Had a great trail ride on 2/11/2025. Kaity was very helpful, knowledgeable and had a great…read morepersonality. It's been about 15 years since I've been on a horse and she made it very comfortable and easy for me. I ended up being the only rider at that time frame so I got a personal experience and was a great and enjoyable ride. I rode Maverick and he was very well behaved. Had a great time and will definitely get back sometime for a ride. Thanks again!!

This review is specifically for potential boarders and why you might not want to board your horse…read morehere. I am beyond fed up with the way Debbie and Nicole talk to their customers, and the way they do so publicly is beyond unprofessional. A group chat for boarders was started a long time ago as a way for the owners (Debbie and Nicole) to communicate emergencies with boarders as well as for boarders to communicate with each other. Lately, it has been used for public arguments and power trips. Today, September 8, 2024, the boarders notified management that the horses had no water at 10am. Instead of checking into the issues immediately, they blocked all boarders from being able to communicate. It took 3 hours to get their staff to manually fill waters for 20+ horses. It is 104 degrees. 3 hours to complete this task in 104 degree weather is gross negligence and asking for "time to figure things out" is absurd. Considering this has been a known issue in the past, there should have been an immediate action plan that was put into place the second the first border stated their horse had no water. We all received a board increase notice for October 2024 (which is the second rate increase this year) and the new rates are an astounding nearly $100 increase for many boarders. Their claim is that they can't keep up with costs, but as a boarder it appears to be stupid financial decisions made by the owners. They own 23+ horses of their own that they use for trails and camp. I can only imagine the food, vet, and farrier costs for those horses costs over $70k a year, and I would be willing to bet that the trail rides don't bring in that kind of income to cover the costs. It certainly seems as though the board we pay is also covering the costs of their excessive amount of horses. The ultimate slap in the face happened last week when boarders were repeatedly told that finances were terrible and they just couldn't keep the rates "low" anymore. (Please note this is not an affordable barn, there are many more in poway with lower prices that include the cost of hay). Then we find out in the group chat that they bought a "mini home". Mini homes START at $20,000. I have no clue what they paid for theirs, but you would think if you're experiencing financial issues that cause rate increases that you wouldn't also be spending tens of thousands of dollars on a mini home for who even knows what. Once again, it feels like something the boarders are paying for. Nicole also loves to try to start up new business ventures. She had platforms built out in the mountain area of the trails to be able to host weddings. How exactly do they plan to get the wedding party there? It's up a mountain... no bride is going to walk that, and being carted up in a truck seems weird, especially if you have to cart around 50 guests, but whatever I guess. Though, it would seem prospective brides and grooms may have asked these same questions as they have yet to host a wedding at all (as far as I'm aware), despite the newly built platforms that I would also wager cost over $50k to build. She also thought running a dude ranch at $1500 a week was going to happen?? The itinerary is literally the same work they should be paying employees to do. No one in their right mind is going to pay THEM $1500 to work. Most people don't even MAKE $1500 in a week at their jobs. LOL! $531 a month for a place that can't even clean urine out of the stalls is just plain absurd. Then tack on the way that they speak to their boarders and blatantly refuse to fix simple things like hoses, it really feels like a slum lord situation. Anyway, please see the screenshots attached for info on: The water failure Hose replacement refusal and now deleted messages Other business ventures

My kids have been coming here for the past several months and have loved every moment of it. The…read morestaff has been very attentive and ensures the kids stay safe and learn while having fun. The instruction is a great balance of time spent riding as well as learning about how to care for a horse. They always look forward to spending time on the ranch.

From the owner: Here at The Academy, we’re focused on building a strong relationship between horse and rider -…read moreinspiring the confidence you need to become the best horseman or woman you can be! We offer Dressage, Hunter/Jumper, Equitation, Natural Horsemanship, and Eventing lessons (oh and pony snuggles, lots of pony snuggles).

I have been at Rancho El Camino in Del Mar for over 23 years and have watched the management and…read morecommunication decline quite a bit, so I'm looking for a new barn. Came out to this barn today and I was really impressed with the health of the horses, the property, people, the trails the location, everything was really inviting. Looking forward to learning more. Going to check out a few more.

The trails are amazing! Super easy access. Good footing in the arenas and the stalls are very…read morelarge. Friendly, drama free atmosphere. Large tack sheds are reasonably priced, and the hay is good quality. My horse and I are very happy here!

O stars! I boarded my horses here for several years. Recent incident on 3/13/23 pushed me to leave…read more The caretaker who lived onsite was caught on camera violently sexually assaulting horses. His charges as of writing this are 2 cruelty to animals & 2 sexual contact with animals. Speculation is this has been going on for years and was known. Sadly my mare who's no longer alive was most likely a victim. Her unexplained injuries fit with how he was assaulting horses. On several occasions I was told that things didn't happen unless I got it on video or pictures. When I saw another boarder strike someone else's horse in the face with a whip while he was in his coral nothing was done because it wasn't caught on camera. My horses and ones near me had also been skipped at feeding times. Ive had to call/text on so many occasions for this to be fixed. Recently my horses all stopped eating the hay and were losing weight. At closer inspection I found mold and wet spots. This is consistent with what I would consider cow hay. Sadly this place has gone down hill.

I have boarded at Rolling Hills for 16 years. My mare has a 24X48 ft corral with a full shelter…read more I'm right along the creek with shade from 3 trees. This is a very peaceful spot with singing birds and croaking frogs in the evening. I can't get this deal anywhere else. Corrals do not touch and there is lots of space. We have multiple arenas, 2 round pens and very easy access to the nearby trails. We also have a hard working staff that cares for our horses, helps with set up for annual barn dances and our fire evacuation preparedness meetings.

Terrible Experience for Our Kids - Avoid This Camp!**…read more We had been looking forward to Horse Savvy Training Camp in Poway, CA, all summer, expecting a fun and enriching experience for a group of four girls (ages 9-11) who are all friends Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very disappointing and an upsetting experience. The camp was being ran by a teenage girl as the owner was not around. The problem was that girl let her authority go to her head and behaved like a drill-sergeant. The camp was incredibly hot which is of course not their fault however there was no shade other than a tree. There were no umbrellas or sail shades to help provide relief from the sun. The staff consisted of a teenage girl who treated the camp like a boot camp, bossing the girls around rather than encouraging them and making the camp an enjoyable experience. Our daughters were literally in tears when we picked them up after the first day. This was heart-wrenching for us as parent as these girls had been looking forward to horse camp all summer and this was going to be their favorite week. All four girls have previously attended horse camps elsewhere and had wonderful experiences, but this camp was entirely different. Instead of having fun, they felt as if they were being yelled at, bossed around, talked down to, and take orders from one counselor in particular. On the first day they were ordered to pick up papers that were not their mess and the counselor rudely yelled at these young girls, aggressively threw art supplies like scissors and glue sticks across the table. Basically an extremely bossy attitude and not a good fit for a young girls camp. We contacted the owner who was shocked and said she's never heard of such complaints. We agreed to try again the next day. The following day was a little better, but Wednesday was back to the same short fuse negative attitude just like Monday. The girls were forced to participate in a game where they would get wet. Some of the girls asked to not get wet but they were forced to play. Not everyone likes getting wet in their clothes but they were demanded to play along. Another girl with dust allergies was forced to clean a dusty area even though she asked to not have to due to her allergies Another girl was forced to pick up horse poop even though she asked not to. This was a terrible experience for all four girls from three different families. We had to pull them out of the camp after day three and requested a refund. The owner said she was only willing to pay us for the two days we hadn't used (Thrs & Fri) which she did. She refused to reimburse M-W. We will never be going back, and I strongly advise others to avoid this camp if you want your children to have a positive and enjoyable experience. The camp is upsetting and for a young girl not the positive experience one would envision. There are better choices when it comes to horse camp that's for sure.

My daughter did 2 weeks of Horse Camp and she absolutely feel in love with riding. This camp was…read moreextremely empowering and helped my daughter with confidence and anxiety. The bond she made with her horse was pretty special and the skills she took away are invaluable. We are immensely grateful for the summer program.

A wonderful place for horses and owners. Wonderful,…read moreknowledgeable owners and a fantastic group make up the Sycamore Canyon family. Cindi and Dwight care about your horses as much as you do! One of the most beautiful facilities in San Diego county.

I have been at Sycamore Canyon Stables for over 2 1/2 years. I have been at a couple of other…read moreboarding stables around San Diego/Poway area and SCS is by far the SMOOTHEST running place I have ever been at! It is very clean and well-maintained. I ride and show Western but there are boarders who ride English, Dressage, Reining and boarders who mainly enjoy the nearby trails. There are trainers on-site as well. All the boarders are friendly and the owners often have social events like a Summer Peach Pie Party and Holiday Gift Exchange. The arenas are great and dragged regularly. They dry very quickly after a rain compared to other places I have been. The horses are very well-cared for and I can always trust Dwight or Cindi to keep an extra-close eye on my horse if I am out out of town. The stalls are cleaned daily and the hay is carefully measured at feeding time. Supplements are given without charge, too. Vet clinics are offered pretty regularly for vaccines, etc. While some may complain about "rules," I appreciate them! They are for the safety of both horses and people! People who know anything about horses know that bad things happen when you aren't careful or watchful. People like that blame others instead of recognizing their own lack of experience or their horse's lack of training. The best thing about Sycamore Canyon Stables is that it is run by people who truly love and care about horses. They are knowledgeable, approachable and take their responsibilities as a facility owner very seriously.

I boarded several horses here before I sold them...I would board here again. It's better now, when…read moreI first moved my horses in it seemed like management was too overly in your business..kind of annoying. I don't believe that person works there anymore so current employees are much better. They do a good job of checking on the horses and getting to know their routines so they can let you know if something is off. I had a 28 yr old horse that was well taken care of here. Boarders seem to be there a lot so if you want to go riding with someone there's always someone there. Go in the late afternoon if you want to just be by yourself and ride. Regina is great, really helped me out a lot and was easy to get into contact with. Ruthie is awesome as well. Only bad things I think it gets pretty wet when it rains. Luckily it didn't rain much last year, but the arenas can get muddy and a lot of the time the arenas are taken with people turning horses out, although they are usually nice about it if you ask them to move their horses. Would definitely recommend for trail riders, I loved the trails out there.

My 8 year old daughter has been taking horseback riding lessons here for a couple months. It has…read morebeen her saving grace during the pandemic. As I dropped her off this morning, she uttered the words: "I love this place.". That, in my mind, says it all.

Our daughter really enjoys the laid back atmosphere of this ranch. She took several months of…read moreprivate lessons leading up to summer camp last year, so that she could be proficient in riding. She had 3 different instructors, and they were all great! She enjoyed riding the ponies and larger horses, including learning about how to take care of them. The other barn animals (ducks, dogs, chickens, pigs,etc) are pluses as well. Our daughter begged to go back to camp again this Spring Break and looks forward to summer camp again this year.

There is a jewel, a sanctuary hidden off of Moreno road in Lakeside. It is called Heartland Ranch…read more If you love horses like my wife and I and want to relearn techniques necessary to ride a horse properly and with confidence or as a beginner just starting out, Heartland Ranch is for you. We have a 6 day horseback riding adventure scheduled for next year so I was searching for a great training facility to get back in shape for this type of ride. The lead trainer Amy is professional, engaging and fun to work with while ensuring your safety and making sure the horses are protected too. I didn't think there were any horses left in lakeside, well thankfully there are many of them at Heartland Ranch.

Love love this ranch ! The owners are very attentive and on top of everything . Beautiful facility…read morewith all of the amenities ! Can't say enough good things about!