Piedmont Stables

I love Piedmont stables! My friend Barbara runs the therapeutic riding program and Piedmont is the perfect location. It’s very peaceful and perfect for trail riders, as the arenas are quite small. The horses all look happy and well fed.

I’ve been very disappointed in Piedmont Stables. What started out as a wonderful experience through Groupon turned very sour when my instructor quit or was fired. Suddenly my lessons were rescheduled for inconvenient times. My new instructor did not show up for our first lesson together, but Piedmont Stables blamed the former employee, refusing to take responsibility for their own schedule.
The next time I met with my new instructor, she had brought up a pony, expecting me to be a child. I had filed out forms with the stables that clearly indicate I am 45, and when I spoke with the stables regarding the rescheduling I had again mentioned my age. At the lesson, I told the instructor that I wasn’t feeling well and could not trot that day, but was pressured to do so anyway. I got sick and had to stop halfway through the lesson.
I wanted to cancel my next lesson just 2 days later because I still wasn’t feeling well, but it had to be pressed into the month inconveniently because the stables has a rule that any lesson rescheduled, even if it was because their instructor didn’t show up, has to be done within the month. At $ 50 a lesson, we can’t really give that up. Again I got sick and had to quit halfway through the lesson.
It should also be noted that lessons are by the month, and I usually had my lessons on Monday. There happened to be 5 Mondays in July. At the last minute, I was told my lesson on the last Monday was cancelled because I wasn’t supposed to get 5 in a month. Kind of rude. If you sign up with the stables, make sure you get your extra lesson in a short month.
At the same time, I was being harassed by email that I had not paid for the next month, even though my husband had paid more than a month early and had even emailed the stables a copy of the credit card receipt. Finally my husband called the owner, who apologized for all the problems and promised that I would get 2 comped lessons, which I could schedule in the next 2 months without pressure.
Just a few days later, she withdrew the offer, saying I had not disclosed that I suffer from Crohn’s disease, even though she knew it when she spoke to my husband, who had not mentioned it. Further, I had told both my old and new instructors I had Crohn’s. But my disease was not responsible for their scheduling problems or instructor being unprepared and failing to listen to my limitations. Anyone can have an upset stomach and not be able to trot on a particular day. Having a disease shouldn’t be an excuse for the owner to go back on her word to comp me 2 lessons. It would go a long way to keeping a student, good will, and good word of mouth recommendations.

This not your state-​of-​the-​art, high level training, snooty aristocratic barn. There is no lit covered arena that is maintained to be safe for $ 100K horses in torrential rain and wind. You are not going to receive structured lessons.
But do you know your horse well? Do you want to board at a barn with cool people and amazing trails? Do you want to make friends who will help you out if you need it?
This barn is warm, comfy, and enviting. Full of real warm people who love their horses. The barn has a classic feel having been built in the 20’s. Most people here seem to trail ride when the weather permits and exercise in the indoor turnout during other times. If you want your horse to be trained or take lessons you will have to go up the road or trailer your horse somewhere else. There is an outdoor arena that is not lit that can be used in the warmer months.
There is a disabled riding therapy group that boards it’s horses here. Orlando lives on site and genuinely loves his job and the horses. The community is supportive, but I would not suggest this place for those who do not know anything about horses because it is very free form and you must be responsible pretty much entirely for your horse’s care.
I really love coming here to volunteer my time having previously been a competitive rider because it is so relaxing. It’s all about loving the animal.