Johnny 6 Stables

I had a wonderful experience with my special needs child for the first time horse back riding I must say. I recommend this place most definitely, owner, staff and horses are just amazing. Chocolate which was the horse he rode just automatically had connected to my son. As it got time for the session to end Chocolate wrapped his head around my sons leg as if he did not want to say goodbye «sweet moments». These horses are a true blessing beautiful and well maintained. Thank you so much for one of the best moments in my only child’s life.

Honestly had the greatest time ever. Friendly staff and wonderful horses ever!!! I fell in love with Chocolate Thunder!!! My daughter and I had the privilege of riding him today. We will definitely be back. A little disappointed I didn’t get to meet Amanda. I will forgive her this time. Get better soon Amanda!!!

My daughter took regular lessons here while we lived in San Jose. Miss Heather was excellent in teaching her. The stables never smelled and were well taken care of and my daughter loved it. Hands down the best stables in the bay area.

This was a great place for a playdate. My second grader and 3 of her friends had a fun riding lesson. Each girl got their own horse, a riding helmet, and had a personal horse trainer with them at all times. I felt safe and the girls had a blast! Although they are tall and majestic animals, the horses at Johnny 6 Stables were gentle and well trained, and the staff was very friendly and answered all questions. It’s a nice complex and a really refreshing activity for a playdate as a nice outdoor alternative to Pump-​It-​Up, CRC or Petroglyph.

This place is the best! My kids are more comfortable riding a horse now more than ever because of the instruction they got from here. I started with a groupon and I continued after the first lesson. The kids enjoyed their lessons and everyone was nice and helpful!

I got here because I had a living social deal for 30 min introductory class. I was a little intimidated when I first sat on the horse. But the trainers were so friendly and patient with explaining the intricacies of riding, that the fear was soon gone. Introductory lesson is just building confidence and sitting on horse while the trainer guides the horse. I loved it so much, that I am definitely going back again, this time for the 4 classes deal.

I started at Johnny 6 when they did their first Groupon deal in 2010. It has always been my own personal dream to learn how to ride well and own a horse. I started with 2 lessons a week and fell in love with the stable and trainers. Amanda and Greg are amazing teachers, very helpful and building my confidence. Everyone is laid back and the horses are so well taken care of.
Now, two years later, I own and board my horse at Johnny 6, and still continue to take lessons. I know he is in the best care, and that is why I continue to make the 40 – 45 minute drive instead of the other stables 10 minutes away from my house.
You will not be making a mistake by choosing Johnny 6!

What a gem! So glad we found this place. Horses that they use for kids and inexperienced adults are so sweet, gentle and mellow. Really nice family run place, low key and yet so professional. My child has taken a few lessons here now and begs to come. Beautiful, peaceful place to be. Everyone I’ve met there is extremely happy w quality of Johnny 6 stables

Greg is a FANTASTIC teacher. Just the right mix of fun and push to get my 5 year old to keep progressing and enjoying herself. Brownie and Lady are LOVELY horses who take such good care of my little girl — I could not ask for better. The drive is a bit long — but there is a lovely winery just up the road with a playground and nice reds — so you can make a day of it! :) All in all — a great experience.

I have an 8 year old daughter who has been DYING to ride horses since forever. Aside from a mommy & me experience she had when she was 4 (3 lessons that I won’t even tell you what they cost — crazy $$$), she had only been on pony rides at pumpkin patches and so on.
Well, her first day with Greg and she was trotting & posting like a pro — ok, so maybe she was more of a passenger than a pilot, but after 8 lesson, things are starting to change… Greg has been an amazing teacher! He is really great with kids. He really enjoys teaching them and so the lessons are fun, but the children are really learning great technique and control! He absolutely knows his stuff and will be sure that you are learning correct technique and how to work with the horse so that they know they can trust their rider and will do what the rider asks of them.
Amanda has been so helpful in the scheduling and just all-​around being nice and accommodating! We’ve never had a lesson with her, but she really likes the children as well and is always warm and welcoming to my daughter. I bet she’s a great instructor as well!
It may be a little far from San Jose, but it’s straight down 101 and SO worth the drive. The lessons are one-​on-​one — NOT a big group. All of the horses that my daughter has ridden have been SO well trained. Not skittish and very calm and smooth. When you ride around the outside of the fence, Diesel — the ginormous (but very very gentle) German Sheppard accompanies you so that none of the ground squirrels dare to show their face and spook one of the horses! It’s really quite fun to watch Diesel take his «job» so seriously and then come to you and flop over for a belly rub!
Basically, this is a family who makes you part of their family. They treat their horses like family. They are nice people whose love of horses have lead them to teach others about riding, about taking care of horses and about how, if you give a horse love, you will get much, much more in return.

We were greeted by Amanda, then shortly met Greg Groce. The lesson went by too fast, but it can get hot out their in Gilroy in the afternoon. I’ll be signing up again for more lessons soon. Greg and Amanda are the best!!! I highly recommend this place for a first timer as they both made me feel comfortable, welcomed and safe. I look forward to learning more.

My 4 year old daughter started lessons this summer and she loves it! Greg is so great with her. He’s made her feel so comfortable riding that she keeps asking to go back. Greg and Amanda are wonderful!

I purchased a LivingSocial deal for 2 30-​minute lessons for my 9-​year-​old niece, so I’ll write from the perspective of the guardian. Firstly, I liked the size and feeling of the ranch. It isn’t too large nor too small, and has a very laid back approach making you feel just as relaxed as if you lived there your entire life. The horses were very well taken care of and seemed to live pretty content lives in the stables.
(One note of warning, it was a bit tricky to find the place because while it’s address is «New Ave» you actually have to go down Moreno Lane to find the entrance. Just follow the horse decals and arrows!)
Greg was a great instructor, swiftly going over the basics of horseback riding to keep the lesson fresh and full. But when my niece wasn’t feeling so confident about trotting, he was just as accommodating to simply walk around the property.
They were also very open to us feeding the other horses such baby carrots as we waited for the lesson to begin.
All in all, if it weren’t for the sheer distance to this location, you can get I’d be signing my niece up for more lessons.
Cheers to those of you who attend – you will not be disappointed!

I bought a groupon for four lessons of beginning horse riding and I’m pretty impressed on how they taught me last Saturday.
Greg and Amanda are the owners, their stable is pretty medium size and its more like a family ranch kind of style of feel. Both of them are wonderful and also very sincere people. And I’m looking forward to my numerous classes with them.
What I dislike Though on my experience was at first Greg was teaching me the ropes and he was very good by the way, then after another client who is a little kid, came over for her lesson, Greg left me and passed me on to another «kid» who was suppose to teach me the ropes. I felt that there was no planning in the lesson with the kid if I haven’t suggested or asked questions then I would not have maximized my time and lesson.
Overall I’m still going to come back to them for future lessons, I just hope that when one person starts to teach a client, they should stick to the same original client and get another person for the second client.

The experience felt like I was visiting with friends, rather than taking horse riding lessons. Amanda and Greg were energetic and very accommodating. They are extremely knowledgeable about the horses, super friendly and very patient for beginners like myself. It was definitely a fun experience!

What an absolutely fabulous day, and wonderful team building event — Leader and rider working together with horse and trainer. Highly recommend this type of team building exercise. Amanda and Greg, you have an absolutely beautiful facility, with gorgeous horses. Brownie was wonderful!
Participating in this event with Christine R, Marc E, and 6 others on our team was something I hadn’t imagined doing, and now that it’s come and gone, so very glad we did and wished we had done this sooner!
Thank you Amanda and Greg! Thank you for making this day a very fun filled and memorable one — one that we will be excited to repeat in the future.

I recently received horseback riding lessons at Johnny 6, as part of a team-​building/​corporate event. I was extremely impressed upon arrival. Amanda and Greg were very friendly when they greeted us and surprised us with refreshments (we were not expecting a thing and had brought our own cooler).
After doing the necessary release forms, we were on our way. Helmets, mounting, and paired with another team member to act as each rider’s «lead».
The training was wonderful, as Amanda and Greg covered everything from how to sit, distribute weight, use the reins, and trotting. The property is absolutely gorgeous too (and huge). Once we had gotten our practice in the arena, we did a ride on the property.
My colleagues and I were very happy with the training we received. We got much more than we thought we’d get, and it was done in a fun way. Amanda and Greg were also kind enough to snap tons of photos of us, which I thought was top-​notch. This event was truly a memorable experience for us. I highly recommend Johnny 6 Stables if you want a best-​in-​class experience for horseback riding lessons.

I had purchased 3 tickets to your Friday Fun Night on Thursday, May 5^th. They were for my two daughters and my niece, for the Fun Night on May 6^th. All three girls were really excited at the chance to have a great experience with the horses.
I left work early, from San Ramon, to pick up the kids in San Jose and get them down to Gilroy by 6 PM (65 miles). I had also made arrangements to have my wife meet me in Gilroy, so we could go to dinner, just the two of us. To my amazement, when I arrived at the Johnny 6 Stables, I was informed that the event had been canceled 2 days ago (May 4^th) and that emails were sent out. I was shocked, because I was never informed. In fact, I was sold the tickets on their website on May 5^th, a day after the event was canceled. There was no indication on the site that the event was canceled. In fact, I just looked at the site and it is STILL advertising the May 6^th event, with no mention that it has been canceled. I am not sure who it was that I spoke with, but the person didn’t really seem to care that I had driven from San Jose with three small kids (ages 8, 6 and 4) who were now extremely disappointed that they wouldn’t get to see the horses. He just told me the event was canceled and didn’t have much more to say. Even when I explained that I had purchased the tickets the day before, AFTER the stable canceled the event, and was not notified, all I got was a «sorry about that». All I was left with was a 30 mile drive back home with three disappointed and hungry kids. Which as you can imagine didn’t sit too well with me.

I found Johnny 6 Stables through Groupon and could not be happier. I am 28 years old and have never ridden but wanted to try something new. My first lesson left me feeling safe, accomplished, and strong (my legs hurt for 2 days!). While Amanda and Greg were just fine with me having a fun lesson and calling it a day, I was hooked. I am now riding 2x a week (improving faster than I expected) and have invested in some lessons for myself. Prices are extremely reasonable so I can make it work with my budget (I have done research in the past and financially it has always been out of my reach). Johnny 6 Stables is a family establishment that makes you feel completely comfortable and part of a community (my fiancé came to watch me ride one day and loved it there!). There is no pressure to keep going so if you are even considering taking up riding it is a great place to see if it is right for you. They also have spring/​summer break camps for kids (they have 2 kids of their own) which I think is a great contribution to the community.

I’m a beginner and started taking lessons at Johnny 6 Stables and I have to say, Amanda and Greg are such great teachers! They are patient and thorough when teaching, and made me feel comfortable and at ease with the horses. They’re very friendly and easy to talk to as well!
All the horses there look healthy and well taken care of. It makes me feel good knowing that I’m supporting a business where the owners truly care for their horses. I would recommend this place to my family and friends!