my saddle brook farm

I bought two tickets for my boyfriend and I to enjoy a relaxing evening, but it took them 20 minutes out of the time we were paying for just for them to set up a horse. The boy who guided us through the woods led us down the same path over and over again so it was quite boring... And the instructor was not enthusiastic at all. I do not think it would be some place I would go again for the amount of money I paid.

Just as many of the other complaints, almost everything was wrong about this place. From trying to book a reservations, to the animals, cleanliness, customer service and much more. After a two hour drive, we pull up to this filthy "farm" to find not one person around assist us. So we park the car and decide to try and find someone that can help, we looked around and even shouted "hello" for about 5minutes. This was already a bad start we said to ourselves. Once we finally saw two ladies, we thought we would get introduced or maybe even a hello, but instead we rudely got asked for our Groupon, no eye contact with us what so over and handed us a paper and said "sign this". As we prepared to ride the horses, we were told to head over to a room and get helmets. That room was filthy, the helmets were disgustingly dirty as if they haven't even been clean. The bathroom was also in this room, and that was worse than a porta potty restroom out on the streets. Everything about this place screamed filthy, unprofessional, and even the care of the animals looked physically bad. The dogs and other animals had open wounds, eye infections, and filth throughout their bodies. And I get that this is a farm and I don't expect this to be perfect, but when there is food laying around, animals with open wounds and severe infections, there is something wrong. All this took place before the trail ride, I wasn't even sure I wanted to stay. But my friend convinced me that the ride will be better. We did get our hour trail ride, but that was also taken through a not maintained area. Huge fallen trees that haven't been picked up, not a smooth trail at all. Nothing pretty about this trail ride. All I saw was more dirty animals, broken sheds, fallen trees and tons and tons of horse poop. Overall this isn't the best place to visit. I will be getting a refund from Groupon...trust me this place is not worth it!

Do not waste your time and money on this place.I sure wish I had read the reviews here and on yelp before purchasing a living social voucher and driving a an hour and 20 minutes. Our issue was that due to ice outside, we never even got the slow trail ride others have complained about. My wife, 9 year old daughter and I were led around an indoor tent going in circles. The worst part was they never told us until 15 minutes into the ride that we were not going outside. We thought it was just a warm up and lesson for us prior to hitting the trail. Had they informed us, we would have rescheduled. I hopped off the horse as soon as I found out, but since we went so far, I let me my daughter and wife stay on. The owner apologized and offered us a free private ride with her on a return visit. However, when we tried to confirm this via e-mail, she reneged and only offered the free ride to myself and discounts to my wife and daughter. We instead got a refund from Living Social but we are out a half days time plus gas and tolls and aggravation. We gave the owner a chance to rectify a problem and she chose to cheat us.

My Saddle Brook Farm is the best choice for beginning riders. Dedicated owner and staff members are patient. This is a working farm and they also do rescue work, such as llamas.

My husband and I bought a voucher on Living Social and could not have been happier with our experience. Booked our trail ride through the website using our voucher number. It was very easy. I do agree that they're not great about getting back to correspondence. Had to call the alternate number to get a person. However, the staff and owner were great with us and the horses (and many, many other rescued animals...) were awesome. We will definitely go back!!

I took my children for a trail ride over the weekend and they had a great time. To start the farm is not that big. For those who say the place is dirty (IT'S A FARM) what are you expecting? Anyway, we arrived 30 minutes prior to our trail ride. Check in was smooth and easy. The young lady that greeted us was very polite and helpful. We handed her the the trail ride waiver and groupon voucher and that was it. We got our helmets and they got our horses. Within 15 minutes we were ready for our ride. While we were waiting my kids had a chance to interact with the llamas, chickens, roosters, horses, rabbits and an emu. The trail ride is calm and easy. They don't go far, they stay in a ring at first and then venture into the woods around the farm. It's slow paced and easy for kids. I personally like to run with the horse, this trail ride is better suited for younger kids and adults that are looking for a slow easy ride. Overall a very good experience my kids are anxious to go back. My experience with the staff was excellent the girl that checked us in was great, always smiling and answered questions (thank you - I didn't get her name), Molly helped guide the horse for a while and she was pleasant as well. Joy (the sergeant) was tough but nice. She yelled at a few people with good reason. Riding a horse is dangerous and the actions of one could have bad consequences for the others. When she yells out an order just respond ma'am yes ma'am she will get a kick out of that. This farm does a great service rescuing these horses so it doesn't hurt to leave the girls a tip and donate a few bucks to the farm. All in all I had a great trip and I highly recommend the place. While you are there take a trip to seven lakes drive and the surrounding areas for some of the most breathtaking views you will find in N.Y.. Truly a beautiful place to visit and so close to NYC!!!I hope this review is helpful.

It’s must be score ZERO. I send a lot of e-mails to make reservation for groupon. Nobody wants to help me! Its look like they took my money and that is it! SCAM!!!!! Their website is not working, and they just ignoring this. They have ZERO customer service; they DON’T want help me to make reservation.

Myself, My husband, my two daughters ages 13 & 8 drove from Neq York to take advantage of a groupon deal we found. It was our first time ever riding on a horse. And I must say first time was aweesoomeeee :-)). There was a few cons (like the place wasn't very clean, and yes Helen the owner wasn't very pleasant either to us or the employees) but the staff (Cristina and Gail) were absolutely wonderful they both made our trip extremely worth it. We spent most of our day just walking around the farm and getting to know the horses. My girls loveeee it after our ride we were able to stay longer and help put the horses out for the day ( my girls are already begging to go volunteer soon) too bad we live so far. In a nut shell this place was great, the staff was great and we would definitely be going back. Because our horses were great and Gail and Cristina were great.

I got a deal with friends to experience our first time horse back riding. The experience in the farm is not bad, the stuffs are friendly, and they will give you some basic training before we actually go outside of the farm. I know the deal is inexpensive, but the actual time out in the woods is at most thirty minutes or so. We drove almost two hours from NYC and we expected more than half an hour ride. I also think the town has no other entertainment/attraction so we ended up driving straight back to NYC.

OK this is NOT a super challenging trail ride... BUT it is excellent for beginners and people that that have not saddled up for a while. My fiance was not experienced and had a wonderful time. Athough I have worked around horses in the past, including a trail riding stable upstate, I had not "saddled up for 7 yuears due to medical issues. My horse, Levi, Had a bit of spirit and responded well to controls. The young lady who led the ride caught my initial mistake right away, I was holding the reins too tight and over controlling Levi. She pointed this out and as soon as I corrected this i had a wonderful ride! I totally enjoyed seeing my fiance build her confidence with horses.One suggestion for riders... Go early as suggested, Enjoy the animals They do great work rescuing animals. All the animals were friendly and loved to be petted..... Chickens, horses, llamas, a pig, dogs cats and more. All seemed happy to say hello. I also enjoyed talking to some of the people that came after us... Some young kids and a boy scout trooplearning about horses for a horsemanship merit badge.Yes I saw the owner get sharp with a customer. A couple came screaming up the driveway in a sports car. They were late. But there are horses kids and various animals wandering around. The road they came up is also used by riders to access the trails. Could not fault her for being upset, Road was CLEARLY marked as 5 MPH only. As a father, grandfather and scout leader I get it. I spoke one on one with the owner after our ride and she was quite pleasant. Horse back riding can be dangerous and she was trying to keep it safe.We rode on fairly easy trails as well as a few times through a ring to get the feel of the horses. It is a good balance for newbies and returning riders. I can absolutely see going back with my fiance to get more experience. The girls leading the rides are helpful and give good instruction. For a peaceful, calm and instructive ride it was a great experience.

I question the validity of any positive reviews about this place. The owner is extremely rude and nasty to her staff. The hot chocolate was never offered, the ride was around the ring, not on a trail. I didn't want to disappoint my autistic son so I didn't complain. Also, it is English saddles...yuk! The place is horrendous, go somewhere else

We purchased a Groupon for our family to do some horse back riding as a day trip outside of NYC. It was a little intimidating at first because we've never been on horses however we found the staff very patient, helpful and positive. The horses looked well kept, healthy and very docile. Both my daughters loved the experience as well as my wife and myself. The riding experience was perfect for beginners. The trails were nice and shaded. One thing to note is to bring bug spray in the warmer months. No matter how clean the animals are you will be in a rural area.After the ride we were able to walk freely through the stables and pet and take pictures with the horses, goat and cow calf. All the animals appeared very well cared for. I'm not sure what the bad reviews are about since the staff and Helen were very friendly and helpful. We will definitely do another trail ride sometime soon :)One thing, not sure if it's possible, some of the trails could go through the hilly areas to seem some of the beautiful Hudson Valley.

For the sake of providing some context, I am a finance industry Manhattan resident with an appreciation for the arts and nature. Last year I purchased a 1hr trail ride for two on Gilt Group for my girlfriend and me however due to a family illness was unable to use the voucher before its expiration date. After a call in to Helen (and some sweet-talk) we were granted an extension on the voucher. Last weekend we finally made it up to My Saddle Brook Farm - please find below my observations:1) Trail rides seem to be available only in groups of 6. I was disappointed at first given the voucher offered the option of a private ride for two however in the end it was actually an enjoyable ride nonetheless.2) The trail portion was nice however I did not enjoy as much riding in the enclosed circle at the end – think rodeo circle or circus show circle (perhaps it was due to the inclement weather we experienced the week before and its impact on the trails? Not sure)3) After some awkward interactions with the owner Helen (negotiating the voucher extension and upon arrival being told to slowdown and not to hit her dogs “please, thank you…”) I am pleased to report that her staff – specifically Gail, was absolutely FANTASTIC and completely made up for the questionable first impressions I had of the establishment. She was kind yet professional, accommodating and full of energy.In summary, despite my initial concerns, this was actually a really great experience and the staff (especially Gail and the young gentleman who lead the excursion) made up for any initial shortcomings. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND My Saddle Brook Farm and look forward to returning. Great for first-timers, great for professionals, great for dates, great for families, great for day trips, and close to Storm King (pretty cool huge outdoor sculpture museum), Woodbury Premium Outlets, and a few other potential attractions)

We finally got up to My Saddle Brook Farm to use a Groupon Horseback riding gift only to find out the trails were rained out. Linda (the owner) had emailed all riders who had scheduled online (www.mysaddlebrookfarm.com) but we'd been traveling and missed the message. Thankfully we did!! We arrived to find a wonderful farm of rescued horses and other animals (ie. Norman the cow, Sherman, the "angry" pig, chickens, and many more). The 30+ horses are now in excellent condition. We sooooo enjoyed freely walking the grounds as the farm hands, groomed horses, cleaned stalls, filled watering trough's, etc. Alot of work is volunteer by local teenagers in exchange for horse back riding lessons. The "loving what they do" spirit of everyone we met was obvious. We didn't care about missing out on trail riding (actually glad to return later for that) we just couldn't get enough of wandering round the barn just like the chickens and a blanketed horse (Linda says...he just likes to do that.. lol) and meeting all the different animals (even a Zonkey!!). Not only will we be going back...but will encourage others to do the same and make donations to support the farm as well (it survives mostly on donations).

My mom bought my boyfriend and I horseback riding as a shared Christmas present. Well lets just say it was awful! They did not tell us on the phone that the trails weren't really open yet so we slowly walked on our horses up and down the driveway and inside the ring... What an awful experience! I would not recommend this place to anyone. The lady who took us on a ride did not even speak to us. Their horses are not even clean. Everything is dirty and the people are rude. Please do not go here. The worst experience I have ever had horseback riding !!!!! And I have been horseback riding a lot. Please go somewhere else. I'm begging you!!!