Avonlea Farm Riding School

My daughter was gifted a horse ride here by my mum for her birthday. Our daughter has ridden horses weekly for 2 years and as a 6 year old highly autistic child it has one of the very few things she enjoys doing and feels comfortable with and excels at.Given her horseriding history we felt confident she would be ok at Avonlea with both her grandparents there as support. However after a one hour wait and a lost booking, she was already struggling. She was brave and got on the horse for the ride she had been so looking forward to all week though. Then half way through the ride a dog ran across the track and 2 of the horses bucked off 2 children. One was my daughter and one was a younger girl who ended up in hospital. My daughter has become phobic of horses and has panic attacks when we attempt to go to lessons she previously loved with all her heart.We recieved no apology or compensation or even any acknowledgement of wrongdoing.Thankyou for ruining the one thing in life that came easily to our child without even offering her comfort or an apology. We can forgive the horse. It is obviously possible a horse can be spooked (though generally not the ones trained to carry children - they should be well and truly trained to manage a dog), but having two young girls injured and traumatised without ANY acknowledgment is unforgivable. My husband and I are furious and as local hills residents will ensure other families know how dangerous and unprofessional your establishment is.

Worst trail ride I have ever been on. My son (inexperienced) was struggling with his slow horse, the instructor couldn't care less, told him to keep kicking the horse, which is easy if you are a moderately experienced rider, which we explained to the guy my son was not. Finally, when we all stopped to wait for my son, the instructor swapped horses with him, not telling him that the horse he was getting onto, was in fact the opposite of what he had been riding... Disaster, the horse ran off with him and my son couldn't stop it. My son ended up kind of jumping/being thrown off and narrowly missing a huge rock on the trail. After that happened, my son was sore and shaken and obviously upset (great riding experience for him NOT). Then the guy took his horse, and told my son to walk. So I walked my horse slowly with my son following behind me. I would NEVER ever do this again . We rode horses in Jamaica (basically a 3rd world country) and the experience was brilliant. Perth, not so much....

My partner and I went for a 1hour trail ride we bought from Groupon. We went to the new location in Bakers Hill and even if it's a bit far from the city it is really worth the drive! The staff has been super friendly and the horses were really good. :) fantastic experience.

I had some really good and bad experiences.The trail is beautiful and relaxing. I also had times when one of the horses was so incredibly slow and wouldn’t follow the route the instructor led so we changed routes.On the last time I was at Avonlea, it was me and the instructor. The instructor led. I followed. I lost my rhythm in the canter and fell off the horse and landed on my gluts which was lucky. My horse cantered ahead following the instructor and the instructor didn’t hear or notice that I was off the horse.It was still a fall so it took me about 10 minutes before I could get up and still, no sign of the instructor and horse. Still in some pain, I walked ahead and eventually saw my instructor with the 2 horses. He said he didn’t know what to do and was quite concerned so waited there.I got back on my horse and it took me about a couple of months before fully recovering. I think I must have done some damage to the muscle but luckily wasn’t too serious. It was only slight pain that I noticed when I walked.I still think the place can offer great trail riding but I am not sure if the training standards for the instructors are safe enough in my opinion. It was lucky I was just capable of walking ahead after the fall to find the instructor. If I was seriously injured, I’m not sure how long it would have taken for me to get help.

My daughter loved the 1 Day Beach ride she was gifted for her birthday with Avonlea but regular lessons at this school turned out to be a disappointment. The horses are not well kept, some in poor health or condition. The Owner has terrible communication skills and lessons will occasionally finish early for no apparent reason. Any attempt to discuss, well, anything at all with the Owner will be met with rudeness. Glad to say, I did receive a refund but would recommend to others that you tread carefully at Avonlea and don’t leave your children unattended on the premises.

Had a groupon for 2 here. After reading all the horrible reviews had super low expectations, but our ride turned out to be just fine. Very friendly and helpful staff, explained everything to the first-timers. The ride was pretty tame - would have liked more freedom (we were all in a tight line following the guide walking in front. Plenty of time to take in the views and get the horse fed :) the trail was pretty awesome. Overall, a really positive experience. Won't be coming back though just because I prefer more adventurous activities - too tame for me :)

Went on an hour trail ride and it was lovely. Very relaxing, the horses were calm and gentle and suited to beginners. They all looked happy and healthy. The ride was a gentle walk and the two staff members walked on foot to help out. They were both very friendly.As an experienced rider I would next time check which ride I was going on so I could get into a canter! But regardless it was really fun and nice. Would go again for sure!

Great place for young kids. My daughter (4yrs old) and I go on trail rides there all the time. I bought a card of 10 rides and every time we have watched the instructional video on how to mount your horse and what to do while out on the trails. We have had Sarah and Kate as our guides and my daughter absolutely loves them! Some days its busy and the previous trail riders aren't back on time but that just gives my daughter more time to brush down a horse or pat a kangaroo wandering the property. After reading previous reviews about the horses stables i will tell you now that all the horses are worked on daily and have the necessary exercise they require. They even take the horses on 'holidays' every so often where they just get to roam on many acres and laze around all day. if your looking for a relaxed laid back atmosphere with horses who know the trails then Avonlea is the place to go. But if you are looking for something more posh and snooty then go somewhere else. We absolutely love it at Avonlea. They have been nothing but amazing. My friend comes with us and her son is Autistic and Sarah has been fantastic with him. Couldn't ask for anyone better. Thanks Bec, Sarah and Kate for all the hard work you put in. We really appreciate it.

My husband and i took our 7 year old for a ride on the weekend. We thought it was awesome. The trails were lovely out in the bush through creeks , not just down the road and back. It is so close to perth. The girl who took us was so good with our daughter as she was crying at the start. she comforted her and gave her so much praise! thoroughly enjoyable. Just purchased a 10 ride voucher :)

Very poor experience, we purchased tickets through Groupon, the deal says it's a family ride for four, but it's actually a GROUP ride. You have to book months in advance, the deal doesn't specify you have to be 15 minutes prior to ride otherwise you will lose your tickets COMPLETELY! The only thing she tells is that you need to be prior, but no mention of losing tickets if late. We were driving for more than 1 hour and were 5 minutes late on Mother's day due to bad traffic, we saw horses going. Kids were crying, but the owners were tough, no excuse. The owner needs to run the business, that is her priority, not horses, not customers. So be aware.