Lessons, instruction and schooling — find a yard to learn the ropes or bring a horse on.
Painted Star Equestrian is a riding school in Gilroy, California. It offers lessons for riders of all levels, from beginners to advanced, in western disciplines such as barrel racing, gymkhana and trail riding. The business provides covered and outdoor arenas, round pens and a covered lesson barn. Its program also prepares riders for shows and rodeo competitions.
Mt Madonna Stables is a horse business in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. It offers riding lessons, horse training, boarding and trail rides. Trail rides start from the ranch next to Mt. Madonna Park. Beginner to advanced riders are welcome to ride its horses, and it also offers full and part time horse leases for regular trail riding.
Milestone Equestrian is a boutique English riding program focused on traditional equitation as the foundation for rider development. It offers private lessons, semi-private lessons, and one-hour group lessons, along with a discount riding package. The program also provides lesson horses for beginners and lease horses for more advanced riders. It is located at the Portola Valley Training Center in the Bay Area.
Jeanette Arnaout Training offers riding lessons and training for horses and riders in English riding and jumping. The program focuses on building a partnership between horse and rider and on helping students reach their riding and competitive goals. A children's program emphasizes safety and proper horsemanship. The site also lists camps and lessons with its own horses.
Da Vinci Equestrian Foundation offers riding lessons for riders of different ages, including beginners. It also offers lease and training ride packages for riders with leased or owned horses. The foundation provides boarding, show coaching for riders attending horse shows, and a summer horse camp. Its founder and head trainer, Sarina Oliver, has over a decade of experience teaching riding and training horses.
Ramor Oaks Riding Club is a private equestrian facility in the Corralitos Hills area of Watsonville, California. It offers dressage and eventing instruction from training level through Grand Prix, along with clinics. The club also provides horse show planning and coaching and boarding with open box stalls and pipe corral runs. Its facilities include an all-weather outdoor arena and trails.
Pleasant Valley Horse Club is a family-owned equestrian facility in the Santa Cruz County hills near Monterey Bay. It offers horseback riding lessons in Western and English disciplines for children and adults. Its programs include daily and weekly camps and a horsemanship approach built on mutual trust and respect between rider and horse. Lessons take place in the arenas and out on the trail.
Sneak Away Riding Center offers private and small-group English riding lessons for youth and adults, from first rides to competition preparation. Riders learn horsemanship alongside riding, including grooming, tacking and horse handling. Instruction covers dressage, combined training and eventing, and riders who wish to compete can join the Sneak Away Show Team. The barn also offers boarding and is expanding its programs with full board packages, summer camps and clinics.
Evermore Equestrians is an equestrian facility in Salinas, California, focused on riders in hunters, jumpers and equitation. It provides riding instruction and equine care, with the welfare of the horses as its top priority. The private facility has 20 stalls, irrigated pastures, a round pen, cross ties, two riding areas and trails. The business is managed by Candace Beck, whose team coaches riders and attends horse shows.
DreamPower Horsemanship offers equine-assisted activities and therapies. Its programs include therapeutic carriage driving lessons and a Horses for Warriors program that supports veterans. The team includes PATH certified therapeutic riding instructors and staff trained as PATH Equine Specialists in Mental Health & Learning. Visits are by appointment.
Saddlebrook Horse School is based in Rosharon, Texas, about 20 minutes south of Houston. The school offers beginner classes for all ages, equitation and trail riding lessons, and horse training. It also runs a horse motel and a foal kindergarten with full board and daily care. The website states that the school is currently a boarding stable only, due to the age and health of its lesson staff.
Ride to Read is a nonprofit youth program that combines horseback riding with reading lessons. Each 90-minute class has 45 minutes in the riding arena and 45 minutes in the classroom. Students are paired with a horse and supported by trained volunteers and experienced instructors. Classroom reading and writing activities often center around horses.
KEL Equestrian offers horseback riding lessons in Traverse City, Michigan, both in person and virtually. Lessons can take place on the business's own horses or on the client's horse at home. The business also runs clinics that clients can host at their own barn and offers horse development and training. Its teaching focuses on feel, timing and groundwork, with support for competitive goals such as dressage and jumping.
Knott Ranch is a horse training and riding lesson business. Lessons are offered for riders from age six and up, covering horsemanship, western and English riding. Training focuses on performance horses, including western disciplines such as barrel racing and roping. The business also offers horse sales and leases.
Hoofbeats Riding Academy offers horse riding lessons for youth and adult riders of all levels, from beginners to competitors. Training is available in both English and Western disciplines. Lessons begin with groundwork such as haltering, grooming and tacking before riding. The academy also offers single lessons, tuition programs, leasing and show team preparation, based at Summit Ranch Equine Center in Alamo.
Gilroy Hills Equestrian offers riding lessons for riders of all ages and levels. Its riding academy places riders at a level after an introductory session and progresses them from beginner to advanced. The business also provides boarding facilities and horse show services. Its website describes a mission of building horsemanship skills and respect for horses.
KLC Equine is a small training barn that offers group and private riding lessons for riders from age 5 and up. Lessons cover horse handling and safety, riding, grooming and equipment care. The barn also runs week-long horse camps, where each camper is assigned a horse to ride and care for, and shorter barn days focused on horse care. The business's stated aim is to teach horsemanship as well as care and respect for horses.
Madella Stables offers horsemanship lessons for children and adults, from first-time riders to more advanced pupils. The lessons use well-trained horses and experienced instructors, with a focus on riding and horse care. The stable also runs seasonal horse camps for children, with hands-on horse activities and riding. Lessons are open to any age, skill level, or background.
Under The Son Horsemanship is a riding academy in Gilroy, California, offering riding lessons on school ponies and horses for riders of different levels. The business also runs a training and show program with full, partial and barn lease options. It fields multiple IEA teams for interscholastic competition. Lessons and training are tailored to each horse and rider pair.
Exhale Farms is a non-profit hunter/jumper facility in Corralitos, CA. It offers riding lessons, hunter/jumper training, and full-service boarding with rehabilitation and retirement care. Its equine rehabilitation, conditioning and therapeutic wellness sessions include PATH certified therapeutic riding, both ground and mounted. Group retreats and camps are also offered. The site states that programs are currently paused while the organisation looks for a new facility.
GL Performance Horses offers horse training and riding lessons focused on horsemanship. Training services include tailored exercise programmes for clients' horses, such as grooming, turnout, hand walking and lunging. Services are available onsite or offsite, and grain and supplements can be provided on request. Boarding is not included in training services and is handled through separate inquiries. The yard is run by Grace Lattin, who has over 10 years of experience training horses.
Annie Phillips Dressage is a dressage training business led by Annie, a British Horse Society instructor. The program trains horses with a focus on their comfort, soundness, and physical conditioning before advanced work. Services include training, riding instruction, and clinics, with riding lessons also offered virtually. The business works alongside veterinarians, farriers, bodyworkers, and saddle fitters.
SSDressage is run by Stephanie, a dressage rider and trainer. She offers dressage lessons, clinics, and training for horses. She also breeds horses under the Solo Deo Gloria Sporthorses name and regularly has young horses for sale. Lessons are offered both at AR Ranch and away from it.
Crystal Nelson Equestrian offers riding lessons for riders of all levels, in private and group formats. The business also trains horses and prepares them for showing. It buys and sells horses. Lessons focus on English riding, including hunters, jumpers and equitation.
