BellaMar Training Stables and Riding School, Watsonville

It is a great place where everyone is friendly and will greet you with a smile!

What a great lesson!

I bought this Groupon for my 9 year old daughter because she has wanted to do horseback riding lessons for years. So I called and set up her first lesson and my daughter couldn’t wait! When we got there we thought this was a great place, looked nice and was pretty big. We were greeted and everyone seemed pleasant, they got my daughter ready and they were off. I was a little sad cause they took her to an arena where I couldn’t see her but I wasn’t to upset because I know sometimes it is easier to train without the parents’ right there. After the lesson was over, we made appointments for the next couple lessons. As the third lesson approached I called to confirm the time and I could not get a hold of anyone or get a return call so my husband took her up there at the time I thought it was at (shame on me for not writing them down). It worked out and she was there on time and got to do the lesson. This went on a few times with the phone tag and I had asked if they could give me a call or text with the next few lessons and I didn’t get that info for two weeks. These other minor issues I have mentioned are not the reason I wouldn’t recommend Bella Mar, but it was a little unprofessional. Here is the main reason I would NOT recommend BellaMar Training Stables, on the second to last lesson everything seemed like it went ok. I did however notice they put her on a new horse and in my mind I thought she had graduated from the smaller pony that she had been with all the times before. When we left, my daughter proceeded to tell me she had fallen off the horse (if it was a pony, it’s back was over her head). I, working in an ER, asked her how she fell what she was doing and how it happened. She told me, she was in a run (I do not know the terminology sorry) and was turning, the horse got spooked, and dumped her onto her shoulder. I know how my daughter is and I know she didn’t want to stop the lesson and I’m pretty sure adrenaline was running so nothing fazed her at that moment when she fell. Oh, and please note…this was a new horse/pony to BellaMar so they paired an inexperienced horse/pony with an inexperienced rider! I think it is completely unprofessional, rude, wrong and ignorant that the instructor NEVER told me about the fall!!! It doesn’t matter if it was a small, medium, had or disastrous fall, you tell the parent so they can appropriately watch their child for any symptoms that might come up. As I said before, I work in an ER and I see all things possible. I wouldn’t have rushed her to the ER/doctor that day, but at least I would have known if something little could have progressed into something big. Needless to say, I didn’t return for her final lesson and NEVER got a call from BellaMar to check in with me. I can only assume they feel at fault also. P.S. I want you to know I called one of my friends who is a professional rider and she agreed this was no way for the instructor to handle this and she advised me not to go for the last lesson. I also called two other friends I know who also ride and agreed too.

Staff is really nice and helpful. My girls loved it!