Sarah’s Pony Rides and Trail Rides

Surprised my girlfriend with a date at Sarah’s Stables on a sunny, Saturday afternoon. We booked the noon trail ride, showing up 30 minutes prior to fill out some paperwork. Upon entry, they assigned us horses; I ended up the Texas, a retired showhorse! They had staff assist in mounting the horses, and explained how the reins are used appropriately. Emma, our guide took us for a couple laps to get accustomed to our horses, I loved that there wasn’t much hand holding in the process and we get to go at our own pace, as this was my first time on a horse. Once everyone was comfortable, we went out to the forest trail, where we took an hour scenic and serene stroll. Emma did a wonderful job facilitating and ensuring that other horses didn’t get left behind by slowing the pace when necessary. After the trail ride, they helped us off the horses, and took us for a barn tour, which consisted of the horse stables, llamas, goats, and other small animals you can pet. Overall, we had a great experience and will definitely return next year for another ride —
Best,
Charlie

My boyfriend purchased a private trail ride for me as an anniversary gift. We arrived about half an hour before our ride time, and could tell this place was hopping for a sunday! Ponies and horses everywhere, SO MANY NOSES TO PET! We signed a bunch of waivers and away we went to wait for our horses. My boyfriend got a horse named Sherman, and I got a girl named Madison. I think the private rides are the way to go. It was pretty intimate with just us and a tour guide. No yelling like the other reviews listed, and I find them hard to believe because everyone there was super nice. We were helped on our horses and did a two hour trail. BOY is my butt hurting today! Both horses were super sweet, however Sherman likes to munch! My BF was constantly wrangling him away from leaves and shrubs heeh! Our guide was a nice young girl, she gave us privacy to enjoy nature and did ask is if we were okay from time to time. My horsie was very well behaved, took direction well except… she has ALLERGIES! I’ve never seen a horse sneeze, cough, and wheeze as much as me! We were def kindred allergy suffering souls. I had an awesome time and it was a great surprise. After the ride we got a little tour of the stables where I was able to pet even more horses! And so many ponies! I will def be back to this place for another ride. Its scary at first being that high up, but the horses were so gentle i got over it fast! Thank you Sarah’s for an awesome anniversary gift!

The staff was so incredibly friendly! My daughter is 10 and was scared at the practice. She wanted to get off. One of the staff members offered to walk next to Jessica the entire time to make her comfortable. Half way through the ride my daughter said she was so glad we did this. It is a beautiful ride through the forest preserve. Horses all very gentle. The barn tour after was a great bonus! Thanks so much! We will be back!

I came here on a Sunday morning for a private trail ride with my boyfriend and had a wonderful time. Our guide was lovely and extremely helpful — it was my first time on a horse. I loved the barn tour after the ride. It was great to see all the adorable goats, llamas, ponys & other horses! All in all, a great day!

Sarah’s is a lovely experience for visitors and, I’m happy to say, for the rescued animals that live there. They were more than adequately staffed by people who really love the animals and see to it that customers have a safe and pleasant ride.

So this was my second time riding, since back when I was a kid. My daughter who is 11 yrs — has always talked about wanting to go riding so when I saw a Groupon I figured this would be awesome gift for my daughter’s bday. The day was chilly but tolerable. Check in was pretty smooth — I had to fill out some paperwork and then they told us who were were riding. I got Sherman who was super sweet and easy to handle and my daughter got Taffy. She was quite the snacker! Our guide had to go back and get her back on track a few times but then Taffy knew what was up. The trail was not boring, in fact we saw a few deer on our way back :) We had a few guides and I have to say they were AWESOME. I think her name was Maddie (?) she is a rider and she is the most mature teen I ever met. She was right in front of me on the trail and she was super helpful w. telling us how to veer the horse away from «food» in the side lines. She was very friendly and encouraging. The leader — (I forgot her name) was very vocal and loud with us but she HAD to be. She was not rude or demeaning-​she had to make sure we all heard her instruction, as well as she was checking in on us to make sure we were good and having a good time. These horses were all beautiful and you can tell they are well taken care of here. Oh yea and the trail guide at the end of the line took pics of all of us riding our horses and then text us our pics! Sweet!
After the ride we went into the barn to pet ponies, goats and the other horses. There were sheep and llama’s too.
Overall this was a great experience! We will def be back!

Poor service and boring ride. Don’t wast your time and money.

We bought a groupon for the Petting Zoo Visit and Barn Tour. Got there with the kids, they were so excited to see all the animals. We waited a few minutes… before I go on let me list what the groupon says «Kids tour the barn and visit four indoor petting zoos, with a handful of feed for llamas, ponies, horses, goats, sheep, and chickens».
Just so we are clear, as it reads the kids get to tour the barn AND 4 indoor petting zoos AND feed 6 different animals.
We started the tour, we walked very rapidly through the stables, saw horses, goats, ponies, llamas, sheep, chickens, we were rushed when trying to take pictures with these animals, the kids wanted to pet every one of them… because it’s a petting zoo… they got to pet a few of them. We didn’t get to feed any of them. The tour itself took about 20 minutes, I was expecting a whole afternoon of fun for the kids. The tour guide said «about 2/3’s of the animals are out at petting zoos so it’s kind of empty in here». We made a reservation for this «tour», why accept reservations when you know your barns will be almost empty? Because money that’s why.
We will not be returning, there is a whole trail riding aspect to this place that I cannot comment on, but as far as the groupon petting zoo tour, save your money. We contacted groupon and they happily refunded our money after learning the product was not as advertised.

This was an awesome experience I would do it again in a heartbeat. The barn tour was awesome too. Great people and the horses were just beautiful!

I bought a 10 lesson package here after tried it out for 2 or 3 times. Now the lessons are almost done.
I have been working with Vicky, a lovely girl, for the whole summer. She is really nice and she is also knowledgable about horses. She tries hard to accomodate people’s need about schedule and others. It was really a great experience and I learned a lot over the summer.
The ranch is a big one, with about 20 horses owned by the ranch and another 20 boarding. They also have llamas and donkeys. They have about 10+ people working there and from what i see, it is really well organized.
BTW… The price of the lesson is great compared to other ranches:)

We celebrated my son’s 3^rd birthday with a petting zoo and pony rides. All I can say is WOW! The staff was very accommodating and made the event we hosted run very smoothly. They were on time and even saved some time for my son to have private pony rides for picture time! The guests at the party loved the animals and the set up. They truly made my son’s party special. Highly recommended!

Came here on a weekday, using a Groupon for four. What a great time we had. The horses look very well kept, and the staff was pretty friendly. After, the trail ride, the staff gave us a tour of the barn. The barn was clean, and roomy for the animals. You can tell the animals are well taken care of. The only con is that I wish the trail ride was a little longer seemed more like 40mins than an hour.

I went there yesterday with three pre-​teen girls. Although I have a lot of riding experience, they had none. The staff was kind, upbeat, and made the kids feel confident. The guides were fun and obviously care about the animals. When I mentioned that my horse had been coughing on the ride, the guide knew exactly what I was talking about and showed me all the care and special treatment that Madison the horse receives for her allergies. After the ride we were offered a tour of the stables. Very, very clean, with instructions on each stall about how that particular animal was to be cared for. We will definitely be back!

I hired sarahs ponies for my daughter’s birthday in may. I was super nervous because I had heard they were not the best in communication but I gave them a chance anyway. I had been specifically dealing with a woman named Jodie, who I admit I probably called quit a bit before booking to make sure what was included. I wanted a petting zoo and 2 ponies for 2 hours. The total was 575 and we gave a 300 dollar deposit. I was having the party at a forest preserve and I needed the insurance papers and Jodie kept telling me she would send them but weeks had gone by and i had not heard anytthing and I had to get them in 2 weeks before my event. So I called again and again was told that the insurance forms come in batches our batch was not in and then I was told the Internet was not working. I was getting really nervous cause we were 2 ½ weeks out. When It finally came she was prompt to fax it to me but I also needed an invoice stating what exactly I had rented and it took 3 phone calls and a different person to get that to me. Finally the day of the party. A woman showed we 2 other girls. They immediately started asking my guests for the remaining balance not knowing who the host of the party was. I went to inroduce myself and said my husband would be over in a minute to pay her. She continued remind my guests that we owed money cause I had 5 of my guests come and tell me that the woman with the ponies keeps asking for the balance. My husband went and paid her but needed change and only owed 15 dollars. We Figured It Would Be Ok to give it to her after the party. I guess not cause she then started asking guests who was paying the 15 dollars. I was a apalled! Who does that. I went over and asked if our time was up and she said no so I politely told her that we would give it to her before they left. On top of that the girls running the petting zoo with her, they knew nothing about the animals and they looked like someone was forcing them to be there. The ponies and the petting zoo were a big hit but only because of the animals themselves. The people with them were not friendly or knowledgeable at all. As my husband was getting change, the same woman proceeded to ask my best friend for the balance and so she came and told me. I was so angry. I will rent Ponies AND Petting Zoo Again But Not from them. I feel it was rude to be asking guests for money or even telling them what we owed. If your going to have people work for you they should know about your animals. One girl didn’t know the difference between the duck and a rooster. My 7 yr old nephew had to tell her.

Great trail ride. Trail guides were great and helpful. Will defiantly return. Clean barn with baby petting Zoo animals. Horses well taken care of.

Brought the kids for a ride, we were the first ones of the day. The check in process was smooth and easy. Assigned our horses, also an organized process. Once we were introduced to our guide, the mood seem to change. Our guide was Emma and she seemed annoyed. Was surprised at this as this was the first trip out of the day. I understand that not all riders can manage horses well, but she seemed quite annoyed when a few riders had trouble keeping thier horse in line. Too much yelling on her part and very little positive interactions with the group. My kids are experienced riders so they did not get the brunt of her mood, but at the end of the trail ride our guide turns around and says ‘did everyone have a good time?’ I heard my daughter behind me say. ‘I’m afraid to answer”.
The horses were great, and easy to manage, but could have been a 5 star if our guide was in a better mood.

We came here for a trail ride. It was a lot of fun and very peaceful. The two guides we had were very friendly and knowledgeable. Before the ride started we all got to practice steering inside a little fenced in area. Some places just have you get on the horse and go. This place makes sure you get to ride with the people you came with. I got to ride Dixie who is known for stopping to eat plants. Although she stopped twice I thought she was pretty good throughout the ride. After the ride they do give you a barn tour of all the animals and they let you pet them. They have a good staff member to animal ratio. Everyone there was friendly and helpful. They all seemed like they truly enjoyed being there. I would go back in a heartbeat!!!

We had a really great time here. We had great horses which made the ride easy and relaxing. All of the staff are friendly and helpful. We were given a barn tour after our ride and were able to pet llamas, goats, ponies and all different kinds of horses. It was all around a great experience and would go back again.

Great experience with a bachelorette party private trail ride here! Extremely well organized, wonderful tour guide, and very well behaved horses. The scenery was beautiful and since we were all experienced riders they let us move a bit ;)
Nicest trail riding barn I’ve ever seen. Horses seem happy, heathy, and well kept!
Oh and they decorated the bride’s horse it was freaking adorable!!!

I found myself at Sarah’s with my 9 year old daughter (who is taking riding lessons back home) and 16 year old son for a little family time. My son and I have not ridden before and I was pretty nervous. One of the helpers quickly picked up on my anxiety and offered to walk alongside me on the trail ride. Phew! It was a nice ride through the Forest preserve and all the horses were well behaved. We had a guide at the front and at the back. My daughter was disappointed that her horse was being led by the back guide (the guide had her horse on a leash — for lack of proper terminology). The guide beside me said this was because my daughter’s horse was a slow poke so if he wasn’t being led, he’d be way behind the group.
After the ride we were given a tour of the barn. It’s a nice facility, very well maintained. And it was interesting to hear the stories behind the horses (some were rescues, some have been together for years). Overall it was a nice, calm experience!