Hampden Equestrian Ctr

I think this boarding place is good. The location is convenient and close in. Bear Creek Green Belt is close so you can trail ride if you want. There is a large outdoor arena and an indoor arena for when it is cold. 90% of the boarders have been here for 5+years and it is a good group of friendly people. We ride and show together at local shows which is very fun. The feed is nice and the waterers are always clean (for some reason my horse just loves to poop in them, but the owners pay attention and clean it). The owners are friendly and are attentive to all the horses on the property. The horses are good weight and happy :) more

The other reviews are correct that there are endless rules at this place- it is so unwelcoming because you feel like every move you or your horse makes is policed. Several time, when I arrived at feeding time I would find my horse unfeed. It happend more than I was comfortable with for it to be just an ""oops"". The want to charge you for everything. Including general wear that comes with a horse. Instead of fixing the poor drainage in the runs, they insist you do it yourself and charge for use of dirt or make you you bring your own. It is not a welcoming place, and you never see people out mingling and riding together. the unfriendly nature of this barn made it difficult to go and visit my horse. People do come and go quickly, both in time spend visiting their horse (most are in and out with only enough time to clean their stall) and in time spend boarding at this stable, which says a lot about the place. The turn out is extremely poor. The so-called turn out pens are smaller than the acutal stalls. the stalls are unsafe with sharpe wire and screws sticking out. Keep your distance. more

I love it there. You cannot ask for better people! They really care about you and your horse. Jackie is great. She is very good with the horses. They keep all of the horses healthy. When my horse first got there he was very under weight. Within a month he was looking 100% better. I could not have asked for a better place. more

The stalls are kept clean and if there is something amiss with your horse they will call. Their feeding program is nice, too. They also have nice outdoor and indoor arenas. However, the price they are charging for board is not worth just having clean stalls, good feed and an eye kept on your horse. These are all things that should be done at a full care facility anyway, in my opinion. ------- As the farm is only on five or so acres and they have around 30 horses on the property, there isn't adequate turnout. There are a few 12' x 12' pens and two larger (think round pen sized) pens for ""turnout."" The only decent space to turn your horse out to actually have room to run is in the arenas, which is not allowed. If you have them turnout your horse it is $5/day for two to three hours. Blanketing is $45/month. For the cheapest stall, blanketing and daily turnout the monthly board comes to $595! ------- Most of their stalls have mesh fronts with sharp edges protruding. The run s are in need of new footing/deep cleaning, as manure and urine are currently the base. The fencing is questionable in a few of the ""turnout"" pens, as well. ------- There were one or two boarders that were very friendly, but the rest wouldn't even acknowledge me. Mostly, I felt uncomfortable while at the barn and didn't enjoy going out. -------- I am personally not a fan of barn hours (theirs are 730am-8pm and they are closed on Christmas). I feel if I'm paying almost $600 I should be able to see my horse whenever I please - not that I would go in the middle of the night, but certainly closing at 8pm is a little restrictive to those who work and have families. ------- I had no real experience with the trainer, Jackie Bell, other than she is who charges extra for the turnout and blanketing. ------- Compared to what is available, for around the same price, at other nearby facilities, Hampden Equestrian Center isn't worth the money. They didn't use the space they have very well, but did manage to cram as many horses as possible on it. Pros: Keep stalls clean, keep eye on horses, have good feed/hay Cons: No turnout, too many horses, over priced, lots of extra fees more

I had the same experience steveatus had. The instructor, Jackie Bell, NEVER returns phone calls, and is very difficult to reach. It is a mystery to me how she manages to stay in business, the way she treats her (prospective) clients. more

I am very happy with coming to Hampden Equestrian Center. The owners and staff are very nice and helpful. I think they go above and beyond. more

I've been riding horses for years, and recently decided to switch from western style riding to English. When I contacted the Hampden Equestrian Center, they were more than nice when I was setting up a schedule for riding lessons.The staff is very personable and easy to deal with, it is a very pleasant place to ride. more

I posted a previous negative comment about not returning calls. After a couple of years, I saw a sign for Summer Equestrian Camps. So, I thought my daughter would really enjoy that. Same experience as last time - call them up and they never bother to return the call. They must have be overwhelmed with business, since they don't try hard to get any new customers. A return phone call doesn't take a lot of effort. Pros: Convenient Location Cons: Poor Customer Service more