I always imagined the day when I would own my own horse. When I was 8 years old, my parents decided that it was time for me to take my first step towards that dream. I had thought that riding would... More

I always imagined the day when I would own my own horse. When I was 8 years old, my parents decided that it was time for me to take my first step towards that dream. I had thought that riding would come magically to me and I would be galloping in green fields within a couple of days...Sheryl was quick to ground me from my mislead hallucinations. She taught me the execution and precision needed for my chosen activity. She taught me how to handle myself when the situation wasn't going as planned, and she taught me the art of self reliance. After 3 years of riding, I decided I needed more than just riding. I wanted to learn how to take care of the horses, and what running a barn entailed. I began my volunteer work at Creekside when I was 12 years old. Once again I was shocked at the hard work that was required. After my first day of volunteer work, my mom picked me up and on the 7 minute drive home, I fell right to sleep! It was the most fun I had ever had! I have since worked at Creekside for the past 5 years and it has become more than just a barn to me. Creekside is my home and all of the people that go there are my second family. Sheryl became a mom to me and I have become her daughter. This past summer was the hardest of my life. My parents, my siblings, and I moved over the summer and I had to leave Creekside and my second family behind. Of course, just because I moved doesn't mean that Sheryl isn't still looking out for me in every way she can. After moving, my parents finally agreed to let me get a horse of my own. I enlisted the help of my forever instructor to choose a horse. She took matters into her own hands and called the owners of the horse I was looking at and told my parents to get me that horse. They did and my dream became a reality. I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for Sheryl and her many lessons. She goes beyond teaching her students, she truly cares about their best interest. She is the strongest woman I have ever met and I have learned more from her then anyone.
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I've boarded my horse at Creekside for over a year now and have been taking lessons there for almost two years. Sheryl is an excellent teacher and will teach practical lessons on how to ride or will... More

I've boarded my horse at Creekside for over a year now and have been taking lessons there for almost two years. Sheryl is an excellent teacher and will teach practical lessons on how to ride or will train students to go all the way to showing and eventing. The full-care of the boarding horses is professional and reliable and my horse is very happy there and I feel good about having her there. Some of the boarders have had their horses there upwards of 10+ years and that speaks volumes about the quality. Volunteering for horse rescues, I've seen far too many barns in the region neglect or abuse their boarded horses to the point of criminal prosecution. So, I value a stable where I can go out of town for a few weeks and be confident my horse is getting excellent care even without my oversight.
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I got an email ping asking if I'd been back and still liked it. We have, and we do - even more so, having seen more of what's around, and having spent more time under Sheryl's... More

I got an email ping asking if I'd been back and still liked it. We have, and we do - even more so, having seen more of what's around, and having spent more time under Sheryl's instruction. This would also be an excellent solution if you have kids asking about a horse. Sheryl seems to do a great job of balancing the fun parts of being around horses with a realistic taste of the work and responsibilities involved, for those who want to do that. I'm sure it's a much cheaper way of letting them be horse crazy than buying one! And although she has fun events and show days once in a while, it's definitely not a place where they'll feel pressure to have ever newer and more expensive tack, trips and extras. Sheryl gets it real, down to earth and friendly: it's definitely more Barn than Bellevue Mall! Great value, people that we like and trust, and a great way to stay in practice and improve our skills and safety. We'll be loyal students for a long while, I think.
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Sheryl Butler owns the stables and teaches all the classes herself. She seems to do a great job with kids, and is certainly one of the best instructors I've ever had. (My wife and I used to learn in... More

Sheryl Butler owns the stables and teaches all the classes herself. She seems to do a great job with kids, and is certainly one of the best instructors I've ever had. (My wife and I used to learn in and around London - we've been enjoying lessons every week since 1994, and have been taught by Sheryl since 1998.) The stables are friendly and simple. We don't like a lot of the airs and attitude that came with some of the posher-looking centers we visited - we're more interested in how well the horses are cared for, and the quality and safety of the horses and instruction we get. Sheryl doesn't do trail rides - all instruction is either in the big covered arena, or out in the jumping fields. She does provide livery, if you have your own horse - we don't, but the owners there would be happy to talk to you, I'm sure. (We prefer to spend our money on riding vacations!) If you're any kind of rider, thinking about learning, or like the idea of just being able to ride reasonably well and safely on a vacation, I can recommend Sheryl wholeheartedly. (Just don't be put off if she doesn't answer the phone - she's probably teaching!)
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