UC Davis Equestrian Center

This was the place where I had most of my son at at UC Davis. UC Davis has been such a struggle and a pain in my ass coming here reminded me of what I was doing to be a veterinarian, but with all the obstacles I experience on the academic side of things, I'm not too sure that may happen for me however, I feel like I should get more involved up here as it was very peaceful and meditating but sometimes it can be hard to get away when you have a bunch of studies and a bunch of things that you need to do but this by far was the best experience, I took this class first experience and I loved it. Did you know horses eat peppermint candy? Oh, I had a blast and made the most amazing presentation and Sue Ebler who taught the class was probably the most supporting amazing woman that I have met at UC Davis and I wish she taught other classes that I could be with with her. She was very understanding of my situation and try to support me in anyway she could maybe I'll purchase a bag of peppermints and take a stroll down here the next time I'm feeling under the weather.!

The UC Davis Equestrian Center is where member of the public and students can get horse riding lessons and/or board their horses. Right in the UC Davis campus, it's very easy to get to and very easy to sign up for private or group lessons. My girlfriend has gone here for a year and she always leaves with a smile on her face -- because she can't wait to see me!!! :-) j/k j/k If you haven't ridden on a horse before or want more lessons, I'd highly suggest you contact the Equestrian Center.Oh yeah, my lesson with Hanna was awesome. The horse was nice but to be honest, I think I was along for the ride instead of me controlling the horse.

2.5 years ago, I would have given this place a couple billion stars. The loss of stars is not actually the center's fault. :[ It's actually because of the budget cuts, so it's with great sadness that I write this because my heart shattered when most of the horses had to be given away. I took lessons through the work exchange program there and have taken group and semi-private lessons with the center. The instructors are knowledgeable and all-around awesome, and I'm sure they still are now, but most of the different lessons they used to offer are no longer around. :[Sea Bass was one of my favorite horses, but I'm glad he found a good home. (Rahbana was my other favorite, and I had ambitions to get to jumping so I could one day ride Camus, but my schedule got in the way.) I'm definitely rooting for Davis to get more money and to send funding to the center so they can be restored to their former glory. I miss them dearly and I really miss riding. :[

With a sub par administration, a history of colic-ridden horses, a steep price tag due to budget cuts, and a noisy freeway that runs right next to stalls, the equestrian center is a disaster for sensitive horses.if you have experience, you can tell just by walking through: the horses look unhappy and spook more often. Therefore, if you have a car, board your horse somewhere else. It will be cheaper and your horse will be happier

The UC Davis Equestrian Center has always been one of my favorite things about Davis. They have offered private, semi-private, group and youth lessons at all levels of skill in both English and Western riding for as long as I can remember. They also have always had a diverse group of horses owned by the school, suitable for all riders. However, what with the recent cuts in the budgets for UCs, the center has had to give away a large portion of their herd. They have also been forced to cut out all by the most beginning riding lessons. This is indeed a sad turn of events, as the majority of the riders at the center are not beginners, and there is no longer a program for them to enjoy.Hopefully, the center will be able to return to its former glory someday, but I truly fear that the budget misfortunes will cause nothing but more grief gor this place that has always been dear to my heart.

I have been riding in UC Davis Equestrian Center since last year in May, starting from introduction to riding, riding 101a, riding 101b (twice), and riding 101c (third time now). I heard about the budget cut but since my riding started last year I have no way to compare my experiences between before / after the cut. From my personal aspect, I would say UCD Equestrian center is a perfect place for anyone who want to get to start horse back riding in the area. I did a little riding six year ago (I could trot back then), and the Equestrian center definitely improve my riding to a new level (I can canter now). Instructors: the instructors I have been having lessons with are Teresa, Samantha and Hanna. They all are well-experienced and patient instructors who work me through all kinds of problems or issues in riding I have. The only problem I can think of about the group lesson is that within 1 hour 30 min time period (that usually includes tacking and untacking the horses) and maximum four students (usually 3-4 ppl) in the same class, the attention and time you can get from instructors is somehow limited. Besides that, the quality of a group lesson is also highly related to (1) the skills of you and your classmates, (2) the mood of the horses today, and (3) the weather and the surroundings in the arena today. But I have to say that instructors are kind and nice and enthusiastic in horseback riding that they are really open minded to teach you all riding aids for different speed of gaits. I myself as an international students, thought it was difficult for me to understand the instructions and terms in the beginning, especially when everyone is moving and the half arena is kind an open space to hear each other, the instructors are really kind and patient to me as always. School horses: there is a same group of horses for schooling, and each of them has their own "horse-personality" you need to know to riding with. I have been riding with Duke (the calm and lazy guy), Bell (the girl who would challenge the rider at the first few minutes of the ride), Shinto (really good girl), Miss (the very sensitive girl), and CR (an old and clam guy; he is not around lately). They all are pretty calm to beginning riders, and they tend to move slower rather than faster, which makes them good and safe choices for schooling. The horse you will get for each lesson may vary depending on the availability of them at the time. In summer sometimes some of them are away for their summer camp. You can ask instructors to assign you the horse you prefer before the lesson sometimes, but I think it is good to have different horse rotated between lessons so you get to know how to accommodate yourself to different ones, which is also important in the horsemanship. The more your ride with EQC the more you understand these schooling horses. There is no "the best" horse to ride with in different lessons, since some of them may be good to trot but not so good in cantering. It really depends case by case. Usually the EQC will assign the ones that are available at the time and all right with the practice today. Ask your instructors to know more about them individually cause the instructors know a lot more about them.The EQC has the "guardian angel program" if you want to stop by the barn and take care of the horses owned by EQC sometimes during the week. You are not allowed to ride them in this program though.Overall, I would strongly recommend anyone who wanna understand a little bit about horseback riding to try the first level class (Introduction to riding) to get a feel about this activity, and if it seems interesting then you continue the rest of riding 101 lessons. During the winter/summer breaks or the gap between quarters, the private and semi-private lessons are available too, which are good way to focus on improving your controlling and riding skill since you get much more time with your instructor.

I may be biased as I worked at UC Davis for going on nearly half a century, and for the first few decades for the MU/Campus Recreation...granted that was quite some decades ago, but it was then and now even more so a top notch outfit on a shoe string... the ONLY UC with an Equestrian Center, when ole gov moonbeam kept reducing the budgets, such programs were hit hard...but going on a decade or decade or more ago, the students voted to bring the program up to it's early high level status... UCD used to have a polo team men's and women's and used to send many to nationals and olympic trials..(not sure about now but) .the students voted for night lighting and a much larger covered arena.... I have been out of that loop for some decades due to promotions to other departments... however even in the 60s many students chose Davis just for this perk...these way old reviews popped up so I wanted to bring things a big into the present... Lots of horseback riding lessons are also offered for children and it is also a nice home for good horses who are kind and gentle and are losing their homes wherever they are.. donations would also be greatly appreciated...thank u

I really enjoyed riding at the Equestrian Center I started with the rec lessons that were decently priced and had a great time learning how to ride again. The instructors were really nice and knew what they were doing. As I went through each level, I then decided to join the hunter/jumper team which was really fun experience. Everyone was super nice and inviting and the coach was really helpful and tested my abilities. Overall I had a great experience riding there.

I took lesson here a long while back and I still think it's cool that we have horses and riding lessons so close by, but the care of some of the horses is lacking. I saw one that was practically starving. I don't know if it was parasites or because it wasn't getting to the feed or what. So be careful boarding here and be sure to check on the horses often! I hope they have been watered and washed down with cool water on these hot afternoons. Definitely go and visit. They need care and attention. And please bring along a lot of cool carrots and fresh apples!

The UCD equestrian center has a pretty nice facility (it is dumb that all the footing caters to english disciplines). Don't let their advertising fool you.This IS NOT just a regular boarding facility, if it was, I probably wouldn't be so completely disappointed with it in the year and a half that I boarded my horse there. The staff are drama! The barn supervisors poorly communicate with each other, many are young and immature, often unaware of fees and rules that are written out clearly in the boarding contract. The supervisors are inconsistent, one will tell you something is fine and another will jump on you for it. First of all, in the boarding contract it says that you can be at the facility after or before hours with scheduling, the vagueness implies riding, not true. The hours are strict and 8am to 8pm and then if you must come pick up your horse before or after hours, they will charge a $25 fee to open the gate for you (even if you want to just walk your horse in). Ridiculous. Also, they say on here that you can trailer in if you like, and so did a barn supervisor. I'm warning you that it is $25 stinking bucks per horse not per trailer AND because supervisor shifts only last so long you will undoubtedly get the next barn supervisor(s) on duty walking out to grill you because they weren't aware that people could even trailer in in the first place. They over charge you AND they and boarders look at you like you're some kind of alien that dared to step on their precious sacred private facility grounds. That is not how you treat a customer who is paying to use the facility, that doesn't fly anywhere, sorry. Also, unlike a regular boarding facility, everything has a form. If you want to take your horse somewhere, it is not just a "heads up, my horse will be gone for three days," nope, they have a form that you must fill out ahead of time. This might not sound so bad, but then you have to track down a supervisor to fill out the needed form and then on the day you are leaving, the supervisor on duty is likely not aware that you were leaving so they have you go to the office and fill out the form again--the very same one that you skipped out on a study group you usually go to or office hours you usually attend JUST so you wouldn't need to do this last minute. They are SO disorganized. Tack rooms are super crowded too, they offered me a spot that had someone else's big storage bin and stuff at it, saying that I could just move it. They give you a lock code, but the doors to the tackrooms stay open all day, so what is the point? who knows who would have the opportunity to walk off with your stuff. I kept my saddle and brushes in my car always. Someone stole a brand new fly mask off my horse there and the only thing that kept the next fly mask from getting swiped was that I marked it up with my horse's name and mine. Hanging all over are signs that say 'ride at your own risk when there is no barn supervisor on duty' but that is just it, there is never no barn supervisor on duty and if there isn't one on duty, you're not allowed to be there. More than several of their signs and rules hint that this is not the case and that they will allow you to ride at your own risk if this fits your schedule better, such dishonesty about this. Also, the barn supervisors will whip rules out of no where often and this will make you go take a second look at your boarding contract for these rules, but you won't find them or a clause that supports the barn supervisor's enforcement. A boarding facility is a place that allows you to come and go when you please, and if they have hours they typically start very early and go very late. A boarding facility allows you to take your horse in and out whenever you please typically and a boarding facility advertises their trailering in (with a reasonable fee) so that you can have friends or a trainer come to the facility. They also make sure their management is well versed in these rules or fees and do not in any way treat customers like trespassers. UCD equestrian center is not a boarding facility, it appears to be a babysitting facility for four to five barn supervisors because they don't seem to know what is going on, so surely they have parents that do.