Circle Lake Ranch — Local services in Katy

If you are looking for a great place to learn to ride, check this place out, you won’t be disappointed!! My daughter who has been taking weekly horse riding lessons at Circle Lake Ranch for the past 3 years. She has been in a class with every trainer at the barn from the prebeginner trainers in the small arena all the way up to her current jumping show team trainers. Each one of the trainers have taught or helped her with her riding or overall horse knowledge in one way or another. They truly have earned not just mine but my daughters trust and respect because of how good they are at reading and getting to know the rider before trying to get them to the next goal. The trainers know what my daughter is ready for and and what she is capable of at the right time, there is no throwing a kid in a horse and just go, and as a parent having my daughter taught correctly And safely at her own pace it what matters most. There are steps and goals each and every rider has to accomplish before they can move on or up a class, and as a parent this is also important because it helps reduce the risk of an accident with my daughter and her horse or a less experienced rider being paired in a more advanced class with multiple horses and riders. The trainers my daughter especially likes to work with are: Angela her show team trainer because of her vast understanding of jumping and how to break the technique and vocabulary down to a child’s understanding and helping my daughter achieve her next goal, Darby the western pleasure trainer because of her extensive knowledge of flat ground work and of course Layne the barn owner because of just how much horse knowledge and riding /judging experience she has. These trainers are not just knowledgeable about how to teach a person to ride a horse, but they teach you how to properly care for the horses as well. If you want to learn trust me they will teach you! The barn always make sure the horses are overall healthy and happy before they go to the arena for lesson with any rider, and if the horse isn’t having a good day they will not put a rider on that horse until they have figured out what is wrong. The trainers did an excellent job of always pairing my daughter with the right horse as her riding abilities improved over the years. Now 3 years later we have just started leasing a horse from another amazing family who are also at Circle Lake Ranch, this has allowed us to get a glimpse and to enjoy what horse ownership is all about. To be honest the barn is truly like a big family, we spend at least 2 hours a day there, we know all the riders, most of the parents and my daughter just loves spending time there, riding, socializing and just being around...

My love for horses began at Circle Lake Ranch 13 years ago. I was invited to the summer camp by a friend whom was already attending the barn. At first I didn't want to go. I cried and asked my mom if I could change my mind, but Circle Lake Ranch was the best thing that happened to me. At the end of that week I didn't want to leave. I began lessons and I spent each day there the summers that followed. It was a great environment to be in and learn. There are so many opportunities to learn if you are eager and if you show initiative. Not ONLY did I learn to become a good horsewoman, but I also learned about important health conditions and the essentials for horse care. Mind you, none of this happened overnight! Don't go to any barn expecting to become fully capable and knowledgeable overnight. Most students need to be riding for years before they are completely capable of coming to the barn, brushing and tacking their horses PROPERLY before their class. As for riding instruction goes, it is different for everyone. Just because one student in your class begins to canter after 6 months, it does not necessarily mean you will be ready to also. All riders are different and excel at different paces. I have realized this in my own experience teaching different levels of riders myself. Circle Lake Ranch tunes in on the safety of all riders. Students only excel as fast as they allow themselves to. One will only move on to harder skills as they master the fundamental skills. If you ever find yourself unsure of why your class isn't going the way you would like, then talk to your instructor and ask them! Tell them from the beginning what you would like to learn, so they know how to cater to your needs and so that they can give you an idea of what Circle Lake Ranch has to offer you. They want to help and will do what they can so that you improve and ENJOY yourself. Also, don't be afraid to talk to different instructors and other students. They can also help you. Be ready to learn and listen and you...

Spent 9 almost 10 years here with my kiddos. Started out with lessons, 2 years in, bought our 1st show horse. 3 months later 2nd show horse.But we couldn't win anything. She only taught from the ground and never rode. We loved it here. Back in 2013 Layne decided she wasn't gonna have a show team anymore, no big deal, she referred us to another true world class trainer. Started winning EVERYTHING, A Reserve World and World Title at ABRA Worlds. Multiple year end high point award including Houston Rodeo and San Antonio 10K Scholarship. All was still good, still the best of friends until other clients clued in to the fact she doesn't know how to train and is stuck in the 80's. I covered all the lies and protected her at all cost because I truly cared about her and her family. The breaking point is when another ex client came to our show team and placed 3rd out of 8 in Western Pleasure after being with our trainer for 2 weeks. Soooooo in true Layne egos way she kicked us out. Slowly but surely other customers are getting it and about to bale. Her little show team that only go to backyard shows is a joke and she has told me many times this. I have the text to prove it. Still 4 months later have been nothing but nice. She has 1 horse at a world class trainer for Lounge line and I text her how nice he was. No response. Then on FB tonight also commented on the trainers post about her Lounge Liner and how nice he was and got defriended and blocked. I've only been nice, because in the horse world ruining someone's name could be horrible, but have refused it so far because of the almost 10 year relationship. This is such a small world and it's all about...