Fox Chase Farms

This review is based on one lesson alone. I went for one test lesson prior to picking a stable to start taking lessons.
Some background information:
I have experience with horses. I rode horses for 15 years, then took a break during school due to lack of time and finances. Now that I have a little bit of both, I’m starting up riding again. In the time that I rode, I did a small amount of local showing and was jumping up to 3 feet. I rode at a local family friendly barn (that sadly no longer exists) so nothing expensive, so my standards aren’t super high. I’m not looking for someone to wait on me hand and foot or sit on a heated toilet seat in the bathroom. I decided to try this barn out at the recommendation of a friend who said their sister had a good experience here.
Positives:
From what I could tell the hour or so when I was there, the horses seemed well cared for. At 1 pm on a Sunday when I walked in, the majority of the horses were out in the pasture on turnout, no more than 2 – 3 horses per pasture. The stalls were clean and picked, but the walls were visibly dirty. Sorry, not a positive. There’s an interesting entry way that walks through a living room type area. Dirty, but that’s what you’d expect from a barn. Through the «living room» leads into the stable area. They have working students so they can help you tack up the horses. I rode in the outdoor arena which is a modest size. The stable is used for a therapeutic program, so there are 2 different mounting blocks. One has a ramp, one is just steps.
Negatives:
The barn is extremely dark. I don’t know if it’s due to lack of windows or something, but while untacking the horse in his stall, I could barely see the girth on his body… at 2 pm! I rode in the outdoor which I mentioned is an average size, but one end was flooded. It hadn’t rained for 3 – 4 days, so that’s probably due to lack of proper drainage”. So, I could only walk the horse in ¾ of the arena. The stable is also used for a horse therapeutic program, so there were various obstacles in the arena.
The main negatives are here:
1. I was told to meet the manager at 12:30 pm at the stable, but when I arrived no one was around. With some searching, I talked to a working student who told me my lesson instructor had just gotten on her horse outside and would be riding her own horse during my lesson.
2. The working student helped me with my horse. I told her that I had 15 years of experience, but she insisted on grooming one side and picking the hooves. Not a big deal. But the whole time I was there, I was treated like I had never stepped foot in a horse stable before.
3. Arriving in the outdoor arena, the instructor greeted me from her horse and asked me if I was excited or nervous. Excited. She stayed on her horse for the first 10 minutes, then got off. Then untacked her horse and let him LOOSE in the arena! She said «this is 100% against the rules, but I know my horse so I can do what I want». This is a major no-​no. I don’t think I’m crazy in saying that this is dangerous and unprofessional. This was a major turn-​off for me. I almost hopped off the horse right there. I didn’t know the horse, I didn’t know her horse, and I didn’t know the instructor. It felt very unsafe. Would she have done the same to someone who had just started riding? I don’t know.
4. We spent the entire lesson walking. When I tried to get my horse to trot, she noticed he was lame. She caught her horse, untacked mine, and had me hop on her horse. He was 25 and had been ridden for an hour. I couldn’t get him to trot either and she told me he’s used to «riders with fine-​tuned skills» so that’s why he wouldn’t listen to me. She kept telling me «oh I can see you have several bad habits to break». She was telling me things I had never heard before. In regards to technique, I know mine isn’t 100%, but she seemed to be very negative about my riding style.
She had me get off the horse, and we walked inside. I tried helping her with the saddle and she said «Don’t help me, you don’t work for me». Ok. Just trying to help.
Then she proceeded to tell the other riders in the stable about how horrible my lesson was and asking me in front of several people if I would be coming back? Or «you must hate this stable, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t come back». She started giving me names of stables and instructors that I should avoid and giving me personal reviews of other instructors. It was very awkward and I said something like «I want to explore all my options». She still hadn’t taken my $ 45 lesson fee at this point, so I asked if I would be charged for half of one riding lesson on a lame horse. She said yes, but I got a «discount» at $ 25. I must have looked disappointed because she then said «FINE. I don’t want you to pay, I’m not going to take your money.» And walked off.
And that was it. Definitely the worst riding experience I have ever had. Usually I leave lessons feeling elated, but I was NOT happy.

Pros: Excellent care of horses, long turnout times, stalls are kept in excellent condition, facility is constantly kept clean; two working bathrooms; viewing room has heat.
Cons: Extremely small indoor (dirt sticks like a film to everything); outdoor has poor drainage and large puddles seem to stay around for days after even light rains; «eventing» course jumps don’t seem to be maintained; facility’s doors are difficult for us to open (including access to back stable); viewing room is small and you cannot see the entire arena; onsite trainer (barn manager) doesn’t go to shows.

Summary: In my opinion this is a barn for recreational riders only. They have partnered with a great therapeutic riding program which does leave the small indoor crowded during the winter/​rainy days. The people who take care of the horses live on property and do an excellent job. Horses are turned out for most of the day (and even night by request) which leaves the stalls pretty clean. If you are a serious rider or one that wants to show in hunter/​jumper/​dressage, etc. I would strongly recommend against this barn. The barn manager trains students but won’t take any to shows (and brags about it). When we were there we were «allowed» an outside trainer but I felt that we had to acquiesce to the manager’s schedule. I have been told that in the future outside trainers will not be allowed. Based on my experience, GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING. The barn manager would tell us one thing one day and another a week later (e.g. the number of people allowed in the arena at one time or if you could go in the arena during your child’s lesson). Occasionally we were told, «oh, you don’t have to follow that posted rule. That’s just for this other boarder.» It felt as if you paid for lessons with her you got priority service. She would often say, «this is my house and my rules.» The owner is listed as Jenise Koerner. In my experience she might as well be a silent partner. Our calls to her went unanswered.