Traditional Equitation School

Pretentious and overpriced. Two stars because I love horses and the grounds are beautiful. But it’s about making $, not about the horses students or basic horsemanship. Lots of add ons like a microphone headset to hear instructor, video of lesson and tips or fees to help you tack up. Go for small independent trainers who genuinely care for their horses and students – much more reasonably priced. Try Double Lucky Training Academy in Big Tajunga Canyon. All disciplines family oriented several areas and trail rides too. Great prices and individual attention.

My kids just wrapped up a week of summer horse camp at TES, and they had such an incredible experience. My son (6) was a complete beginner, and my daughter (8) had only been on a horse a few times. In addition to riding, they learned about horse breeds, anatomy, and tack, and came home schooling me with this new information. The school horses were safe, and the counsellors were attentive and fun. A little pricey for two kids, but reasonable compared to similar camps. We can’t wait until winter break to attend camp again!

I’ve been taking riding lessons here for about 2.5 years here at TES. Before, I had ridden at several places around Los Angeles, Burbank, and Los Feliz. I chose TES and have been happy with the decision ever since. I’m adult amateur who just started riding consistently about 3 years ago. TES has been critical in my development as I try to explore and learn more about equestrianism and good horsemanship.
First, I have to compliment the selection of horses and tack available at TES. They seem to have appropriate horses and equipment for any and all riders. It’s been incredibly helpful to have the experience to ride several different breeds and types of horses. Other places that I’ve taken lessons have operated with a small (sometimes just 1) selection of horses available to students, which can be limiting at times. All the horses seem to be in great health and very happy.
Second, I have to compliment the administrative staff and instructors. Everyone I’ve encountered at TES has been exceptionally professional and qualified. If there’s a need to reschedule a lesson, everyone is very accommodating. On the few occasions I couldn’t reschedule with my regular instructor, there were several other options presented to me that were all very qualified and proficient. Other places I’ve ridden, I’ve had trouble with teachers being late or unavailable if I needed to change a lesson time. With work being a crazy schedule sometimes, it’s nice to know that TES can help out and be flexible.
Also, TES offers private, semi-​private, and group lessons. A rider can learn English, Western, jumping, dressage, or just pleasure. There is also a great horsemanship class offered occasionally as well the summer camp for kids. Recently, I’ve participated in the school’s competition/​shows, which are a fun way to gauge one’s improvement in a very supportive environment. It’s great to be able to progress from one level to another, one horse to another, etc. all in one place.

I love the idea of a school dedicated to teaching horsemanship and riding in the middle of LA. But after repeated experience, TES is very disappointing. It’s very corporate — organized, fancy and looks very professional. But it lacks true heart. The classes I’ve taken teach you about the horses they have there and not about horses in general or a horse you might own. It seems very beginner focused and not very meaty in comprehensive information. For instance, in a class on First Aid where I was hoping to get practical information on taking care of my horse, I learned that «call the vet» was always their recommendation. Summer camp for kids was also a joke — the kids didn’t learn anything useful like safety around horses and simple things like picking their hooves. But they did go bowling across the street. In the end, this place feels more like a business than a place for those of us who love horses and want to learn as much about them as we can.

Our daughter started riding at a private riding facility, where the owner/​teacher — nice as she was — was not really focused on formally developing the student’s capabilities as a rider. It was more about «let’s have some fun for 20 minutes or so». That was all well and good for the first few lessons, but eventually we needed to look for a school that could provide the sort of equestrian education that would actually improve our daughter’s skills, so she might progress!
After considerable research, we visited the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, and toured their only approved riding school: The Traditional Equitation School. The staff were charming, and the owners are obviously dedicated to providing a family atmosphere environment for all ages.
The system is very efficient, even considering the occasional scheduling mix-​up, especially when you consider that the school manages thousands of lessons per year. It empowers students to learn how to care for their horses right from the get-​go. and accommodates even the fussiest rider (fast tack service, a range of class options from private to group and everything in between, a variety of styles of instruction from beginner thru jumping to dressage and eventing…).
I’m sure I’ll have my quibbles here and there, but for now we look forward to watching our daughter grow as a rider and as a person, under the caring instruction of talented teachers such as Abi Estrin and Isadora.

I have been riding here for over 11 years, and I always loved it. I never had problems with trainers, and I adore all the horses used there. Yes, I have fallen off, but that is a part of riding. There is a saying among riders that «You aren’t a real rider until you fall 99 times» and it’s true. It’s a perfectly acceptable part of riding. If we aren’t dumped from the saddle every now and again, we get cocky.
However, my low rating comes from the fact that the last two owners of this amazing barn did not know a THING about horseback riding, and were just interested in owning a business of their own. Trainers here are paid only 20% of what students pay for lessons, and that’s just the start. If there were no volunteer «working students» helping out, the barn would be in terrible shape. The stable hands are few, and all they do is muck out stalls. On top of that, many of the horses end up having health issues because they get colic or they injure themselves, and the owners are too cheap to pay for proper treatment! On top of that, if one of the few more experienced trainers happen to speak their mind because of how a less experienced colleague is handling a situation, be it about a horse or student, they end up losing their job. This is absolutely one hundred percent wrong. These people work with LIVING ANIMALS, and if they cannot do their jobs to the fullest and do what’s safest for the animals, then the owner must be completely and utterly imbecilic and tyrannical.

I take English riding lessons here and really like it. Prices are very reasonable, the schedule is great and you don’t have to commit to a certain day and time each week. You can just go to whatever class is available at your riding level.
Teachers are fun, horses are sweet. Just wish they offered more fun rides, like trail rides for students.

I started riding here in the 1990’s and finally came back again last year. There are cheaper places than here and less pretentious people, but I have a sense of devotion to this place since I rode here as a kid.
The horses are well cared for and the staff are so nice. Some horses have developed some bad vices, but the majority are sweet and great teachers. My fave instructor is David. He’s knowledgeable and adorable. He doesn’t teach jumping… dressage is his thing.
There may be cheaper places, but TES holds a special place in my heart. Plus the school horses are named after U.S. states… so cute!
I rode on Washington on Wednesday and fell off. I’m just a little bruised, but he’s still my fave horse.
Group lessons are one hour long and about $ 50. They have private lessions, jump, and many other types of riding lessons.
The school is located in the back of the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Go straight back and towards the left.

I started riding as a college student in Northern California, so when I moved to Los Angeles I had only been riding for about a year. This was one of the only places I could find that had a lesson program with lesson horses where you didn’t have to lease and could be pretty flexible with scheduling (night rides, etc).
I liked the fact that it was in the LAEC since it was close to my apartment. TES was great for making me a tough rider, ready to ride anything an cope with whatever that horse might throw at me. Good for beginners just doing walk /​trot /​canter work or dressage, but when students start jumping things get scary. I saw a lot of crashes while I was there, and while some of the instructors are quite good and know their theory, most of them are instructors and not necessarily horse trainers.
Overall, most of these horses are saints. Even saints have their limits, however, and that shows in some of the jumping lessons when a horse gets hit in the mouth by the bit one to many times and either shuts down or becomes unmanageable.
Great for flat lessons or dressage… once you progress past that, it is probably time to move to a barn with trainers and horses that you can lease.
The horses are generally well cared for, but it is not top of the line. I had a bad fall when a horse tripped while we were jumping from catching his toe, due to being several weeks overdue for a trim. Also, saddles are provided, but those saddles don’t always fit the horses so I saw a lot of saddle sores and rubs from ill fitting saddles.
It has been almost two years since I have ridden there, and I think they have since changed their location, so if things have changed since I was there these things may not all apply.
$ 100 per one hour private lesson seems steep to me, even if they are supplying the horse. My horse is in full training and I think mine end up being about $ 50 a lesson… of course I own my horse but it seems like an extra $ 50 for every lesson is a lot to pay for someone to supply the horse.
Of course with the bad comes the good… flexibility, you don’t have to worry about vet bills or farrier bills or supplements/​meds, and you can show up or not and it doesn’t matter. I will say that if it wasn’t for TES, I wouldn’t have gone down the strange road that I did and ended up at the most wonderful hunter barn ever, and I probably wouldn’t have my fabulous horse Max!

I was a student for this school not so many years ago, from the time I was about seven years old to twelve years old. In that time, I learned a lot — how to tack and groom a horse, how to ride hunt/​jump and dressage, how to hold on for my life when my horse freaked out and tried to get rid of me — no wait, I knew that one by instinct — and more. It was a wonderful place to be and on recent visits I saw many of the same faces, both on the horses and the staff, so I have to give this place a rare five stars.

I grew up horseback riding in summer camps and didn’t ride when I first got to Los Angeles. But I realized one summer that I really wanted to get back into it, and TES was the only place I visited. I knew right away that I wanted to be part of this very friendly and helpful community. It’s located in the beautiful L.A. Equestrian Center, it’s cheap (especially for the great quality lessons you’ll be getting!) and they do EVERYTHING. I ride English, mostly jumping with a little bit of dressage, but if I’d like to try some western riding, there’s that too. There are great trails nearby, the horses are awesome, and there is a TON of opportunity to learn more if you want to go beyond your lessons. The first thing I noticed when I visited the first time was how friendly everyone is. It can be hard to find a good barn that also has an especially friendly community and THIS IS IT. It is my favorite place to be in L.A. and it is a great place to ride for anyone from very newest beginner to advanced!