This is where I spend most of my free time so I'm going to tell you as much as I know…read more I found it because I was looking for a horse to lease. I half-leased a sweet (she is actually kinda bitchy, but she's a mare) little quarter horse mare here that loved to do trails for under $300/month. Lease prices vary horse to horse, owner to owner. There is always someone here looking to lease or half lease their steed, if that is what you are looking for. It was a great deal since I got to ride her 3-4 times a week. There are lots of easy going people here that do trails and that has become my first love. WHAT IT IS: The name is a little misleading. They do play a little bit of arena polo here, and teach a few lessons but I've not seen any hunt activity in the nearly 3 years I've been there. It IS a private club, but the membership fee is a nominal $450/year (just went up from $300). For that price you get full access to all the facilities which include a small but nice swimming pool, a polo arena about the size of football field, a very nice covered arena and a small "rustic" dressage arena. They have a shower and club room too, but nobody really uses them. You pay this fee on top of board or lesson fees. THE VIBE: You can also take riding lessons here up to advanced intermediate whether you have a horse or not. Ira is an amazing instructor in dressage and basic equitation and a great horse trainer. There no grand prix stuff going on here, just people who love horses and want to be better riders. There's no snob factor going on here and it's a very casual atmosphere where people mostly do their own thing. We are all pretty friendly to each other and I do have a couple of close friends I have made here and we even share our horses. That was totally unheard of where I was before. I used to take arena ball lessons and throw down a few chukkers in Del Mar, but have not been inspired to do so here as the arena is quite small and I also realized while I was playing in Del Mar one day, "Holy crap, I could get KILLED playing this sport!" There are a few people here that board and exercise their polo ponies here for games at Will Rogers etc. LOCATION: Okay, the amazing thing about this place is TRAILS, TRAILS, TRAILS. For being just 20 minutes to PCH and 10 minutes to the Valley it's pretty incredible how much wilderness we have access to. Fair Hills has 3-4 exit points (depending on the soundness and strength of your ride) and you can, and probably will, get lost for hours. I have a few favorite trails, each of them having nice rolling hills for some serious galloping. We can wind our way up Mullholland where the fire road starts and I haven't even had enough time to see how far we could actually go on them, but it's long, long, far, far away. And strangely, all of this is very unpopulated. We are actually always a little surprised when we see someone else on these pristine trails. Sometimes they get a little overgrown, but we go out on bush whacking missions sometimes to help keep them clear. My hubby comes home from a stressful LA workday, hops on our horse and marvels that he was just stuck in traffic 40 mintues ago and now he's in the wilderness on horseback. SERVICE: The Staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Jeanne is the person to ask for about ANYTHING if you call. Boarding, leasing, lessons, she's your go-to gal. She's amazingly kind-hearted and knows the details of every horse and rider. Be nice to her and she'll give you the world in a saddle, a real gem. She talked me into adopting my current and first horse, Traveler and even helped when things got sticky in the adoption process and made me feel like it was my idea. He was a neglected, spunky older guy and she paired us up and we couldn't be happier about it. Don't buy her husband Derrick's sometimes gruff exterior, he's about the biggest softie I know and always willing to take a look at your horse if you have a question. The guys that pony and exercise the horses are great. You'd be surprised what a $15 can get you in horse care. I've had a small injury that has prevented me from riding for nearly 3 weeks and they have my guy exercised and happy anytime I want. BOARDING: There is lots of options here. My guy is in a dry pasture with a kinda crappy shelter but lots of space with just one other horse. (there used to be three of them in there.) It's $445/month and that includes cubes. There are nicer pipe stall, thy are about $500/month, and oversize corrals and other options as well. It's sort of what's available at the time and how many horses you have. DOWNSIDES: It's closed on Mondays. As in, don't come up unless it's a medical reason for you horse. And it closes early (6pm) on Sundays. This frequently bums me out. The hay quality is not so great. I've resorted to having hay delivered. You really gotta ask for what would seem some pretty basic things. OVERALL: It's a little piece of horse heaven oh, so close to the city.

I have been a member and boarder here for a couple of years now. it is my 4th place to try in the…read moreSan Fernando Valley for my crabby mare and I. We are "ok" with the place. It has the same downfalls as most boarding places. The hay quality varies. The complaining boarders get the services. The maintenance is spotty. The management gets crabby if you complain. But otherwise they are extremely nice - were very lovely when I had a bad fall and paramedics and drama.The ground has a lot of clay and when it rains it is soooo slick. Man. Slip and slide. The owners are also really crabby. But that is also pretty typical. On the upside the trail access is just amazing. There are several options of large paddocks/dry lot "pastures" so your horse can live like an actual horse and not in a tiny pipe box. And that is absolutely a HUGE plus. And almost impossible to find anymore. There are 3 arenas. Covered, Polo and ......well... they call it dressage... but.. um.... anyway. The polo people are really only around for a short period of time and are not a problem. They are considerate and seem nice and are good riders as far as I can see. The Saddlebred people are there ALL the time. And do take up a LOT of the time in the covered arena. Which has the best footing. And that is what the owners and manager are into - so they get the right of way in everything at all times. There is a nice round pen. They have right of way in it too - but I have not had as much of an issue using that as the covered arena. Since I am out in the "boonies" in pasture I don't have much interaction with folks in the "big barn". My impression is that we out in the paddocks/pasture are sort of on our own. Which is pretty ok with me except whens something breaks and we have to ask a million times to get it fixed and they get crabby with us. That gets old. We pay the same as folks in stalls....Ah well. Until I buy my own property it is always something with boarding. This is probably the best you can do if you need a place for a horse in the Valley and don't want it in a tiny box. They are not evil. They do definitely know horses. There are lots of places to ride - really nice tack rooms. it is clean. nice bathrooms. A Pool. a Lot of good stuff and no more bad stuff than usual!!! And it is beautiful up here. They recently increased our board a bit and did a nice round of repairing and prep for winter. replaced a lot of boards and fixed up some rough ground and so on. Very nicely done. A couple of boarders who are too afraid to review have asked me to add the following: 1) The ranch being closed on Monday and closing early on Sunday is very inconvenient. 2) You should know that the "base" board rate includes feeding alfalfa CUBES only - all hay is an up-charge. 3)The auto-waterers are those tiny metal ones that get really hot in summer; and in the paddocks and pastures there are sometimes not enough per horse. So we have supplemental tanks. And we are on our own maintaining those. Unless we pay to have them maintained.

My friend Maddie and I volunteered at Connemara Ranch for the past two weeks, and it was one of the…read moremost meaningful and eye opening experiences I have ever had. Talley was incredibly flexible and met us where we were with our horse experience while sharing her wisdom and deep knowledge of equine therapy, something she helped pioneer in Malibu. Every horse at the ranch has such a unique personality and is so clearly loved, cared for, and well trained. Over the two weeks we rode every day, painted and washed the horses, practiced equine therapy activities, and built such special connections with all six horses. Talley made us feel so comfortable from the start and became not only an amazing instructor and teacher, but also a true friend. Every ride was beautiful and completely unique, and I am so grateful for everything we learned about horses, equine therapy, and ourselves during our time at the ranch.

We absolutely loved our ride. They were amazing. The horses were wonderful. We had a rider that was…read morevery nervous and she took really good care of him making sure he felt secure through the ride. This is more of an intimate ride not one of those commercial places in Los Angeles. I highly recommend this over anyone else because it's more intimate. The lady owns her own horses. It was a great experience and we would do it again..

My husband surprised me with our first-ever horseback riding experience here last week, and I…read moregenuinely could not have imagined a better introduction. From the moment we arrived, everything felt calm and welcoming. Our guide, Sienna, was incredibly thorough in walking us through the basics and made sure we felt comfortable before heading out. As total beginners, safety was my biggest concern; but she has such a steady, reassuring energy that we felt confident the entire ride. The trail itself was breathtaking. Rolling Malibu mountains, wide open skies, and those views that make you stop mid-sentence. Sienna even paused at the most scenic spots to help us take photos, which I really appreciated. The horses had different personalities, I got a very calm horse and my husband's horse kept stopping along the way to snack on the bushes :) It was funny but I'm glad Sienna chose an easier one for me. Overall the whole experience felt thoughtfully run from start to finish. Small tip: You'll lose cell reception on the drive in and out of the mountains, so make sure you have your next destination's address saved or mapped ahead of time. If you're considering trying horseback riding, especially for the first time, this is such a special place to do it. We're already planning our return!

This horseback riding experience was actually a surprise from my boyfriend, so until the very last…read moremoment I had no idea we were going riding. Overall it was a really interesting and memorable experience, especially because of the beautiful nature and the whole atmosphere. The only downsides for me were the trails themselves in some areas they were very narrow, which made me a little nervous at times. Sometimes the horses were walking very close to bushes and plants, and my legs were getting scratched a bit, which was uncomfortable. Also, my saddle was attached unevenly, so I was sitting in a pretty awkward position for more than half of the ride. Eventually the instructor noticed it and explained how to adjust it properly, which definitely helped, but I do wish it had been checked earlier. Other than that though, it was still a very unique experience and I'm glad we did it

I took adult lessons consistently for a couple of months. Even though I purchased the subscription…read moreit was difficult to get the same trainer every week. During the lesson trainers were on their phones or talking to each other under the trees. Some instructors would start late and end early. The trainers and people at the front desk make no effort to know your name. It's a high quantity low quality stable. While this didn't impact me personally, some of the trainers were really mean to the kids. On a positive note, the horses are great for beginners and if you find the right trainer they can get you up and running quickly. They also offer therapeutic rides to special needs and they often host kids parties.

I have loved taking my daughter here for the last couple months. I do wish she could volunteer her…read moretime at the ranch because she loves spending time with them! But the lessons are great, Elle the trainer is really fun to work with and my daughter loves the location. Thank you for treating her so kindly!

I had a great time here! My friends and I signed up for the 1-hour trail ride. None of us had any…read moreprevious horse riding experience besides pony rides as kids. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The horses were also very calm and friendly. I got to ride Sunny. It's a nice trail thru Griffith Park at a slow, easy pace. Our guide Julio was very friendly and informative. Rates were pretty affordable. They also offer longer rides. Would definitely go again! Street parking is pretty available on Riverside.

Came here as a late birthday gift to go horseback riding with a friend. We booked online in advance…read morewhich will save you $5 though be aware if you weigh close to 200 or appear like you could; you will be weighed on a scale and be charged a higher price as this additional weight is more difficult for the horse. There is free street parking on this street that we were able to find easily. We came on a Sunday morning at 9 am on a sunny day in November and no one else opted to ride at this time so it ended up being a private ride just for us. Another reviewer complained that their ride wasn't private but I don't even know if they offer actual private rides here?? If you want one your best bet would be calling to see if anyone else has booked a time slot and book one that is less likely to be popular such as weekday early morning etc. We chose to $50/person for a 1 hour approximately 3 mile ride (3.5 according to my watch). Your horse will be selected for you and I rode with Cortez who was friendly and very beginner friendly! Our guide was both English and Spanish speaking and directed us through the route, telling us which way to go but the horses are really good about already knowing the route so required reorienting them isn't very necessary. There isn't any other dialogue exchanged like info on the trails or historic info about Griffith park but both my friend and I are local to LA so we didn't mind but something to keep in mind for tourists. We did come across a pack of 3 coyotes but they didn't bother us and the horses did not get scared at all! The rental place also offers helmets (wear one!!!) for free in different sizes. It was quite sunny when we went so even though it was cooler outside we actually got really hot so I recommend dressing in layers, wearing pants you're ok with getting dirty/dusty, and boots or sneakers as well as sunglasses.

I use to ride at Sage Creek over a 15 years ago. I was introduced to horses here when I was around…read more11-12. I always loved it and will be forever grateful for all the lessons in riding and in taking care of the horses. Beautiful facility. I hope to come back someday to ride again. If you are looking for a riding facility in this area, there is no better than Sage Creek.

My daughter has been riding here for about 5 months now, and we absolutely love it. There is…read moreincredible leadership and instruction here. She is doing her first show next weekend, and her skills have grown exponentially. I'm so grateful to Gaby and team for their commitment.

I moved my horse to Sycamore Farms to train with Victoria Faerber in May 2011. I am so incredibly…read morehappy with my decision to move my baby girl Sienna. Sienna is like a different horse. She is so happy and has developed physically and mentally better than I ever could have imagine. She and I get great treatment. Victoria cares so much that she go out of her way to take care of the rider and the horse. It shows how much she loves her job and the people she works with. I would recommend Victoria and Sycamore Farms to anybody who is looking for a place to train/board their horse,

I Have yet to use this facility but they were very fast to respond and their pricing is very good…read morein my opinion for being such a nice place.

/Users/Heather/Desktop/IMG_4661 (1).jpg Songbird is the best…read morebarn I have ever been at (25 years experience in the area), between the excellent trainer, Erica, the amazing owner, Adi, my horse Logan has excelled in their care...I never could have dreamed of the success I have had with Logan in Erica's care...the huge stalls, the turnouts, the arena, which are all AMAZING! The training with Erica has really opened up a world that I wasn't sure was there with Logan...he is thriving in her care...low key, but serious show barn...Erica has all the "tools" in her chest for success, and the experience to bring your horse along the "slow way" which is the "fast way"....can't say enough about this barn...truly perfect...