Carousel Saddlery

The prices are not competitive and the customer service is poor. Beginner or entry level customers are made to feel like a nuisance. We have bought several things there that all turned out to be a disappointment: boots that had a broken zipper after only a few months; pants that shrunk. I highly recommend shopping on the Internet or taking a drive to shop elsewhere.

Rude employees, including the owner. I’ve been here many times over the years ONLY because there is no other tack/​horse apparel store around.
I was a loyal customer. Have bought multiple bridles, boots, helmets, saddle pads, girths, and even saddles from here! But every time I step inside I’ve been uncomfortable, ignored, received rude verbal service and even eye rolls.
Two stars because of beautiful things for sale. But I dread walking inside.

Great local place to get equestrian-​related gear: apparel, boots, accessories, etc. etc. etc. My daughter takes riding lessons so we come here to get whatever gear she needs: protective vest, half chaps, helmet. I don’t know anything when it comes to riding so I rely on the salespeople, who I think are very nice and helpful.

Carousel is an awesome specialty tack & equestrian apparel shop. The owner, Nicole, always has a great selection of the latest and greatest in sportswear and tack, boots and helmets, and everything else a horse enthusiast might need. They’re happy to match prices with the big companies (Dover and SmartPak). I, for one, would much rather spend my money locally, especially since Carousel is of the very few brick-​and-​mortar tack shops left in the Bay Area.
In response to the reviewer who said their dog was attacked by a dog at Carousel, I can say I’ve never experienced any issues with any of their employees’ pups. Although, my rule as a dog owner is not to allow my dog to approach other dogs if we don’t know them, and expect other people to check with me before letting their dogs come up to mine. I think that’s the responsibility of any dog owner; not something that falls on those running a retail establishment.

Great shop with an excellent selection of clothing, equipment and accessories. I was very impressed with the service I received during both of my visits. Lizzie, sales associate, was very knowledgeable and professional during my first visit. She was forthright in telling me the prices and fit of every style of boot and helmet before I tried them on and she didn’t try to upsell me on a more expensive model, but focused on fit and comfort –to me, that is the mark of a classy operation. It’s really nice that they stock quality products at every price point. On my second visit, I brought my husband by and we were helped by Nicole, shop proprietor. She was fantastic and quickly found him the perfect helmet and gloves. My husband commented that the service and selection was very good. I think the highlight of the visit was meeting Wyatt, the most amazing mini Aussie. Looking forward to coming back.

Don’t bother if you are looking for anything western… they will turn their nose up at you

I had a great time here. Walked in the last hour of store hours and wasn’t treated like I was taking up too much time. In fact, I would say it was the opposite.
I wish I came here first, before all the others. I don’t think the prices are higher than the other local saddleries, and one cannot compare them with online prices.

We went in the weekend after thanksgiving to get riding shoes for our son. Considering it wasn’t busy It took us a few minutes to get someone attention to help us. Once we got someone she really didn’t ask question about what we were looking for or needed, my husband made a comment about the riding shoes our son had previously she did say the didn’t carry it but could order it for us. She checked and said it was in stock and we’d have them the following Friday at the lastest. Friday came and went we called Sunday and we were told that the shoes didn’t come in and that they were back ordered til April. We were a little up set because if they’d known that earlier in the week why didn’t we get a call to inform us? She did offer to order another pair of shoes which we were okay with but we wanted to know the ETA or if the could get rushed she said her manger would call me to let me know. Manager called me today let me know the other riding shoes were in stock, when I asked if they could be rushed because the others were back ordered and know called us we had to call them to find out the stays of our order she just said I don’t know if it can be rushed but I’ll place the order. To me there just didn’t seem to be any sense urgency of trying to correct their error in any way and trying to go above and beyond considering we had already paid for the other riding shoes. Needless to say I canceled the order asked to be credited and we will not be going back in the future either. I made my purchase else where and that store even matched their online price too.

Carousel accepted my return of an Ariat boot that had a defect (a little cut or separation) in the sole and could not be repaired. The store exchanged it with a new Ariat boot. I was impressed because, although I’d only worn the boot once or twice, I’d bought it a year earlier.
You can probably find products cheaper online if you know what you’re looking for, but nothing replaces the attention to service of a local retailer.
Be sure to get on their mailing list for the annual fall sale.
The shop is next door to a feed and pet supply store, which is convenient.

Great tack store that carries all the hard to find items for the equestrian world. The staff is super friendly will find you what you need, they can even do some special orders! Carousel is located in the small shopping center in Portola Valley, nice drive down Sand Hill (Portola Road). They carry saddles, supplies, treats, toys, and clothing. Definitely worth checking out!

Very nice and organized, but they do cater to the wealthy in Woodside which means high prices. I use them in a pinch, but almost always shop for all of my tack gear online. Still, Carousel is worth a look.

Unfortunately, they are pretty much the only game in town. We don’t shop there a lot because we don’t own a horse and my daughter is just taking riding lessons so she doesn’t need much. They have a nice beginner package which includes paddock boots, breeches and a helmet, but other brick and mortar and online stores offer the same. The problem I have with this store is that there are perpetually out of stock of lower priced apparel. My daughter needed some new breeches. Of the two pairs I purchased, one was defective. It took over two months to get kid’s size 8 back in stock. They kept telling me a shipment was expected any day. And then, they «lost» my phone number so I never received a call letting me know they had come in. Fortunately, they had one pair left on the shelf. Now we need new boots and, of course, there are none in stock. They are, however, expecting a big shipment this week. We’ll see. ..

This place is way too expensive for what it is. They have beautiful tack and of course everything is fantastic quality — but they don’t take returns and should carry more mid-​range supplies. I’ll be buying from other places from now on.

I visited this place last weekend at the suggestion of the manager at Folger Stables. I am going to start riding again soon and needed some supplies. The young lady who assisted me was very knowledgeable, helpful and about the friendliest person I’ve encountered in a retail store. She helped me choose boots, hat, breeches and gloves. It is a great little store with everything you could possibly need for equestrian sport/​leisure. I also love the handmade handbags they have and the cute scarves and accessories. I will definitely go back there.

Great selection of higher end apparel, tack, etc. They have some beautiful things and I always browse the entire store even if I am there to buy something small. I used to only come here when I needed something right that moment but then I found out they will match online/​catalog prices! I will definitely be in much more often now!

This is a high end tack store, which is why the prices are high. The items are of great quality, those items cost the same in catalogs and online as they do in the store. I love this store. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable (not to mention the Mini Aussie that resides there is absolutely adorable!)
If you are looking for a deal, they have a big Sale every November, I always get lots o really great stuff!

I love this little joint. They have a nice variety of everything horsie, and competitive prices. They were very helpful during my recent search for a used dressage saddle, and while I ended up finding the perfect saddle somewhere else, I could tell they just wanted the best for me, and held no resentment toward my elsewhere purchase. Which is why I went back and bought the most awesome boots I have ever owned from them. If you want incredible show boots, custom fit, this is the place. I had my heart set on a pair of Volants, by Ariat, and they had them waiting for me when I got to the shop. Nice selection of tops and bottoms, and socks, socks, socks. Also, there is a great feed store a couple of doors down. Great service, good prices, nice selection (for a small tack shop). What more do you want in your backyard?

A very nice saddlery in beautiful Portola Valley. They have a good selection and last time I was there they had a ton of breeches on sale. Prices are what you’d expect for a tack store in the area — more expensive than online, but if you factor in shipping it works out to be about the same and gives you the convenience of seeing things before you buy.
Minus one star because their website hasn’t been updated in over 2 years, which led me to even wonder if they were still open before I came out here. I also emailed them about a saddle I was looking for and while they did respond, it took 2 weeks (at which point I had already gone elsewhere for it.)

Reading the other reviews, I agree the prices are at the high end but this is an English tack store in Portola Valley so is anyone surprised?
What they lacks in steals, they make up for in customer service. I went to check on my saddles on consignment, and purchase a new pair of SSG gloves and spurs. While they don’t carry SSG gloves, they do offer a different brand which I love. I never take these gloves off. She also suggested a leather conditioner for my new saddle which leaves the leather soft and supple. She knows her stuff.
And the most important thing, a few weeks later she called me to let me know they sold one of my saddles for close to asking price, with no hassle. All in all, a great place to sell a saddle and learn about new products.

This is a great little business in the heart of PV/​Woodside. They have a great selection of modern English horse attire, as well as a decent selection of tack. The Owner, and all of her staff, are very helpful, friendly, and pleasant. If they don’t have what you are looking for, or your size, they will place and order for you and call you when it has arrived in their store. The have a great selection of ready to wear and also custom boots. Their horse knowledge is pretty good as well so if you are shopping for your horse, and not yourself, they can answer most questions.
The owners little dog, Wyatt, is a store hit and my little dogs enjoy playing with him while I shop! This is a gem of a little business. Stop shopping on-​line at Dover and play homage to your local small business. It may cost a couple bucks more, but if you have enough $$$$ to own a sport horse then you surely have a couple extra bucks to spend at Carousel!