Trainers/Boarding on the Bay Area Peninsula

I am looking for boarding and/or trainers on the Bay Area peninsula. I live in San Bruno, but work in Menlo Park so I am hopping to find someone/where in between there.

I am hopping to find somewhere with a cover since winter is coming, turnouts are a must, a pasture is even better. Although with Page Mill downsizing I know that’s near impossible.

My gelding and I have both run prelim separately. I have been bumming around at training but was hoping to do the CIC* at Fresno in Feb and needs some help getting there.

I can’t afford full training and board but could commit to a lesson a week, more if there is cheap pasture board. Any ideas? I know I am looking for the unicorn of boarding facilities/trainers.

Check out Sigourney Jellins http://www.sljeventing.com She’s a fantastic young lady.

You could check out Webb in Portola Valley. I know that a number of trainers go there to give lessons and that they have a covered. It’s a tough area to find anything like that - especially for eventers. You can choose to have pasture OR turnout OR a trainer OR a covered, but probably not all of those things together if you’re on a budget. If you want to go down to Gilroy, Dayna Lynd Pugh has a nice place at Red Fox Farm.

I boarded for a while at Portola Pastures when we were in that area, though 10+ years ago so I don’t know how much may have changed. At that time, management was easy to work with, feeding was reliable, and they were as flexible as they could be. You just have to cross the road to have access to oodles of trail riding, and it’s an easy trailer ride to Woodside.

Options back then appeared to be either (1) affordable (for then-law-student-me) but basically self care, or (2) full care for which one paid out the wazoo. Just part of the high cost of living there.

Liz Hall at the Horse Park at Woodside is great. Expensive board (like everywhere here), but you could get on the waitlist for the HP pastures, and then have the entirety of the Horse Park property to ride plus access to all the trainers who teach there

There are about 60-70 days of measurable precipitation per year in most of the cities between SF and Silicon Valley, meaning some days it’s barely anything, some days it won’t be happening while you’d be riding, and really we usually only get 3 big storms per winter that drop a meaningful amount of rain.

What I’m saying is, go board somewhere with an indoor if it’s too hot to ride, or go coastside where it’s not too hot. But don’t worry about rain. 5 years of drought… remember? :wink: I think I missed 3 days of riding last winter, total.

That said, you may want to list your priorities in order. For me turnout in a pasture 24/7 is number 1, as I have a trainer who comes to me and trailer out to a clinican monthly. I don’t need a trainer day-to-day. I board coastside.

Board cost is a HUGE factor in the Woodside and Portola Valley Area. There are lots of great choices above the Golden Gate, East Bay and Gilroy but those are a pretty healthy commute but if you want a laundry list let me know.

Web Ranch: Boarding Rustic but you can make your own improvements on many paddocks and stalls
Paula Wong
Bec Braiting (comes often from Paso Robles an is very good albeit very direct) # below
Tory (to sure of last name) Seems very nice


Horse Park Woodside: Boarding $875 to $1000 (park requires full membership to be a boarder)


[h=5]Tayside Sport Horses
[/h]John G. Robertson (Very nice in Main barn)
Eventing /Dressage /Hunter /Jumpers /Equitation
SIZE=4 799-4252[/SIZE]

[h=5]Three Bay Farm[/h][SIZE=4]Liz Hall (paddocks/stalls but very direct coach)
Jumpers / Dressage / Eventing
(408) 482-7516

[/SIZE]



Isola Stables:
Amanda Fisher


West Wind:
Has a nice little program


Clinicians or trainers who come to teach monthly: (I am sure there are more but this is off hand)
Brian Sabo
Judy Klus
Bec Braitling
Kelly Pugh
Joe McKinley (recently new to area)


OTHERS who come and school who you could grab lessons with if you plan ahead: (I am sure there are more but this is off hand)
Dayna Lyn Pugh
Yves
James Alliston
Val Owens




HPW lists these as registered trainers:

The Horse Park does not either endorse or qualify the below listed trainer members. The Trainers listed below are all Full Members of the Horse Park at Woodside and have current trainers insurance on file with us.
[TABLE=“width: 490”]
[TR]
[TH=“width: 156, bgcolor: #BBBBBB”]Name [/TH]
[TH=“width: 149, bgcolor: #BBBBBB”]Type [/TH]
[TH=“width: 138, bgcolor: #BBBBBB”]Contact info [/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Alliston, James[/TD]
[TD]Eventing[/TD]
[TD][SIZE=4]jamesallistoneventing@gmail.com[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Behrakis, Deborah[/TD]
[TD]Dressage/Eventing[/TD]
[TD]SIZE=4 208-0096[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Braitling, Bec[/TD]
[TD]Dressage/Eventing/Hunter/Jumpers[/TD]
[TD][SIZE=4]becbraitling@me.com[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dunn, Martha[/TD]
[TD]English[/TD]
[TD]650.851.7645[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Durr, John Michael[/TD]
[TD]Eventing/Hunter/Jumpers[/TD]
[TD][SIZE=4]durreventing@gmail.com[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hitch, Kay[/TD]
[TD]English[/TD]
[TD][SIZE=4]kayhitch84@gmail.com[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hoffmann, Heidi[/TD]
[TD]Eventing[/TD]
[TD][SIZE=4]heidih88@hotmail.com[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Klus, Judy[/TD]
[TD]Eventing[/TD]
[TD]541.247-0877; kluseventing@hughes.net[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lane, Natalie[/TD]
[TD]Hunter/Jumper[/TD]
[TD]SIZE=4 842-0990[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Owen, Valerie[/TD]
[TD]Eventing[/TD]
[TD]valowenusa@gmail.com [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pflanz, Anja[/TD]
[TD]Dressage[/TD]
[TD]anjapflanz@gmail.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Reigman, Odette[/TD]
[TD]Dressage[/TD]
[TD]SIZE=4 799-4814[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sabo, Brian[/TD]
[TD]Eventing[/TD]
[TD]SIZE=4 673-2518; brian@sabogroup.com[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sauvignon, Yves[/TD]
[TD]Eventing[/TD]
[TD]ysauvignon@aol.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Simpson, Georgia[/TD]
[TD]Dressage[/TD]
[TD]SIZE=4 341-4008[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Wong, Paula[/TD]
[TD]Eventing[/TD]
[TD]SIZE=4 575-5681[/SIZE][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]






Board cost is a HUGE factor in the Woodside and Portola Valley Area. There are lots of great choices above the Golden Gate, East Bay and Gilroy but those are a pretty healthy commute but if you want a laundry list let me know.

Web Ranch: Boarding Rustic but you can make your own improvements on many paddocks and stalls
Paula Wong
Bec Braiting (comes often from Paso Robles an is very good albeit very direct) # below
Tory (to sure of last name) Seems very nice


Horse Park Woodside: Boarding $875 to $1000 (park requires full membership to be a boarder)
John Robertson

Liz Hall (Direct instructor)


Isola Stables:
Amanda Fisher


West Wind:
Has a nice little program


Clinicians or trainers who come to teach monthly: (I am sure there are more but this is off hand)
Brian Sabo
Judy Klus
Bec Braitling
Kelly Pugh
Joe McKinley (recently new to area)


OTHERS who come and school who you could grab lessons with if you plan ahead: (I am sure there are more but this is off hand)
Dayna Lyn Pugh
Yves
James Alliston
Val Owens




HPW lists these as registered trainers:
http://www.horsepark.org/trainers.php

Board cost is a HUGE factor in the Woodside and Portola Valley Area. There are lots of great choices above the Golden Gate, East Bay and Gilroy but those are a pretty healthy commute but if you want a laundry list let me know.

Web Ranch: Boarding Rustic but you can make your own improvements on many paddocks and stalls
Paula Wong
Bec Braiting (comes often from Paso Robles an is very good albeit very direct) # below
Tory (to sure of last name) Seems very nice


Horse Park Woodside: Boarding $875 to $1000 (park requires full membership to be a boarder)
John Robertson

Liz Hall (Direct instructor)


Isola Stables:
Amanda fisher


West Wind:
Has a nice little program


Clinicians or trainers who come to teach monthly: (I am sure there are more but this is off hand)
Brian Sabo
Judy Klus
Bec Braitling
Kelly Pugh
Joe McKinley (recently new to area)


OTHERS who come and school who you could grab lessons with if you plan ahead: (I am sure there are more but this is off hand)
Dayna Lyn Pugh
Yves
James Alliston
Val Owens




HPW lists these as registered trainers:
http://www.horsepark.org/trainers.php

"There are about 60-70 days of measurable precipitation per year in most of the cities between SF and Silicon Valley, meaning some days it’s barely anything, some days it won’t be happening while you’d be riding, and really we usually only get 3 big storms per winter that drop a meaningful amount of rain.

What I’m saying is, go board somewhere with an indoor if it’s too hot to ride, or go coastside where it’s not too hot. But don’t worry about rain. 5 years of drought… remember? :wink: I think I missed 3 days of riding last winter, total.

That said, you may want to list your priorities in order. For me turnout in a pasture 24/7 is number 1, as I have a trainer who comes to me and trailer out to a clinican monthly. I don’t need a trainer day-to-day. I board coastside."

Last year was wet for this area of California and the average was about 48 inside indoor days. Thats said many barns have allocated schedules as indoors are not as popular as in some areas which means sharing, Make Sure if you move to a barn with an indoor that you can use it inside your schedule.

You can board anywhere as so many coaches come to horse park and as long as your at a place you like you can haul to HPW.

DO NOT count on riding outside in this area if it is raining. WE ARE ON CLAY and it is SNOT when wet which is what made last year a disaster for many and that includes horse park. The XC is closed much of the winter.

WEB:
Bec Braiting (comes often) Direct coach
Paula Wong
Tory

HPW:
Liz Hall (very direct)
John Robertson (very nice Australian)

Isola:
Amanda Fisher

http://www.horsepark.org/trainers.php

There are a lot of good coaches. I will add more this evening but good luck

John Robertson is great, based at HP@W