Champion Farms

Reviews

• AR

  Anna Rognas

  Mar 5, 2026
  5.0
  Natalie and her team at Champion Farms worked with my 10 yo daughter and it was a great experience! She learned a lot about horses AND herself. What a great opportunity for a child to grow and learn!
• MD

  Madison Dolan

  Mar 5, 2026
  5.0
  Great facility, excellent teaching, and overall wonderful care for the horses. Uses progression sticker charts and treasure boxes to encourage those to keep moving up in their practices!
• SP

  sydney peters

  Mar 5, 2026
  5.0
  I cannot say enough wonderful things about this performance horse barn and the person behind it. She is not only an incredibly knowledgeable trainer, but also one of the most genuine, kind-hearted people you will ever meet. Her passion for horses and teaching truly shines through in every lesson. She pours so much care and intention into each rider she works with. Her students learn strong foundational riding skills and gain the confidence needed to succeed in a competitive environment. At the same time, she makes every lesson fun, positive, and kid-friendly, creating an atmosphere where young riders feel encouraged and excited to learn. What really sets her apart is the heart she brings to coaching. She cares deeply about her riders not just as competitors, but as people. The experience kids gain at her barn goes far beyond riding. It builds confidence, character, and memories that will last a lifetime. If you are looking for a place where your child can grow as a rider while being supported by someone who truly loves what she does, this is absolutely the place to be. I would recommend this barn again and again!
• AK

  Allison Kennedy

  Mar 5, 2026
  2.0
  I thought long and hard before sharing this. While my experience was not as severe as some I’ve since heard about, it still raised red flags for me, and I feel it’s important to share. First, my internal conflict over this review stems from the positive experiences I did have with Natalie at Champion Farms. She was very generous with her time for a few days, helping me choose tack for my daughter, sending me links, and even negotiating on my behalf. That generosity made it harder for me to process what I witnessed during our lesson, and it's the reason I struggled with sharing this review. Ultimately, my internal conflict doesn't matter. The treatment her students are subjected to needs to be brought to light. During our lesson, as my daughter led her lesson horse out of the pasture, the horse bent its head to graze momentarily. At this point, Natalie yanked the lead out of her hands, aggressively backed the horse up, kicked the horse in the chest, and scolded my daughter in a very harsh tone. She then muttered something in jest about us not coming back now because my daughter might be put off by her outburst. I filed this experience away and decided I would see how the rest of our time went. I should have taken my daughter and left at this point, but I think I was in a state of disbelief. Natalie has a way of making you and your child feel at ease with expressive praise and encouragement, but her harsh criticism gives you whiplash. Later, when in the arena, she was being very supportive of my child. Then, seemingly out of the blue, she turned and looked at her and spoke to her very sharply, telling her she has been taught nothing and doesn't know how to ride at all. Later, she texted me and said, "She did fantastic and she has a great seat and a lot of potential." This comment contradicted the message she conveyed to my daughter in the arena, which was incredibly diminishing. Would it have been so difficult to offer correction in a respectful manner? At this moment, I turned to another parent and asked if she is always like this. My insides were twisting. I was told that Natalie is always like this in the beginning, but she softens as time goes on. She is, however, exactly like this with her show team, and sometimes very hard on her students at shows. Given the fact that we aren't ready to be on a show team, I tried to overlook this. I assumed perhaps this is the way she weeds out the kids who aren’t serious, not that that excuses her behavior. Days later, I learned from a friend that her own child had been treated so cruely that she never wants to ride horses again. This little girl is six. She’s ridden exactly three times, and that’s all it took to make her nervous about taking lessons from anyone. She still tears up when the idea of trying again with another instructor is mentioned. After she shared her own review, multiple people messaged her privately to share similar experiences, most of which were too nervous to share publicly. My daughter told me she was not emotionally shaken, and I understand that riding instruction can require firmness. However, what we experienced felt less like structured correction and more like shaming. A professional shouldn't have to belittle and bully a child to get their point across. That communication style is not something I’m comfortable subjecting my child to. Children are every bit as worthy of respect as adults. After reflection, we will not be continuing lessons at Champion Farms at any point in the future, which is unfortunate because the location is ideal, it's a beautiful facility, and the training is top notch. If you're looking for competent coaching, this is a good place to find that. Will Natalie bring your child to the top? Probably. But, I encourage you to consider the cost to their self-esteem and mental health. I wish Natalie all the best, and I hope the honesty that is finally being shared will cause her to reflect about her treatment of others.
• LW

  Leah Whitney

  Mar 2, 2026
  1.0
  We enrolled our kindergartener in beginner horseback riding lessons at Champion Farms in Spencer and were initially encouraged by the structured teaching style. Unfortunately, our final lesson was extremely concerning. During the lesson, the instructor was often several yards away on her phone while my child was mounted near an open gate leading toward the road. When the horse began moving, my father had to step in to prevent it from walking into traffic. Later, the instructor screamed at my child to back the horse — a skill she hadn’t yet been taught — and yelled that “I don’t know isn’t an acceptable answer.” My child dismounted in the middle of a field, visibly upset, and was then called a “sissy who needs to fall off her bike and scrape her knee a couple times.” Throughout the incident, raised voices were directed at my child, my father, and myself. Afterward, I received an apology regarding how my father was treated, with a comment that he was “there to watch, not interfere,” despite the safety issue that required his intervention. There was no acknowledgment of how my child had been treated. While I respect firm instruction, safety and respectful communication are just as important for very young riders. We chose not to continue lessons. The facility was beautiful, but our experience was not. I hope this was a unique experience, but I share it so families can make informed decisions about what environment feels safe and appropriate for their children.

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