Things to Do in Simi Valley

As owner and wrangler-in-chief at Westside Riding School, Dorte Lindegaard guides horseback expeditions and riding lessons across 180 acres of panorama-filled paths in Will Rogers State Historic Park. Trail rides depart from Jimmy's Barn and plod up mountain trails in pursuit of Inspiration Point, where riders experience spectacular views of the Los Angeles basin, the Pacific Ocean, and Catalina Island. Upon finishing the 2-mile trek and nailing their dismount, riders can visit the Will Rogers ranch house, where the celebrated humorist, actor, and horse whisperer lived with his family and talked shop with Kentucky Derby winners over gourmet oats and champagne troughs.

As the inventor of the Swing Thing training aid, PGA professional Dennis Dawson often uses the device during lessons to correct imbalanced swing mechanics and develop consistent, successful swings. Drawing on 35 years of instruction, Dennis focuses on the fundamentals of a fluid swinging motion, particularly the importance of spinal angle, balance, and a follow-through that includes a seamless pirouette. While students hit shots during a lesson, Dennis diagnoses particular maladies responsible for undesirable flight patterns. Students first practice swinging without the ball or a caddy on their shoulders to get a feel for correct mechanics and then repeat the motion until proper form is built into muscle memory.

Nestled at the edge of the Santa Monica mountains, Park Place Stable’s 1,000-acre ranch is crisscrossed with horseback trails that promise views of the Pacific from the vantage point of rolling foothills. During trail rides, even-tempered horses transport riders across myriad canyons and valleys, with the ocean breeze wafting in from the distance, mountains rising majestically toward the stratosphere, and steeds softly humming the theme from the Lone Ranger.

The frosty rinks at Iceoplex have supported the arabesques of professional figure skaters and served as the backdrop in feature films. During public skating hours, though, anyone can stop by for a glide on the ice. Visitors can rent hockey or figure skates for the day, hold events in heated party rooms, or play games in the video arcade. Beginning skaters can attend skating school or take hockey lessons.

Adopting the revolutionary SPX workout regimen designed by international fitness trainer Sebastien Lagree, a team of impassioned instructors—led by Carron Meltz, who was certified by Lagree himself—combines the core-bolstering principles of Pilates with intense cardio and strength-training techniques. In these signature SPX courses, participants learn to utilize low-slung proformer machines, floor-based contraptions consisting of springs and bands, to generate resistance and increase their heart rates with traditional, muscle-toning Pilates moves. These sessions aim to safely strengthen limbs and cores without putting any undue stress on joints or cleverly disguised porcelain limbs. Although the SPX regimens are the bedrock of their work, the team also teaches sweat-inducing cycling classes and suspension workouts.

Perched amid the Santa Monica Mountains since 1977, Malibu Golf Club welcomes players to its hilly hideaway with a William Francis Bell layout that hearkens back to course design of the early 20th century. Golfers sling their tee shots down slender fairways wedged into the bottoms of tight, heavily wooded ravines, leaving little room for error when hitting off the tee or using the ravine as a golf-cart halfpipe. Treacherous though it is, only twice does the course's difficulty arise from water hazards: the par-3 seventh hole's 194-yard tee shot runs entirely over water, and the par-4 ninth calls for a heroic, aqua-laden approach.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course
• Total length of 6,614 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 72.6 from the back tees
• Course slope of 132 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard