Memory Lane Stables

The staff was wonderful and they were very patient with me when I was nervous. This was my first time riding. Kendall and Anna were so nice and I definitely plan on going back! Thank you Memory Lane!

First time at this stable and first time riding a horse — it was so much fun! Great personnel — our guide Illiana was very helpful and attentive when it was needed. Owner Kathy was super nice too! We had a wonderful time on a Saturday afternoon, will definitely be back soon :)

Horses are big animals with distinct personalities, habits, attitudes, and quite honestly, you are certainly riding at your own risk.
That said, a few things stuck out with my experience here.
One of the things was helmets being optional — it’s tempting to forgo it if you’re used to the old days of riding. I went on a four hour ride in Wyoming without one. I decided to err on the side of caution and wear on here, and I’m glad I did.
I was put on a horse who had a surprise burst of barn sour behavior. He was absolutely fine and responded to my leg aids and light neck reining up until he realized we were leaving. At that moment, he turned around himself against my aids and pointed his head back to the barn. I was instructed to ‘keep kicking him’, which resulted in him backing me up into some bushes and then squaring up on his hindquarters. This was bad news, I was told to keep kicking but I instead moved his head laterally to get him off his hind legs and eventually got him on the trail.
That could have ended badly. A few things crossed my mind then — first, I’m glad I opted for a helmet. Second — I have no idea how to do an emergency dismount. Had he reared and/​or bolted, I would have really been in a pickle.
The rest of the ride was okay, though the guide’s horse kept biting her feet. The guide horse was also very, very spooky around the road where you cross the trail. This was a little concerning for me because I was already on a horse that had some bad habits and insecurities, so I kept him a little further away when we were waiting for the light to change to cross and redirected his attention when he started to mimic the other horse.
I declined trotting on the way back because I was concerned he was going to bolt, especially once we got closer to the barn.
I was told they put beginner riders on my horse.
So, a few things could be going on here. He could have had a bad day, maybe he had some pain (though the rest of the ride was for the most part fine), maybe he had some barn/​buddy sourness just cropping up at that moment, or maybe he has had moments before and they declined to tell me. The people working at the barn are young, but experienced with horses. As with any place, you ride at your own risk. However, if you are not experienced of confident enough to manage a horse with issues, I suggest making a trip to Wauconda to Wedgwood for a trail ride instead.

I had a great time. Our guide Sam was very nice and helpful. She (our guide) partnered us with some great horses. My husband and one of my daughters really weren’t as excited as I was, but when we finished our trail ride, they were setting up a day to come back in the fall. Thanks Sam! I had a great birthday!

I went to this stable fir a ride with family. On the way, it started to rain. I called and spoke to Bill, the owner, to tell him we would be 15 minutes late. Bill gave a us, a nasty attitude and complained about us holding them up. When we arrived 10 minutes late, we had to wait with the other people who had our same appointment time (they arrived early) for an additional 40 minutes before all the workers started running out of the stable with no explanation. Apparently one of the horses had thrown someone and ran off so the workers had to go round up the horses. When they came back, they had to take some of the horses out of rotation because, according to the staff, the horses were not behaving. When we finally were able to get on horses (another hour later, now 1 hour and 40 minutes past our appointment time) the horses we’re not cooperating and were wondering off the trail. Our trail guide bought us back and said they were not behaving and she wasn’t taking the horses back out. A worker with black hair (I think her name was Arial, she was probably Bill’s daughter since they had the same nasty attitude and lack of customer service) told us since they had taken us out on the trail, Bill said they could give us a refund of half the cost. We literally had only stepped 10 steps on the trail.
After leaving I checked my receipts that were emailed to me. Instead of refunding me half the amount I payed, they charged me the full price a second time for a service I never received.
My advice, go to a different place, Sarah’s stable is down the road. We will give them a try instead next time. Although Sarah’s is a few dollars more, I guess you get what you pay for.

Friendly staff. Very accommodating to our schedule. Beautiful nice horses. Kids had a blast feeding the petting zoo animals after. Will definitely recommend this place to others.

We came in for pony rides and had a great time! The almost three year old loves Daisy the point, and the older two enjoyed Cupcake and Jack. The staff was very friendly and the horses were all very sweet and we’ll mannered. The trail we went on was easy, though muddy, since we adults walked next to the ponies, I recommend boots.

I’ve boarded my horse here for the last 4 years. It’s a small barn, so it’s comforting to know that my horse is getting the attention he needs. Bill and Kathy are fantastic. When my horse sustained an injury, Bill helped me care for Prince daily. Kathy is great about setting up trail rides when ever I have family visiting from out of town who want to ride.
They do a lot of trail riding business on the weekends, so it can get busy. Make sure you call ahead to make reservations.

Memory Lane is our favorite place to go for trail rides. And to see goats, chickens, even a mini-​cow! Great atmosphere, great staff, great selection of horses for all experience levels. Owners Bill and Kathy are the perfect hosts, with one the gruff but lovable expert horseman, the other master of ceremonies managing the incoming and outgoing guests.
Anytime the weather is even tolerable we try to get out for a great time on trail.

My husband and I have been horseback riding a few times before. We tried this place out because it wasn’t too far from our home. Within an hour of the phone call we were at the stables n on our horses. We felt the price was very reasonable. The staff pairs you with a horse based on experience and size of the rider. Guides ride one in the front and one in the back of the group for safety and to give instruction along the ride. We did an hour ride through the forest. It was very relaxing and well guided. Would definitely recommend for guided trail rides. They also offer riding lessons for a very reasonable cost.

If I could give negative reviews I would! DO NOT BOARD your horse here! They smoke and drink beer in the barn around hay and horses. There horses live in filth and their arena has rocks and nails in it. This place is a joke and the people are nothing but rude! Stay away from this place if you love horses.

Really nice staff, flexible trail ride schedule, beautiful trails, and well mannered horses. Would love to be able to trot and an updated visitor area of barn with nice bathroom, but for $ 25 an hour its a really good deal!

We had a party of 6 and all greatly enjoyed the 1 hour trail ride! Two of us had ridden before while the others were first timers, and they were able to assign horses accordingly. The guides helped us mount the horses and taught us the basics of maneuvering the reigns. There were two guides for our group, one in the front and one in the back the entire ride. The trail was through a forest but we did end up crossing a busy street of cars.
The horses are mostly very well-​trained and respond well to the reigns. A few times some did give us a little trouble, according to one of the more experienced riders in our group, but I would say definitely a great place for first timers for the price!

I went here after having an expensive bad experience at another trail riding place and I absolutely love it! Everyone here makes you feel welcomed and the riding experience is awesome! Their horses are perfect for trail riding and I love that they don’t get spooked by cars or any other loud noise, which made me feel safe. I looked around and this is the most affordable plus it’s pretty close to the city. I wish they had some type of membership, I’d go every day!

I just took my 3 kids on a trail ride at Memory Lane Stables. I called this morning at 9 and they said they could do a ride at 11. My two 11 year olds and I rode horses and my 7 year old rode a pony that was walked by an employee. Our guide was very nice and helpful. The only negative is that I had to ask the guide to stop and wait for the my daughter (and another girl that was being walked on a pony) to catch up to us a couple of times. I didn’t want my little one to feel that we were too far away. Overall all my kids including my pony-​rider loved the experience and want to go back to take lessons. I’d say this is a great place to try out for beginners who just want the experience of getting on a horse and riding for an hour. The price seemed good — about $ 84 — including a horse license for me — for the 4 of us to ride in the woods for about an hour (plus tips for the guide and pony walker who were pretty great overall). I’m going to look into lessons for all of us.
One other small negative is that we weren’t sure where to go when we got there. People were very nice, but there was no obvious place to go and check in. After standing around in the stable for a bit a nice young man asked if he could help us and he was able to see our appointment on a sheet and he got us going and took my payment by debit card — I’d have gotten a 2 dollar discount if I paid in cash, but I didn’t have that much cash on me.

Now called Memory Lane Stables, this place is great. I took my Mother-​in law here for some horse back riding and it couldn’t have been a better experience. Our guide Austin (?) took the two of us out for over an hour and was friendly and an experienced rider. We came on a Saturday afternoon in December since the crazy Chicago weather was 60 degrees. You really feel like you are not in the Chicagoland area anymore. I will DEFINITELY be back!

My 4 friends and I decided one day to go to Memory Lane Stables for a leisurely horse ride on a course but little did we know we were going to be rudely taken care of and feel so uncomfortable. When we arrived, we didn’t see one adult anywhere until we got towards the back of the barn. Instead we were (rudely) greeted by a 16 year old giving us attitude the entire time. As we stated we’d like to ride they were acting annoyed and so rude about having to go on another trail ride. By the time we got our horses saddled up two of my friends didn’t even want to ride. Yes, our ride was enjoyable. The horses are well trained and beautiful. When we came back, we absolutely came back to hell. This time the owner was here, and rudely screaming at the 16 year old who took us on the ride, making us feel so uncomfortable.
All in all it was an awful experience. I definitely do not plan on coming back ever in this life time and never would recommend it to anyone. If you see Memory Lane Stables, keep driving. There are plenty on Keen Ave., and I’m sure those other stables would treat their paying customers better.

We had Memory Lane Stables bring two ponies and their petting zoo to our daughters 3^rd birthday at our home. I can not express enough how fabulous of a job they all did. Kathy and her girls arrived promptly (even after a LONG drive) and were simply amazing the entire time. The animals were extremely clean and friendly. The staff was wonderful with the animals and children alike. Memory Lane gave my daughter a fabulous party, and they surpassed the expectations of my husband and I beyond belief. Thank you Kathy and Staff for a PERFECT time!

Want to try horseback riding, but afraid of falling off, or just looking like a complete moron? Then you need to check this place out. If it’s your first time or you fiftieth, you can always come here for trail rides. It’s a fair price at about $ 10 for a forty five minute trail ride through the forested area. The trail horses are tame, and won’t bolt at the slightest sound of traffic (yes, you do have to cross a busy street on the ride), and the trail guides are avid riders and very knowledgeable. You can catch me here quite often on warm Saturday mornings. If you are looking to board a horse, they also offer boarding services, just call for information.