I have been taking lessons for 6 weeks, and Megan has a measured and sequential training to teach me how to know the horse and then how to ride. It has been a fantastic experience so far. It is also a wonderful family-owned stable--Tim is around the property all of the time, and clearly loves what he does and loves those horses. The horses get basically free rein and are very well tended to. It is an amazing piece of property nestled in the Mason Neck/Pohick Bay Area of Loudon--beautiful and green, and just a quick drive to get there and home. read more

I've had a very frustrating and negative experience with Tamarack. In fact, if I could rate at zero, I would. I had been trying to get someone to contact me for years--literally--about riding lessons for my daughter. Finally decided to try one last time and I was pleasantly surprised when Megan, an instructor, reached out to say she had availability in August. We set the date for a lesson but not the time. I subsequently emailed her back 3 or 4 times asking to provide a time for the lesson and/or confirm the date and never heard back. I haven't heard from her in 6 weeks at this point. Even if something had changed, that's ok, but at least have the courtesy to reply and not ghost me. Don't waste your time on this completely unprofessional establishment. read more

I went to Tamarack for a morning trail ride on my birthday and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hadn't been on a horse in at least 15 years but the instructors there were patient and helpful. I was the only person that morning so it was just me and my guide peacefully riding through the woods. I will say it rained the morning I went and for some reason that equates to spiders coming down from the trees and riding through their webs that you couldn't really see coming.... let's just say my first lesson of 33 was to *breathe*. Luckily, my instructor was in front of me and caught most of the webs before I did. Lol. Afterward, they were okay with me walking the grounds a bit which are beautiful and I watched some of the kids take lessons and chatted with the horses in the barn. It was really enjoyable. I'll be back. read more

Tamarack Stables - Post ride, bonding with my horse, Artie. - Horseback Riding Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Requested an appointment and never got a response. Planned to go for a birthday trip with family, it never happened because of lack of communication on their part read more

Horse just plodded along, teacher sat on a barrel. They said "horse was stubborn"- why give a beginner a atubborn worn out horse.

My family and I had a wonderful time. They just looked at us and picked the best horses for our personality. We are already talking about going again. I have already talked to my boyfriend about going. 13/10 recommend. P.S. Artie was the best boy. read more

Tamarack Stables - My family and I. - Horseback Riding Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

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Tim, Cheryl and their whole team did a fabulous job of hosting my 16 Boy Scouts and 5 parents this past Saturday. The program was a series of alternating rides, facilitated discussions, and practical tasks to accomplish the horse riding merit badge Our group was large, so much so that other stables in the DC Metro area could not accommodate us. Despite running a full set of lessons and private riding sessions beyond us, we were welcomed. Tim's youth staff were passionate about their jobs, and professional in their conduct. For what we got, the price point was extremely reasonable and within northern Virginia. The best way to start the process is call Tim's number to determine availability and book read more

Great experience going trail riding with a group of Girl Scouts! Wonderful owners and staff.

Stop here and start looking else where! Terrible communication, unwillingness to help, no one ever took responsibility, just pointed the blame to others. I started by purchase a small bundle of private lesson for my fiancé as a Christmas Gift. It took 5 months to set and appoint after a dozen times of reaching out either via email, phone and /or text. Once a weekly schedule was set she was only ever seen once. The second appointment was never cancel, her teacher just went on vacay and didn't notify her. Third appoint was rained out and they never rescheduled. By then we asked for a refund. Which took over three weeks and me pestering them. BTW they like to use some excuse of " management" for lots of cases. But this is family run farm so mom & dad are the issue?! This place Sounds more like a dysfunctional family run farm :( If I could place negative stars I would). read more

They don't respond. Sent them two requests and haven't heard a response in three weeks. Once through their website and once via email. I guess if you want to go horseback riding but actually don't want to go horseback riding then this business is for you. read more

I had an amazing time at Tamarack Stables as part of my bachelorette festivities! Blaze and Grant were friendly and amazing leaders for our group of 5, and my horse Adeline was perfect. We did a one hour trail through a scenic forest in the hills. We were given basic instruction on how to ride the horses and even my friend who had never been horseback riding was able to get comfortable with Blaze's encouragement. They were very flexible with us in regards to planning since we weren't sure if the weather would hold up - they had excellent communication throughout. They charged $75 per person. For the customer service and experience, it was well worth it. read more

Tamarack Stables - Horseback Riding Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Good training, great trail rides, poor business management. I would like them to communicate better, and post a clear pricing structure. They could start by posting a description of what constitutes a regular instructor versus a senior instructor. A cleanup of the site is also urgently needed in my opinion. I've seen other training g stables and none of them look like a junkyard. It would add professionalism if there weren't piles of junk on the edges of the riding rings. read more

Tamarack Stables - Typical junk pile at Tamarack right next to the riding ring. - Horseback Riding Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

Beware of Owner is not something you want to hear when contemplating spending your money at a business. I arrived at Tamarack Stables with Girl Scouts in my car for a Girl Scout horseback riding event when a man in a beat up blocked my way me and forced me to stop my car. He yelled at me to slow down. Keep in mind, I don't know who this man is and he was being very aggressive with me. He wouldn't move his truck and then he approached my car, again, telling me I needed to slow down. It was then that he finally identified himself as the owner of Tamarack Stables. He then told me to turn around and leave and said he didn't want my business. I told him I was there to drop off Girl Scouts and I didn't plan to stay. He would not move his truck until I apologized to him for going faster than he would have liked. A disagreement over the speed of my vehicle is one thing, but this man was incredibly rude and aggressive. His behavior was completely unacceptable. I was completely shaken by this interaction as were the Girl Scouts in my car. I see great reviews for this business, but I can't believe that this is an isolated event. Anyone else out there have a run in with this man? read more

I made an online reservation on Aug 11, 2021 for an hour long riding for Sunday, Sep 12 for a group of 5 ladies that meet up monthly to hang out. I decided on horseback riding. I received an e-mail on Aug 11, 2021 stating they received my request and their e-mail is just confirmation and someone would contact me 24-48 hours before my requested date. Well, well, well, Friday, Sept 10, 2021 I tried calling -and the voicemail was full, then I called again - no answer. I decided to send an e-mail. I received an e-mail back FRIDAY, Sept 10 letting me know that they were fully booked and I need to reschedule for Oct?? What kind of business does that? They didn't know in Aug their schedule was booked? Now I'm scrambling around (because I got the ladies all excited about horseback riding) trying to find another horse riding stable...Poor business management. read more

Took our 2 sons for our 9 year olds birthday. Had an amazing ride with Mr. Tim and Emily was amazing getting us all set up and comfortable! The two little dogs came along for the ride and were adorable and we saw deer along the way! Booking was all via email and super responsive and easy! Can't wait to go back! read more

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I had a great experience at tamarack stables! The staff was all friendly and extreme knowledgeable about their horses. Although it was my first time riding a horse, the staff members and the trail guide gave great and clear instructions on how to stay safe and guide the horses throughout the 1hr trail ride. Tim was a great guide and also funny. My horses name was Boom and he was very fun to ride. All the horses were very well behaved. For a hour ride, the price was great. I would definitely visit again and recommend you to pay a visit too! Thanks tamarack ! read more

Tamarack Stables - Horseback Riding Near Me - Lorton, Virginia

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Tried multiple times to reach this business- sending emails and leaving voicemails. They never responded. Found out some pretty alarming things from community social media and now at thankful for not getting a response after weeks of trying. We'll be with a reputable stable in the c-vile area now on the good advice of the local horse community read more

We took a trail ride for my 74th birthday adventure. We had such a good time. The people there are great as well as the horses. Thank goodness the horses knew what to do because we had no previous experience. We feel the instructions were excellent. It was a very good birthday! read more

Do not recommend. Requests for trail rides are only accepted via online. I submitted 2 requests for a trail ride for my boyfriend's birthday and I never received a response. I tried calling to make a request and the male individual that answered the phone call was pretty rude. He was not even willing to promote the business. read more

Not great at contact with people trying to come to the stable or set up appointments. But when I finally got to and have a horseback riding session I was amazed. The people were so so nice. the person hosting the first group lesson i took helped everyone with anything they needed help with. I still have the same instructor and he's great. private lessons are great too they have the same amazement as group lesson only better because its one on one. and the horses are trained great and even work well with the little ones. And great big arenas. Totally recommend. read more

We've visited twice now, most recently this past weekend for my daughter's 8th birthday. We had a nice trail ride, and let the horses splash in the creek. We had a big group, several kids, which typically will make everything excruciating and exponentially longer, but they were efficient and really got us going quickly. It's a very low-hassle operation, they dont bury you in paperwork, and generally seem pretty flexible. The horses were in good shape, and the staff was nice. Had a great time all around. read more

Showed up to find out that the rides I booked couldn't happen because the trails were too muddy for the horses to pass safely. I totally understood and went away with an understanding I could reschedule. The number I had to text to reschedule didn't answer me and when I emailed to get my deposit returned I was told they would get back to me. That was 3 unresponded emails ago. I just wanted my deposit back because I didn't get my rides. Instead I got no rides and no refund. Beware! read more

Had such a blast here! I came here with my husband and sister and we all had such a great time. We did the 1 hour horse trail with a guide who instructed us on how to ride the horse. At first I was scared since it was my first time horseback riding but by the end of the trail I felt like a pro! The guide who is also the owner was great with directions and a very funny guy. Will definitely come back here again in the near future! read more

This was a fantastic experience. Let me first say my horse Rye was awesome. I had not been riding sense I was a boy. Rye would pull the rains a little when I was holing them wrong. He was calm while I learned to sit in a saddle again. My wife had never ridden, and the staff made sure she knew what to do. But her horse was fantastic too. But let me get to the Staff this to me is where they shine the most. The majority I saw were teens. They actually care for the horses and it shows. All are beautiful creatures and very well taken care of. These teens were not burried in cell phones. They were assertive but polite and helpful and friendly. Thank you Zailey! I was so impressed these young adults were not encumbered by narcissism and political identity. From what I saw they truly loved the animals there, and enjoyed the work. Our Trail leader Mr. Blaze also was Awesome. He made the ride all about the ride. He too showed nothing other than making the experience great for the horse and rider. I really felt like he wanted all of us to just loose ourselves in the moment and be away from our worlds for just a while. The trail was fantastic and relaxing, and for a while it was just a group of people riding through the woods and the world was only as large as the trail we were on. Do not miss out if you ever wanted to ride. Even if you have not ridden the experience will be well worth the time. Again thank you to the Staff and of coarse the horses for making our ride a great one. We will be back. Thank you again Staff and Horses. read more

We went for the one hour trail riding and had a blast. The folks that worked with us were great and told us exactly how to handle the horse, very useful if you are a first timer like me. They were also very friendly, stowed extra stuff for us, didn't try to sell us unnecessary stuff and took some awesome pics and videos. Will definitely go back again. read more

We had a wonderful experience, all of the staff are extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and patient. Special shout out to Blaise our guide, Carter, and the rest of the awesome young ladies that made our visit a great one! read more

Had an awesome time going on the trail ride with my kids and Cheryl did an awesome job touring us around the trail.The workers at the stables were really nice. They explained to us on how to ride and "steer" the horse really well. Cheryl helped us get comfortable riding the horses Overall, we really enjoyed our time there. read more

We celebrated my daughters birthday with an hour long trail ride. The staff were all courteous and helpful. There is a lovely porch area for the party and air conditioned kitchen with seating and a play area for little children. Even the bathroom was lovely. The trail ride was fully staffed with friendly guides. The horses were beautiful and well trained. 8 of my 10 guests had never ridden a horse before, but you would never know it. It was the most memorable and fun bday party we have ever had. Love this place and the awesome people! read more

Took a 2-hour trail ride -- horse went of the rails, galloped at quite the speed and I nearly fell off. Then the guide basically blamed me. This was not my first time riding a trail horse. Never again. Shame because up until then the route around the nearby county park was very nice. read more

Brought my 6 yo here for a trail ride for a birthday gift. The staff was super nice and accommodating. They showed her how to groom the horse and how to get it ready to ride. Tim took us for the hour trail ride and it was a great time. The property is beautiful with a mixture of elevations to walk. Tim was also very patient with all of us and you could tell he loved his animals. The horses all looked to be in great health and they also had a pig, dogs and a donkey walking around the stable. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone who is interested in horses. read more

Our family had a really nice experience -- it was our first time trying trail riding. We were able to make arrangements on the same day we had our ride. No experience was necessary -- the owner, Tim, showed us the basics for controlling the horse, then took us out for a one-hour excursion through beautiful and shady woods. The staff members were all friendly, and the whole trip was memorable. read more