Attn: Equestrians...

I'm sure there must be people on this site who ride horses (on a regular basis). I'm seriously missing it .. and was wondering if someone can recommend some places.

I was very spoiled for a while .. riding at facilities that were amazing .. daily turn out for the horses .. top quality feed .. top quality bedding .. etc .. And the 'school horses' were pretty nice, too.

And for the record .. I've been at places that were acceptable .. that I thought were wonderful .. before I actually got to the truly wonderful places.

Any feedback on where to turn now as I begin a quest back into the horse world would be greatly appreciated!

what are you looking for? lessons? Do you have your own horse?

CW Post has an awesome facility - indoor arena, lessons, boarding... I used to board my horse there.
North Shore Equestrian Center (used to be Gold Coast equestrian) is also very nice...

Where do you live?

I ride at Stanhope Stables in South Huntington now and I really enjoy the horses there. I ride with Terri Stryker and I love riding with her. I think she may also teach at Thomas School.

I rode at Knoll Farm for 12 years and though it is under new management now, I have heard really good things about the positive changes they have made there.

No, I do not have my own horse.

Some of the barns up on the North Shore, in the CW Post area, are very nice .. I was at CW Post, Gold Coast & Red Barn for shows .. and I loved the Calumet property .. and years ago, years before Calumet was Calumet, that site was great for the equestrian.

I've also been to Parkview, Stony Hill, Old Brookville, Meadowbrook, Babylon Riding Center.

Having been out of the equestrian world for so many years now .. it's hard knowing where I want to start back .. and it's hard for me to accept shelling out $35 or so for a half-hour lesson when I used to be able to just take a horse out and do what I wanted, when I wanted, for as long as I wanted.

Even though I've done showing, I really am not a fan of showing. It's way too political, and the only kind of showing I will do is jumpers, where you are riding against the clock.

But I really don't want a place that is flooded with obsessed show riders. The tension from that can be overbearing.

I appreciate the suggestions so far.

Also .. I want a place that has decent 'school horses' .. where the farm is not afraid to let their horses run through a course of jumps that are more than 2 feet high.

Yet, at the same time, I'd like horses that know at least basic dressage and can handle doing lead changes.

So .. I know I may sound very picky .. but can anyone help me out with what may be the best 'fit' for me????

The only thing I can say is that when my old trainer disappeared a few years ago, some close family friends who ride sent me to Terri because even though she takes some students to show (and a lot of them win) , she has a lot of adults like me who just want to ride but also want to learn at the same time and yet not show. She is very genuine, very connected with the horses and very against political nonsense. She seems to avoid the b.s. and bragging that I have noticed others do.

Does Stanhope have an indoor??

Not an absolute requirement .. but it does help.

Could you tell me more about the place?? How big is it .. how many school horses do they have .. how busy do the rings get?? etc

Thanks!!

Here is a link to the website.


http://www.stanhopestables.com/index.html

I think you can bring in other trainers from the outside (Terri isn't on staff there, but she teaches there)

The school horses are really sweet and there are a few really good jumpers who were once boarders and then the owner had to sell for some reason (a lot of times they are college kids who go to school and need to sell their horses)

The indoor has a few mirrors and there are a few outdoor rings. I have been there when it has been really quiet as well as when it has had 15 horses in the ring. Like every place, it depends on the time.

Overall, I have enjoyed being there and from what I see, the horses are treated well and are loved by a lot of people (kids and adults)