Hossmoor

The one thing that needs to be said: you KNOW your horse is being taken care of even if you can't make it out there! Been there 15 years...

We've been at several barns and found Hossmoor to be, by far, the best. If you're looking for a good home for your horse with lots of trails, turnouts, arenas and amenities, this is the place. Did I mention the beautiful setting In the rollilng hills near Briones Open Space , within 20 minutes from Orinda, Martinez, Concord, Walnut Creek, Lafayette and even Berkeley and Richmond hills. I say its my daily 'vacation' going out there, especially since I don't travel much. Don't need to. Newish owner has done a lot to upgrade the facility and tries to please- though it's impossible to please everyone. We feel she goes the extra step and have been very happy at Hossmoor as has our horse. He told us so, In his way....We feel Hossmoor is a special place and gra t eful to be a part of it

Hossmoor is about as full service as equestrian facilities come. It is very well run, has many amenities and a ton of diverse places to work your horse. The owners who board here are very engaged and the lucky horses who get to board here are given excellent care, sometimes even pampered!This was a place for both me and my quarter horse to gain confidence and build our skills together. It is on the pricey end, but you get what you pay for.

Hossmoor is simply outstanding. World class in every way. I can't imagine a better facility.

Update at the end of 2024:Cindy has been super busy with all kinds of projects around the barn. She's upgraded both of the arenas at the far end of the property and they are GREAT! She put mulch down on the bridle paths and it feels like you are walking through a springy forest. Really nice. The place is hopping every day with happy horses and nice people. I feel very lucky we found this barn.

We boarded our horse here for a year in 2020. The owner, Cindy was helpful and friendly and there are nice turn-outs for the horses and nice paddocks, stalls and pasture. For us Hossmoor was not a good fit, I experienced Hossmoor to be a pretty unfriendly barn, probably due to it's size (really big) and people seem to keep to themselves or in cliques. There were many groups of people who didn't get along, trainers talking badly about others. Kids & families are not that welcome. It was not a positive experience being there.If one keeps their head down and doesn't care about community the options for horses there is pretty good.

Things are steadily worse. Horses' basic needs are not tended to. Cloudy, murky water for the horses continues to be a problem; going on 3 years. The lack of a consitent cleaning staff means your stall might get cleaned well with shavings or it might not. Cleaning staff has been known to skip stalls entirely. Oops. Turnouts are rarely cleaned & there is manure everywhere. The footing continues to be bad. It was such a gorgeous facility. It is heartbreaking. Even though the owner--who's been owner for 3 1/2 years now--says it'll get better. So far, it has only gotten worse. So sad.

I can no longer recommend Hossmoor. It used to be a well-run, fantastic facility, with lots of amenities. But the property was sold and the new owner has let the property fall apart. The footing in the indoor arena is so thin it's like concrete. However, if you don't like children, this might be the barn for you. The owner has told boarders she "hates children," and allows a "trainer" to lock her baby unsupervised in her truck while she rides horses.There are too many issues to list since the new owner took over. I can only hope she either sells the place or hires a manager to run the place as it's just miserable.

I have been at Hossmoor for over a year now and love it, so does my horse! The openness and space is wonderful and the people are really nice. We have a variety of different disciplines, dressage, jumping, western, and it makes for a well rounded diverse crowd. People are friendly and share, and the owner is working hard at making many necessary upgrades. There is freedom to work with different trainers or just do your own thing. The horses get plenty to eat and the place is maintained well and never feels crowded. Trails are close by and different clinics happen monthly. It is a wonderful place where I can get my Zen on and my mare enjoy a lot of freedom in big turn outs, rolling pens, and lots of different arenas to work in. There is even pasture living for the super hardy ones. Best barn for me and my daughter to enjoy!

I've moved around a fair amount in the Bay area so I've been at a large number of barns in the bay area everything from high end dressage facilities to back yard pastures. Hossmoor is by far the best. They have great facilities and the management is first rate. When something comes up or I go out of town I know he's being taken care of. I can ask for them to turn him out or put him on the Eurocizer and even if he's out in pasture I know someone's keeping an eye on him. The other boarders are down to earth and friendly and it's spread out so even though there's a fair number of horses the atmosphere is calm and relaxing. Truly a special place!