Kristen is an amazing instructor! Not only is she incredibly kind, flexible, and patient, but she's…read morealso a very skilled teacher for anyone looking to learn western riding. Her lesson horses are all wonderful to learn on, and I love the warm and welcoming community Kristen has fostered at her barn over the years. Through Kristen, I have become a better horsewoman, and she has even helped me through the process of owning my first horse! I highly recommend Rancho de las Reinas for beginning riders and anyone looking to learn more about western riding.

Learning how to ride horses with Kristen Zuraek at Rancho de las Reinas has changed my life. Before…read morestarting lessons with Kristen over 4 years ago, I had minimal experience with horses, no riding knowledge, but a desire to learn how to interact with these powerful animals. Thanks to her down-to-earth, patient instruction, I am now a skilled Western trail rider. Every week, I look forward to my time in the saddle; centering myself on the beautiful trails of Los Altos Hills; and getting in touch with the horse. Horses are wonderful creatures that can teach us so much about ourselves, and the lesson horses at Rancho de las Reinas are no exception. If you are looking for beginner Western riding lessons on trustworthy horses, taught by a friendly, knowledgeable professional, then look no further! Going to Rancho de las Reinas might just be the best decision you ever made.

Highly recommend VDE. Torie is great! Torie can come across as very strict but she is super helpful…read moreas a trainer ( per my daughter). Torie focuses on how the rider and the horse can tune in to each other instead of helping the rider advance with an experienced horse, she helps how the rider can grow with the horse to become a skilled rider.

First, Torie and the team have been phenomenal about implementing safety policies and practices…read moreduring Covid. But I also just want to update my review to reiterate what fantastic community Torie has built for riders of all levels. Every person I've met in my lessons has been supportive and kind. Theresa, who handles a lot of admin now, is phenomenal -- responsive, organized, warm. Torie now has two other trainers, Molly and Claire, who occasionally fill in for her so she can actually have a day off, and both of them are wonderful as well -- knowledgeable, fun, friendly. Torie continues to make thoughtful decisions about the horses in her lesson program and how students are matched to horses. I really respect her philosophy toward training horses and riders. And as a new(ish) mom, I have been so grateful for Torie's willingness to flex her expectations to accommodate riding as self-care...and then to tell me when she thinks I'm ready to push harder. Highly recommend.

Our older daughter has gone here for the last 2 yrs and had a blast. The camp is a great balance…read morebetween class work and outdoor activities. There is even a parent's lunch at the end and the kids do a performance that was fun. Sadly our older daughter has aged out of the camp, but our younger daughter is excited to be finally old enough to go this year.

This is my daughter's favorite summer camp. She participated 2 summers in a row and loved…read moreeverything about it. It was just the right amount of learning time and play time, and last year they also added a music teacher and a basketball coach in addition to the camp theme teachers. The campsite is amazing, with a beautiful dinning hall, performing stage, amphitheater with a pond, and places to hike. The dorm rooms are very nice and spacious and food was really good. The location is also perfect for South Bay families. It's a short drive but it feels like the kids are staying deep in the mountains.

Our entire family loves this summer camp!…read more Here's why: Arun and Anne-Michelle the camp creators and owners of Ohana Surf Shop, a husband and wife team who are the perfect welcoming family and example for kids to be around, make this camp part our kids unforgettable summer. Arun and his son Brody are so patient and helpful with all the kids, teaching techniques while giving encouragement. My son said, they kept say "you can do it" While Anne-Michelle (the mom) conducts the boat, making sure the kids are safe and all have constant sun protection. While documenting each day with professionally taken photos (she's a photographer) then sends the photos via email to parents each day. Everyday (the Camp is 5 days) is a new adventure, whether it's skiing, tubing or surfing. As a parent I really appreciate that the kids all meet at the Ohana Board Store in Willow Glen and drive up with the camp creators as a group and the boat. The kids get to experience the entire boating day from launch to clean-up, they learn a lot this way. I loved this from the Camp Checklist because it was very earth conscious: Eco-friendly reusable packed lunch bag Bring healthy food No cell-phones My husband Brooke loves that the camp gets the kids off their computers and into the outdoors, we want more of that than the digital world for our kids. We no longer have a boat and our kids love the water, it gave both of them the chance to learn something new While being on the water in nature. The camp message encourages the kids to try their best and not to give up when it comes to getting up on a wake or surf board and encourages the other kids to all support one another. Every child got up on the board many times although they had never done these water sports before. Everyone had a great time. My high-school daughter went with her girlfriends and loved being able to spend the day with her friends out on the water boating this summer. (Instead of on Snapchat) They also teach the kids important values such as; be kind to others, be responsible and clean up after yourselves and most important do not leave your trash behind when you're done. The kids even get to help out cleaning the boat at the end of the day! My sons face in the photo says it all for me and my husband and our family. Highly recommended!

This is by far my daughter's favorite day camp around. She loves to try new things so she has been…read moreto a lot of camps. Arun, Anne-Michelle, and Brody are so kind and patient with all the kids. Each day, the kids get a chance to wakeboard or wakesurf a couple times each, tube, and swim. They have such an amazing time all day that they even look forward to wiping down and cleaning the boat at the end each day. Every afternoon our daughter would get in the car with stories and a huge smile, "if I only do one camp next year, it will be Ohana, and for a couple weeks!" As a surprise every night, Anne-Michelle shares hundreds of professional grade photos to document the day. The smiles are priceless. This camp is worth every penny!

I've been riding with Pam and her crew for almost 4 years now and can definitely recommend it. She…read morereally cares about her horses' welfare as well as safety for all. Even though I don't take private lessons, her attention to detail in group settings has improved my riding more in a one year than it had over several years with other instructors. Her assistant instructors are timely, excellent riders and instructors who are patient and respectful. Frankly, all of them have been provided better instruction in individual or group settings that I have gotten almost 95% of the time in the past 20 years of riding from lead instructors, no joking. She'll also never over-mount you or put you on a horse that you need to tune up for the program so she can make money off the horse before it's actually ready to be a program horse. Also if you do package lessons or lease, she'll help you squeeze in extra rides if she has horses that need to be ridden. This helps your riding and also helps fit in make-ups if you are, sick, traveling or lessons were rained-out. Pam is also incredibly ethical; she's the most ethical person I know in any line of business. This means she's not putting her interest in making money over yours: she won't try to sell you a horse, push you into a lease or lesson packages you can't afford or won't benefit from. If you're nor interested in any of these options; she'll treat you just as fairly and equally as any other rider. Regardless of whether you ride once a month, once a week, or 6 times a week, she treats all student the same: with respect, patience, fairness and diplomacy. The final part is that it is a relaxed barn atmosphere. Safety is upmost: but no one cares what attire and equipment you wear as long as it is functional and meets current standards. Horses are kept tidy, but there are no full time grooms handing you fully groomed, impeccably trimmed and polished horses. The upside is there are no high-maintenance people, nor is there pressure to show, or pressure to fit into a certain mold in terms of fashion, dress, or brands of attire.

Seven Oaks was recommended to me when we moved to the bay area. I have been riding for over 20…read moreyears and have found that these ladies really know their stuff! I've been riding with them for the past 4 years. All of the instructors teach Carrie Coe's and Pamela Miller's carefully thought out training program, so you never need to worry about who is teaching you because they all follow the same methodology. Also, they have been working with my horse and have helped us go from training level to third level while keeping my horse happy all along our dressage journey. I would recommend Seven Oaks for anyone interested in dressage. Not only is it a fun, friendly environment, but if you are interested in competing, they can help you reach any goal you set for yourself.

Our kids attending the week long summer camp and they loved it. It was the perfect blend of outdoor…read morefun and activities for their age, 9 and 11. They made connections with staff and other campers and were happy to chat about what they did each day. Staff posted email updates a couple of times in the week on what they did and what they would do. Definitely would recommend. I got a real sense that the staff took great care of the kids right from the start and were 100% engaged

My kids love Wilderskills. They come home every day from camp excited to be learning about making…read moreshelter, cooking food, identifying plants, and learning survival skills. And it's so wonderful to have them in nature all day, playing and coming home tired and dirty. Thank you to the counselors and leads for making this camp so special!

Working with the owner of Ligara Farms has been a treat…read more Susan has a delightful personality, and knows how to get Things done. Her thoughtful approach with her customers comes first and her stables are beautiful and clean. Carolyn Bredsteen

Don't make an appointment, they will cancel you last minute without reasons but they require you…read morecancel your appointment 24 hours ahead. No customer service available, no response with emails. Not a good business attitude.

Great location. Friendly staff and boarders. Love the attention Tyler gives to all the horses and…read moretheir owners. Very easy to communicate with. Honest and upfront every step of the way. He even goes above and beyond to help advocate for the safety of those who ride out to the Open Space trails by communicating with both Open Space and Santa Clara County representatives about the relationship between vehicle vs. equestrian transportation along the street leading into the trailhead. Tyler often works from sun up to sun down. Often working to improve the quality and comfort of the facility. You will find it difficult to come across someone who is harder working or more honest than Tyler! To top it off, it's rare to see him without a smile on his face. Heck, it's rare to see any of the horse owners out at CCR without a smile on their faces! One of the few facilities whose boarders welcome new arrivals with invites to join trail rides, dinner outings, and other extracurricular activities! There's plenty other things to say but there's even more to be experienced in person!

Tyler is never at the ranch. He spends his time on vacation or in Utah. He is not a horse person,…read moreand while he's a charming county boy to the ladies don't let that fool you. He will try to tell you he works his ass off while loading up his 4 wheeler in preperation to leave the ranch for another weekend in a row with no one to keep an eye on the horses, and no way to reach him WHEN something goes wrong. The trainer there is barely an intermediate rider, so if you have a difficult horse, or are serious about riding go elsewhere. The arena also has terrible footing. Drama is the same as any other barn. The trail is nice, but has only one loop trail so it gets old very quickly.