Excellent place to get started with your horseback riding experience...for all ages. They have great friendly rescued horses and certainly make the experience memorable. I would encourage them to add an element of what it is like to keep a horse on their trail rides to encourage and intrigue first time riders. read more

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This is the 2nd year we have had Sarah's ponies out to our Autumn Fair Fundraising event. Her staff, once again, was phenomenal. Nicole was very communicative with me and she was able to get the pony wheel and petting zoo set up quickly and efficiently with her staff. Thank you! read more

Sarah's Pony Rides - Small petting zoo - Horseback Riding Near Me - Willow Springs, Illinois

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We hired Sarah's Pony Rides to come out to our Block Party in September 2025, and it was amazing! 10/10, would highly recommend to anyone looking for a kid-friendly activity. Shannon, Anna, and Breann were professional, friendly, punctual, and thorough. They brought 6 ponies and a petting zoo. The booking process was seemless and effortless, with clear communication and no hiccups. We look forward to having Sarah's Pony Rides join us again next year! Thanks for a wonderful day! read more

Thank you to Sarah's Pony Rides! Had a small party today for my mother-in-laws 73rd Birthday. Had ages ranging from 7-77 and everyone was very inquisitive. Thank you for answering all the questions and making our party such a wonderful experience. Highly recommend. read more

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Groupon got us out there... If it wasn't at that price, TBH... would probably not go back... here's the summary on the experience... It's not too far away, about 45min to an hour tops from the NW burbs with mild traffic... nice enough buildings with lots of cute random animals to pet while waiting for your ride... the customer service was mediocre though... imho. The 2 millennial blonde girls escorting the group could work on being enthusiastic and entertaining or informative... you got some directions here and there from the one in front that you couldn't hear in the back, and the one in back didn't repeat anything unless you asked... it was boring... not sure if they get making customers LIKE you... tends to increase getting tips... Aaaand the park was not very pretty (note I went somewhere else last summer and it had rolling hills and trails with very pretty almost cliff views, so maybe I'm being a bit picky)... Not sure if sending us off to wander the stables in our own counts as a tour per se, but the ponies, goats, llamas and bigger horses were fun to look at... I think should have said I weighed more to get a bigger horse, they were way cooler looking, like the girl behind me got this one that looked more like a medieval charger... all white! Haha... Also... most or all the horses are rescues, hence old AF... I found this out because I asked how long these guys were ridden daily... my horse "Tex" was a bit slow and seemed to be exhausted on the return leg of the ride... turns out he's freaking 24yo. GEEZ. I noted that the mare in front of me (that my pal was riding) seemed to have weak back legs as she walked, and my friend confirmed her gait was off, and she was stumbling a lot. The pony tailed blonde in back with us told us "that's just the way she walks" with very little concern. I'm going to admit that I'm not a fan of people that work with animals and seem casual about their health... these are pretty geriatric horses, WTF Betch. P.S. During the wander tour of the stables, I noted that Tex was back in his stall, still saddled... like he wasn't done yet. I would think he'd be off the clock by 5pm. These guys are seriously old, they should not be ridden non-stop. Hopefully he was going to be taken care of after the next riding group went out. read more

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My granddaughters first birthday was a huge success, thanks to Sarah's pony rides. Sarah's staff including all livestock we great. They were prompt, friendly and courteous. Thanks again. read more

Sarah's Pony Rides - My granddaughters first birthday, Sarah's pony rides was a huge success, prompt, friendly and courteous. - Horseback Riding Near Me - Willow Springs, Illinois

My daughter requested 2 pony's for my Autistic grandsons 2nd birthday party with about 10 children in attendance.. Two ladies, Kim and Sandy arrived for a 2 hour session.. These 2 ladies were patient and very interactive with all the kids during their rides and petting of the two ponies.. I would highly recommend this for any child's party but also learned if you use them and have a large bounce house for the party too, perhaps put the bounce house out of sight from the ponies to help the kids focus on the experience.. read more

Sarah's Pony Rides was a huge hit! Kim and Rachel were the absolute best! By that I mean they arrived right on time, got to work setting up, and letting us know what to expect. Although it was for a one year old birthday party , there were plenty of older littles to love the experience. We were totally "in love" with the experience and these two ladies for the kind, gentle, and experienced interactions with the animals, children and adults. It was just perfect! Thank you! read more

Just have to say... management, please try to be more friendly. We are paying you for a service and listened to all of your requests. Unbelievable how someone can be so bitter and mean towards kids, aging from 2-10. Maybe try to smile more and not talk behind peoples backs when they clearly can hear you...also telling a baby to stop crying, hysterical. Grow up or find a new job because wow wow wow...terrible, never again Also, avoid the blonde lady at all costs. She will try to ruin your day with her negative energy read more

I definitely have to say they are the best in the business very professional on time so nice to the kids I've never used Sara's pony's before first time thank god I did because I will be sure to use them from now on specially because my company I usually use canceled a day before my daughter's birthday and I explained this to Sara's Ponys and they squeezed me in that was super nice of them the Ponys made the party ten times better thanks again I'll post some pics. read more

Sarah's Pony Rides - Sara's Ponys came through in the clutch - Horseback Riding Near Me - Willow Springs, Illinois

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I brought my kids here for their first trail ride. The trail leaders were very sweet and made our 45 minute ride very enjoyable. I would specifically mention their names, but interestingly they had extremely unique and unusual names so sadly I forgot. I am not a fan of over burdening animals with hard work in the hot sun but I do feel that the horses were being treated well and thankfully they don't let riders on over 200 lbs to protect the ponies. Next time I will reminder to bring treats for the ponies, some sliced apples, if you are reading this before your ride, please bring an extra for our beautiful ponies that day, Diva Dixie, Cherokee and Beau. When another opportunity to ride comes up or for a camp, we ll be back! read more

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I went to the wrong place, my bad. Appointment at 12am, called at 12:15, being told they can't move the time around and they can't give me refund l, understandable. But the lady on the phone sounds not very friendly. Called again for trying to make another appointment tomorrow, no one pick the phone up, no one call me back. I feel like I am applying mortgage with bad credit. 3 stars for the phone call experience. read more

This place is so amazing! My kids look forward to riding on their birthday's and taking such fun memorable photos!! Great place, I recommend it to everyone who loves horses. read more

Sarah's Pony Rides - Horseback Riding Near Me - Willow Springs, Illinois

I recently attended a relatives birthday party (child) and Sarahs' Pony Rides was there. They brought 2 ponies and a petting zoo. The employees were courteous, efficient and provided the children with a memorable experience. They arrived on time, set up quickly, did their job well with the zoo and walking the children on the ponies and when they left, it was like they were never there...everything cleaned up. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants their child to have a possibly life changing experience. You can't replace or fabricate the look on those childrens' faces..sheer joy! So, thank you Sarah and your wonderful staff! read more

I just celebrated my daughter's 8th birthday here. It was an absolute blast. The kids LOVED it. The staff was super helpful. Even helped me unload my vehicle upon arrival!!!! I definitely recommend them!!!!!! read more

Sarah's Pony Rides (teamled by Kate) provided a Pony and Petting Zoo for our 4 year old's birthday party - they were amazing! They showed up early for setup. They were extremely professional and great with the kids. They provided a large breadth of types of animals and provided hay for feeding. They also cleaned up the aftermath (which I, and anyone who walks barefoot in my yard, really appreciated). We could not have had a better experience and I highly recommend them for future parties! read more

We use this company every year for my daughters birthday party and they are an awesome company to work with. Right on time, ponies are so cute and taken care of and the employees are well trained and super nice. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for this service! read more

If you're looking for horseback riding for yourself or pony rides for the kiddies, look no further than Sarah's Pony Rides! A hidden gem in the southwest suburb of Willow Springs, IL is the place you want to visit, staff is friendly and knowledgeable, all horses and ponies are very well cared for and loved by Sarah and her staff, Sarah has put her entire heart and soul into her business to assure your experience here is a memorable and great one, I've been visiting and riding here since 2017 and have been made to feel like family, there is no other stable I would rather ride at but Sarah's , the trail guides are all experienced and excellent and assure your safety while riding by carrying walkie talkies to communicate with the barn at all times, treat yourself or the small fry to an experience you will not forget, you will find no better stable than Sarah's ! read more

Howdy folks. NP here with my pardner Tex. We wanna tell ya'll about Sarah's Trail Rides. When you git yourself a hankerin' for some fresh air and the back woods, Sarah's is the place for you. She's got herself a stable fulla horses ready to ride. The folks at Sarah's are real friendly. They'll happily give ya'll a full tour of their entire stable. We met all the horses including Oprah; now that was one ginormous mare. The woodland trail is bee-you-tee-full. There's streams and ponds and all sorts of scenery. I counted myself 14 deer includin' a nice buck. You also get to ride across a main road. Shoulda seen the looks on some folks when Tex and me mosied across in front of their cars. The ridin' ain't too hard. All you gotta do is stay on the saddle and pull the reigns every so often to make sure your pardner ain't goin' catty whompus. Let yourself relax on that saddle else you gonna be plum wore out after the three hour ride. I was as happy as a gopher in soft dirt with my experience. So I tell ya, git yourself down to Sarah's directly and git to giddyupping. Oh, and one last thing: Tex wants me to tell ya'll that Dixie is dumber than a sack of hammers. I think he's still aggervated cuz she tried to kick him when he stuck his nose in her bee-hind. After that he was real nervous around her, like a long-tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Come on Tex, you know better than to go sniffing a lady's bee-hind. They don't like it when you do that... in public. read more

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"Is she pooping?!" I felt sort of like the Verizon guy, but instead of asking "Can you hear me know?," I kept inquiring "Is she pooping?" The lovely Keri H. arranged an afternoon ride here for 6 of us and my horse didn't poop while walking. This may not sound weird to a human, but apparently is not the norm in the horse world. So when my horse would randomly stop and ignore my prods and pleads for it to move, I had to ask "Is she pooping?" When we arrived there was a fundraiser going on for a rescue horse, Duke, who is severely underweight so the place was bumpin'. Prior to leaving for our ride we completed our waiver and our horses were dispensed. The waiver may seem excessive, but animals get spooked and react; I also suspect the waiver covers some riskier activities such as lessons. Additionally, one of the horses went down on some loose dirt, fortunately the rider stayed in the saddle and neither was injured. I was given Dixie and told that she was a girly-girl. I had no idea what that meant and half expected to see a horse with ribbons, a pink mane and horseshoes. I later deduced that it was code for diva; quickly I learned that she was stubborn, a snacker, and a tad lazy. At one point she had a temper tantrum, refusing turn a corner; she'd start to turn and cut back around a tree taking me in a small circle. She definitely tried the patience of one of our guides who eventually ended up getting off his horse and walk the horse around the corner; even that took a few tries before she would get with the program. The ride was nice, 2.5 hours through forest preserve trails. The trail was relatively flat and we took a very leisurely pace, which was good because I don't think Dixie would trot without some heavy bribery. We had two guides, one at the front or back; if you have any interest in learning about what they do, horses, or making a new friend, try to get a position at the front or back of the group. After our ride we were given a tour of their stables. The house more than just horses, we saw minis, donkeys, llamas, goats and the biggest horse I've ever seen! Seriously, this was the Andre the Giant of horses. An easy drive from the city, this is a fun place to get your cowgirl (or boy) on; you may just want to wear a pair of bike shorts under your pants. TIP: We went to 8220 S Kean, but it seems like Sarah's operates out of that place and the place next door (the listed address). read more

I was throwing a cowgirl theme birthday party for my daughter's 3rd bday and I came across Sarah's website. I purchased the package with 2 ponies and the farm animals that come to your home! It was money well spent! The party was a huge success and what can I say about the employees! They were very nice and patient especially when dealing with around 15/20 kids. They also picked after the animals, which was very nice! I'll recommend them 100%! Thanks for making my daughter bday party a success! read more

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Had an amazing time at the stables with friends! We took the trail ride with guides Rhiannon and August. They were sweet, patient, helpful, and fun! We cannot wait to go back for a relaxing day at the stables! read more

Sarah's Pony Rides - Horseback Riding Near Me - Willow Springs, Illinois

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We planned the visit and went on the first day of the winter. We got amazing experience. We ride a few nice horses. Everything was perfect but we wanted some gallop or something more energetic not just walking on theire backs. I understand that is not by the rulles and you need to get classes first for that. It was a bit cold so we will definitely come back in spring or summer. After the ride we got a tour there and nice lady showed all their animals, telling about each horse or pony. It was interesting and informative. Next time I will take my nephews. They in love with pony's. read more

Sarah's Pony Rides - It was quite cold but fun - Horseback Riding Near Me - Willow Springs, Illinois

My husband and I had the best time here. It was our first time coming here, we ordered from Groupon and scheduled an appointment same day. The experience was amazing. The horses are gorgeous, calm, and so sweet. The employees and volunteers, really help you and make you feel comfortable. It was an incredible day. We went on a trail ride that was nice and peaceful, really getting to see nature. The trail ride was so much fun and I will definitely do it again. I am already planning to come back! read more

Sarah's Pony Rides - My husband and I after we came back from our trail ride. - Horseback Riding Near Me - Willow Springs, Illinois

Wanted to do a pony party for my daughter in the city of Chicago. Sarah's pony rides was excellent. Annette was so sweet and easy to work with. The ponies were decorated as unicorns and looked adorable. The kids loved it. Would use again in a heartbeat. They were also very easy to work with. Highly recommend. read more

I purchased a Groupon and called this facility's phone number 4 different times on 3 different days-- no answer. Voicemail box is full and sending an "SMS instead" got me nowhere. Not sure how they are operating if I cannot schedule a ride! I will be refunding my Groupon and going elsewhere, unfortunately. read more

We came here for Girl Scouts and I definitely enjoyed it! Our trail guide Sarah was absolutely amazing and they were very descriptive and taught us how to be safe. They even gave us a tour and told us about the history and were very patient with our many questions. I definitely would recommend this place as it was very good. read more

Went on my first pony ride as a part of a birthday party with a trio of ten-year-olds. Many positives to note from the experience: the very thorough pre-ride waiver, helmets to rent, high staff numbers, training laps in the large practice ring with repeated instructions, staff on foot accompanying our group all along the trail, beautiful trail with different terrain and vegetation, and a tour of the stable full of cute animals afterwards. read more

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I always loved horses and from the first time I went to Sarah's pony rides I was hooked. Everyone was so friendly. Her office staff, trail riders, and the people who were there grooming their own private horses made me feel very welcome. She has a lot of ponies, horses, ducks, goats, sheep, Llamas, Alpacas, and a couple of donkeys. I was very impressed to find out how much Sarah is hands on with her animals. I definitely recommend them!! read more

Used Sarah's pony rides for my daughters 1st birthday. They arrived promptly and were great with all the kids at the party. The ponies were adorable. Would recommend. read more

I booked an hour ride in the forest and I was so excited to have this experience but when we arrived there the tour guide was not friendly at all that she ruined the ride and barley talked to us. Also, one of the horses was so old that could not walk by itself so they had to bring someone to walk it the whole ride. I will never go back again. read more

Great place for a birthday party! We just had my daughter's 5th Birthday here and it was so much fun. They gave every child lots of time on the ponies, and the petting zoo was great. The separate party room was very convenient to serve food and cake, and the staff was so helpful. read more

Went on a trail ride on Saturday and my kids are obsessed...great staff, well cared for horses, and not crazy expensive. Felt very COVID safe. They loved it so much that we're going back next weekend. Highly recommend. read more

My son is enjoying the horse summer camp. Camp is for 4 days Monday-Thursday for $300. He is a beginning rider with some experience. read more

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Having not been on an official horseback ride since the first third of my life, I was anxious to give it a whirl....I loved riding as a kid. Sarah's was a great place to get my long overdue giddyup on. Everyone there is very friendly and the horses are well-treated and docile. Prices are reasonable ($60 for a 2.5 hour ride) and I liked the trail...it was pretty (even for a cold November day) and serene, and we even saw some deer. My horse (Takota) was a little slow, but I didn't mind...he was a good boy. And did I really want to go faster? I left my sports bra at home, so you do the math. Despite the sore tush I have today, I'd love to go for a ride again, and I'd certainly go back to Sarah's. They really care about their animals and that alone makes them deserving of my business. read more

They did a really nice job making pony rides fun for all of the kids, including hesitant special-needs children. The animals seemed to be very well treated, and the staff was friendly. They set up and cleaned up quickly so that all that was paid for was riding time. read more

Disclaimer: I did not visit the actual ranch - this review is based on their petting zoo at an event in my neighborhood. At first I thought that this would have been a cool idea for the kids and whatnot, however, in my opinion, this was just a disaster. The animals looked displeased and upset, probably because they were confined to a 6x6 cage. The staff member that was handling the animals was kind, but did not pay full attention to what the kids were doing. Kids were picking up and dropping the ducks, tugging on the rooster's feathers and so on. This to me, seemed drastically inhumane! If a petting zoo is going to be operating, there needs to be more supervision of kids! These poor animals... (I would vote 0 stars, but it doesn't let me) read more

Really lovely place. The location is far away from the city life. People are very friendly and helpful. They go over the process of how to properly get on the horse and how to lead. They have plenty of other animals you can see in be barn. The trail was a good size, you get to go through the woods. The price was more than worth it, very inexpensive. Most important, the horses were in good shape, they are really taken care of well. Will be back. read more

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We bought a groupon for the Petting Zoo Visit and Barn Tour. Got there with the kids, they were so excited to see all the animals. We waited a few minutes...before I go on let me list what the groupon says "Kids tour the barn and visit four indoor petting zoos, with a handful of feed for llamas, ponies, horses, goats, sheep, and chickens". Just so we are clear, as it reads the kids get to tour the barn AND 4 indoor petting zoos AND feed 6 different animals. We started the tour, we walked very rapidly through the stables, saw horses, goats, ponies, llamas, sheep, chickens, we were rushed when trying to take pictures with these animals, the kids wanted to pet every one of them....because it's a petting zoo....they got to pet a few of them. We didn't get to feed any of them. The tour itself took about 20 minutes, I was expecting a whole afternoon of fun for the kids. The tour guide said "about 2/3's of the animals are out at petting zoos so it's kind of empty in here". We made a reservation for this "tour", why accept reservations when you know your barns will be almost empty? Because money that's why. We will not be returning, there is a whole trail riding aspect to this place that I cannot comment on, but as far as the groupon petting zoo tour, save your money. We contacted groupon and they happily refunded our money after learning the product was not as advertised. read more

Pretty affordable. Was a little dissapointing to be told the horse in front of mine did not like the horse i was on. Seems common sense to split 2 horses up that do not like each other. read more