This was my first time visiting this horse trial, and my coaches first time visiting in 10 years…read more So it was a relatively new experience for the group of us. I was very pleasantly surprised how beautiful the cross country course is. Lots of room to gallop, and some friendly, but tall jumps. The dressage rings and Stadium jumping ring were absolutely fabulous, and beautifully cared for. I do wish that they had some more selection for food. A few more healthy options for those who are competing would have been great. Being stabled at The White Barn was initially quite challenging to find, the directions were not super clear. The beer garden is a surefire way to keep non-horse friends and relatives entertained. There's only one bathroom with indoor plumbing in the whole facility. And it's a hike away from where most people are stabled. I would love to come back again.

Made a reservation and brought our own picnic. The beer was wonderful and the service was great. I…read morereally like how they had a flag for when you were needing refills. Lovely scenery!

They hold monthly open leadline classes for children up to five years old…read more The leadline class is $5 per child and they take turns being led around the ring on the different horses and ponies. My daughter loved it the first time we went, and I was so happy to get the opportunity to expose her to a new experience and see the transformation from completely hysterical and freaked out to really enjoying herself. Of course for about a week afterwards, I had to endure questions like "Will we see Muffin, Rollo, and Peanut tomorrow?" and "Can you buy me Rollo for my backyard?" and "Why can't I have a horsey that is little just like me?" If you have a pre-schooler- this an hour a month of fun. I can't review the other aspects of the stable- since this is all I've done. PS: If you are going for the first time, you have to take a right at a big green sign into a long hidden driveway. You won't actually see 13431 on the side of the road.

If you're looking for a place to ride, look no further. KVS is the best place to not only learn how…read moreto ride, but learn to be a complete horse person. I grew up riding at barns where the horses were already tacked up and you just hopped on for the lesson. I learned more about horsemanship at KVS in the year I've been riding here than 7 years of riding as a kid, not to mention how fast I improved my riding with Sara, the head trainer, in a year after a 10 year hiatus. KVS offers something for all ages, ability, and ambition. Cannot recommend this barn enough.

If you've been thinking about trying horseback riding but feel a little nervous, I highly recommend…read moreHunt View Riding Academy. Our first family trail ride was peaceful, relaxing, and so much fun. A special thank you to our trail guides, Linda Gamboa and Alberto Gamboa. They were patient, welcoming, and explained everything before we started, making us feel comfortable from the very beginning. As a Spanish speaker, I especially appreciated having bilingual instructors who could guide us in our own language. If you're looking for a unique family experience or a way to disconnect from the stress of everyday life, this is the perfect place. We can't wait to come back!

We went for horse back riding in the trails guided by Alberto. He patiently explained to us how to…read morebond with horses before our ride. Horses were calm and well trained and the trail was nice ! Thank you Alberto for the amazing experience and the great photos and videos you took from us !

It's been almost 1.5 years of riding here at Merkel, so I have finally have a well formed view of…read moreMerkel Farm. Stephanie (the owner) is, by far, the most caring, understanding, and helpful instructor I have EVER had. She understands each person's needs and can help each person grow not only in confidence, but in self-reliance. Stephanie always looks out for every person and makes sure they are getting the help they need, as well as being given the push to jump higher (sorry about the pun) as well. Her horses are all loved dearly, taken care of, and get to roam in spacious fields all day like horses should. No horse is forced to stand in a stall all day only to be ridden once, and returned. They get to stretch their legs and take in the serene backwoods Bowie scenery. Every lesson is formed around making each person better, with focuses in different areas. One day might be a balance day, strength day, cross country day, position day, ect. I never know what fun experiences lay for me on the other side of the white fenced arena. The grounds are well groomed, with several large paddocks full of happy horses. There is a spacious outdoor ring, covered indoor ring, and a host of cross country fences around the property. There are several friendly furry friends roaming around the grounds, including Brandy the ever present Goldendoodle, and Pepper, the most friendly cat in the world. I will continue to make Merkel my home and hope that everyone sees the beauty in this lovely farm tucked back on a piece of paradise.

This place is like therapy for my daughter. Great kids riding program that teaches them how to…read moreboth care for and ride the horses. Can't wait for summer camp!

I have never gone to one of these adventure parks before so for my first time - it was AMAZING !…read more I took my niece who is 9 for her birthday and she had the time of her life - I was seriously impressed by the challenges in the courses and with how bravely she tackled them! We were very high up in those trees! The great thing though is that they have courses for all different types of thrill seekers - if you want to stay low to ground or just zip line, they have courses for that. If you want to physically challenge yourself or you like heights - they have courses for that as well. Safety wasn't a concern as there is an orientation video and then a practice course on the ground so you can repeatedly go through the process of locking on to a line and moving from line to line. I mean my niece did the practice course once and was off into the trees with out issue. There is a nice picnic area with tables so you could easily pack a lunch or snacks and make a day of it. I am eagerly waiting to go back for one of their night time clim

This place is incredible! We went at night and I absolutely recommend it as it was magical with the…read morelights on in the dark. There are all different levels so everyone can participate. I was able to do beginner to medium levels and we loved all the ziplines!

The person who leads the trial ride is very friendly. The whole experience is relaxing and fun.read more

I'm a new horse owner and I couldn't have ended up with a better boarding farm. I'm so grateful to…read moreWayne and Beth for (1) taking such good care of my horse, (2) helping me learn how to handle and care for my horse, and (3) providing the facilities I need, PLUS direct access to all 80-some miles of trails in the Patapsco Valley State Park. The cats, rabbits, and chickens keep things fun if you ever get tired of looking at horses (as if!)

We had a trail lesson. The trail had old tires, broken pipes, and trash, and we even passed by a…read moregutted vehicle. The owner was rude to us because we didn't 'look up' enough - she said she was joking but it was at our expense, wasn't funny, and her tone was not joking. Also, the horses do the exact same trail every day, and will just follow the guide anyway, it's a bit like the touristy horse rides, except there isn't anything touristy to see. I wouldn't go back, there are several nicer farms nearby.

Bought my wife some horseback riding lessons and she convinced me to give it a shot. I've never…read moreridden a horse before but Anita was patient with me, focusing on my form and making sure I dont start to have any bad habits. Had a great experience and now my wife's anniversary gift is couples horseback riding lessons :)

If you're looking for a riding camp, look elsewhere. I paid the extra fee for an extra hour of…read moreriding per day, for a total of 2 riding hours per day. My son never received 2 riding sessions, only 1 per day and they canceled a day, which equals out to only 3 total hours of riding for the week (no riding Wednesday). I paid for 8. Even with that ripoff, my son said he only got to ride 10 minutes each day because the time is split between the kids. I asked them for an explanation and refund for the riding lessons that were not provided and they never responded to my email or voicemail. The kids all describe it as a swimming camp that dumps the kids at the pool all day. They didn't even ask if my son could swim. It is run by foreigners with thick accents that are very difficult for children to understand. Some kids like it because there are tons of kids going here, but if you're looking for a riding camp, this is the worst one. Don't let the nicer facilities deceive you, your kid will not learn to ride, and will not enjoy riding after this experience.

My daughter stopped in for a horseback riding lesson with her daisy toop and I went along to…read morefulfill my inner horse girl dreams. Camp Olympia is a horseback riding center, nursery school, and summer camp located only a few minutes outside the District. There is lots of parking and tons of green space to run around. It's an absolute beautiful space to send your children to. Our instructor greeted us and introduced us to the horses. The girls were able to learn different horse facts and were taught how to properly groom the horses and spend quality 1:1 time with them. All the horses were well cared for and were super sweet with the children. Afterwards, each child was taught how to mount and dismount a horse and was led around the track. It was such a special experience and we are already so excited to go back!