Our horseback riding experience was not what I thought it would be. We explained once arriving (as I had by phone when scheduling the lesson,) that our kids had never been horseback riding but were excited to learn.
I think the owner has a lot of knowledge about horses, but little people skills- especially dealing with children. The hour long lesson was primarily my husband and I leading the horses around in a circle while the owner critiqued us and the kids from the sidelines. I was asked in a condescending tone why I didn't leave my purse in the car (because I had no idea it was going to be my husband and I leading the horses around the entire time) or why my daughters boots didn't have a bigger heel and told that we would need to buy new boots if we wanted our second lesson- an investment we really didn't plan on making, given that we were just trying this out for the first time.
The owner seemed annoyed that the kids didn't know the basics of how to hold the reigns, as if she expected professionals out of 6 year olds, and talked down to them like they weren't listening if they were confused or just didn't understand her direction. My husband chimed in and asked if maybe she could give the kids an example so they could actually do what she was asking successfully.
The kids were much more excited about riding horses before their lesson than afterwards- which is a total bummer. My son asked me why the lady was "so mean" in the car on the way home. It's great that the owner is passionate about horses and has a vast array of knowledge, but to be a successful trainer, you have to be patient and passionate about people too-and that's definitely lacking here.