Sonoma Coastal Equestraining Center

The woman who runs this facility is a giant a-​hole. I volunteered here for a few months, but had to stop because she treats all the interns and volunteers like crap. The horses are great, though. One star for the horses.

I just wanted to say how disgusted I am with this woman! Me and my sister came to her ranch 2 weeks ago, because she had some Aussie puppies advertised on Craigslist. My aussie passed away recently and I was ready for another. The pups looked beautiful in the ad, the ad also stated they just turned 8 weeks and the puppies were raised on a ranch with kids, had there first set of shots and dewormed.
We showed up to a beautiful ranch! really gorgeous barn! and some beautiful horses! Then she took us to the puppies! There was 8 puppies locked in a kennel out side with no food or water, they were all covered in feces and urine! And it was very obvious they had no human contact at all, they were all scared for there life when we got there. The smell was almost unbearable! Now yes I did take 2 dogs from her, because I felt like they needed to get out of there ASAP! I offered to take all and foster them in a loving, clean environment until we found homes for them, but she wasn’t having it, she really wanted the money! These are animals! She is making money off these poor puppies, that get no affection or attention at all! And selling them for $ 500 a pop!
When I got back home after our 2 hour drive I took them straight to the vet, they had been so eaten by flees there skin was raw, they had worms so bad, the vet also said these puppies were closer to 12 weeks than 8 weeks :(they are also very skinny, from what the vet said, probably a combination of the worms and no food out there. The white fur on the puppies were stained yellow, I am just now getting it white again, after bathing them way to often! And she has no proof they had any shots, most breeders give u a bottle or receipt!
Now I emailed her and offered to take any that didn’t have homes, nurse them back to health, raise them with kids on a ranch, do whatever, because she is clearly very busy! She told me they all went to loving homes. Last week I saw her ad again on craigslist, I emailed her again and said these puppies are in bad environments, no shots, no dewormers, stop making money off them! She responded with, all the puppies found great homes. The ad is there again today:/ So now everyone gets to know! She is only caring about the money!
I hope and pray she takes better care of her horses than her puppies, its very sad to see what they are living in.

The care and level of horsemanship here is poor. The animals boarded here are all in poor condition — their weight & muscle is lacking and coats are dull. Hay is low quality, sometimes moldy due to the moist environment and improper storage, feeding areas in the pastures are very deep mud, and the stalls are urine-​soaked with gravel floors. Interns with little to no horse experience feed, care for and handle the boarded horses which as you can imagine has led to things from naughty behavior in the horses, unnoticed injuries/​lost shoes, to full on dangerous situations. These interns are unpaid, uneducated about horses WOOFers who stay for periods of only a month before they leave and are replaced with a new one, so there is no time to get to know the horses and therefore be equipped to notice a change in health or behavior. Communicating needs with the owner is difficult and important requests (horse needs to stay in due to an injury, etc) get ignored.

I have been riding and boarding my horse, Handsome Samson, at SCEC for about 6 months now. I love all of the fun riding opportunities available, the excellent care if my horse, the amicable crew of horse lovers at the barn, and the beautiful land available for riding. Trainer Nathalie Guion is a real pro and is fun and versatile to work with so many different horses, people, and types of riding/​training. I would recommend SCEC for any horse and rider interested in excellence.

I’ve ridden at SCEC for many years, and have always found it to be a special place.
The trainer there, Nathalie Guion, has been my instructor and mentor for over 15 years. Her mentorship has been wonderful in developing my skills both as a rider and as a horse person. Besides having outstanding technical training in dressage and eventing, Natalie takes a «whole horse» training approach, and considers all aspects of a horse’s health, attitude and physical ability into consideration.
I highly recommend SCEC if you’re looking for a low key barn with a wonderful community, large pastures for your horse to roam, and a knowledgeable trainer to help you and your horse reach your goals.

Okay I felt compelled to write a review after reading a couple of negative ones because SERIOUSLY?? THIS IS THE BEST YOU’LL GET in the area. Nathalie and her husband work harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. Every time I am on the property, I see with my own eyes how those horses are being handled with so much care and love. Please don’t let the negative reviews steer you away from this place as it is the best you’re going to get for your horse care wise and just overall space wise!

I moved my 3 horses to SCEC almost two years ago. I just can’t say enough good things. 2 of my horses are in the 20 acre gelding pasture, and my retired thoroughbred is with the other oldies in their own 15 acre pasture.
One of the best outdoor arenas I’ve ever been on, a grass arena… and wonderful open fields to canter and/​or have a trail ride. It feels like a world away from San Francisco.
Drew and Nat raise their own high quality hay, and will supplement with grain if you desire. Nat has a french equestrian background and gives high quality instruction.
I know almost everyone in the barns here and one of my favorite things about this place is that there is NO drama. Hear that, a no-​drama barn. There is also a wonderful lounge area in the barn conveniently equipped with wi-​fi if I need to stay in touch.

I have three horses at SCEC. My horses and I are very happy at this barn. The horses are in big open pastures, get excellent care and I never worry about them when I am not there. The barn has a great community, very friendly, no drama. You can ride out on trails around the farm, or join others on local rides at the beach and other riding trails in the North Bay. I recommend SCEC.

SCEC is an amazing place! I found this wonderful training center after a bad experience at one of the big training centers on the West side of Petaluma. The trainer worked closely with me to overcome my fears and build my confidence with my young horse. I arrived at this barn with my horse and within a few months we were competing in out first horse trial. They have great clinics and group events. If you are looking for a low drama, fun barn with a great group of boarders this is it.

I am writing this to warn others. The pictures and website make this place look like heaven. I brought my two horse there and paid for the top level of care because I travel for work. My horses were neglected, paddocks not cleaned, hay moldy and fed anyways. My horses had no water in there paddocks I complained and brought in my own water. The next day same thing no water. No one is paying attention had I not been there every day I’m sure I would of had a colic. The next day I come out at feeding time and the person who throws the hay forgot to feed one of my horses. I found the turn out pastures to be unsafe with un-​caped T posts and broken fences. All of this neglect and mismanagement in less then a week. I don’t like to speak ill of anyone but perhaps my experience can save another horses life.