Brought my son here for a beginner's lesson and I loved it. Very hands on and informative. The young ladies giving lessons and helping each other out are all so sweet, and helpful. They all look out for each other and all the horses. They answered any curious questions my little chit chatter had. The lot itself is huge but love the set up. I even wanted to get on the horses so I'll be back! Thank you for this opportunity read more

Norco Equestrian Academy - Horseback Riding Near Me - Norco, California

This review is long overdue. I booked my 4 year old daughter a lesson via their website and paid through Venmo like instructed online. Our lesson was booked for 10 am and she was super excited. We arrived 15 minutes early and watched other kids finish their lessons and no one offered to help or instruct us where to go. Finally a woman asked who we were there for and told her the name and she eventually told us the girl we were booked with wasn't even there that day. After almost 45 minutes of waiting somebody else stepped in and did the lesson for my daughter. Once the lesson began everything was fine but if you don't mind waiting around and no customer service then this is the place for you. read more

Our daughter is 7 years old. Today was her 4th lesson. Isabella was phenomenal instructor. She took the time to teach us all with so much patience. Wonderful experience. Isabella , you are making a difference in this experience! Thank you so much read more

Norco Equestrian Academy - Getting the ready to ride - Horseback Riding Near Me - Norco, California

I didn't feel safe at this place. I almost got bucked off, and in just one hour, I saw two horses run off, which spooked the ones my family was riding during our lesson. I don't mind taking a fall myself, but when kids are involved, it's not worth coming back. A dog also spooked a horse that another kid was walking back to its stall, causing the horse to rear up on its hind legs. It was the kid's first time riding. Anyway, that was my experience, and I hope you don't have to go through the same thing. read more

An hour drive from my house to get here but somehow I felt that it's worth it. The instructor was very friendly. The horse was very sweet. I took a morning class and felt bad for disturbing his breakfast time because the horse struggled to grab more food as we pulled him out of the barn. Class information on the website was quite accurate. I'm a first time rider and can say that their beginner class is very beginner friendly. Be sure to allow more time because it does take a little more than an hour. The only thing with this place was that it's full of flies! Not sure what to expect from a horse barn in SoCal weather but it's very unpleasant having numerous flies everywhere. read more

Norco Equestrian Academy - Horseback Riding Near Me - Norco, California

Use caution and avoid!! Sorry this is long !Norco Equestrian Academy in Norco - I want to warn parents and beginner riders regarding the rudeness and arrogance a female skinny white instructor in her 30's who likes to put people and kids down while giving them a group riding lesson. Typical we have Bailey as the instructor but she quit and I don't blame her. This was my daughter's second lesson and was hesitant to mount the horse because she was nervous and this female instructor said to my daughter if you can't mount the horse maybe you shouldn't be riding. She looked away from my daughter and said I will not help you. I told her this not how you talk to a nine year old in a beginner class, Bailey assisted my daughter telling her exactly what to do. The instructor got upset and refused to help.She held up the class waiting for my daughter to figure it out. Meanwhile a parent approached me and told me this instructor yells all the time at her kid. The instructor who still angry saw us chatting , left the kids and yelled at us to stop talking otherwise she will stop the class for my daughter. I confronted the rude instructor and pulled my daughter out of the lesson. No one especially kids should be bullied by any riding instructor I will never go back to this place and warn others not to go .There is no guidance or encouragement from this instructor. This devastated my daughter confidence. Maybe she should not be an instructor for any class level. This place is cheap but not worth being disrespected. Tom the owner refunded us the one lesson but would not provide me the instructor's name. ( I added the picture of the instructor below) read more

Norco Equestrian Academy - This is the picture of the instructor. Tom didn't give us her name - Horseback Riding Near Me - Norco, California

I signed my son up for classes to get him more familiar with riding on his own with me. He has ridden before but I've always been there with him. He was very confident which I was surprised but I think because the instructor, Sarah, was really attentive and knew how to talk to him so he understood. Definitely will be retuning. He is so happy. read more

We had our first lesson today and it was great. They were all very helpful and welcoming. Both my children really enjoyed it and we are already booked for our next ridding lesson. Thanks Sarah and team. read more

I took lessons here & the trainers are nice at times & others rude. They were always late & on their phones during the lessons. They were boring. The place is not just dirty like a barn could be, but has junk everywhere and infested with rats. Boarders complain of their horses not being fed properly & stalls left dirty. Horses do not receive proper care like rest & medication. If you want to read about current accidents with their horses, look it up on the Norco FB sites. Please don't give these people business. read more

We have had 3 lessons, just booked our 4th. We have really enjoyed our experiences. My daughter is 9 and has an affinity for horses. She has also had a significant traumatic event in her life and really needed something to mend her heart. Coming here has givin her new life and something to look forward to. This place is affordable and the horses are well taken care of. It's clean and relaxed and my daughter gets to really bond with the horses she rides by brushing and loving on them before the ride. We are hoping our daughter continues to grow here for a long time and are so glad we found this place. Being around horses has made us all so much happier. 5 stars well deserved read more

Norco Equestrian Academy - Horseback Riding Near Me - Norco, California

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Shout out to Coach Sarah! My grand daughters had an amazing summer vacation with Coach Sarah, she is so patient and kind and the girls' hero! Thank you so much for helping me create my cowgirls! This is real riding, not trail riding and I am so happy I found you Sarah! Not only have you helped this Grammy to Cow-girl-up, but my granddaughters too! ‍‍ read more

Norco Equestrian Academy - Horseback Riding Near Me - Norco, California

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I love this place it feels like home and my favorite horse is Kalvin and Romeo I wish I have lessons every day of the week this place is the best and that's why I gave it 5 stars. read more

I have been having so much fun here always my dream to ride but finances and life and children take over. Finially decided to take time for myself and my passion with horses and take lessons, Sarah is an awesome trainer and Tom who I believe owns the place is really cool and down to earth. There facility is huge and have a wide variety of horses. They make it affordable and fun and have referred other friends here. Looking forward to eventually leasing a horse in the future or even buying and boarding one there, great job at what u do! Highly recommend! read more

I am So Glad I finally finished my 4-lesson beginner/intermediate package here! Because that means I never have to come back here ever again. Twice out of those lessons, my horse spooked and galloped uncontrollably across the arena, with me clinging to it for dear life. On my last lesson, a group of horses somehow broke free from their pens and ran loose around the ranch, so most of the staff had to go round them up, thus delaying my lesson start time by an hour. As for the instruction itself, I received next to none and had to rely on horsemanship skills I'd learned elsewhere. Instead of building my riding confidence, abilities, and enthusiasm, I felt myself backslide in all these areas. Plus, some of the horses look emaciated, and this place is overall very dilapidated and So Dirty, with flies and cobwebs everywhere: do Not use the bathroom here even if your life depends on it (trust me, having your bladder explode will be a better experience). On the positive side: at least the people are generally nice and friendly, so... yey? read more

I took my granddaughter here. She had a wonderful first experience with a horse. I highly recommend it.

Can't say enough about this place and the absolutely wonderful people here. They are so patient and kind and accommodating. I'm so grateful to have found them and I really enjoy bringing my daughter for lessons. Thank you so much for all of your awesome work with these kiddos. read more

I would not recommend receiving lessons here, especially if you or your child are just starting. The trainer working with my 9 year old appears to be in need of training herself. First off, there is a lot of side conversation going on...unprofessional! The trainers are not focused on your little ones. For example, in getting the horse set up we kept having to ask the trainer what to do and how to do it, but we also had to wait a few times for her to finish her convos. Secondly, the trainer is giving several lessons at once and having side convos. How can a trainer properly teach new riders effectively in this manner? How can it be safe? It's not! While she was looking at and yelling out instruction to my daughter, the other girl's horse got spooked and started galloping. This obviously scared the other little girl; luckily she held on. Later in the lesson, the horse did something wrong and the trainer started smacking it in the face, with my daughter still on the horse! The horse then tried to buck my daughter off. God was with us and my daughter held on tightly and saved herself from a fall and who knows what else. The trainer didn't take the time to check in with my girl or stop the lesson! She finished it out. When my daughter walked out, I took over leading the horse so she could cry. Can you imagine being 9, loving horses, and nearly getting bucked off and not having any debriefing about it? The trainer never really checked in with her or me about the situation, even after I asked what happened. She chalked the situation up to "the horse isn't used to doing things the right way or being corrected". Really, then why is the horse being used for lessons? Why would you smack it with my girl still on the horse??? Stay away from this place if you care about safety. Prior to the lessons there was no discussion about safety or how to use the reins to communicate with the horse. This learn as you go isn't the way to go! read more

I have been taking my horse crazy daughter here for about two years. The place is super disorganized and run down but I think the price is very fair and some of the trainers are really good; that is why we kept coming. There is usually buckets full of poop and an excess of flies since its pretty filthy. The instruction is pretty limited and a lot of what my daughter learned was on her own. Yesterday we had an appointment at 10. We arrived at 9:50, she got her horse tacked up and ready to go. She was riding "Archie" whom she had not ridden before but the trainer, Jessica, said he would be a good choice. Around 10:15, a group of 4 people show up and clearly this will make the lesson late which is annoying but, hey, it happens sometimes. I informed the trainer we needed to leave by 11:30 so we could make it to another appointment. She said, no problem. Well, 10:40 rolls around and we are still waiting. Then, my daughter (11 years old) comes to tell me they need to re-schedule, not even the trainer. I was LIVID. Apparently, that horse is used in jumping lessons at 11. So basically, for no fault of our own, we get booted because the trainer didn't know what horse is for what. She took people who were late rather than a regular client who was early. She didn't even have the balls to tell me herself nor did she apologize. That sucks. My daughter looks forward to riding all week. She was so disappointed and I was pissed for them wasting my time and gas. I called afterwards to ask what they were planning to do to remedy this but NOPE; No Call Back. We are done. Bailey, Sara K and Saige are the only reason we ever came but unfortunately they have lost our business. Super disappointed and will now be looking for a new horse back riding facility. read more

My six year old loves it here. I was nervous for her first time, but they showed the basics and made them feel comfortable. I ended up bringing my two nephews a few weeks later as well! We haven't been able to go lately but we hope to go on a weekly basis in the future. read more

Brought my two teens here during spring break, they REALLY enjoyed the lessons and the trainer (I can't remember her name, young girl with dark hair) she was very patient with them. The others that worked their are vert friendly and helpful as well. Over all a great experience that they both enjoyed, we will definitely go back. read more

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My daughter loved it they let her do everything herself she was scared at first but ended relaxing and gaining confidence we will definitely be going often read more

This was an awesome experience. My 12 year old wanted to celebrate her birthday with a few friends. We wanted something different and found this place on a website. My kid has never ridden on horse for longer than 5 minutes at a carnival pony ride so she was excited to do this. I called and Tom explained that they don't have a birthday package but gave me the run down on how they do their one hour lessons. 15 minutes getting acquainted with the horse via brushing then the rest is riding and unsaddling. Riders had to wear long pants, tennis shoes/boots, and a helmet. They can provide the helmets or we can bringing our own bike helmets. That seemed like a perfect introduction to horse newbies so we booked a Saturday 5pm lesson for 4 kids. When we got there, we were greeted by Zack who was just great. He was firm on the safety rules and techniques while being entertaining by acknowledging my kid's birthday and conversing with the kids. He explained WHY they needed to follow certain rules. (Wheww! for parents concerned about safety.)He explained what the equipment were, how to put them on each horse, and offered to let the kids do it. They brushed their assigned horses then it was time to saddle up and put on the helmets. We brought one helmet while the other kids used theirs. They were cute helmets and seemed to be in good condition. The kids each walked their horse to the riding area. Zack helped them mount the horses with a quick lesson on correct riding posture, steering, and communication. He reinforced it too while the kids ride. They were timid at first but with further encouragement and corrections, our little riders gained confidence and and started galloping. By the end of the lesson, each kid was smiling ear to ear and wanted to come back. Zack had a helper "sheriff" the riders too. I guess it was the end of the day since Burt joined in, stood on the sideline to further assist with instructing our kids. It was awewome to see the staff work together. As parents, we stood outside and took pictures to preserve the experience. (This was new to us too.) Zack was very accommodating and everyone was super friendly. As we said our thanks and goodbyes, my kid wanted to get a horse and perked up to hear we will come back with her friend who had to miss the lessons. That's a win! I highly recommend this place. The 3 acre grounds seemed well maintained. Staff was great. Reservation process was super easy. They have veteran riders there and also took care of us newbies. Tips: expect lots of dust. read more

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Absolutely love this place. The staff are beyond friendly and knowledgeable in their work, safety is definitely number one with them. My daughter loves this place, we are proud to be new attendees read more

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This is a well run establishment where I have taken my granddaughter to learn to ride horses. The staff is knowledgeable and the horses are chosen to fit the ability of the rider. Unfortunately for me I have two more grandkids locally that may decide to become horssmen The good news is that the costs are reasonable read more

i wish i can give 0 stars first time came with my friend we were given walkers- slow old horses which was ok for the first time. we got them ready and took them to the track. we were there along. was no lesson! trainer was there talking to her friends cause it was not her time slot!!! my horse wanted to jump and it really freaked me out. I couldn't wait for sesson to be over place itself is very clean. the owner is very nice and knowlegable But Tom who also manages this place doesn't do it very well I understand horseback riding is expensive, but I'd rather don't do it at all than waste my time and money here read more

So I called this place because my kid has been bugging the crap out of me over being a cowgirl. I spoke to Tom, and he's a riot! Don't know whether I was convinced or confused, but I scheduled my daughters first lesson. Oh, how pleasantly surprised! Great place to bring the ENTIRE family. We are looking forward to our future riding lessons!!! Thank you Tom, Gayle and staff for a wonderful day!! TAKE MY MONEY! read more

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I love this place and recommend Norco Equestrian Academy to people that would like to learn the fundamentals of riding a horse. It has been a few months since taking my daughter because the cold winter kept me bundled up but this weekend will be warm and my 10 year old has been begging to go back, so we plan to this weekend. The people who operate this business are excellent with thildren and it is so great to have this in Riverside County. read more

Tom the owner, Zack & Sara the instructors/trainers are awesome people. Really good hearted people that love horses and take good care of the guests on their property. My kids had a blast and we are really looking forward to going back. read more

Great experience. Highly recommended. Great friendly staff that were patient and helpful. My sons and I had lots of fun. We've never been this close to horses before. This helped us get familiar with the horses and learn the basics. My kids asked to come back already. read more

My 6 yr has been taking lessons here for 4 months and loves it! She had zero experience with horses when she began and her instructor Aliss is awesome with her and has taught her so much. A lot of riding schools won't even take students until age 8 so we have been so pleased to find a great school that welcomes little ones. The prices are very reasonable and Norco Equestrian Academy even works with our charter school to use her lessons as part of her homeschool program. read more

Called a handful of places and this one was a schedule and pay as you go OR pay for five lessons option; perfect for our fluctuating plans. The GPS took us to the street along the side of the facility, and the sign is a little hidden, but we managed to find the place. (Heads up: they take cash only) This was my daughter's first real experience with horses aside from the carnival ponies. The instructors were very patient. Loved how they teach them to care for and prep the horses, too. Ot is s group lesson so she was with three other kids who had prior lessons there and an adult first time rider. Once they got into the arena, at first I was surprised that they pretty much got her on the horse and sent her off riding on her own so soon. No leading the horse around like a kiddy ride at the fair. But, the instructors gave her plenty of verbal guidance and I soon understood their style of teaching. The whole point of us coming to a stable to learn to ride was to give her the real experience. And she gained confidence quickly. We can't wait to return! So happy we found this gem! read more

My husband and I love this facility. It is affordable and the owners and trainers are very down to earth and approachable. Love that they taught our kids how to groom and to take care of the horses before and after riding. We highly recommend them. read more

Went for my first lesson with Sarah and loved her! She's very easy to talk with and such a fun girl. The owner Tom is probably the most personable man on the planet. Everyone around talks and says hi with a smile. This stable has a really welcome vibe I love it. Thanks Sarah and Tom read more

Kids need horses. Get them up and outside without cell phones! The lessons provided here are fabulous because the horses are safe and the kids have to learn how to communicate w another species w their body language. It's a slow process where the kids learn to groom and tack up the horses. They advance at their own rates walk, trot and cantering eventually when they feel ready. Western and English and up through jumping. We have been taking lessons w Gail and Sarah and over 6 months the school grades have gone way up! Suddenly the kids get it, you need to get good grades to go to a good college to get a good career that then you can get your own farm w horses! The environment is very friendly where everyone learns each other's names and compliment each other's kids. The ranch is big enough that the kids get to feel freedom in a safe environment. This is the place to bring your kids so they learn so many life lessons! read more

Simply fantastic experience! We've been taking our 9 year old daughter there for a few months, and finally felt confident taking our 6 year old out. We now have two hooked cowgirls!! read more

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If you are looking for a beautiful place to learn how to ride a horse, or get back into riding horses. This place will satisfy your horse riding needs. Excellent service in a friendly ranch atmosphere. read more

Norco Equestrian Academy - Horsies - Horseback Riding Near Me - Norco, California

Awful place, would never send kids there to ride or trust my horses with them. Worst place in Norco for lessons and boarding

My daughter has been going to this riding academy for around 6-8 weeks. The horses were great, and she was having fun until her 4/5 visit, where she was placed with another horse. The horse was uncontrollable and stubborn, but she managed to make him work. She has been riding horses alike that one for a while. Just last week, I texted the owner, asking for an available time so that my daughter could get to ride an actually good horse, and LEARN something, or do something besides walking and trotting. I texted him, and he told me that there would be an available time on Saturday. I asked him to make sure that there would be a good horse available, because I knew places like that get busy during the summer. He said yes. My daughter went over there, and he gave her a horse. She asked if the horse was fast, and he said yes. When they walked into the arena, the horse was slower than a stoner on the freeway. The trainers told my daughter that the owner lied to her, and laughed it off. I thought jokes were supposed to be funny. My daughter's friends had been riding there too, and although they are more advanced, they have never once ridden a horse that was hard to control. Not only that, but the arena was packed! Apparently, there were a ton of girls practicing for a competition. The owner had told us before that the time was not crowded, and he had good horses available. My daughter learnt nothing, as usual, because the trainers were busy with the girls who were going to the competition, or were not paying attention. I'm disappointed, and will no longer be going there. The owner seems as if he only wanted the money. read more