Great place...great friendly staff running the facility with plenty of activities for…read moreeveryone...looking forward to family night and horse camp this year for my daughter...keep up the great work

From the owner: The Ellis House and Equestrian Center was purchased by the Kendall County Forest Preserve from the…read moreEllis family due to its location along the Aux Sable Creek adjoining Bakers Woods Forest Preserve. The facility was perfectly set up for an educational horse facility and premier venue for weddings. A few modifications to allow for accessible access and equestrian classroom were completed, and Ellis opened!

We had an absolute amazing time on this trail! Not only was the guide amazing, the whole adventure…read morewas scenic and worth every penny. All the horses were very well taken care of, extremely soft, and super well behaved. The trails were both wide open and woodsy, and overall a rustic experience that made you feel like you were one with nature. I would recommend this for anybody, whether they are a beginner or well-versed in riding horses. I went into it being a little bit nervous, but felt like a natural within a few minutes. We could not have asked for a better day and I look forward to the next time we get to experience this adventure again. A+

The ride was good, the staff didn't really talk to us when we first arrived or even when we were…read moredone. The ride we booked supposedly came with a bonfire. We were not guided or talked to about the bonfire everyone just left.

I absolutely love the barn. The horses can be turned out in groups together. They get daily…read moreturnout, as well as pasture rotation. There's an indoor arena, an outdoor arena, and a bridle path. The owner is very knowledgable and cares greatly for the well being of the horses. I'm here almost daily doing groundwork with my horses, and while I see a lot of people, the barn is rarely busy which provides and excellent atmosphere for training. They also offer riding lessons and horse training.

Lovely peaceful horseback ride on the property's trail with such a friendly crew Cassie and Abby…read more My toddler had such a great time feeding the goats and first horseback ride. Such a cool and unique experience here that we were looking for!! So glad we got to visit and found this spot!!

First time ever, no experience horseback riding experience and it was AMAZING!!! Found this place…read morefrom a deep dive on google. There website had no time slots showing but I called and they answered and said they have availability for the day I was hoping for. Great customer service from the moment they answered the phone to the moment we stepped off of the property. Well organized and such a fun time. Very well worth it and would definitely be coming back!! My boyfriend was completely mortified and scared to get on the horse and asked a million and one questions and every single staff was reassuring but also honest. He rode the horse with confidence because of the staff training and attentiveness. He would definitely come back and said he was the most amazing thing he's done his whole life. Every single animal on the ranch is also well taken care off and amazingly well manners, from the dogs to the random Turkey on site. Every single one was gentle and sweet. They also take pictures of you throughout the trail and provide you FREE of charge by texting them to you. HOW CONVENIENT!!! And the pictures are SOOOO GOOD! This also happened to be my step-son's birthday and they were wonderful and sweet enough to give him a horse shoe for good luck after the ride it was so unexpected and he completely was so excited. From a teenager being excited to ride horses and receive a horseshoe this says a lot!!

I have never in my life had such a terrible experience until riding at AZ Acres. Simultaneously, my…read moredaughter took a lesson while I casually rode. The instructor was rude, insulting, and belittling to both my 7 year old daughter and me. I made it very clear that she's not an experienced rider and needs more instruction as she's learning. Olivia's tone was short, accusatory, and impatient. My daughter left in tears. I cannot stress enough how much this place should be avoided.

Look, if you're an adult in Plainfield/Shorewood/Joliet and you're thinking about taking lessons…read morebecause you want to compete or you just want to become an all around better rider, this is the place to do it. And they can do group lessons if you want to take a spouse, friend, child, stranger you just met, etc. etc. The facilities themselves are very nice and the stables are always pretty dang clean. They have an indoor arena too so that's a huge plus in these winter months. There are quite a few grooms here so if you have any questions you always have someone to ask, but beyond that Megan does a great job of walking you step by step through tacking up and care to ensure you're doing it right and are using the correct equipment on each horse. The lessons are top notch. You work with different horses week to week and Megan is excellent at giving corrections while your riding. Lessons differ from day to day and they offer both English and Western, but Megan does an amazing job at remembering where your at and what you still need work on. I'm never pushed to do something I'm not comfortable with, but the option to push yourself is always there (if you've shown you'd be able to handle it). I always feel like my safety is considered while riding here which I can only imagine would be even more reassuring if you have your kids riding. Also worth noting, they offer summer camps for the kiddos.

I could not believe there was a horse stable this close to my house. They have a LOT of horses and…read moreponies. There were 5 people in my group and Anna was our guide. She was amazing! The ride was leisurely and relaxing but still fun. They recommend dressing for the weather but wearing jeans and gym shoes, which was perfect. My horse was Sammy (ironic) and my husband's was Denny. I also had a connection with Sanchez (although that may be because I was feeding him tons of apples and mints). I wish we would have known about the carrots and apples but you can bring your own and make friends with all of the beautiful horses! I can't wait to go back.

My daughter did a trail ride. She has several years of riding experience so we have seen all sorts…read moreof barns. While the ride was fine and the trainer was friendly, I was SHOCKED at the condition of the barn. The smell of urine was overwhelming. The stalls looked like they had not been mucked out in weeks. Tons of poop in the stalls. Animals just looked sad and depressed. The barn and arena were dark and depressing. Absolutely no outdoor space for the animals. I'm shocked people board horses there. Conditions are terrible. There were about 30 farm animal just standing around in a dark arena. Reminded me of a nursing home. Very depressing. Everything just looked neglected.

The equestrian center is linked to the forest preserve. Visitors can walk around and weather…read morepermitting look at all the beautiful horses that have been turned out to graze. We love walking around here and the forest preserve beyond. You feel like you are a walking in the country side, there are tractors and farm equipment around and you can walk in between the horse pastures. Last time we were here the volunteers were in one of the larger areas where there is also a shelter for horses. We were talking to one of the volunteers and the horses were milling around very close to us. My son was super excited to see them up close.

i never rode horses here, so i can't really speak for that aspect of the center. however, i used to…read moretake my animal-loving client here all the time when i worked as a family support staff for kids with autism. said client never had much interest in the cosley animal zoo; i guess she liked to watch animals running around vs. sleeping in a cage. the staff were always friendly and obliging without being overly invasive, which is WAY more than i can say for most places/their treatment of people with disabilities. there was also a great set of wooded and prairie hiking trails; we had a lot of fun spotting birds by the pond. maybe i'm just nostalgic about this place/that job, but there's something to be said for it. my client had a lot of difficulty exercising and a lot of anxiety about venturing into the community, and she always felt right at home here. i guess this an oddly slanted view, especially for a first review. oh well.