I have been riding here for 3 years and love it. Not only is it close the the city, but it's…read moreaffordable, covered, and the horses are great. Lynda has tons of experience to share and makes everyone feel welcome. I have been taking private lessons and have grown tons as far as my technique and confidence. My goal is to feel comfortable enough to find a horse to keep and board here as well when the time is right.

While the quality of the horse camp is good the customer service is not. Linda, the woman who owns…read morethe barn and the camp is not the friendliest to children or their designated adults. I would personally suggest a different camp if you have the choice.

I had written an honest but negative review about this establishment based on 5 lessons I had with…read moreone Trainer. Although I do feel that the review was honest and needed to be said I am taking it down completely because of the way Sarah responded to the situation. She made my family feel that we were heard and even invited us back. I have increased what was a 1 star review to a 4 because of her professionalism and ability to sound like she cares over the phone. This establishment is beautiful, convenient. they have an indoor and outdoor riding area. The barn even seemed to have lockers for owners. You couldn't want more in the look of this place.

I closely knew and watched Sarah run her business for two years. She is very unprofessional and…read moredoesn't take very good care of her horses or her customers. To start off the person that she rents the land from at 22828 156th is a slum landlord and he used to just dump human sewage out in the fields. Although we told Sarah this she did not confront the landlord about the issue, even after someone who used to work for Sarah called the health department but I think the landlord stopped doing illegal practices like dumping sewage in the fields. Because of the sewage in the fields and over grazing many toxic plants to horses had taken over. Depending on the time of year there are different toxic plants. During the Spring the fields were full of toxic Buttercup's, then right after the Buttercup's the field's were full of Mayweed, also known as Poison Daisy, Stinking Chamomile, or their scientific name Anthemis cotula. Also there were large amounts of Ragwort Tansy growing which were not disposed of properly so the plants would return even after being picked. I had asked Sarah about this and she didn't seem to, in my opinion, understand the dangers posed to the horses. I initially trusted her due to her years of working with horses, but feel now that she was reckless in this regard. She once told me that there were just too many plants to remove them all. Many of the pastures had no rain shelter and the horses were often left in the fields all night. The first year Sarah never kept the horses in the fields at night but then she decided that most of the horses should almost never go inside. I agreed with the assessment that the horses needed more exercise but she would leave horses out in lightning storms and when asked about it said that this was not an issue. In addition, more than once horses broke out of their paddocks and at least once went to the main road after breaking out. I do not believe Sarah that is doing a good job of running her business. Quite a few times I saw her lose her temper with her employees and her students. I have seen Sarah gossip about her students and their parents, and she can be really nasty to people when they have a falling out which happens often in my opinion. She got kicked out of the last place she rented for her business. Sarah claimed the lady was crazy and trying to steal her horses. I at first believed Sarah but I eventually stopped believing her especially since this other lady runs a very successful horse rescue. I also once saw her insult a little girl to her face and didn't let the little girl pet the baby horse even though she let the other children pet it. She also would bad mouth past students in front of her current students and one of her students confided to me that it made them feel uncomfortable. She allowed her rottweiler Louie to run around the property without a leash, a muzzle, or supervision even though he attacked a client's dog - which she was being sued for, and killed many cats and a neighbor's chickens. As well as growling and other aggressive behavior with some of the employees and students. In my opinion she offers poor service and when we left her barn we realized her cost was the same as many of the other places nearby. I feel that between her own riding career and her failing business she hasn't had the time or energy to properly do either well. I believe Sarah's business could succeed if she were to stop riding at shows and really focus on her business. Otherwise I do not have confidence in the long term success of her business.

Maybe it's my own bad luck cause i've only had two trainers here a while ago, so I'm only talking…read moreabout my own experience . They seemed to care more about their business than what the students learn. I was a total beginner, and after an evaluation session, was placed into a group class with people a lot more experienced than I was. The trainer also was not friendly at all. When I asked a her to show me how to tack up, which was only my second time doing it, the trainer got impatient and said "you forgot everything from last time huh?" During another class, the trainer also complained that she thought she'd be riding her own horse instead of teaching today. Hope they improved their training now.

The teaching here can be inconsistent. They are very demeaning when giving you feedback to…read moresomething they haven't taught you. If you like negative feedback, this might be the place for you, no joke. More importantly, I would question your safety. There isn't a safety protocal for for when a rider falls. I recently fell and was lying in the arena in pain for several minutes. 911 was not called and the instructor did not come by to do safety checks. I was urged to get up and shake it off by folks watching the lessons. Fortunately Im ok but people taking lessons should beware.i could have had a serious back injury. I also question their ability to assess new riders and what skills they should practice when taking lessons.

My kids have been to camp several times and love it. They love the activity choices and the freedom…read moreto do what interests them. At our location, the kids have daily activities that also rotate (bouncy house, go karts, slip and slide). The food options have been great and the kids can have seconds. I appreciate that the counselors help to reapply sunscreen during the day as it can be hard for the kids to remember on their own. We've have a great experience so far and look forward to more sessions at Steve and Kate.

My kids loved this camp. My only complaint is that the camp had to close at 3 pm for several days…read moredue to high heat and their inability to cope with high indoor temperatures. This was very disruptive to my wife's and my busy work schedules and we had to really scramble leading to some very stressful days. That being said we liked this camp overall. They are pretty efficient at drop off and pickup. Their communication was good and they include lunch in the price which we found very helpful! We would put our kids in this camp again next summer.

This is an amazing, under-appreciated asset for the Mercer Island community…read more You don't have to be a horse owner to enjoy this -- you can take lessons, send your kid to one of the summer camps, rent or lease a part-interest in a horse if you get more serious, or just hang out on the bleachers and watch people ride. Our child started riding here as a little girl and it's a very safe, fun and pleasant place to spend time. It's run as a co-op, meaning that horse owners are responsible for the care, exercise, and maintenance of their horse (and stall). That keeps costs down, and also gives kids who aren't horse owners a chance to participate (exercising horses, getting part time jobs cleaning stalls, etc.). You'll know your kid is serious when she's standing in the rain on a winter night scooping up horse poop as part of the "deal" to keep taking riding lessons. The only real downside of this place is there is a l-o-n-g waiting list to get a stall in the barn. (Think years, not months). Through lessons, borrowing and leasing horses part time there are plenty of chances to ride...but actually securing a place to keep a horse if you own one requires lots of patience.

The Mercer Island Saddle club is a wonderful place. My 10 year old daughter has been welcomed by…read moreeveryone, and the leadership has made an effort to include her in everything that happens at the barn. Pony club classes are offered there, and they have made an effort for girls who do not own horses to be included every step of the way. The leadership, the barn manager, and the barn president holds a tremendous amount of integrity in all they do, and I am grateful they are there.

We booked for a birthday party of 12 year olds. Each horse was led by someone walking while we…read morerode. Safe, but not too exciting for 12 year olds. This was otherwise great for a birthday party - close to town, everything provided for riding, beautiful location and trails, nice staff, good horses. Would be a good birthday party for 6 to 8 year olds.

Dressage Dancers moved to its permanent home in the Bear Creek neighborhood in Woodinville a year…read moreago, and just today, the full-size, brand-new covered riding arena was completed! Soft footing, spacious clean stalls, and a location on a very quiet street equal healthy horses and happy riders. Dressage Dancers has two trainers, both of whom have a few openings in their riding instruction calendars. In addition, Carol will be teaching two separate weeks of intensive riding camps for children this summer. Past camps included two daily individual riding lessons, horse-related crafts, baking, and other fun camp activities (including playing in the hose on really hot days!) I've helped Carol with students and horses at dressage shows and here in the arenas, and have also taken riding lessons here. You will learn the right way to here and you will always be encouraged to do your best and to enjoy your time with the horses. I'm so glad it's a low-drama barn; kids and adults alike can learn here in a supportive environment.

We scheduled our grand daughter's first riding lesson at Punk Rock Pony. The location was hard to…read morefind at first but after a call we got onto the right gravel road and to the farm. Adina was great! Knowing it was her first ride she sent pictures and videos of the horse she would be riding prior to the lesson so she could get to know the pony. She first taught her how to groom and saddle the pony. Then came lessons in the arena to learn commands and then a guided trail ride. Our granddaughter felt confident and successful and cannot wait to do it again. The horses are well trained and Adina is great with kids. I rode as well with them and learned new things as well despite being a seasoned rider. Thanks again!

I recommend her lesson to all our family and friends! Adina's such a great coach! she was patient…read morebut firm with her students. She's also very accommodating with our busy schedule! Really appreciated! We love to come learning riding with her every time!

I have been riding at Legacy for the past seven years and love it. There are a several reasons why…read moreI decided to start riding at Legacy: 1. They care a lot about the safety of the horse and the rider. The horses are treated GREAT here. They have chiropractor, acupuncture, and massage appointments, are shoed regularly, groomed, turned out every day, fed high quality food, and are kept in incredible condition. The retired horses often go to the Northwest School of Animal Massage for students to practice massaging on. 2. If you don't have your own horse, they have lesson horses. This was one of the hardest things to find when I moved to Washington because I don't own a horse. The lesson horses are super high quality and not over worked at all. 3. You have to take ownership in what you do here. Some other barns will tack up the horse for you and have it waiting once you arrive. At Legacy, you're responsible for retrieving your horse from its stall/paddock, grooming, tacking up, untacking, and cleaning the tack. This is great for some of the younger kids because they learn the basics to taking care of a horse. 4. They host their own fun shows, giving the riding academy and training program students opportunities to compete in a fun environment. The training program is really successful and the students involved are often traveling for horse shows in the warmer months. The facility itself is located at the old Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Woodinville with some trails behind it. There's an indoor and outdoor arena for when it's a nice day out. I would highly recommend Legacy!

I've been riding in Legacy's training/competition program for almost 8 years now. I came to Legacy…read moreat 14 and head trainer Shelly Kerron worked with me to help me truly understand and be able to execute the fundamentals of proper riding and brought me through the ranks to competing at a national level. Shelly's teaching style is a combination of explaining concepts of riding and then creating exercises that encourage riders and horses to demonstrate the concept she is teaching, weather that be straightness, smooth turns, or proper position. Shelly is an excellent horsewoman and Legacy horses all receive impeccable care and training. One of the most notable aspects of Shelly's program is how she teaches proper horsemanship and leadership qualities to young riders and encourages everyone to be involved with the local equestrian community. Many of us who rode with Shelly as juniors became captains or presidents of our college equestrian teams and served on the board of the Washington State Hunter Jumper Association, which puts on shows in the area. Lizzie Kerron, Shelly's assistant and younger sister, is also an excellent instructor and is wonderful with younger kids as well as adults. Lizzie's teaching style compliments Shelly's by her ability to help a rider mentally break down an exercise and explain what riders should be feeling their horses do through each step of the exercise. Legacy also has a lesson program with some of the nicest and well trained lesson horses I've ever encountered. The lesson program always has top quality instruction to teach the basics and offers summer camps and fun shows throughout the year. Horse care at Legacy is a top priority, and many of us call the barn "Spa Legacy" because of all the services and amenities offered (equine massage, chiropractor, therapeutic equipment, equine treadmill to keep horses in shape, just to name a few). If you're looking for a place to learn to ride, take lessons, or compete at the highest level Legacy is the best in the Seattle area.