Bay Area Trainer Suggestions

[BayAreaHunter]

Hello,
I am new to the Bay Area. I am in South Bay and am looking for somewhere to ride.
A little about me: I am in my late 20s, I never took a break from riding, but I did take a break from active lessoning. I used to have my own horse, but sold it before I moved to the Bay Area. I am used to riding green horses and training them, and had my gelding at about 3’3" last year.

I am looking for a trainer/situation where I can improve my skills and try to bring them to the next level. Not really a lesson program where I will be riding a 30 year old lesson horse who cannot jump more than 18 inches. I am also not looking for a lesson that has 6 other riders, some who don’t feel comfortable jumping mixed in all together. I want to be challenged during a lesson and really feel like I am pushing myself and learning.

Does this exist? Does anyone have any suggestions? I appreciate your help in advance!

[HLMom]

Will you be providing your own horse to use in lessons?

[two_sticks]

What is your budget?

[BayAreaHunter]

[QUOTE=HLMom;7783415]
Will you be providing your own horse to use in lessons?[/QUOTE]

No - I no longer have my own horse. I am not necessarily looking for a new horse to ride, but really to try to gain experience.

[SweetMutt]

[QUOTE=BayAreaHunter;7783457]
No - I no longer have my own horse. I am not necessarily looking for a new horse to ride, but really to try to gain experience.[/QUOTE]

Are you open to leasing? IME it’s hard to reliably jump higher than 2’-2’6" on lesson horses. Still not a bad idea to find the trainer first (I’m too far north to offer much meaningful information in that regard) but I’d budget for a full or half lease if you want to be challenged.

[LuLuT]

You should check out the lesson program at McIntosh Stables at Portola Valley Training Center (Toni and Colin McIntosh, trainers), they have decent lesson horses and a lot of people in the lesson program do partial leases. They are excellent horsepeople at a really nice facility and the barn has a good, fun atmosphere.

[Appsolute]

It will largely depend on your budget (I know I am priced out of a lot of these barsn! - course I do have my own horse to pay for).

But there are a fair number of good programs locally. They aren’t lesson programs on old plugs - some have show ready, jumping horses.

McIntosh is a good req. - but it is set up for riders that want to show. They like you to commit to a few shows a year.

There are a number of barns at PVTC (Portola Valley Training Center) that provide lesson horses:

http://www.pvtc-ca.com/OnSiteTrainers/Trainers.html

Also look into the programs available at Glenoaks:

http://www.glenoaksequestrian.com/

And also check out the trainers at Portola Farms:

http://portolafarms.com/trainers.html

I know a number of them have lesson horses.

And lastely - I don’t recommend Spring Down (also in PV) - pretty “lesson mill”

[BayAreaHunter]

Thanks for all of these suggestions! I will start looking into them!

If anyone has any suggestions about particular trainers to reach out to, that would be great!

[QUOTE=Appsolute;7783625]
It will largely depend on your budget (I know I am priced out of a lot of these barsn! - course I do have my own horse to pay for).

But there are a fair number of good programs locally. They aren’t lesson programs on old plugs - some have show ready, jumping horses.

McIntosh is a good req. - but it is set up for riders that want to show. They like you to commit to a few shows a year.

There are a number of barns at PVTC (Portola Valley Training Center) that provide lesson horses:

http://www.pvtc-ca.com/OnSiteTrainers/Trainers.html

Also look into the programs available at Glenoaks:

http://www.glenoaksequestrian.com/

And also check out the trainers at Portola Farms:

http://portolafarms.com/trainers.html

I know a number of them have lesson horses.

And lastely - I don’t recommend Spring Down (also in PV) - pretty “lesson mill”[/QUOTE]

[Huntin_Pony]

Depending how far south “South Bay” you are, you could check out:

http://ligarafarms.com in Morgan Hill

I have not been there myself because I now live in the East, but I’ve heard good things.

[KateKat]

Also in Morgan Hill, but have heard nothing but good things http://sterlingviewfarm.com/about_us.html

[SnicklefritzG]

I lived in California for quite a while and one of the biggest issues you are going to deal with is traffic!

How often do you want to ride and what commute are you willing to make?
Depending on how far south you are, you could end up running into a lot of traffic going into north into the Portola Valley/Woodside area if you try it after work.

You might have an easier time staying in the south bay depending on exactly where you are.

[BayAreaHunter]

I am in Mountain View area currently - so traffic to Portola Valley/Woodside doesn’t look too bad.

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;7785827]
I lived in California for quite a while and one of the biggest issues you are going to deal with is traffic!

How often do you want to ride and what commute are you willing to make?
Depending on how far south you are, you could end up running into a lot of traffic going into north into the Portola Valley/Woodside area if you try it after work.

You might have an easier time staying in the south bay depending on exactly where you are.[/QUOTE]

[LJD]

[QUOTE=BayAreaHunter;7787131]
I am in Mountain View area currently - so traffic to Portola Valley/Woodside doesn’t look too bad.[/QUOTE]

You have many more options since you can “easily” drive farther south. I’m in SF and it can be quite the challenge to drive to the Peninsula due to traffic. It took almost 2.5 hours to drive 60 miles at 2pm in the afternoon (SF to Morgan Hill)! I’ve taken lessons at Stanford’s Red Barn, but I’m trying out another option that I think might be a better long-term fit.

I would also recommend popping into Carousel Saddlery to see if they have any additional insight. I’m only familiar with the folks in the Palo Alto/Los Altos vicinity.

[Appsolute]

I agree, Carousel saddlery (in Portola Valley) is a good resource.

And I am not going to argue with you LJD - traffic IS an issue. But SF to Morgan Hill is more like 75 miles! (being as I work in San Francisco, while hubby works in Morgan Hill, I am acutely aware that the two are too damned far apart).

Commute directions make a big difference also.

San Jose to Morgan Hill on the afternoon? NOT FUN. Especially on Fridays as 101 turns into a parking lot as every one tries to head south from the bay area (hated that when I boarded down there!). Most afternoons south of SJ to Morgan Hill is going to be “red” on the traffic map - for miles.

And while the Peninsula can have terrible traffic - week day evenings heading from the south bay to woodside and pretty wide open (while southbound is a parking lot).

Google maps has a cool feature where you can see “typical” traffic for any day and time of the week you pick - play with it some to give you an idea where the bad spots are.

[Brookes]

You have a p.m.

[LJD]

@Appsolute;7787231

I agree, Carousel saddlery (in Portola Valley) is a good resource.

And I am not going to argue with you LJD - traffic IS an issue. But SF to Morgan Hill is more like 75 miles! (being as I work in San Francisco, while hubby works in Morgan Hill, I am acutely aware that the two are too damned far apart).

Commute directions make a big difference also.

San Jose to Morgan Hill on the afternoon? NOT FUN. Especially on Fridays as 101 turns into a parking lot as every one tries to head south from the bay area (hated that when I boarded down there!). Most afternoons south of SJ to Morgan Hill is going to be “red” on the traffic map - for miles.

You’re right, it’s actually about 70 miles from my place in the city - but that’s only 10 miles more AND I live within a few blocks of both 101 and 280.

I ride on the weekends so I’ve managed to avoid most traffic on my way to the barn. Timing is everything.

[SnicklefritzG]

[QUOTE=BayAreaHunter;7787131]
I am in Mountain View area currently - so traffic to Portola Valley/Woodside doesn’t look too bad.[/QUOTE]

I used to live in Mountain View and going to portola valley is not bad. Even if you hit traffic, you could still do the drive in a reasonable amount of time. It’s just a matter of whether or not you like the trainers in that area.

If you have a flexible schedule, the drive to Morgan Hill isn’t bad either. I used to drive down that way for lessons. Granted I had to leave early to beat traffic, but it’s doable.

[Cossack]

All great suggestions. I totally agree with the commute comments… that’s the biggest problem in the Bay Area! Ugh! I’ve checked out McIntosh Stables and was SUPER impressed. Top notch! Also… maybe check out Harley Brown Equestrian?? I wish I had more knowledge about the trainers in your area. I’m more familiar with the North & East Bay.

[SnicklefritzG]

You are welcome to PM if you would like some specific suggestions on where to look or who to stay away from.

[JazCreekInc]

I am happy to discuss further via PM but I would highly recommend reaching out to Vanessa Brown and Derby Hill at Stanford. Her husband Buddy helps me in the North Bay and Vanessa has a great program at Stanford, we all meet up for shows. Her assistant Allie is also fantastic so there are great lessons no matter who is home or on the road. She also has lease horses.