New York Equestrian Center — Attraction in Town of Hempstead

I had such a wonderful experience riding with the horses at New York Equestrian Center in West Hempstead. My bf got me with trail riding package for my birthday. What was awesome was it was just the two of us and one trainer. So it was romantic, private, and I didn't have to be nervous around other people who might be way more experienced. I forgot the girls name that took us around, but she was very thoughtful and mindful that both of us hadn't ridden real horses before. I had Gilligan, He had splash. Gilligan was awesome for beginners. Very easy to command. Any little tug on the reign to say left, right , or stop, and his response was effortless. Gave me no trouble at all. He was a good confidence builder. At the beginning of the trail he saw the trainer on jigsaw gallop alittle and Gilligan wanted to follow and trot. a quick tug and he was back to just a slow walk. Honestly, it scared me a bit. But the trainer explained that Gilligan is a follower and automatically mimics the horses ahead of him. Once i knew this, I realize if she got a quick step, prepare for a quick skip. By the time the trail was almost over, i let him lag alittle, then trot to catch up and he was a beauty to ride. It was effortless, like i had done it for years. Splash (the horse my bf was ridding) had a bit more energy and was a bit more anxious. The trainer walked him off for a bit before the ride, but it really wasnt until about 10 mins into the trail did i see that horse really calm down. Not fully the horses fault. i could see my BF (good sport he was) was nervous himself, and the horse was mimicking his own emotions. once he relaxed, they both were able to walk the trail and really enjoy the time. So thats really an important point to note if you are new: relax and dont dig your heels into the horse. Trust them. They know what they are doing. One note: to the trainer: need to speak up when trying to give commands or explain how to ride properly. it was hard for me to hear in the back at times. Luckily, Gilligan was able to show me with his body when he needed from me as a rider.

Note to people who have negative comments about this place: Everyone here was friendly. After the trail we got to walk freely in the stables, meet the other horses, and the riders. Everyone was busy with something.... feeding, cleaning. Horses were being tend to and no one seemed ignored. There is even a goat who was very affectionate to us (but mind you he is powerful, so its not a little kid petting zoo). But anytime you walked to another stall, someone was always coming up, giving some insight to the horse, what type, experience level, or a cute story about them. Very very friendly staff. Very friendly animals. No one looked sick. No stall was filthy. Place was busy without being overly crowded. The horses all seemed happy and curious to see new faces at the stall that they walk right over. I'd do this again in a heartbeat. ..just wish the saddle was a bit more...

(Long review but very important, we had a dangerous ride! Please read!) Horrible experience at this stable. At first I was really impressed with the stable itself, stalls were clean horses seem happy and taken care of well. One member of our group had never been on a horse so we were going to take it nice and easy on the trail ....or so we were told. On the trail our guide asks us if we want to try trotting. We all agree and trotted a bit which was fun! We ended up trotting a pretty long distance and ended up going on a longer trail than we should have. On the way back our trot somehow turned into all of us cantering and one horse behind me went into a gallop, throwing the rider off and then it took off! My horse spooked at this and ended up taking me off the trail into the bushes no matter how hard I pulled on the reins to get him back to the path. My horse got tangled in some vines and it was just a very scary experience. The rider that got thrown was luckily ok and able to get back on the horse to walk back to the stables. THE REST OF THE RIDE THE TRAIL GUIDE BEGGED US NOT TO TELL THE BOSS! “What happens on the trail stays on the trail” “please don’t say anything we weren’t suppose to trot or canter and we weren’t suppose to be on this trail because it’s a longer one”. Got back to the stable and took pictures with the horses and the horse that threw it’s rider nipped my arm when I was next to it. Couldn’t get out of that place fast enough and will never return.

I left and didn’t say anything because I just wanted to leave but ultimately decided to write this bc I wouldn’t want anyone (especially a child) to get hurt. This could have been a freak accident, at the end of the day they are animals and can be unpredictable. HOWEVER, it is the responsibility of the trail guides and employees to ensure the safety of the riders, if we aren’t allowed to canter then don’t have the horses canter. If there is a temperamental horse then warn the rider and make sure they are experienced riders and comfortable being on a more challenging horse.

I’m not looking to get anyone fired which is why I’m not mentioning names and using an old google account to be anonymous. But I hope this makes it way to the owners and management and they speak to all trail guides to make sure everyone follows the rules and keeps paying customers as safe...

NYEC is a wonderful barn for adult riders as well as children, and accessible from New York City (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn) by train! I would recommend NYEC to anyone who is looking for an active, fun barn, with engaged trainers and great horses!

As an adult living in New York City looking to make that childhood dream of horseback riding finally happen, NYEC has been a god-send. I searched far and wide for a place I could ride horses as an adult. And, as if finding a barn with adult friendly trainers and horses wasn’t challenging enough, I also am a true New Yorker in that I don’t have a car, so it also had to add be accessible by public transportation.

I tried some of the municipal stables, and without even going into the conditions of some of them, the horses for adults were really more like ponies and not suitable for a 5’8 adult to be riding and limited in their schooling. Plus, despite being in NYC itself, lot of them were not all that easy to get to.

But then I found NYEC. It was a short train ride on the LIRR, it has well managed and maintained facilities, proper school horses with a range of capabilities depending on rider level, and experienced instructors with the ability to teach adults.

I have been riding at NYEC for two years now and I still feel that way. My instructor, Alex, has been a wonderful teacher. She consistently provides great feedback and guidance, always finding the right balance of toughness versus encouragement(not an easy thing to do with horseback riding!).

Additionally, the barn manager and all trainers on site are extremely helpful and there is a clear priority placed on safety by everyone in the ring, for both the students and horses.

Finally, for those looking for a place for their child to ride, NYEC seems like a pretty great place for children as well. I can’t speak as a parent, nor do I have an idea of what goals they might have, but just from observing, all the young riders seem happy and engaged. Seeing the pack of camp kids or the young volunteers happily going about tacking horses makes me think that this would be a place I would have liked to learn in when I was their...