First and foremost, I apologize if I’m posting a thread in the wrong forum, however I needed some advice. I live in Queens, NYC and I’ve been riding since I was 13, so it’s been about 7 years but I have not been able to find a suitable barn to ride at. I’ve went to GallopNYC since I was 13 but their services were very limited and I am wholeheartedly grateful for what I learned there. It took me about five years to learn how to canter there. I went to Jamaica Bay Riding Academy but everytime I’ve been there I’ve had trainers who were not interested in helping me with my riding skills. It was also hard to hear anything as the rings were very over crowded. I’ve rode at Bronx Equestrian Center as well but the trainer there told me that I was used to riding push button horses and that my riding skills were more or less horrid. I’m all for constructive criticism however my anxiety held me back from riding there and after that I’ve dreaded riding in general. I’ve always had a passion for horses, and I was wondering if there’s any stables within NYC or any stables around the state of NY that anyone could recommend. I was also wondering if anyone has suggestions about any adult summer riding programs/camps to learn about horsemanship that also teaches you how to tack. The summer programs here generally claim that they only teach 12-18 year olds but I just turned 20 so I could see how that may be an issue. I’ve always wanted to lease a horse and I’d eventually learn how to jump, I know it’ll take a long time to get there but I’m willing to learn. Thanks in advance!
If you have the time and the money, how about looking into a vacation where you can both have lessons and do some trail rides over a week or so?
Looking at prices for US ranch vacations, I think Europe is a lot cheaper. From personal experience, Portugal has a lot to offer. The Portuguese riding style is quiet and sympathetic, the Lusitano horse is fantastic, food is good, the tourism infrastructure is excellent and everyone is taught English as their second language in school. Britain or Ireland has the advantage of language but the weather is less reliable.
As to 5 years to learn to canter… struth! You are very patient and obviously love horses but you have been ill served by your instructors. Getting out of the arena and having fun will progress your skills faster than anything else.
Send me a PM if you want more info
Try Riverdale. Scott Tarter took the facility over a few years ago.
Can you get out to NY Equestrian in West Hempstead? I’ve heard good things about it.
Do you have a car or do you need something you can get to by train and/or Uber? Riverdale, Knoll Farm and Bergen Equestrian are probably the easiest via public transit and should all give you a good foundation. If you can go farther out of the city you have way more options.
Here are a few older threads with some thoughts:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…iners-near-nyc
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…r-stuck-in-nyc
There’s also an NYC Equestrians Facebook group that can certainly give you lots of recommendations, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions. My barn in NJ is excellent but easiest to get to via car.
Thank you for your detailed response and thank you for sharing the other threads, it sincerely means a lot! I will definitely look into Knoll Farm and try it out.
