I happened to be looking for a new barn closer to town and unfortunately Vogt popped up. I would never consider them for any type of equestrian-related activity and this is why:
I have lived in this neighborhood on and off for almost 30 years and have visited Vogt just to get my horsey fix...just to smell the smell...just to be around a pony. I have been polite, have introduced myself many times, and each time, I was greeted in a less-than-friendly manner. If I received a friendly greetings it was by a child; adults there are snobby, aloof and downright rude. And this was just going for a quick visit.
I decided, however, that maybe the reason for the frosty attitude(s) was because I wasn't there to spend money so later I decided to give Vogt a try relative to lessons. While I have been riding as an adult for almost 16 years, and had my own horse for eight, I'm not the best rider out there but I know what I'm doing. I ride safely, and treat my mounts as if they were my treasured own. I am not a beginner, but I am not advanced either. That said, when I visited Vogt I learned that a 45-minute lesson was $75.00. That was ok (just ok, a little pricey but I suppose it's because of the location). I thought that it was reasonable for a walk warm-up, and a little trot and canter. My $75.00 lesson was simply walk and trot. Why? Because I was told unless I could canter without stirrups, they would not allow me to canter at all.
Ridiculous. If I want a trail ride, I'll go to someplace with a trail, and not a covered arena where I will walk and trot in circles.
That's my two cents. On another note, I saw a woman not long ago at Kroger at Sage Hill wearing paddock boots so I knew she was a fellow horsey person. I asked her where she rode, and she said she had just left Vogt where she was almost thrown off a naughty pony and this was not her first experience with this. I don't blame the ponies...if humans caring for a barn full of horses have attitude problems, chances are this negativity is bound to rub off on our four-legged friends. What a shame. read more