Forest Lake Riding School

Terrible toxic woman running this establishment. Safety equipment had cobwebs in it, paperwork not even looked at, trainer screamed at our 9 and 10 year old daughters for not riding wide enough around a course on their first time. Choice quotes from her included “your skinny arm might get ripped off” and “stab yourself in the roof of your mouth with a fork when you get home”. Children bawling their eyes out as we fled the scene and demanded a refund for the remaining 2 lessons. There are other riding schools out there!

Fantastic classes. The horses are beautifully healthy, and the lessons are designed to help riders achieve their riding goals. The classes are reasonable priced. Very close to where I live, which makes it convenient to go to after work.

These poor ponies are worked far too hard, they aren't given time off to recuperate when needed & the grounds need attention!..The ponies conditions/health & state of minds should realistically be investigated by Authorities.Lynette is a bossy, money hungry, bully who puts riders on ponies they nor wish or are capable of riding; this in-turn obviously ruins a rider's confidence & sadly gives the impression all 'Instructors' treat their clients/horses this way. One star is too high a rating

I wish I could give 0 stars, my experience was nothing less than traumatising.The facility and owner breach various health, safety and welfare regulations; including both horse and human.All the school horses come with their problems, most of which are due to terrible schooling from the owner Lynette or a completely negligence. Most horses are severely overworked. They often go hours without any water, being fully tacked up and unable to graze (the said grass is regularly poisoned and people are yelled at if the horses eat any grass).The horses are also constantly stressed, meaning that riding is nearly impossible as the horses regularly buck, bite others in lessons and kick out. People have sustained serious injuries and hospitalisations due to this, and the owner does not do anything to address the issue nor does she find anything wrong with their behaviour. The owner also forces crying children back onto horses that have bucked them off, with the threat that if they do not get back on, they will not be allowed to ride her horses ever again — I would not recommend sending your child to this riding school if you want them to retain any sense of confidence around horses.I have also seen Lynette (the owner) yell and belittle those around her. She is bossy, money hungry and a bully. She certainly should not be working with animals, children or disabled people. Her business practices needs to be investigated by animal welfare authorities.

We have been with Forest Lake Riding School for over 2 years now. We find Lynette to be a very confident and experienced tutor and my daughter loves her riding lessons.

I had a terrible experience with the owner. At first she seemed appropriate, however, the more I rode with her the more she would pressurise me and push me into things I clearly said I wasn’t comfortable doing. Furthermore, they weren’t standard riding school procedures. She would also threaten me regarding my position/riding level in the riding school and would scream at me using swear words when I had made a mistake or didn’t attempt something at a certain level. 100% would not recommend to anyone who values their mental health and doesn’t want to lose their confidence riding.

A great place for first time and experienced riders alike. Great instructors and wonderfully calm natured horses. Highly recommend.As an experienced rider, those who criticize the instructors clearly have no understanding of what has to be done when handling horses, and if the rider is not instructed appropriately and somebody falls off and gets hurt you have a lot more to whinge and wine about then. This is a great place. I have no affiliation or connection with the owner or property by the way

I started riding again after nearly 20 years. I had issues with Anxiety and Depression and wanted to give equine therapy a go. The owner/riding instructor was amazing. Doesn't beat around the bush and is straight up but also very empathetic, professional and caring. Absolutely recommend for anyone wanting to ride for pleasure, schooling or training.