I board my gelding at Sun Valley Equestrian and couldn't be happier. There is a wonderful arena to…read moreride in with beautiful scenery surrounding you. I've seen many riding academies and Sun Valley is one of the best out there. They have several different trainers to bring out the best in you and your horse. They are able to cater to beginning riders as well as advanced riders for lessons, schooling shows, etc. Their students are taught all aspects of horsemanship so they understand safety as well as a bond with the horse they are riding. The trainers are knowledgeable, friendly and always willing to give a helping hand if you need it. The trainers are highly skilled and each have their own specialty. There is a multitude of knowledge and years of experience in this barn. The owner, Diane, is a great business woman who cares about her staff, students, horses and her boarders. This is a rare thing to find. Her business is truly an equestrian family!

We love this place! My daughter has been taking lessons here for a few months and I couldn't say…read moreenough nice things about this place. Diane and my daughter's instructor Kailey have been such a huge part of my daughter's healing and happiness. I do believe that horses provide therapy and this has seriously been life-changing for my daughter. In the short amount of time, she has learned so much about riding, horsemanship, and has a real passion to keep learning and going far in the sport. I haven't seen her so passionate about anything like this in a long time. They really take the time necessary to train each person on every aspect of horses and horse riding. It's beautiful to watch and I love having my daughter come home and tell me all of the things that she's learning. It's hard work but the feeling of accomplishment is like nothing you can imagine. I have seen several of the instructors and every single one of them is very positive and uplifting and I am not used to that because in the past when we have been around riding instructors, I have noticed that there has been a lot of negativity. Not at Sun Valley equestrian - it's all about positive energy and loving what you do. I just can't thank them enough for the impact they are making in my daughters life.

My daughter takes lessons from Eldon and is constantly asking when she can go back. She just…read moreturned 12 and it is her favorite thing to do. She rides bareback and is now very comfortable on the horses. Eldon himself is a character and a joy to be around. So I find my daughters lessons something I look forward to as much as she does. The ranch is tucked away and being there just seems to dissipate stress. Highly recommend Rancho Polhemus and lessons from Eldon!

This ranch is a little hidden gem just of Polhemus road near 280. Everyone we met there - both…read morepeople and horses - was super nice. Eldon has been teaching people to ride for ages. As he says you will learn to ride a horse before you learn to ride a saddle :) That means you learn to ride bareback first. Today was our first lesson with Eldon. I must say its quite a difference - riding bareback. I am used to riding in saddle. But surprisingly enough it was also very fun and somehow freeing. We will definitely be coming back.

Laura runs a great little barn where riders have fun and horses are treated like owners' horses…read more Could not commend more! Safe place for riding and have fun at the barn!

Did an hour long trail ride and had a wonderful time. Great with inexperienced riders. Stunning…read moreviews. They clearly love and care for their horses. Would highly suggest checking this place out.

This is a no frills boarding stables as far as facilities go, but the care they provide is above…read moreaverage. You can tailor your horse's diet the way you want (with choices of alfalfa, grass hay, and oat hay) and they will even supplement your horse (you provide) with no charge. My horse was out in pasture right and they limit the # of horses to 8 in the 7 acre field. They also have free trailer parking (although the parking lot gets VERY crowded during the weekends). The three stars are from the following negatives: snobby boarders. Amazing how just a few people can ruin your experience. Just because my horse is in pasture and yours looks like Malibu Barbie's horse protected from head to toe in blankets doesn't mean that I'm lower on the totem pole. The road going up to the ranch will DESTROY the shocks on your car. It's also very narrow and I have gotten my 3/4 ton truck STUCK on the side when I was letting a huge trailer pass by (they had to pull it out with a tractor). No back shoes on horses in pasture. I endurance ride, I need shoes.

We were introduced to Joe and Arlene's Double J Ranch via a friend. They are doing an amazing job…read morewith teaching kids about horses; the right philosophy and approach, with a deep understanding of horse psychology, and no skipping the hard work of properly caring for horses. They also take great care of their rescue horses, all with their unique needs and personalities, which is great exposure for any budding horse lover.

I contacted Joe to set up a party for 10 year olds and he was very responsive and helpful. We…read morevisited the ranch to check out the facilities and he let my daughters take a quick ride and watch a horse feeding. When the party date arrived the place was decorated and the girls had a wonderful time taking turns riding a horse and a pony. They even had a horse kissing booth which the girls found fun and engaging. It was a wonderful experience with smiles all around. I plan on having my younger daughters party there in a few years. I also discovered they have weekly ridings and even a Halloween riding event so I will definitely be bringing the kids back soon.

I went to this place and got the package of four lessons which is 350 dollars, but I had told…read moreMarguerite that I had barely started to even trot at the other place I went to, she ask is I was a beginner and I told her I was over the phone fast forward, when I got there everything was fine but she told me to go to the barn a talk to this lady who was going to give me a helmet and take walk the horse out my mom was with me so she had to sign and release form, but the lady wasn't that nice she wasn't rude but she wasn't very welcoming, the horse had hesitated when walking out of the barn, and the lady told me to look forward and walk but the horse still didn't move eventually he did. We got to the gate of the arena and the horse stopped again, and the lady who had helped me get a helmet in the barn yelled at the horse to move( this is where I started to feel nervous because I felt that I couldn't trust the horse.) Marguerite told me that she could tell I was nervous and that it was ok because she puts little kids on this horse.(I was riding in shoes because my boots that I had gotten didn't come into the mail yet, and I told her that but she said that it was ok) so we kept riding but I was confused because it wasn't Marguerite teaching me it was someone else that and I thought she would because that's what she told me over the phone, which is fine I was just confused...the lady who was walking with me around the arena was nice. The lesson ended and we left. Later that day I told my mom that I didn't want to go back because I felt to uncomfortable there and it didn't feel like a stable system...and the other horse place I went to you would learn to brush and tack up the horse, overall just learn horseman ship but here you don't unless to get there early (she didn't tell me till the second lesson) but we asked for a refund and she refused to give a a refund( she never mentioned that she didn't give refunds) she told me and my mom to take after lesson with the boots so we did but i felt pressured to take this lesson.but she said she would charge 120 for the next lesson and give 110 back is we didn't like it. The next lesson came around and I wasn't in the best mood I felt pressured to take this lesson and I just wasn't in the best mood, I got on the horse ( the same one from the first lesson) and he felt jittery to me and I felt uncomfortable I had a weird gut feeling, so I stopped the horse and told her and my mom that I was uncomfortable and she ask why I couldn't answer at the time because I don't know what to say but she just told me to kept going, I felt confused by her instructions because she never told me if I was doing it right, but we kept walking and I felt more and more uncomfortable the horse was stubborn and was focused on follow Marguerite more...we walking around for a bit more and we stopped and she was telling to to look where to want to go then walk so I did. I don't know what happed after that because it happened so fast but the horse had got spooked by a truck driving on the road a threw me off, I landed on my hip ( I was ok but I'm bruised really bad and can't really lay down or sit without it hurting) I got up and talk out of the arena and I was shaking I don't know what happened after that as my body was in shock from what happened. She proceeded to tell my mom that I'm not ready and it was like talking to a 8 year old ( I'm 17) and that riding probably wasn't for me and that I would have still been on the horse if I kept my back straight, and that I wasn't listening and was hesitant to listening to her( I was confused and she never told me if I was doing something right or wrong.) Please be careful when choosing this place ask a lot of questions, because she tends to leave stuff out.

Overall the experience was okay, I would not recommend using this place if you're looking for…read morequality riding lessons. From the very beginning it seemed like an unfit establishment for our family, but wanted to be optimistic. The trainer provided very poor communication on how to find her place and was late on day one. She immediately jumped into defensive communication any time I asked for clarification. She seems very well established and knowledgeable, unfortunately that doesn't translate into her training with first time riders. Trainings are rushed, but ironically she just sits in a chair disengaged from the trainees. I was shocked as a parent and as someone who has no experience with horses when I was asked to prep the horse for riding. Seems extremely unsafe. Once I communicated that we no longer needed the services she became combative and refused to reimburse for the advanced payment for lessons.

Branscomb farms is my absolute favorite and happy place to visit. There are many handsome and…read morebeautiful horses, like Contiano, Castifina, and Quinta. I just cannot name them all. Seeing 2017 foals, Quinliana and Linda is exciting and enticing. My friend regularly rides beautiful Brancomb horses. I enjoy coming with her and watch her ride when I am free to join her. My friend is very brave. The horses she rides are tall and usually trained by a professional. I fell off the horse once, and now rarely dare to ride again. This place is a solid first class farm specializing in German horses. They provide many services such as breeding, boarding, and training jumping and dressage horses. Head trainer, Daniel Zilla is amazing with young horses and student riders. I'm amazed at how this 72 acre farm is so well organized and clean. How much do you like horses? Looking for the best horse? Check out this place.

Amazing Place, top quality horses care.. Great and serious…read moremanagement. Big Plus with Daniel ZILLA is an Excellent rider/trainer and super staff all around.

I board my two young rescue horses with Melanie and can't say enough positive, good things about…read morethis facility. My boys are treated beautifully and they are loved by all the folks at the facility. Stalls are clean, hay is high quality, horses get lots of interaction and attention, and the arenas are always clean and dragged nicely with great footing. If you are looking for a quiet, low key barn environment with very happy horses, this is the place for you.

Riding/stabling horses in Oakland? Well yes to both actually…read more Just off Skyline, slip back in to what seems to be an oasis for horses with an ocean view. But keep your speed down- the city boy in me cruised in at what seemed to be a medium pace and was told that that was tooooooo fast. 5 mph or less. So okay. Helped move a new vendor in who will have tons of horse supplies available on site. I'd rattle off some more lingo like saddles and bridles but I don't know what anything else is called. They're there though. And there are numerous signs that indicate that dogs are not allowed. Just an observation.