Calico Creek Stables

We visited Calico Creek to do some trail riding on the recommendation of a local. Our visit included full lessons on grooming, saddling, riding commands, all sprinkled through with a good dose of horse psychology. These are not your average sway-​backed nags making the same round day after day. It made us way more confident on the trail and the trails here are just gorgeous. Ronnie, the operator of this stable, is an extremely gifted teacher and she will make you feel at ease in any situation, by giving you the tools you need to feel confident up on the horse. She will size you up and put you on the right horse for you. Regardless of your level of experience, you will have well-​rounded and expert instruction and an unforgettable ride in Red Rocks.

When it came time to find a new barn, I decided to start my search early to carefully weigh the pros/​cons of each barn’s location, amenities, trails, and management. Since I don’t own a trailer, I need to look either on the perimeter of town or in Red Rock so I’d have access to trails right from the barn. This was the first barn I visited and even though I visited 3 barns afterwards, they couldn’t quite measure up to this place. Here are the pros and cons as objectively as I can be and with the knowledge that it is often random luck finding decent horse boarding here in Las Vegas: PROs: picturesque location in Calico Basin/​Red Rock National Park with access to some of the most scenic trails right out the back gate, no busy traffic, over-​size stalls (almost double size compared to others I’ve seen) huge, level arena with lighting and good footing, well fed horses, regular feeding time, high quality hay, supplements given per your instruction, several farriers on regular rotation, quiet and friendly atmosphere, competent and kind management, training, and btw the trainer has given me free & helpful tips without mandating I take a lesson. CONs: it is on the pricier side compared to the average back yard operation, ($ 50 more than my old barn which was outside of Red Rock). No dressage or hunter/​jumper training, no enclosed barn with inside stalls.
I ride both english and western and love trail riding as well as arena work. This was the best of both worlds for me and my 5 yr. old horse. He gained 50+ pounds (much needed) within 2 weeks of moving here and was laying down to sleep in his stall within a week. Within a month of being here and messing around with obstacles set up in the arena, the trainer took us to an ACTHA obstacle event and I won 2^nd place! I expect we’ll be here for quite some time.