Orinda Village Horse Shop

This is a great little gem of a store with super cute clothes — a perfectly curated selection and really fun gift items too. Also the staff is super friendly and extremely helpful.

I like that this shop is open on Sat and Sundays which is helpful, however, the «Horse shop» is a bit deceiving since it doesn’t carry any horse food but does sell everything else (otherwise I would give it 4.5 or 5 stars if it was a full tack shop)
The service comes with the environment and is a bit pretentious yet their selection is great and well organized (some shops in the 15 mile radius in this niche market seem to be lacking that). Overall would recommend it.

What can I say, this place is great! I came into the shop utterly confused, as I just got my first horse ever and am still «green». I asked tons of questions, some of them very silly: «Can I wear these ankle socks with those Ariat paddock boots?», «Do you carry any products that say American Bashkir Curly Horse?», «Do you carry grain?» I got friendly, respectful answers. «Your socks should be above your boots, so the boots won’t rub into your skin», «Haha, Curlies are rare so we don’t carry specific products for them», «We can’t carry grain, we don’t have the room to store it.» All of my exchanges with the two women at the shop when I was there were super helpful.
I had a little trouble trying on the breeches I was looking through, but got a lot of assistance finding a size and style I loved. I seriously went through about six or seven pairs before I found «The Ones», and I didn’t even have to restock! The shop is kept very clean, so I think they prefer to put everything back for you so that it goes to the right place. The dressing room/​bathroom is tastefully decorated and has a full-​length mirror. Another mirror is in the main area so that you can quickly try on coats and helmets.
Of course, when you are getting fitted for a helmet (which they do here), you need just the right fit. Again, I must have gone through five or so helmets before I found «The One». It was very patiently explained to me that the strap doesn’t keep the helmet on your head, the fit does. I definitely would have chosen the wrong size if I had ordered online! The shop will also replace your helmet padding for the life of your helmet, and they were happy to give me some extra padding for free that I needed straightaway to get just the right fit. I was also shown a seemingly intact helmet that had been damaged from a girl’s fall. It was explained to me that every time you take a spill and your helmet feels the impact, you need a new helmet even if it *looks* fine. Sure enough, when that helmet was taken apart for me to see the inside, there were huge dents in it!
There was absolutely no pressure for me to buy the most expensive items in the store. In fact, when I said «I am shopping on a budget», I was directed towards the lower and mid-​range priced items. Of course, quality horse gear is never going to be particularly cheap, so do be prepared when you go to any horse shop. Orinda Village Horse Shop gives a new rider discount though, so if you buy a helmet, breeches and boots, you get a 10% discount (excluding my socks, but the discount still made my day).
I have muscular legs and was told their socks should suit me fine. «I have checked out all the socks we order, and if customers don’t like the fit, I don’t order that kind anymore.» Talk about pleasing your customer base!
What I purchased:
*Ariat Heritage 3 Paddock Boots in black (they fit my size 8 feet true to size)
*Tipperary Sportage Medium Helmet in navy (I wanted the helmet in black, but I needed a very specific fit so what they had available was navy, which I realized I like better anyway)
*Kerrits Microcord Bootcut Breeches in black (what can I say, I love black)
*3 pairs of super cute boot socks!
I actually came back into the shop about 15 minutes after making my purchases, just to chat with the women there. Seriously, they are that cool. I even poked fun at white riding breeches and no one took offense. In fact, I got a lot of information about different equestrian disciplines and which kinds of events require which clothing colors and styles.
Tips:
*Try to arrive closer to opening time if you are going to need a lot of assistance finding things or getting fitted, as the shop will have fewer customers earlier in the day.
*Be sure you try on different sizes, even if you «know» your size. For one pair of Kerrits breeches I fit OK into a small but I chose a different style and ended up getting a medium.
*Check the sales area. There aren’t a ton of sale items but I did see an awesome hunter green horse blanket for less than $ 50. There were also a few discounted T-​shirts (their shirts are awesome).
*This place is kid-​friendly!
*Don’t be afraid to come here if you are a Western rider like me, but be aware this place caters to the English rider. There are some beautiful English saddles on consignment and they even have bridles and bits.

Although they don’t offer a grand selection of merchandise, they carry all the basics you will need and the prices are reasonable. I’d much rather support local businesses if the prices aren’t too far away from what the online moguls charge.
The store isn’t very big but it is quite spacious and they are well organized — they showcase their full seat, knee patch and show breeches in 3 different racks. That made my day (clearly OCD here).
I was looking for some breeches and I tried on a few pairs in their clean fitting/​restroom. After finally deciding on a pair, the friendly girl working there kindly suggested that I try on a size up when I told her the pair I tried on fit really snug. I’m glad she did because the bigger pair turned out to be more comfortable!
I like that there’s free 2 hour street parking and that they’re open 6 days a week. Definitely a plus!

Love this little tack store. They don’t have a large selection of items but they might just have what you need. It’s very clean and organized and there is easy parking just right on the street in front of the store. The sales people are always helpful and very nice. They have a nice selection of girths, reins, bridles, cleaning supplies, buckets brushes, helmets, gloves, socks, jewelry, gifts that include books, mugs, t-​shirts and more. Prices are pretty reasonable and they do returns which is great! They do consignment on saddles and jackets but not boots. The reason for the 4 stars is just lack of items like saddles and show gear. It all depends on the time of years and who is consigning. Other than that, this place is great!

Customer service just doesn’t get any better than this! There have been several occasions where I needed something urgently for my horse that wasn’t in stock. No problem — they were able to place a custom order and have in the store the *very next day*!
And when I was dealing with major saddle fitting woes, they were incredibly generous and accommodating — allowing me to have extra time as needed with their used/​demo saddles to ensure whatever purchase I made was really right for me and my horse.
Bottom line: this is a business that truly cares about it’s customers AND their horses — can’t beat that!

If you’re looking for a quality horse shop, this is definitely the place to go! They offer a wonderful variety of products at great prices and, most importantly, their customer service is exceptional. Every staff member I’ve encountered at this store has been very welcoming and helpful. Their passion about horses and this business shines through.

This is my go to place for all of my riding needs! I’ve been so impressed with the service and selection of products over the years! I recommend this store over the others in the area, you won’t be disappointed!

Great service and a very knowledgable staff. Highly recommend this place! I’m new to horseback riding and the staff has been a great resource and very friendly!

I have been riding in this area for 35 years. This store is a true blessing to have in this shop in my home town. Back in my day we had to go to Alamo to Flanigans or Arneys, Don’t get me wrong I love those place but Orinda Horse shop is awesome!!! The staff have been nothing but fun and helpful. Even personally lending me a blanket for my horse to borrow while i figured out which brand I was going to order. They listen to me talk about my horse none stop and give me nothing but smiles. I worked in a retail pet store during college so I know what it is like to have to listen to crazy pet owners all day talk about their pet and we all know horse people are the same way. We love our horses and they do a great job letting us spoil them and brag about them. To think all the fun in the most boring town BoooooOrinda ha ha. Thanks for brightening it up Village Horse Shop, Love Ya!

I waited until now with writing a review, because I feel like you should always factor in the possibility of the one bad staffer or day. I really don’t like entitled customer reviews from people who have no understanding for human mistakes, and I want to support small businesses, but sometimes they just make it so hard…
+The staff is really friendly and clearly want to help.
— The first time I was there, I ordered a pair of boots that were supposed to come in a couple of weeks. After 2 weeks, I called the store only to find out that the boots had been delayed a few more weeks and that they’re more expensive than originally stated. (Really wanted those particular boots though…) Fast-​forward, I call again, still no boots. After 2 months I get a call saying that my order is in so I drive to the store to pick them up, but lo and behold, the girl in the store can’t find them anywhere. It turned out they had me confused with somebody else whose order had in fact come in. Thanks for 2 no-​good trips and a 2 month wait, guys! I then ordered the same boots online from Greenway Saddlery for about half the price and they came in 2 days…
— Today I realized that my half chaps were beyond recognition and recovery, so, since Vista Madera (my usual go-​to-​place) is closed on Sundays, I decided to give this place a second chance. Their opening hours are 12 – 4, but after I and another would-​have-​been customer had waited outside until 12.20 without any movement inside the store, we gave up and I decided that it was unfortunately time to Unilocal this place down.
My conclusion is that though I really like the staff in person, I just don’t have the time or patience for their epically disorganized business.

I really wanted to love this place, but after numerous experiences with terrible customer service, one-​star is all I can give. My husband ordered a pair of riding boots for me as a birthday gift. I gave him the exact measurements for the specific pair I wanted. The salesperson took the information, then called him back and convinced him that the size I asked for was actually not the size I should be ordering. Sure enough, they were too big. When we called to have them order the right size, the salesperson complained that the size I needed was uncommon (size 6) and therefore subject to a re-​stocking fee. Fine — just please order the ones we are asking for. A few days later, we called to follow up and they had forgotten to place the order. Another week went by, the boots finally arrived, and when my husband picked them up, the salesperson rudely said, «good luck with those.» Good luck with those? Thanks, because they fit perfectly and what do you know, they were the ones we asked for in the first place.
If you need something immediately and don’t care how you’re treated, shop here. But, if you appreciate polite, kind and knowledgeable customer service, drive the extra hour to Blue Horse Saddlery in Los Altos where you won’t be disappointed.

Great place with good selection and Sara the owner is very knowledgeable. I’m relatively new to the circuit but she takes the time to explain and show things. Can’t be beat if you need something immediately or somethings that need to be measured (helmet, boots). It’s a bit pricey, but so is the sport. I recommend it.