This is a bit of an overdue review, but I had such an amazing time horseback riding! I hadn't…read moreridden since I was about 5 years old, so I was definitely a little nervous going into it. I'm not sure it's exactly like riding a bike--but Karen made me feel completely at ease from the start. Kiwi, my horse, was incredibly patient and gentle with me. I swear she knew I needed a little extra TLC! It made the whole experience so enjoyable and stress-free. I even got to do a tiny bit of trotting, which was such a fun bonus. Overall, it was such a great experience, and I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking to try horseback riding or get back into it!

Great horses, great guides. It is always a pleasure to do a…read morehorseback ride at Suzie Q Ranch. Lovely afternoon today January 19th of 2026. Will be back! I think this ranch is the best of the area. Thank you Suzie!

My wife and I have boarded our paint mare sassy here for 9 years..cannot say enough about the care…read morethat she receives from the barn manager,Nicole,and the way that she manages..always clean and well kept up

Nicole is the best and these stables are so well maintained. The property is tranquil and the…read morepeople who board here are friendly and warm. A hidden gem!

We have been here for almost 2 years now. Kay is great with the kids and the horses. We tried other…read morestables, but here the kids learn how to not just ride but actually taking care of the horses

We brought our granddaughter here for summer's camp and she had the best time and learned so.....so…read moremuch. I cannot believe how much shes learned in 2 weeks. Kay and her teen counselors made her experience something very memorable, her riding ability and confidence was so uplifted. She's learned more in 2 weeks than she's learned in 1-1/2 years of private lessons. We now have her enrolled in group lessons as well as boarding her newly acquired horse. So happy my granddaughter is here at Barking Elf Ranch!!!

Rachel is intuitive, patient and focused on using her gifts and talents to help others.read more

I have been riding here for almost 5 years now, and I can't recommend this place enough! It's a…read morevery safe and positive learning environment and not only that but I have so much fun at every lesson!

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!!!

Just had a lesson with Kelly on Saturday. This is probably the most beautiful stable I have ever…read morebeen to. In a beautiful neighborhood. My lesson was great but she works you hard. I'm sore all over.

Surfside Show Jumping and trainer Kelley Fielder renewed my love of riding and my confidence. The…read morebarn is set in gorgeous Olivenhain, the arena is surrounded by roses and turn outs of retired Olymlian horses (seriously!), and the cleanest barn I've ever been in. The grooms are friendly and very good with the horses. Kelley brings a down to earth and kind honesty to the arena that is so noticeably missing in this world of show jumping. She trains and works through issues almost using the Socratic method, getting you to be an active, attentive, thinking rider as opposed to a robot passenger. Her program has room for riders of all abilities and ages and horses of all temperaments. Kelley makes a serious effort to design a program that works for each horse and each rider as individuals and as a team. Between the beautiful barn and caring, talented trainer I can't imagine myself riding anywhere else.

it was a great place to ride and so pretty but when ownership changed hands last year and they…read moredecided to let go of one of their top trainers with a large program for no reason it became clear they play barn politics and do not focus on great riding. Owners don't seem to be of the caliber the previous owners were. Sorry to say they do not ever do the right thing. There are lots of great barns in SD but right now this isn't one of them.

Atrocious management. Came to wildflower before the change…read moreof ownership and it was such an amazingly run barn, truly a great feel for competitive trainers and clients. New ownership brought barn politics and drama, and absolutely terrible management. Bad feels in this barn-- there seems to be a lack of care from the owners to both horse management and welfare, as well as a lack of professionalism with clients. Watch out.

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.

My daughter started private lessons beginning of summer 2018 and I've never been disappointed, so…read morefar. For the high cost of private horseback riding lessons, I was looking for a true horsemanship school. I found the place. Horsemanship Academy is not just your regular place to learn the PROPER way of horseback riding, that is, if your goal is to become a polo player. This place provides real horsemanship training. Kajsa, the owner, has been very friendly, accommodating and gets back to your e-mails in a timely manner. My daughter's instructor and academy manager, Ariel, has been super patient when it comes to learning how to prep the horse for riding, cleaning, etc. Ariel is a pro, she sure makes sure you learn horsemanship in the truest form. This place is really well managed.