Marmon Valley Farm — Local services in Jefferson Township

I brought my kids here for a trail ride while visiting my MIL in Columbus. Number 1, it's incredibly easy to find -- right off the highway, but not too close to the highway. Number 2, the trail ride was fantastic! We started off with a little warm up in the ring to practice steering skills. I was with my 10 year old, who has taken a few riding lessons, and my 7 year old, who was taking her first ever ride on a horse. They choose the horse for you based on your riding experience, and asked my 7 year old daughter if she'd prefer a pony, but she went with the horse. The trail through the woods was a little more than just a simple walk -- up and down steep hills through mud and varied terrain, peaking up at the top with a beautiful view of the valley and highway. The instructors with us were very helpful -- offering riding tips as we went along, and catching my son's horse when she tried to go down the wrong trail. It was a great experience! Number 3, after our trail ride we hung out around the farm -- there is so much to do! Hobby horses to ride, kittens to hold (or adopt if you want!), chickens to feed, a llama to see, bunnies to hold (I think these may also be for adoption), miniature goats, hay maze -- all sorts of things to do. There was a camp running while we were there and the little campers were super friendly and seemed so familiar with the animals and area. Overall, our visit far exceeded my expectations when I thought we were just coming for...

My daughter and I visited Marmon Valley for the first time this past weekend for the Mother/Daughter Retreat. Saturday morning, we had our horses picked and ready to go… long story short- my horse was a big boy and a little grumpy that morning. I mounted him and had a hard time controlling him as he was a bit antsy. My daughter was crying shortly thereafter because my horse was so big (and my inability to control him) and her lack of experience as well… she is 8. She didn’t want to do the trail ride due to her fear. She was devastated. Saturday afternoon, Kathy, Matt, and all the wonderful staff helped us figured out a plan to make it work for Quinn and for her to have a good experience. They put her on a pony, Copper, and I lead him for her around the arena for about 40 mins. That built her confidence. Then today, Sunday, she was brave enough to tackle the trail ride on Copper! I rode Nutmeg who was just amazing. I cannot commend Matt, Kathy, Angelina… and all the other staff for rearranging horses just to make it such a positive and successful experience for Quinn!! She conquered her fears and is so proud of herself!! You all are amazing Jesus loving people and we can’t praise you enough…. And we can’t wait to...

Our daycare facility took our children to this farm and the children went on pony rides. The children didn't wear helmets. When we asked the daycare facility why, they stated they weren't offered by the farm and assumed that it was safe because they were pony rides and the "experts" (farm staff) hadnt said anything directly to the daycare staff about them being available. When I called to inquire about this, the Marmon staff stated that the helmets are readily available to take and at the discretion of the adults (day care staff). I simply suggested that perhaps they better communicate that they are available for all rides and at the day care staff's discretion so that the day care staff knows they're available and perhaps recommended as the farm staff surely understands better the inherent dangers of horseback riding far better than the day care facility. I put blame on both the day care staff and the farm but wasn't satisfied with the lack of ownership or care shown by...