Two generations. My three daughters and grandson have all trained at this school. Not only is the…read moreriding instruction of the highest quality but the engagement of each pupil as an individual and tailoring the experience to their physical and mental preparedness ensures steady progress and a sense of accomplishment. All of my family has benefited immensely from this experience and I recommend Walnut Slope without reservation.

Great school my Grandson who is 5 loves it. Colby the owner and instructor is great with kids.read more

My granddaughter has been riding horses since she was 4 yrs old. My son and his family recently…read moremoved to the Lee summit area and found Sunset Trails. We are all impressed with the skills of the trainers as well as the horses to select from. I would recommend this place to anyone wanting to learn how to ride or to enhance your riding skills.

Had such a great time on our trial ride. I would definitely recommend this stable. Trail guide was…read moreknowledgeable of trail and offered an alternative trail the next time we come.

I want to start by saying THANK YOU so much . We were a group of 7 people and each of us had so…read moremuch fun . ALL of the staff members were respectful, so kind, professional, and most importantly patient with us .Their horses are beautiful and very gentle . Even though we took up more time than scheduled, we were not rushed and we even got to see a show horse preform for us . If I can give this place 100 stars, I would . I highly recommend this place for all your horse events, training, etc.

We attended The Easter Butter event at Liberty Farm it was a blast. Definitely will return for…read moreother upcoming events very kid oriented the horses are gorgeous and the people are amazing.

Kris Maloney is a very good teacher. My daughter has been riding with her for a year and really…read moreloves her. She is calm, knowledgeable and I trust her to push my daughter to do her very best but in a safe way.

I had my daughter's 9th Birthday Party at the Columbia Equestrian Center. We did the Pinto Party…read morewith 17 kids. Riding horses, painting horseshoes, all the decorations, balloons & gift bags for the kids. The staff was very accommodating & did awesome with all the kids. Some adults even went for a ride. All I had to do was show up with the cake & a cooler of waters. I highly recommend! And thank you tons to everyone for making my babies day special!

This area was called "Monkey Mountains," because early settlers deemed the river bluffs too steep…read morefor even monkeys to climb. This place is as close to being out in the wild as you can get in the KC area. A little bit of a drive but worth it if you want a rugged terrain. It's perfect. Reaching the open meadow at the top is wonderful. Use bug spray and check for ticks.

Monkey Mountain is an 855 acre nature preserve in Eastern Jackson County, halfway in-between Grain…read moreValley and Oak Grove. The address I listed is the approximate address of the south entrance to the park, there is another entrance a little over a mile north off Old US 40 Hwy next to a softball field. The park is mostly undeveloped, which is what I love about it. You get to experience nature instead of a sanitized version of nature. There are two primary loop trails, one measuring 3.5 miles and one measuring between 2-3 miles depending on the route taken. Numerous smaller trails criss-cross between these main trails and branch out forming various side loops. You can spend hours hiking here and not see everything. The park caters to hikers and equestrians. I usually encounter a few other people at the park but only between long stretches of complete isolation. The elevation ranges from about 780 feet on the banks of Sni-a-Bar Creek to about 950 feet at the summit. There is a wide variety of terrain in the park: marshy lowlands in the north and northwest, thick woods and steep terrain covering most of the western half, limestone outcroppings along the ridge and at the south end of the park, a huge roiling meadow in the center, and farmed land along the eastern edges. Several ponds dot the landscape, and numerous tiny streams feed into Sni-a-Bar Creek along the western edge. There is even a waterfall in the park, but I will not reveal the location since it is both a fragile and a dangerous feature (especially in winter). Finding it can be part of your adventure. In the spring and early summer the park's meadows are filled with a wide variety of wildflowers, and wildlife can be spotted year-round. I've seen deer, foxes, turkeys, tortoises and turtles, all sorts of birds, and even evidence of some sort of wildcat. In the first half of the 20th century, much of what is now Monkey Mountain Park was part of a show farm called Sni-a-Bar Farms, owned by William Rockhill Nelson. The hillside and meadow were used for grazing sheep. Evidence of that can still be seen today in the form of farm remnants such as an old boundary fence running east-west through the middle of the park. If you hike the park, don't do it alone until you are familiar. Even though there are trails they are not always easy to see, and some portions of the trails can be treacherous. If your hike takes you through the northwest portion of the park you can expect to encounter mud pretty much year round so wear appropriate shoes. You will also need to carry your own water, there are no facilities at the park except at the softball field and an outhouse at the south entrance.

I honestly don't know how to start this review. I have been boarding horses since I was 18 years…read moreold and I'm 54 now. I have NEVER had an issue at any other boarding facility, but this one place. The owner of Forbes Ranch, Kim, has made this whole experience a nightmare. Let me inform you of what happened to my daughter's horse since she has been at this facility. First, she basically starved our horse and then blamed us by stating it was because of her lowered work schedule and that her weight loss was due to her age. Ginger was 18 years old at the time. I was out of town on business, but called the vet immediately when I came back a month later. Her explanation did not make sense because her top line was gone and the vet put Ginger on a re-feeding program. That program is used for extreme weight loss typically due to starvation, not age or lowered work. It's absurd that her weight came back immediately after starting this program, right? I started buying my own hay because the basic level of trust was gone. She did not even deduct the hay from the board bill every month. It's funny because one of her main arguments is that this is not about the money, but the good of the horse. However, that's laughable because it is ALL about the money for her. She charges $4.50 a day just to keep Ginger in her stall that we already pay for every month instead of turning her out. This is also while Ginger is healing from an injury, so she couldn't go in the dry lot anyways. She also charges $1.50 daily to stir water in her grain during the winter months. It's unprofessional that she gives a boarding contract with a flat fee price and then changes the price by charging additional fees for the most nonsensical things. She doesn't even send you a bill every month over email or break down the amount, but just sends you the number over text instead. I payed less at A show barns when my daughter was competing competitively in California. That is complete insanity! I am not from Missouri and do not know the horse community out here. I was on waiting lists for other facilities in the area, but nothing opened up. It's been very difficult to find a good barn in this area close to our home. Besides that, she demands that you put your horse in a dry lot with other horses. We agreed to that because I hired a trainer to introduce them properly to each other. All was good, but one of the two horses left for 6 months at least. Everyone who has a clue about horses knows that an alpha mare (which Ginger is) will build a bond with the horse left and become protective. But not Kim, she puts the returned horse back in with them immediately. They fight, Ginger gets kicked, and receives a laceration on her leg and additionally re-inured her other leg from a previous injury. Kim did not even inform or ask us about the new horse joining Ginger again until it already happened. She sent us a video over text of it after the fact. Furthermore, she did not reintroduce them properly and we didn't even know or have the time to hire a trainer help again. The vet now states that she can never be ridden again. We are rightfully devastated. Ginger is still only cleared for hand walking. One thing to know about Kim is that she does whatever she wants and informs you after the fact, but finds it preposterous when you get upset, especially after your horse is injured because of her decisions. She told my daughter that she knows what is better for Ginger because she cares more and puts Ginger first instead of what we want to do. The whole purpose of putting the horses in the dry lot is because she doesn't have enough employees to clean the stalls or doesn't want to pay someone to cleaned the stalls twice a day. And then you have to argue with her to even let you clean your own horse's stall. She does not allow you to put shavings in your horse's stall either. She only permits her "green shavings" which are just shavings that are not kiln-dried. I have never been to a facility that doesn't allow you to have as many shavings as you want, specifically when your horse is healing from an injury. She charges you for shavings, but doesn't even let you know the amount she is charging you for because there are no bags to go off of. This boarding facility bosses you to the point of misery. You have to defend and debate with her about anything you want to do with your horse. It's exhausting! I totally understand and support rules at a facility to keep everyone safe. But DO NOT tell me how to take care of my horse that I pay everything for. This is the most vet bills we have EVER received compared to all the years we've had Ginger and when she was showing competitively every weekend. Never in my life have I been so disappointed in a facility. I truly am trying to warn everybody about the realities of this place. Kim tries to portray a high quality barn, but looks can be deceiving. She's a CONTROL FREAK!

Great place to have my horse. Clean and well kept environment run by caring people!!read more