless you were looking for it. Mark, the owner, is very cool and laid back, trusting of his riders and instructors. There is one arena, there is no indoor riding. It's not the fanciest of farms but that's just perfect for a novice like me who is already feeling a bit unsure. The last thing I need is a group of prisses casting sideways looks my way because I'm unschooled in picking hooves. I highly recommend this farm and Britton in particular. It's a great addition to your life. While it's a bit expensive, compared to other riding clubs and farms it's a steal.

This is a tough update to post. I like the staff of LBF, I think it was a great place for a…read morebeginner rider, but... the owner recently increased the prices considerably. After a bit of outrage by all he changed his original increase from doubling prices to a $50 a month increase. I still have nothing but respect for the staff there and think it is a great place to learn to ride. As my daughter is getting more skilled, we have moved to an indoor arenas where she can jump snow or sun.

My experience at Linden Farm has been phenomenal! I started as an adult student with little…read morehorseback riding experience. Through excellent instruction and encouragement, I am now participating in horse shows and leasing a horse. I recently traveled to Ireland on a horseback riding holiday and received compliments on my riding. This can be 100% attributed to the quality instruction at Linden!

This farm is such a great place to learn and grow in horsemanship. All of the teachers are fabulous…read moreand everyone there is always very kind and helpful. The horses are very well taken care of and good mannered. 100% come here for your lessons.

For our first lesson, we found the staff patient, friendly, and the horses very well-behaved…read more You'll first learn how to properly interact with horses. You'll learn about the "kit" and how to mount and ride in the saddle. If you're a beginner, this the place for you. Experienced riders will undoubtedly find the staff well versed in advanced horsemanship. I highly recommend a visit.

Not a good experience for us. Maria is the best instructor there. The others? not so much…read more Trainers yelling at students, not paying attention, constant texting, negative, rude, condescending, passive aggressive, just plain unprofessional. We were miserable. Can't recommend, sorry. Look elsewhere.

A great place to ride and take lessons! I started taking lessons there several years ago as a…read morebeginner and now own two horses and attend rated shows. My riding has progressed tremendously. The trainer Hannah really tailors the riding to each individual's goals and expectations! Cannot recommend enough.

Horrible. Do not recommend this stable at all. The new lady who is the main operator of "HR…read moreEquestrian" is unprofessional, childish and is out for your money. Advertises a boutique stable that is quite literally falling apart. No rideable outside ring. Small indoor. Lessons advertised for over $100 for 30 minutes- including jumping lessons. And to lease a horse here? Forget it. You'll spend at least 10k in lease fees where you stay stagnant jumping cross rails, and having no goals to work towards. Hannah plays favorites, is constantly late and her instruction is just straight up lazy. Want to change directions 400 times and jump 2 cross rails for $115? This place is for you!

High Standards Equestrian Center (formerly Hideaway Horse Center) provides summer camp sessions…read morethrough the Maryland Park and Planning Summer Camp Program for children ages 6-16. The camps are one week sessions (held June-August) for a maximum of six weeks. For Prince George's County residents the cost is $325 per week - non residents pay $390 per week. The summer camp program is advertised as a "horseback riding camp" but the children are only given 15 minutes of actual riding time in the mornings and if time permits, the same in the afternoon. For the cost per camper, I would expect more riding time. The children observe vet and dentist visits once a week and are able to paint the horses and play Jeopardy but again, for the cost of the camp, the stable should provide more hands on riding lesson time. With the lack of riding time that is provided, the Park and Planning Summer Guide should advertise the High Standards Equestrian Center's summer camp program as a, "petting zoo," at best. Another concern that I have is that the campers do the exact same thing every session. There is no advancement for campers that stay longer than one week. In essence, if children stay in the program for the entire 6 weeks, they are repeating the same things that they learned in week one every week - regardless of knowledge gained. The program never changes its weekly routine and doesn't provide advancement opportunities for campers that have mastered what was learned in week one. Lastly, but most important, the stable volunteers don't have the patience and training that is required to be summer camp counselors that represent the Maryland Park and Planning summer camp program. There were several occasions that a stable volunteer/employee used profanity when addressing my child (and at least two other children that I am aware of.) When the stable owner was made aware of the volunteer's verbal tirades, her response was, "Oh, he must be getting tired." That was an extremely unacceptable and unprofessional response. I would expect more from the establishments owner. I don't care how, "tired" your staff is - using profanity is never acceptable when working with young children in a summer camp setting. If the High Standards Equestrian Center volunteers/employees don't have the experience and training to be able to handle the responsibilities that go along with being summer camp counselors that represent the Maryland Park and Planning Summer Camp Program, the stable shouldn't be allowed to have camp sessions at their establishment. I am very disappointed with this particular summer camp program and the staff/volunteers at the High Standards Equestrian Center. I am giving them a below average rating and would not recommend this program to anyone that has expectations of a good, quality horseback riding summer camp program. However, this review does not, in any way, reflect the Maryland Park and Planning Summer Camp Program as a whole, it is specifically and solely directed to the services (or lack thereof) and treatment that my child received directly from the High Standards Equestrian Center staff and volunteers while attending the 2017 summer camp session in Brandywine, Maryland. *Please see the reviews that they received while under the name Hideaway Horse Center. The claims of animal abuse and statements of horses being removed from the stable by the county's animal control office are quite disturbing.

I've been keeping a look out for a new barn for my daughter and I to join since moving to Maryland…read morefrom Virginia. This barn isn't that far from where I currently am and the facility appears very well done. I enjoy riding Western and primarily trail riding, whereas my daughter has enjoyed the show jumping and youth team divisions. This barn looked like it would be a perfect match having both trails and English instructors. However, I'd heard rumors from some horse people in the area about boarding here and then quickly moving on to other boarding barns after getting to know management. Others mentioned riding with April and never seeing progress despite tons of effort being put in. I tried to be indifferent as to what I'd heard but honestly, this barn is not the place for us. Management puts on a good show at first but the barn is very clicky and there's way too much drama and gossip that goes around the barn and its crew. Definitely not the type of crowd that I want my daughter to be around, having someone smile to your face and then immediately talk about you behind your back. Then you find out that while trails are confirmed to exist, it's very rare management will take you out to show them unless you happen to be their BFF. You're on your own with that one, which seems to me like a safety hazard. Overall, it seems to me that you're either in or out with this crowd, meaning that if you're not a teacher's pet, you're a threat. I prefer to have more character in a barn if I am to join one. As an aside, I also wasn't impressed with the main pastures that have the horses as there's no shelter anywhere except for the barn. The gelding field has some trees and isn't as bad when the entire field is opened up, but the mare field is practically a field of dirt under the sun with next to no shade. We were looking here in the fall, so I can't imagine what it must be like in the summer. And as for the 'border paddocks,' a single horse is isolated in a small, narrow paddock on a daily basis. Last I checked, horses are social creatures. I would not board my horse here if I got another one, nor would I recommend this barn for either boarding nor riding with. I will continue my search elsewhere. UPDATE in response to Miss Salta's response: Thank you for taking the time to respond to me as I do appreciate that. However I do not appreciate when people try to put words in my mouth or try to twist around what I've said. I'm not quite sure why you're trying to blame some other people from the past for an experience that I've had with your current facility.

I have been taking lessons for 6 weeks, and Megan has a measured and sequential training to teach…read moreme how to know the horse and then how to ride. It has been a fantastic experience so far. It is also a wonderful family-owned stable--Tim is around the property all of the time, and clearly loves what he does and loves those horses. The horses get basically free rein and are very well tended to. It is an amazing piece of property nestled in the Mason Neck/Pohick Bay Area of Loudon--beautiful and green, and just a quick drive to get there and home.

I went to Tamarack for a morning trail ride on my birthday and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I…read morehadn't been on a horse in at least 15 years but the instructors there were patient and helpful. I was the only person that morning so it was just me and my guide peacefully riding through the woods. I will say it rained the morning I went and for some reason that equates to spiders coming down from the trees and riding through their webs that you couldn't really see coming.... let's just say my first lesson of 33 was to *breathe*. Luckily, my instructor was in front of me and caught most of the webs before I did. Lol. Afterward, they were okay with me walking the grounds a bit which are beautiful and I watched some of the kids take lessons and chatted with the horses in the barn. It was really enjoyable. I'll be back.

Stephanie is amazing! My daughter has taken many lessons with her and progressed beyond all…read moreexpectations. She had never even been on a horse before and was cantering and posting within weeks. Stephanie has the right amount of patience and persuasion to get the students to continually develop as riders. The horses are all impeccably maintained and well trained. I love that the students learn to tack up the horses and the responsibility required to be a rider. If your considering lessons, this is the place to go.

After seeing a bargain on Living Social, I decided to give it a try for my almost 4 y.o. daughter…read more She has been in love w/ horses since she was 2. The instructor, Stephanie was wonderful and very patient w/ me (neurotic mother) and my daughter. She leases space at a beautiful farm in Boyds, MD. The horses are beautiful, and clearly well taken care of. Stephanie is very aware of the horses she uses, and is very cautious & careful about safety which is always my biggest concern. She actually had Gracie galloping on her second lesson b/c Gracie saw a more experienced rider and wanted to do the same, so she taught her the basics of posting, had her hold tightly onto the saddle and lead the horse into a controlled gallop, which Gracie loved. I also appreciated Stephanie's honesty when I approached her about her readiness & the benefit of future lessons as I wanted to make sure my daughter would be getting the most out of this as possible. Stephanie is clearly very experienced w/ horses, and instructing people in how to ride them. It's obvious, this is her passion which makes it all the better for anyone fortunate enough to take lessons from her.

Excellent program. My child transitioned to Meadowood from another nearby riding program and they…read moreimmediately set to work undo bad habits learned there. Lessons are usually taught in small groups, but individual lessons are also available. My child has progressed rapidly under the tutelage of a wonderful and highly experienced instructor who emphasizes proper horsemanship technique. Meadowood is a beautiful and well-maintained facility with professional and caring management. The hardest part is getting in because I don't think they take that many beginners, but my child entered as an advanced beginner and has flourished here. Highly recommended.