Though it may be a challenge to tailor riding lessons to small children as well as adult learners…read morelike myself, horsemanship academy makes it look easy. I've been riding with them for a year and have only great things to say. They recently moved to a beautiful new location on Via de la Valle-- same great ponies and instructors though. The instructors are so friendly and competent. Kajsa, the owner, is wonderful and my instructor Laura is a great combination of patient, entertaining and knowledgeable.

This place is amazing!!! All so supportive and building strong kids. My daughter has been with…read moreHorsemanship for 4 years and continues to grow and learn. Great place!

Lori is such a patient and kind trainer! My husband and I have been taking lessons from her for…read moreseveral months now. She's very experienced and knowledgeable and truly loves horses. We always feel safe, have so much fun, and learn a ton when we ride with her. She's awesome and I couldn't recommend her more!

Lori is the kindest most passionate trainer you will ever find. No matter what the skill level she…read morewill adapt to your needs. She always has a smile on her face and joy in her heart and it shows through in your experience. She truly loves working with horses and you will feel that connection she will bring to you as well. Every moment is a learning opportunity on or off the horse. You will enjoy every second of your time with Lori and you are never rushed or pushed. You will feel her passion in your heart too.

Sonya is the most fabulous and dedicated trainer I have ever had the pleasure of learning under…read more Not only Does she advance your goals, but also teaches you how to be independent and feel confident while Riding. I have ridden with her for almost two years now and I never thought I would be able To compete. She gives her students every opportunity to learn and become successful. And that's just with students! I had a horse with her for 30days and what came Back to me was a beautifully well trained horse. I've seen her help so many owners and help them get on the right path with their horse. She really cares and loves what she does and it shows.

This ranch deserves all the stars'! First and foremost their horses; their horses are healthy…read morelooking, honestly some of the healthiest and not over worked looking horses at a ranch I've seen in a while. We've been to places that you think "Those horses look sad, like they need to rest and get vitamins", not these horses! So good looking! Impressive! Besides the beautiful well taking care of horses, the owner/ instructor Sonja is a hard working Lady. She has wonderful tips and coaching style in the arena when working one on one and in groups. Impressed that she has such a grasp on Western and riding techniques and coaching queues. Very happy our daughter is riding here now, and can't wait to see where SR and Sonja can get her in the future.

The owner charged an insane amount for an evaluation lesson. However, the property is charming.read more

I can't give enough positive feedback on this place, the amazing work they do as a local nonprofit,…read moreand how great Meg and all of the staff are. The prices for lessons are extremely reasonable for the services provided, and both me and my daughter do lessons at the same time. So, it's become a nice tradition for us to do together! This is a truly amazing place! Meg is a famous equestrian who has won many competitions and earned many awards for her amazing riding skill. She has competed professionally and taught different types of horseback riding skills all over the WORLD!!! The riding lessons she provides at MARA are individually catered to the needs and abilities of each rider! This is especially important in my case because my daughter has special needs and a real difficulty maintaining interest and concentration on any one thing for more than a few minutes at a time. Meg saw this and has been able to help my daughter to focus and understand how to control the horse and has now actually been able to do some short riding independently! After having had about 6 lessons now, I am able to easily see an increase in my daughter's confidence both on the horse and in daily interactions with people in general. My daughter's mood has gotten better and it is very evident to see that she is happier and much more capable of staying focused on individual tasks. My daughter's teachers have also recently made comments to both her mother and me about seeing improvement in her behavior and focus in the classroom! I truly believe that this place is very special and I firmly believe that because of the magic here, my daughter will continue to progress with her riding skills as she grows up (she just turned 6 years old). I can easily picture her riding as an adult. I am so lucky that I found this place! Thank you Meg! You and the crew are amazing!!!

My sister and I have been riding with Lance and his business since 2006. Lance Bennett is the owner…read moreand he is a phenomenal instructor. I took a long break from riding but my confidence has grown with him and I have improved greatly. Great place to learn how to ride horses and I always look forward to my lessons!! The horses are well trained, well cared for and very docile. Highly recommend Rancho Vista!!!

Lance and Scott are awesome people. They run an outstanding boarding and training operation…read more Their main business is Freisian horses, which are incredible animals. I have enjoyed watching them work and practice. The facility is really nice and clean. Never a dissappointment.

We absolutely love this barn! Our 11-year-old daughter takes lessons here and has loved every…read moreminute--so much so that all she wants to do now is ride horses. The trainers and staff are incredibly kind, patient, and knowledgeable, and they truly care about both the riders and the horses. It's a warm, welcoming environment where kids feel supported and confident while learning. We've seen such positive growth in our daughter since starting here and couldn't recommend this place more highly.

What a gem of a space!!! Took our two young children there today and they had a blast. The space is…read morehuge, bright, the animals are happy and well loved. The owner/trainers are very knowledgeable, patient and kind. We will return.

I DO NOT recommend the beginner riding lesson program lead by Vicky. I am an experience rider with…read moreover 10 years of experience who was looking to get back in the saddle after a few years off. I got an intro pack of 4 lessons with my 2 novice friends. There was almost no instruction. We were asked to get the horses from their stalls the first day, not even knowing the layout of the barn or what the horses looked like. After some convincing we were lead to the stalls by Vicky's helpers (these are children 12 and under working for discounts on their own lessons or volunteer?). These helpers are not very knowledgeable, because they are only children learning themselves. Luckily being experienced, I was able to instruct my 2 friends on picking hooves and other essential grooming/tacking procedures. Not sure what happens when I'm not there... grooming equipment also well past expiration, see photo. There is one college aged girl attempting to supervise the tacking process, but one lesson is untacking while the next is tacking up and there's no way she can be everywhere at once. Which means more than 10 horses/people/saddles at a time. Impossible task for the poor girl. Vicky no where to be seen. I also found myself having to whisper basic instruction to my friends during the lesson who were struggling and getting no good help. It's impossible for one trainer to manage 6 beginners, but she wasn't even telling them the basics! Her approach was harsh and confusing. One of the young students even cried during one lesson. It feels as though Vicky is trying to make as much money as possible before her swiftly approaching retirement. There are an insane amount of horses in the program, and you never know which you will be riding that day. This can be difficult for someone just starting out and doesn't understand the different personalities. Most lesson horses are privately owned and are being used for discounted boarding rates. If you are an experienced rider, you will likely be given the difficult to manage horses. Probably with bridles that's they arnt used to. If I were the owner of one of those horses I would be appalled. Lastly, one of the 4 lessons we were told there would be less intersection because the horses were used in a show the previous day (very unprofessional). All around terrible. Pretty facility tho!

I wanted to sign my 4 year old up for riding lessons and I found that Sundance had easy to read and…read morestraightforward information with reasonable package pricing for tiny tots lessons. I was able to purchase online and text a number to schedule my rider Unfortunately, our first lesson was rained out for a few weeks. Despite the circumstances I was still given a courtesy text about the rain and rescheduling for the next week. Excellent and timely communication--a big plus for me! Our first lesson was with Vicky and she was great! After arriving about 20 minutes early as requested, my daughter and I learned why they need to brush the horse first along with a few other things that was good to know. Helmets are available for use as well. Vicky was excellent in communicating with my daughter the entire time and listened when she spoke--another plus for me! The lesson was short enough to keep my daughters attention and long enough for her to ride and have fun. I feel we will continue our lessons here and look forward to working with some of the other trainers! Grounds are beautiful and the horses look happy here. I highly recommend Sundance to anyone looking for a place to take lessons.

When Liz Place was a child she could ride better than most trainers. She spent her entire life…read moreriding and helping others who were not as skilled as she. I would recommend her to anyone who would like to either ride trail for the fun or compete in Western Horsemanship. Liz is an epic rider and an excellent teacher. She is patient, kind, and knowledgeable.