The Phoenix Equestrian Center

I had an appointment for my daughter a couple weeks ago. We had a hard time finding the place so we called to say we were going to be a few minutes late, but no answer. We arrived at 6:05 for a 6:00 appt. and as we were walking over to the instructor we were greeted by an aggressive Great Dane who was very defensive of her new babies. The instructor yelled to us not to come any closer since this was the dogs first time out with her babies. We stopped but after waiting 5 minutes with no further guidance we went back to the car. After waiting at the car with a very disappointed 6 years old girl looking forward to a riding lesson and again no further guidance, we left. The instructor sat and took pictures of the puppies for 10 minutes while we sat and waited for acknowledgement. Upon leaving, we sent an email to the instructor. Her response was, since we were late, regardless if you tried to call for directions or not, we had to now wait for her to finish her project she started. Her schedule is so full that she has to fill every minute so if you are late, you are now on her timeframe. So much for showing compassion for a 6 year old. We bought the package through Living Social, but asked and received a full refund. We are severely disappointed and would not engage with or recommend this instructor under any future circumstances. She blew it! I had to give one star, otherwise, I would have given none.

I went to this center because of a living social coupon I had bought for my daughter for a riding lesson. The place was pretty far east, but if you take rt 52 it’s fast and pretty. It was kind of hard to find; it was exactly where the gps said it was, but it was off the road and there was no road sign. We drove down a bumpy road and there it was. Lots of horses, a gorgeous and happy pig in a big mud bath, and plenty of shade for very hot day. Linda was so nice, as was her daughter Bri, that I was very pleased. They both took exceptional care of both their horses and their customers. Linda explained everything she asked us to do when brushing down our horse, Drako, and would tell us the reasoning behind the action. She has a strict hands off policy where she lets kids (and adults) do the work and if you ask for help, she will show you and tell you, but she doesn’t do it for you. This means kids walk away with a real sense of accomplishment. For the first couple lessons she has you ride bareback to teach you how to find you center of balance and use your core to manage your horse. Her teaching was impeccable and I felt very comforable (I am a bit scared of horses but wasn’t then). Such a fantastic experience I’d give it a higher rating if I could. I highly recommend.