Alliston Equestrian & East Bay Riding Academy

I was looking for a facility that has large paddocks for my big mare, a trainer that likes Thoroughbreds, a place with a solid reputation, a team/family atmosphere and I found it with EBRA. My horse feels at home and the trainers have great experience to draw from. Helen and James both ride and train the highest levels of eventing and are amazing with young horses. Too bad it took me 2 years to find them! Looking forward to all the days to come!

I was looking for a program for my daughter and literally visited over a dozen facilities and trainers in the area. When I met James and Helen and got a tour of their facility and listened about their program, I knew I hit the jackpot. The students at the barn all seemed to be part of one family, all ages and levels laughing and very enthusiastic. Even the parents hang out and feel to be very involved. Then, I find out the pedigree of James Alliston and Helen Bouscaren...well, no wonder their program has students driving an hour for lessons! My daughter joined their program a year ago and I have to admit, I was right!

My daughter and I both take lessons from James and Helen and I can recommend their program without reservations. It's one of the few training barns in the area (or anywhere) that can teach everyone from beginners on wonderful school ponies up to riders making the jump to the upper levels. They also do an excellent job starting young horses and are true horse people who appreciate a wide variety of horses. The barn gets excellent hay and is willing to feed as much hay or pellets as it takes to keep your horse happy, and doesn't charge extra for lunch feedings or extra hay.

Another client recommended Helen's program to us in 2014 and although we live an hour away I was so impressed with everything about the program that we felt it was worth a trip. Two years later I am even happier than I was at first.The program is based on learning not only riding but also the care of horses. The students are supervised and taught how to groom, tack up and check the horses for signs of any problems. They talk about what the horses eat and drink and how much exercise they need. This approach is absent in lots of programs where the students turn up and get straight on a horse and hand it back after.You can see even the youngest kids loving the close involvement with the ponies and all the instructors are amazing with the kids.At a higher level, Janes and Helen also run an successful and top notch eventing program with their students getting a broad a solid foundation which is reflected in the success their students experience at events from California to Montana and beyond.The atmosphere at the barn is great with the older kids mentoring the younger ones. It's a happy place, no drama. Highly recommend!

Highly recommend EBRA! James and Helen run a very professional but friendly and welcoming program. They are able to focus on both rider and horse to bring out the best in each. They also really care about the horse's well being. Both my more experienced gelding and my younger green horse (and me!) have benefitted from their training and it's been fun.

Our experience with East Bay Riding Academy is beyond measure. After starting at a couple of other equestrian centers, we settled on EBRA after being impressed by the quality of instruction we received from Helen. The instructors are exceptional and take a keen interest in the progress and development of all students, which is impressive given the significant professional accomplishments of the principals. Helen has worked closely with our family from my daughter's first ride to our most recent milestone - purchasing our first horse - taking the time to craft a training plan to meet the goals and needs of our daughter each step of the way. As an added bonus, we have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of a supportive community of riders and their families, who have encouraged my daughter over the years and celebrated her accomplishments.

I sent my horse to the East Bay Riding Academy for training. My horse already knew how to lunge beautifully, but needed more time under saddle. When I visited him several days after he arrived there he was a different horse. He was nervous, frightened, seemed terrified of the arena. I called James to ask what had happened to my horse and why my horse was so frightened and had regressed in his training to the point where he could not be lunged, was terrified and only wanted to bolt out of the arena as though he had had a very bad experience there. James could not bother to return my call and instead had Helen leave me a voice message saying that James did not want to train my horse anymore and would return my horse and my money to me. I PAID IN ADVANCE FOR ONE MONTH AND TWO ADDITIONAL DAYS OF FULL TRAINING, WHICH INCLUDED BOARD AND TOTALED $1596. GUESS WHAT, THE REFUND NEVER CAME! JAMES ATTEMPTED TO KEEP ALL OF MY MONEY EVEN THOUGH HE ONLY HAD MY HORSE FOR 6 DAYS. When I disputed the matter with the credit card company, James and Helen submitted fake charges and even told the credit card company that the boarding was not included, so they could double bill me for it. My receipt from EBRA shows the boarding was included! I do not recommend trusting this place with your horse or your money.