I visited Millwood ranch today with my wife and my year-old toddler and the first thing we are told by a staff member was "why are you here? This is private property". If that is the case, just have a sign up-front which mentions "Private Property. Keep Out!" We live in the neighborhood and just came up to look at the ranch and enquire about the classes being offered for adults and children. But expecting basic civil conversation is probably a tall order for the staff at Millard. I would like to point out that this was a lady who is supposedly a trainer there. There were a few other bystanders (possibly staff) who just kept quiet and chuckled. STRONGLY AVOID! read more

Well i board at Millwood and its the best place by far in the surrounding area. with miles and miles of trails and a real Ranch feel the horses are as happy a bunch as i have ever seen. It is well kept and everybody gets along the management is always helpfull and do a great job. You really cant ask for a better place to board your horse. 4 years boarding at Millwood Ranch each year gets better. read more

I guess my 5 star review that I rode before had not enough words just the photos in it because pictures say more than 1,000 words. I'm boarding my 2 horses at Millwood in oversized paddocks with a sturdy shelter that is 12 x 12 and elevated so that they can always stand on dry rubber mats if they want. The horses are fed 8 lbs of Forage pellets in the morning and 2 flakes of a choice of good grass hay, Alfafa or Oat hay. Cleaning is mostly done by me and my friends. The manure is picked up every day from the wheelbarrows. I got lucky that there was an old travel trailer near the 2 paddocks - pretty rotten but I fixed the holes and extensively replaced rotten ceiling and painted it in and out. Now the trailer is dry, no mold no mice . The ranch manager says it is as beautiful as you make it. On a White Board you can read that they like support with picking up garbage and cutting the weeds down because of fire hazard. Both of which I do. I've been around ranches in Bay Area for over 10 years and I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the roads at Millwood Ranch are numerous and well kept in terms of NO MUD. It was always possible to ride on the trails and not get stuck in mud. And the covered arena was rideable the whole time. As at every ranch there are conflicts - primarily based on misunderstandings. We all come from total different backgrounds even different countries and it is important to talk with each other and eliminate misunderstandings. read more

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I have been riding a few horses for some horse owners at Millwood Ranch for the past five months. I have enjoyed the incredible trails and met some really nice people while I was there. I know that they are in the process of improving the Ranch itself. For instance the footing in the Arena's is not the best but the management is aware and working to improve the situation. The ranch staff does groom the arena's keeping them clean and tidy. There is another gentleman that pays constant attention to the details of ranch landscape. He keeps the weeds at bay and plants flowers that actually bloom which is very impressive to me since I have a difficult time keeping any plant alive. The paddocks, from what I understand, used to be very muddy and now they have changed it so much I really do not see how the barn could have any problem with mud in the winter for the horses. They management has been doing a lot of work on the drainage so that when it does begin to rain the runoff comes no where near the arena's or the paddocks. I have not attempted to turn the lights on in the arena's but I know that the lights are there to be used. The owner and his wife have been so friendly to me and I have really enjoyed every interaction that I have been fortunate enough to have with both of them. The owners have saved many horses that have been abused, bringing them to their ranch providing them with a safe and happy home. They encourage Volunteers to come in and care for these once abused horses. The Volunteers that I have met that are doing this for these horses prove to be the kindest of souls and have the biggest hearts. I have watched as several of these horses have gained confidence, trust and lots of weight, this has been a sight to treasure. I knew Nona the new Ranch Manager from at Park Pacfica Stable when I boarded my own horse at that barn from 1994 to 1998. She and her sister were and are avid horse owners who always pay close attention to detail. If I ever I had a concern about a horse both Nona and her sister would never hesitate to take time out of their day to help me. A special thanks to both of you. The Ranch Staff has always been extremely attentive and show great care for not only each and every horse but to the riders and visitors alike. I appreciate the time that the staff has taken to say hello to me and make me feel at home. Thank you to all of the Staff and a special thanks to the owners of this Ranch for opening it to the public for all of us to enjoy. Do to the kindness of the people at this particular barn I have been able to once again enjoy a peaceful and safe environment to enjoy riding. The real treat for me has been the amazing trails on the Ranch itself. Thank you again. read more

The ranch is surprisingly large, well kept and friendly. Millwood is easy to get to, yet hidden away from the city. Horses look healthy and well cared for, people are friendly and willing to help, and the owners are great! Whether you're boarding, leasing or taking lessons, this is the place to go. read more

This horse ranch has 166 acres with trails to ride. There are privately owned horses and horses for adoption and lease. People are friendly and in fact the owner and his wife make all feel like family. I adopted a horse that the owner, Millard Tong, rescued. That was a year and half ago. She is now healthy and trusting once again. So, many horses have been adopted. It's easy to get to being in Pacifica but once there you are completely away from the hustle and bustle. The valley the ranch is nestled in is beautiful. Horse riding lessons. My granddaughter takes lessons from Dawn, who a mother herself, knows how to teach kids in a way they feel confident. She has the perfect kid saddle. She also offers lessons for adults and trail rides for riders with previous horse riding experiences. You can learn so much from horses - how to be calm, how to aware and to work with power. The volunteer program is the best way to learn if you want a horse, or you have love to share - come on down!! read more

Millwood Ranch - Luna rescue race horse - Pet Sitting Near Me - Pacifica, California

keep up the great effort that you are doing Mr Millard. I want to help you Merry Christmas

let me give you the real deal on Millwood from a boarder's perspective. this is long overdue. i don't know what ranch these other reviewers have confused with Millwood but the only positive thing anyone who's been there a while can agree on is that the owner, Millard Tong, is a sincere, upstanding man. he's great. i just wish he'd do something about the management & upkeep! my girlfriend chose to keep her horse there due to Millwood's close proximity to our house and the potential for her horse to have his own paddock. i often visited the ranch to scoop poop, check on feeding/water and generally spend part of a day among the horses. let me tell you, from first hand experience, there *are* lots of trails. Millwood is set in a beautiful area, full of birdsong, scrub and the opportunity to lose yourself in a laid-back, bucolic setting. however, as far as the ranch being well-kept, friendly and accommodating...? it is anything but! there has been a recent exodus of horse-owners away from Millwood for good reason. the following list recounts some of the things that i personally saw happen here: - horses not fed, fed wrong, fed irregularly - horses put down without sufficient recourse into treatment/rescue options, and on at least one occasion, a horse was put down IN FRONT OF A GROUP OF VISITING CHILDREN. i kid you not - most people who work there will not return a wave or howdy, so i've long-since given up trying to be friendly - broken down vehicles, trailers, cabins, etc. litter the property - we have found trash including, but not limited to, nails, empty bute (Phenylbutazone) bottles, broken glass and empty Starbucks cups in and around the paddocks - as an arborist, i recognize that the trees in various states of decline pose a constant danger, especially in winter & high-wind conditions - i personally witnessed the ranch manager drive his boot heel as hard as he could into an uncooperative horse's ribs in order to get her to accept a saddle. i have been around horses since childhood and have *never* seen such abuse - and for such a minor problem! - much of the ranch is located on a filled-in riparian system which lends itself to very poor drainage; the upshot being filthy horses struggling through mud & muck-laden paddocks. the "arena" is not much better - poorly maintained roads make it difficult to access much of the ranch with anything less than a four-wheel drive truck or ATV. recently, when i took my 4x4 down there to check on the horse, the feed truck pulled in front of me on the main 'trail' in and just sat there blocking me, well aware i was trying to get by, while the driver & ranch manager talked about this that & the other thing, glancing at me every so often. in general i try not to honk at or interrupt people so after getting tire of waiting i backed down the trail and drove all the way around the ranch, eventually backing down another muddy trail to reach the horse. not a big deal, but definitely not friendly/accommodating on the part of the management. again, the above is but a partial list and brief reflection of what you can expect to endure at this ranch. in general many of us have found the staff rude and unaccommodating, while the ranch itself leaves much to be desired. there are many better ranches in the area. my girlfriend and others who have since left Millwood refer to it as Camelot - shining so brightly and full of promise for one brief, fleeting moment before all was lost & utterly destroyed in a shambles of unfulfilled potential. i recommend you look elsewhere. if i could give zero stars i would have. read more

i boarded my horse here for about a year and a half based off of recommendation from a friend. and i was legitimately happy here for awhile. when I moved in I was shown how manure was composed and used for mulch to make the property nicer, grass was being planted, etc. I liked this and moved in. my horse and I were very happy for quite some time. the landscaper, Tim, worked is behind off and the place was starting to look wonderful. A new manager came right after I arrived, she brought in clinics, organized fire safety committees to make sure we had proper evacuation programs.These were great improvements and credit should be given to Nona Kaenel for that. She actively searched for clinicians, tried to bring in schooling shows and revive the ranch community from within. When my issues started, Nona was the only one who listened to me and tried to help. However, the owner does whatever he wants and ignored the issues at hand. A manager cant do anything when the owner is just off doing whatever he wants. My horse had to move paddocks because I refused to have him housed with a mare that I didnt know. I'm not a fan of mixed paddocks. Millard Tong never asked if this arrangement was ok with me. he left me a voicemail TELLING me this was going to happen. Nona emailed him as well saying this was a bad idea and she supported my decision. My gelding was put with a friend's horse who had been a turn out buddy in the past. we thought this arrangement would be great. the other horse was aggressive around dinner time and a member of the staff pulled my gelding because he was being beat up (I AM THANKFUL THAT THEY DID THIS), but they put my gelding in with a horse who hadnt finished quarantine (there were empty barn stalls, and my old paddock was empty, so there were clearly options that could have been used that night.) Quarantine had always been14 days. I emailed Mr. Tong directly and he responded that he 14 days too be too restrictive and isolating an blew me off. If you know horses at all, you know that most equine diseases have an incubation period of 14 -21 days. I relayed this response to Nona, just to make her aware of the owners response. Her hands were tied in this situation and I realize that. I then found out that my gelding's diet had been switched to grass without my consent because the horse who hadn't finished quarantine was on grass. I had just confirmed his diet of oat the week before because I noticed runny poop ( Nona double checked with the feeders and did promptly get back to me on this). after that, I noticed my horse was being underfed and the water barrels were not always being filled. my paddock had two horses in it with the same size barrel that horses in paddocks alone had. Feeders were feeding inadequate amounts. i brought this to Nona;s attention and she did make sure my boy got adequate food. however, the issue happened more and more. I had to have friends actually check at evening feed how much was actually given. my last month there I had to supplement my horses hay with hay that i bought myself. There is also a hoarder living there and piles of trash everywhere... they arent there one day and then a giant pile appears. the ranch is rustic and pretty but trash piles with everything including a kitchen sink definitely detract. The footing in both riding arenas are scary. I cant even count how many pieces of glass I have pulled out of there. small and large. a rusty kitchen knife and rusty handgun have been pulle out of the arena footing as well ( and were photographed). manure is now just dumped up on one of the hills in the back and the compost bins just sit there....shame since the place had really gotten to be so pretty when there was someone actually deidcated to landscaping. This place has mass potential but honestly, it would take a miracle for the owner to do what needs to be done for this place to live up to it's potential. The manager there will only be able to do so much with an owner who doesn't want to spend the money to get rid of the horrible reputation this place had. he will eventually run off the very few people on his staff who do care just like boarders. I should have listened when people tried to talk me out of going there, but there are clearly some lessons that people have to learn on their own. I should also note that when I gave my notice the staff including the owner stopped talking to me unless i was letting them know my horse was being underfed. I definitely got the cold shoulder. Nona stayed cordial and wrote me a very touching email. That was professional and classy. I cant say the same for the others read more

I am so pleased with Millwood Ranch. I actually interacted with some people with "Sun Valley Equestrian," which is on Millwood Ranch, or part of it, and they were both very warm and friendly. I spoke with Lisa, who answered all my questions about the volunteer program and taking lessons, introduced me to a few of the horses, and offered to give me a tour of the ranch. The whole property is just gorgeous and I can't wait to go back! read more