On Course Riding Academy

Reviews

• TC

  Tulika Mehrotra Chopra

  1 day ago
  5.0
  Finding the right environment for a child to begin riding matters—and this barn gets it right. It’s thoughtfully run and feels both professional and genuinely warm. Lisa stands out as a coach who understands how to meet each rider where they are. She builds confidence without pressure and teaches with clarity and care. the kids not only learn quickly but truly enjoy the process. We feel very lucky to have found this place. It’s exactly the kind of setting you hope for when introducing a child to horseback riding.
• ML

  Maggie LePage

  2 days ago
  5.0
  On Course Riding Academy is a wonderful facility and has great and welcoming staff. They are so accommodating and welcome all riders. I had a wonderful experience there and couldn’t recommend it enough!
• BT

  Breanna Thiel

  2 days ago
  5.0
  We had a field trip at On Course Riding Academy and Val was wonderful! It was very well organized and the staff were so kind! We would definitely love to go back!
• MS

  M S

  3 days ago
  1.0
  Really disappointing experience. I was told to check online for lesson info instead of being given clear answers in person. The space felt overcrowded with little room to practice. I was about 15 minutes late and apologized multiple times, but was still charged for a full hour without any notice - otherwise I would have rescheduled. During the lesson, the owner herself who was with me and the horse made passive-aggressive comments to the horse like “I know you’ve been waiting for half an hour,” which felt very uncomfortable. As a beginner, I expected more guidance, but she just spent a lot of time talking to others around us and gave very minimal instruction (just basic comments like keeping heels down and stop pulling, try to stand up but wasn’t really helping just kept saying keep trying). It felt like I was just walking in circles without really being taught. $75 wasted, which feels excessive for a private lesson where the instructor’s attention kept drifting instead of staying focused on actually teaching me. The place was also dirty and parking was very limited. Wouldn’t recommend.
• AB

  Adrienne Brant

  Mar 28, 2026
  5.0
  I have been around horses my entire life and last September I want to try jumping again. I primarily picked On Course for their good reviews, good reputation, and online booking system. As a busy working adult with a barn of my own, being able to book the times that work best for me without playing telephone is priceless. In 6 months, I've gone from not having really jumped in nearly 30 years barely able to trot confidently over a crossrail to jumping 2'3" courses. Most importantly I have fun doing it. The horse industry can be very old fashioned and behave like progression must come with suffering but that attitude doesn't exist here. As a result, once you watch a few lessons you can see the kids and adults here can ride the hair off about anything and they're genuinely having fun. There are much fancier barns, sure, but I can assure you that many times, it's the horses who pay for that. Val's horses live outside 24/7 as much as possible which means there might be mud but the horses are much happier and sounder than programs who don't put the horses first. As a life long equestrian, that's important to me. Val also offers tons of opportunities to get involved through shows (IEA, NIHJA, intercollegiate), volunteer opportunities, pony & parent classes, summer camps, etc which has created a community at the barn rather than just a lesson factory. Communication with Val is excellent, she's very easy to get a hold of and make each client & kid feel important. My only "complaint" is that I've had to make more "space" in my life to take advantage of all the good things happening here ;)

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