Lessons, instruction and schooling — find a yard to learn the ropes or bring a horse on.
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.
Aluminé Polo is a polo program in Northern California offering private, semi-private and group polo lessons for all levels, including a beginner polo experience where everything is provided. The business also offers horse board, training and sales. Lessons are led by Daniel Fernández, who has more than 40 years of riding experience. The school serves the Bay Area, Monterey Peninsula and surrounding areas.
Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary is a riding school and horse sanctuary. It offers private and group riding lessons tailored to each rider's comfort level and abilities. The programs include adaptive riding and equine-assisted coaching for children, adults and people with disabilities. The sanctuary provides medical care, rehabilitation and lifelong homes for rescued horses.
Tails of Redwood Trails is an equine education program that offers horse riding lessons for children, teens and young adults, with levels from beginner to mastery in English, Western and trail riding. It also runs school break day programs, themed festivals, educational field trips and adult horse care classes. The program provides forever homes to rescued horses, including animals surrendered by owners or rescued from slaughter risk, and rehabilitates them. Lessons are held at Covered Bridge Equestrian Center in Felton, California.
Zayante Creek Equestrian Center is a full care boarding and training facility in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Felton, California. It offers riding lessons for adults and children, from complete beginners to accomplished show riders, on school horses or the client's own horse. Training programs are offered per month, and riders attend local horse shows and rated shows.
Glenview Farm is a hunter jumper training barn at Zayante Creek Equestrian Center in Felton, CA. It coaches riders at all levels, from beginning riding lessons to A-circuit competitions. The barn accepts horses in training and offers training packages for boarders. It also provides boarding services such as turn out, medicating and hand walking.
Liberty Riding Academy is a riding school in Modesto, California, offering English-style riding lessons to children from age five and to adults. Lessons range from private lessons for beginners to group lessons for riders with comparable abilities. The academy uses its own well-schooled senior horses to teach grooming, safety, care and riding. It is run by instructor Lori Clark and also coaches a team in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association.
Lone Tree Farm is an equine facility in Waterford, California, on the Tuolumne River. It offers equine retirement, training and lessons, and clinics and camps. The farm provides stalls in the barn and paddocks, and it hosts 3-day eventing and hunter paces. Its training program is led by Connie Arthur, an eventing coach and trainer.
Frost Equestrian is a small, private facility run by owners and trainers Warren and Shauna Frost. It specializes in teaching riders of all ages, from beginners to intermediate levels. Lessons are offered in English, Western, jumping and basic dressage, as private, semi-private and group sessions. The facility also hosts summer camps in June and July and works by appointment only.
Kat Black Equine is a horse riding and boarding facility at Los Gatos Farms in the Silicon Valley area. It offers private riding lessons on its own lesson horses for riders aged eight and up. Horse boarding and horse training are also available. Trainer Katherine Black has over 20 years of experience with horses across several disciplines. Summer horse camps for children are also run.
O'Neill Show Jumping is a show jumping business based in Santa Cruz, California, led by Olympian rider Uma O'Neill. The team focuses on high-performance show jumping, with personalized coaching and training programs for both horses and riders. The business also runs a sales program that connects buyers with horses suited to their competitive and personal goals. Since 2022 it has included hands-on training for clients and their horses.
Bay Area Ridge Riders is a private club for trail riding and endurance riding in the south bay of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Santa Cruz mountains. Members take guided trail rides, trail lessons and endurance coaching on the club's own horses. Groups are small, with a maximum of four guest riders on trail rides. Beginners must take weekly lessons, and the club also organises occasional camping trips and special events. Membership is arranged on inquiry.
Clyde Pack Outfitters offers horseback riding and pack trips in the Sierra Nevada and John Muir Wilderness. Its Full Service Trip packs guests and their gear into a chosen wilderness camp for camping, fishing and hiking. A Drop Camp service takes guests and gear to a selected camp site on rivers, lakes or fishing streams. Hourly and two-hour day rides are offered from its Dinkey Creek Station during the summer season. Riders can sign up in advance or book by phone.
Coastal Dressage is a dressage training business led by Joan Williams, a Grand Prix dressage rider and certified United States Dressage Federation instructor. The business trains both horses and riders, with the aim of building a better partnership between them. Lessons are offered on the longe and as dressage seat lessons, on the client's horse or on one of the trainer's horses. Special rates are available for Pony Club and Intercollegiate Dressage team members.
Millennium Farm is a hunter jumper training barn in Portola Valley, California, founded in 1996. The barn offers horse care and customized training for show horses, including training rides, lessons and clinics. It also supports riders with show entries, hauling and show planning. The team places a strong emphasis on horsemanship.
KC Dressage is a dressage training business in Livermore, California, led by head trainer Kelly Casey Mykrantz. It focuses on developing the partnership between horse and rider, from improving a rider's seat and balance to moving horses up the levels. Lessons emphasise correct rider position and are taught for adult amateurs, juniors, and riders and horses new to dressage. The yard also trains horses for competition, including young horses and FEI-level work.
Angela Ridgway Dressage is a dressage training business run by Angela Ridgway, an FEI level dressage trainer and USDF Certified Instructor. The program covers training young horses up to FEI level and teaching students who own or lease their own horses. Lessons focus on bio-mechanics of horse and rider with the aim of balance in movement. Haul-in lessons and clinics are also offered. The business operates from Arriba Vista Ranch in Sunol, California.
All Star Training is an equestrian business in Manteca, California, run by Kristina Alexander. It offers riding lessons for people of all ages and levels, with an emphasis on horsemanship and safety. The business trains horses of all breeds from start to finish. It also provides boarding for horse owners and hosts pony parties by appointment.
KLA Training offers training for horse and rider, from beginning to advanced levels. Its programs include individual and group riding lessons, horse training and exercise, and competition coaching. Lessons cover dressage and western disciplines as well as trail riding. The training is based at Arriba Vista Ranch in Sunol, California, which also offers boarding.
Cossentine Equestrian has been coaching hunter, jumper and equitation riders since 2000. The business also trains horses. Riders can book lessons through the website, including a new student lesson and a standard riding lesson. The site also presents the horses in its program and the barn and facility.
Bodies in Motion, run by Agi Yother, focuses on equine biomechanics. It offers lessons and clinics that help riders understand how horse and rider move together. Its work covers rider awareness, seat and position, and groundwork for the horse. Online courses are also offered for continued learning.
Sky Castle Equine is an English riding school that offers personalized lessons for adults and children ages 5 and up. Lessons are semi-private or small group sessions lasting 45 minutes. Groundwork and horse care are central to the program, and students learn grooming, tacking, and general stable management. The school describes itself as a USHJA Recognized Riding Academy, and it offers lesson packages as well as single lessons.
Vintage Lane is a hunter/jumper barn offering training, management and riding instruction for riders of all ages and levels. The barn helps riders lease or purchase horses, from a first starter horse to a competitive mount. Lessons focus on classical equitation and correct flatwork, with individualized care for each horse. The program also includes showing, and the barn works closely with farriers and veterinarians.
Sandhaven Farm is a competitive show barn run by Jeff and Rachel at the Portola Valley Training Center in Menlo Park, California. The farm trains horses and riders, with a focus on flat work, basics and then jumping. Lessons are taught by the owners and by other professionals when they are on the road. The farm has been operating for 16 years and competes in the jumper industry.
