California Riding Academy

The horse community is so isolated here in Hawaii so when Michael Traurig of California Riding Academy offered to teach, school, and show our horses we were delighted. Both Jessica and Michael have made several trips here and our horses have shown marked improvement. We like to think of ourselves as being an extension of their remarkable program. Much aloha for your help and Mahalo!

If you’re looking for a great team to board your horse and help you get to the next level — the search ends here! It’s a full service process. If you’re looking for a horse to lease or buy, they can partner with you on your search and get you saddled up and riding smoothly. They work with the sellers to bring the horse to you, have all x-​rays and vet checks completed, test rides, and purchase process as well.
I’ve been interacting with CRA now for about 6 months as the nanny of a young girl who is a member of the riding academy.
All the trainers are well versed and charismatic. They take pride in what they do and truly create an encouraging environment for the riders in training.
The 11 year old I bring to CRA 3 times a week has been working with them for a few years now. They offer camps in the summer and they prepare her for the many competitions statewide that they expose her to as a part of her training.
Jessica, Justine, Amanda, and Michael have all worked with her and she takes away incredible experiences and knowledge from each interaction. I love the way they ensure that she is comfortable with her progress while simultaneously giving her that nudge to persistantly push herself to get to the next level.
A few months ago her horse got spooked and she flew off the front of her horse and right on her head. Needless to say, it scared her and it pulled her right back down to square one as far as her drive to jump again. Michael took the lead with her and gave her the confidence to try again. She is still working on the full confidence, but the whole team has been there by her side to encourage her as well as introduce her to other riders her age who can offer some fun stories and friendship at the barn. She is determined to compete again and bring home more ribbons very soon.
It’s been great working with this team and I know she will excel with them here at CRA.
**This barn is also very clean and organized. You will always see the barn staff smiling as they are tending to the horses. The stalls are all clean as a whistle and the horses are always in good spirits. You can rest assured knowing your horse is in great hands while staying here at the barn with them.

I went to watch several instructors at different barns and took some lessons from another instructor before choosing Michael Traurig at the California Riding Academy, after he was highly recommended by a friend who rides with the Los Altos Hounds hunt club. I’ve ridden enough to know good instruction — rode Hunter/​Jumper discipline from the time I was 7 – 15 and rode a bit in my 20s, then recently came back to riding in my 50s. When I got the bug to jump again, I decided to take lessons.
I’ve worked with Michael Traurig for a few months, now. He’s a top-​notch trainer and a superb instructor. He is extremely clear, detail oriented, patient and persistent in his method. He continually challenges me to focus, be present and feel the connection with the horse — honing both basic techniques and more subtle principles that are really making a difference in my riding — not just in jumping but in my everyday trail riding, as well. Michael believes that it’s also important for even the experienced rider to continue to learn new things about every aspect of horsemanship — from grooming and tacking to horse care, from mounting up to dismounting — very thorough.
Michael was away for one of my scheduled lessons, so Kiyana filled in. She, too, was an excellent instructor and I would also recommend her. Her teaching style and focus were different from Michael’s — so I’d say that California Riding Academy is a place where you are going to get quality instruction and you can choose an instructor whose approach works for you.
For my first three lessons, I rode three different horses: Nick, Calypso and Tucker — all were in great shape and required me to focus on different things. After assessing my needs, Michael has had me consistently working with Tucker. This not a «put any student on any horse» stable — Jessica (the owner) has clearly taken great care in selecting a variety of horses with different temperaments, so that riders of varying abilities and experience can be paired with appropriate mounts.

I came here for the horseback riding lessons that Groupon offered a while back. It was a package of three lessons.
The general horseback riding services offered were satisfactory. I was taught by two different teachers on my three times there. One of the teachers talked way too much with the other people in the barn, and neglected me while it was during my lesson time. I had to wait around for her to come back from who knows where to find out where I can put certain things back or what’s the next step, since I’m very unfamiliar with the barn.
But what really annoyed me was when I called to book my lessons. Since I had three lessons, I wanted to book my last two in advance so that I don’t have a month gap between my each of my three lessons. Not only was I refused to book ahead by one of the ladies who answered the phone (I called again later, and someone else let me book ahead). That same lady also told me after I booked my lesson for the coming Saturday that «If someone else came to request this time and does not have a Groupon, they will get the priority for that time spot. Since you are not a currently returning student, you will have to give up your time slot for the other person.» When I heard this I pretty much flipped. I was CONSIDERING becoming a long term student after I use my Groupon, but because the lady said this, I definitely would not be coming back to this barn for any type of lessons. Just because I have a Groupon does not mean I should get lower priority, especially if I took the same amount of time to call and book lessons ahead, and especially if I also spent money for my Groupon. And even if I do get lower priority, I did not expect her to say it so rudely to me.
Not coming back here again for any type of lessons. Customer service is just definitely not up to par.

We are big fans of California Riding Academy. Our daughter has ridden there since she started. Her skills and confidence have grown, and she always has a good time at the barn. She has also participated in the camps multiple times and enjoys them. The camps are a good mix of learning about horse care, riding and old fashioned summer camp fun (running around, making art projects, etc.) Finally, we have a lot of trust in the owner and her staff: they are experienced and committed to helping their students succeed.

I bought the groupon also, I would classify myself as an advanced intermediate western rider. I did my classes in October, 2012.
My instructor was Kyana, who is very nice, very knowledgeable, and fun. I also had the opportunity to meet Jessica, Michael, and one other instructor. All of them were very friendly and chatty, which I really appreciate. I have ridden at a couple Portola Valley barns and most often the instructors that weren’t working with me were very standoffish, so this was a nice change.
My lessons were for western and very enjoyable/​hard. We worked on leg work, transitions, and some patterns work. I will pick up more lessons from them since I used up my groupon.
The rings can get crowded, especially if it’s been raining and the uncovered rings are closed. However, everyone that I shared the ring with was courteous and understanding of me riding a horse that kicks.
The horses at CRA are very well kept, they aren’t school nags, nor are they push button horses that do without input from the rider.
All in all, this is a solid operation with good horses and even better instructors.

Update — had my second lesson with Amanda and it was just as wonderful, confidence building, and transformative as the first. Even better. By now, it is clear to me that just that first lesson had completely changed my relationship with riding and with the horse. Just in the 2^nd lesson alone, with the same horse (Princess), I could feel how beautifully responsive she is to the slightest of movements, indicators, etc that Amanda had taught me. I hadn’t realized the beauty of what the well-​trained horse gives to us. And yes, even if it sounds corny, I felt much more connected to her. Which made me sit that much better «in my tack» (Amanda taught me that).

I’ve been riding weekly at California Riding Academy for nearly 9 months, and it’s been absolutely wonderful! As an adult completely new to riding, I was apprehensive about my lack of experience, but from the very start it was clear to me that Jessica and her team here are enthusiastic about teaching, regardless of your riding level.
I contacted several places about adult beginner lessons, but Jessica was the very first person to get back to me, and to my excitement I was able to schedule a lesson for that very week! When asked, I told her I was a complete beginner, and she cheerfully said, «We all have to start somoewhere!», which put me completely at ease. It was also great that they had boots and helmets available for me to borrow when I first started.
My lessons have all been excellent – they are always the high point of my week! I’ve had the opportunity to learn from several of the instructors; I always come away feeling like I’ve learned a lot and usually spend the week thinking about what we worked on. Most of my lessons have been with Amanda, who is fantastic. She offers excellent constructive comments and is incredibly encouraging and positive (as are all the other instructors I’ve ridden with, actually!). She has been very patient with me and does a great job explaining things in our lessons – it’s clear she loves teaching! I’m amazed at what I’ve been able to accomplish in riding for less than a year, and I attribute it to the excellent teaching here. I’d also like to note that everyone here has been very friendly to me; even when I had just started here, everyone was introducing themselves and saying hello, which made me feel welcome and comfortable.
I’ve also really loved getting to know the horses here – they’re all very sweet and are very much my teachers as well! They are well cared for, and the barn is probably the cleanest one I’ve ever seen. I have not only learned about riding, but about grooming, tacking, and handling a horse on the ground, and it’s been fun to spend time around the horses before and after my lessons. (At some other places I tried out for lessons, the horses were already tacked up and I felt like I was sort of pushed out after my lesson, so I really appreciate this aspect of the riding program here.)
I whole-​heartedly recommend the riding program at California Riding Academy – with a combination of excellent instruction and friendly horses (and people!), you can’t go wrong!

We had a great experience! They were very accommodating to our schedule which is such a benefit for our family as I juggle multiple schedules within the family. The instructor was great — as she was very patient with my son and gave him a great experience! The animals were all very gentle and friendly which made for an even better experience (as my kids have never been around horses before).
I would recommend the riding academy for kids. Mine had a great experience!

I purchased a 3-​lesson-​groupon and took all the lessons in May 2012. After I used up the groupon I paid $ 100 per lesson for about 3 – 4 lessons before I left this barn.
There are pros and cons about this barn:
pros:
— I really like my instructor Emily, a petite girl with Spanish or Portuguese accent. She deserves 5 star! Genuinely kind and patient with beginners.
— This barn taught about tacking, grooming and ground manners that some barns will skip this part.
— Covered arena so you can ride in any weather — could be busier at certain time.
— Location — in Portola Valley just right off Sand Hill Road.
— My lesson horse — Princess. She was my teacher.
cons:
— Some instructors /​managers ?? were really bossy here. There are some grungy alphas which I didn’t like. Attitudes. Emily is the only person in this barn that I really like. I wish she was the one that run the management.
— Hard to schedule appointments. Girls at the computer desk always showed me some fake smiles. May be because I was an adult beginner back then. But hey! 4 months ago I was a complete idiot and now I’m learning the sitting trot at other barn. Who knows what I could do 4 years later.
— Pricey The Charlesbois Farm next to Ca Riding Academy is also charging the same price. I guess these barns in Portola Valley Center are really competitive about pricing.
After I left this barn, I have been to quite a few in the bay area. Now I’m pretty content with my new barn in Atherton. Everyone is polite with no attitude. Still miss Princess and Emily sometimes.

We just finished one week of camp here and we had also tried to sign up for regular lessons in the year. The camp was OK; they have plenty of activities and crafts for your kid. The other kids who attend are pleasant, not rough, and your kid will make friends.
Notably the ponies and horses all seem to be serviceably sound, and have clean stalls. They all appear to be regularly groomed, have their hooves shod, and all appeared to be free of health issues (such as eye infection, skin conditions, open wounds, etc.) You could probably credit the fact that most of their ponies are younger (and actually therefore untrained, less expensive to buy, but gentle and trustworthy with kids) and that their grooms (all Latinos) are hardworking and thorough.
Overall though, this barn is incredibly disorganized and the staff seem burnt-​out and disgruntled. When you arrive for a lesson, they are running late; when you leave a message to schedule lessons, they don’t return your phone call. When you take the time out of your schedule to drive to the barn and schedule a lesson, they seem tired, irritated, overbooked and irritated at you for disturbing them. You experience this even after the owner suggests your child sign up for regular lessons to prepare for the camp. It is impossible to sign up if no one every calls back to schedule you/​your child.
The point another reviewer made about the management/​owner being out of touch with her staff I completely believe and have seen. She seems rarely around; we never saw her during camp, and when we did see her or her new business partner (circuit rider and son of a well-​known hunt-​seat rider), either of them seem distracted or disinterested.
I also got the sense that the owner is really out to make an extra dime off her clients in as many ways as possible. The reason why I felt this way is that we had to cancel one of our camp sessions and gave them about two months notice. We asked if the deposit could be applied to a lesson or the next camp. We were flat out denied without explanation, nor does the owner provide any information about their policies about deposits anywhere. Most reputable businesses would do the courtesy of applying the credit to something of value from the business. In this case we got absolutely nothing of value for the camp deposit even though we did our best to notify them with plenty of time to fill the spot from their wait list.
The other point is that when we signed up for camp in January, the owner told us when we asked about buying equipment that they provide ‘boots and helmets’ we could use. So we went out and bought jodhpurs. The week prior to camp start there is a notice via email of a charge to rent equipment that is most likely donated to the barn by affluent families whose kids have outgrown them.
They advertise the whole USPC (United States Pony Club) affiliation, but quite frankly, the instruction we saw was using hunt-​seat saddles and forward-​seat equitation, which is not the same as balance-​seat equitation you learn in USPC. They do also do Western instruction. I can imagine the affiliation is more for optics/​business/​advertising, than actual substantive horsemanship.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE SUMMER CAMP.
There are many lovely things about CRA summer camp — but the negatives are so bad that I felt compelled to warn other parents so they would know what they’re getting into.
The onsite management is ragged to the point of unprofessional. The «manager» who booked our session was onsite only briefly, and the staff didn’t have much connection or communication with her. Nobody is really in charge during the day. My 5-​year-​old (who loves horses and was thrilled to goto this camp) fell off her horse 2X on the third day — and the staff DID NOT notify me that this had happened. That evening, her eyes were swollen and her back was hurting — and when I asked why, she told me about the falls. When I went back the next day, the person I spoke with did not know this had happened, and just made excuses as to why it wasn’t her fault or concern.
Alos — the bathroom is a disgusting port-​a-​potty that the kids goto by themselves. And there are no snack or drinks available (as promised in the camp description) — only what the kids bring themselves.
Other than those negatives, the ponys are cute and the kids have a good horsy time. However if you want to be notified if your child is injured, this is not the place for you.

Love this place. Purchased three one hour lessons for my two daughters ages 5 and 6 and I am very pleased with the experience. The instructors have been very patient with our little ones. The girls have learned a lot about riding and horse care through the lessons and want to continue their lessons on a regular basis.

I was extremely pleased with my experience at California Riding Academy. I purchased 3 lessons through Groupon. I had been away from riding for some time and, post major back surgery, wanted to see if I would be able to ride again. My assigned instructor was great! The horses were well taken care of and the stables and grounds well groomed. Though I did find that at this point horseback riding was not the best move I could make, when the time comes, California Riding Academy is my «go to» barn!

Just getting back into riding and I couldn’t have found a better place. This is a professional barn which knows how to (and wants to!) deal with beginning riders. At the same time, the horses, instructors and facility also can support advanced equitation. Charlotte is such an incredible, warm, and knowledgeable trainer. I am lucky to have found her!