Mill Creek Equestrian Center

Had some really great private lessons with Vivian Hall so far! She’s been great. I like that she supports my style of riding whilst offering me consistent feedback about the same topics each time we meet and delivers it in a way that an adult returning to mount understands vs feeling like you are being taught as a child, because it is different. Vivian relates my riding to her previous riding exp, thus making her not feel like a traditional detached riding instructor to me and that has been very helpful so far in making for a conducive learning environment for me. Also if the barn office has a glitch (it happens at barns) they take responsibility vs «that’s just the way it is, deal with it» attitude towards students that can be typical at barns. The group lesson schedule has many options for adult and children riders of different levels separate which is another reason I began lessoning here as well! Even the woman who gets the lesson horses ready is always really sweet!

Love riding here. The only place for night lessons so if you work and have a riding addiction this is definitely place to go, plus Vivian makes it super fun. If you’re seriously competitive riding with Cory, the owner, is the way to go and will definitely push you to be your best, but shes brutally honest sometimes, so if your a sensitive person you might want to pick one of the other trainers instead.
As far as prices go you get what you pay for, its not the cheapest but definitely reasonable considering the quality of the facility, trainers, and school horses.

This equestrian center is a wonderful place to ride. The grounds are beautiful, surrounded by beautiful trees and the horses are great. The atmosphere is relaxed yet professional– it’s fun to see riders and instructors dressed in English equestrian riding oufits.
I have been to two other riding schools but now I have made Mill Creek Equestrian Center my place to learn. The point of difference for me is the instructors. They are all nice and most importantly, very knowledgeable. My instructor is McKenzie. I can count on her for giving me honest & thorough feedback while encouraging me to be a better rider. Although I won’t probably compete, I still want the best training — I feel I get this at Mill Creek and with McKenzie!

I am SO happy to have found Mill Creek! It doesn’t get better than this in the LA area. It brings me so much joy, and if you love horses, I highly recommend you try it. Now brace yourself, this is going to be long…
I’ve been riding (English, Western, hunter/​jumper, dressage, eventing) since I was 8 or 9 years old growing up in Vancouver BC. My barn there was a lifetime favorite, just like what little girls read about in horse books growing up (anybody else read Saddle Club/​Thoroughbred/​etc?). Since then, I’ve ridden at a variety of boarding/​training/​show barns in Northern and Southern California, and Mill Creek is the only one that has once again given me that feeling. It’s a great sized facility, small enough that everyone knows each other’s names and horses, but big enough that they’re welcoming to newcomers and have multiple lovely arenas (with great jumps, lights, mirrors, etc) and big comfy barns full of gorgeous horsey eye-​candy.
I can honestly say I’ve never seen this quality of riding program presented in such an unpretentious manner. To be frank, when you have high-​quality riders and expensive horses, there’s usually a lot of attitude, ego, and condescending behavior, especially toward those who haven’t reached/can’t afford that level of involvement. At Mill Creek, they manage to keep that stuff to a minimum. Nobody gets to just show up and ride; you learn about grooming, saddling, and proper care for the wonderful school horses they have. As long as it’s safe for you and the horse, the staff expects and supervises you doing this as much as possible. (This is at stark contrast to a barn in Burbank where I rode for a trainer exercising horses — students showed up to find their horses tacked and warmed up (and maybe even tranquilized), which takes a lot of the fun out, as well as the lessons of responsibility for children.) They do expect you to invest in some riding clothes and a few private lessons to start out, but this is important to maintaining a quality experience for you and others, especially in group lessons. The groups are usually well-​coordinated in terms of a lesson plan and everyone’s riding level, and it’s a great group of people you’ll enjoy seeing every week. Most trainers and riders are super supportive and give great constructive, positive feedback. (That said, if you find a trainer you don’t click with, avoid them and pick one of the other great options!)
Now for a little praise specifically for Vivian’s jumping lessons — one of my favorite experiences in all my years of riding! She gives the kind of easy-​to-​digest corrections and instructions that make you feel like you learn and improve EVERY SINGLE lesson, with different courses, fences, and things to work on each time. During high school, I owned a Thoroughbred jumper and rode daily, but had to sell him and rode significantly less during college and grad school. That 7-​year lull (coupled with a riding accident and broken collarbone in college) had me starting out feeling pretty shaky when I rejoined the horse world this spring. In just 3 – 4 months, I feel well on my way to being back to my best form, gaining back the confidence and skill (not to mention muscle tone) I’d lost. Not there quite yet, but I feel and see improvements not only in myself, but in my friends and lesson-​mates, so I know it’s working! For this fantastic weekly experience (exercise/​stress relief/​therapy/​adventure), I’m paying what I paid the trainer I rode with in high school, and that was on my own horse, so Mill Creek gives a fair deal on instruction with the use of lovely, well-​trained horses and ponies. Plus, I consider Vivian’s caring personality and hilarious sense of humor a freebie :)
Bonus points: clean bathrooms, plenty of parking, convenient hours, cheap vending machine for drinks/​snacks

I’ve been riding here for about 3 years now and I can’t recommend it enough! The instructors are knowledgable and give you the corrections you need (without the yelling and screaming I’ve experienced at other riding schools). The school horses are great, with plenty of experience to accommodate varying riding levels and personalities.
Mill Creek does a fantastic job at teaching quality riding without too much pressure. If you’re an advanced rider who strives for perfection, experienced instructors are there for you. If you’re a beginning rider who’s just getting started or getting more into it, they have kind instructors and well-​trained horses for you. Either way, MC teaches good, solid riding skills and you will improve — quickly!
You should know: Budget for a few private lessons first. They’re required the first few times you visit, until your riding level is evaluated and a group lesson schedule can be recommended.

Mill Creek is the best! I rode with Corey (the owner) back in the early 2000’s before moving back east. Upon moving back to CA I returned to MC and have now been riding with Vivian primarily and Karene occasionally. I ride hunter/​jumpers and the quality of lesson horses is fantastic. The horses are extremely well cared for and the instructors fantastic. There are different instructors as well, so you can find the one that gets the best out of you as a rider. I love my time in the Canyon with my friends at Mill Creek.

Came here about 6 months ago in 2011 and can tell you that will try to scam you into taking lessons with inexperienced teachers.
You do not want ride their school horses unless you’re an absolute beginner.
You have much better choices in the area, don’t waste your time and money if you want an enjoyable experience or if you’re serious about riding

Taking lessons here thru UCLA. Very well run school.

Mill Creek has an excellent facility and they whip out riding champions left and right. I used to jump when I was younger (grade school to highschool) and at 25 I started it back again. The office staff is super nice, and my two instructors were awesome! I took most of my lessons with Vivian, she is totally sweet and really cool, laid-​back and very patient and has a great sense of humor. Sandi is equally fun and cool.
The horses are great and well-​trained, and the facility is superb. There’s 4 main arenas: 1 competition jumping ring, 1 lower-​level jumping arena, an Olympic dressage arena with mirrors, and a smaller ring. Three of these are lighted. They also have plenty of riding trails.

This is a magical location for taking riding lessons. Unfortunately, I had some horrid teachers (the kind that would humiliate you in front of other students). Hopefully they have a better staff now.