Reviews

Based on 9 reviews

sketcha2

so... NOT!

the owners a wack-job, he only cares about money. a lot of the trainers just yell. the only nice and good trainers left or were fired for some reason. the paddocks have no grass, only 1 shower stall works well the trails are ba because you always have to cross the street. some of the borders and kids there are rude (but others are nice) they push to shareboard, own and show. WHAT MOE DOES IT TAKE TO SAY NO!

posted at 08/17/09

horselover12345

don't be so quick to judge

wow... really people? all of you who have written negative reviews here obviously had a bad experience with this barn. of course not everyone is going to have a good experience at fw or anywhere else for that matter. that does not mean you have to come here and cut down the barn and the people there just because it didn't work out for you. yes, i will admit that this barn does have it's flaws but it's really a great place to be if you look past those flaws. i've been riding there for basically my whole riding career... almost 10 years. for all of you who say the trainers, especially the owner's kids, don't teach well or don't know how to ride, you're once again just cutting down the place because of your bad experience and your need to make it known to everyone. i have improved so much over the years training with them and continue to improve. fw takes their students to many horse shows and clinics and they always do great. as i was reading through all the reviews i came across something that really just shows how naive some of you really are.. "o also remember thinking how bad the show trainers (the owners kids) are at riding for being pros, if they were so good you would see improvement in you horse (which i didnt) and they wouldnt have a pro trainer come and train them. professionals should already know what to do..." for one, the owner's kids are great riders. and yes, while they are professionals, EVERYONE is always still learning and everyone can improve. the fact that they are training with trainers even better than themselves just shows how much they care about their riding and about bettering themselves so they can train their students as well as possible. no matter how good you are, you are never good enough to stop learning. and the people there are not mean as many of you have said. my friends from the barn are some of my best friends and are some of the nicest people i have ever met. so basically, people, before you're so quick to judge this barn because of your bad experiences think about this.. you liked it there at one point, especially if you're one of the riders who rode there for years. what if you end up having a bad experience with the barn you're at now? are you gonna come on this website and complain about all the bad things about it too?

posted at 12/20/09

randommmm

i love fw

people stop all the rude comments!!!!! the owners childrens are great trainers..... i really like ashleen shes a great trainer and she does her job!!!! our barn is great and weve been building new things and have been improving the barn!!! i have a pony there named bonfire and she loves it ive been riding at fw for almost 5 years and i love it!!! so stop all the rude comments!!!!!!!!!!!

posted at 08/07/10

cborgeson

A place anyone would be proud to ride at

Hey there!

Growing up, I rode at many different places. Believe me, there are pros and cons to any barn. However, Freedom Woods is THE place that I grew up in. I spent every day at this barn-morning to night, every moment and memory is treasured and held very dear to my heart. Some of the most meaningful relationships of my childhood were forged in this place, and I learned so much with these people. I believe Jeff, Ashleen, Alex and Russell (and whoever happens to be employed by Jeff Lee) are far more competent that most. It's easy to hold resentment in your heart, and to write a bad review for something that is small and meaningless... However, these people mean too much to me to not try to set the record straight. They may be loud, but they are definitely not mean. They are not the type of people who do everything for money-if you knew anything you'd know that Jeff Lee started one of the most inspired riding programs for people who are mentally/physically challenged... I find this to be so honorable, especially since my cousin was part of this program for quite some time. Some people really should be ashamed for saying so much yet knowing so little. shame on you.

posted at 09/13/10

kz3

Great place!

I just started riding here, but so far have nothing but good things to say about this barn and the people who work there. My instructor has been very patient and helpful, and the facility is about as clean as you can expect from a stable. Please note that ALL the one star reviews below were written on 8/17/09 and are ALL by the SAME PERSON, who went through the trouble of creating SIX different log-ins just to write the same, badly misspelled, and illiterate review for Freedom Woods, and then give a glowing (though still illiterate!) review for Glen Grove Equestrian Center. Either this person works at Glen Grove, has some agenda against FW, or is just a wack job with nothing better to do. I do wish he/she would take some grammar lessons, before subjecting us to more of his/her pointless ranting.

posted at 10/18/10

ilovemybunny

awesome barn!

I had been riding at Glen Grove for maybe 2 years and they had incorrectly taught me how to use a crop and ask for the canter, without even teaching me the proper way to tack and lead a horse. After coming to FW I was amazed at my trainers patience in re-teaching me the correct ways to ride. It's been 3 years since then and I still love this barn! I've learned so much about not only riding but the basic care of a horse and can now wash, groom, and lead a horse with confidence. The trainers and staff are friednly and I have had few bad experiences here :)

posted at 12/11/10

Jennnahhh

What Happened???

Interesting that more people left Freedom Woods. Why are the borders leaving? What's going on over there???

posted at 01/31/11

CM90

Great Barn

I have both ridden and boarded a horse at Freedom Woods for the past 6 years. The only reason that I left is because I moved out of state, but even now I still come ride there whenever I can. Everything I learned about riding and horses I learned here from the "real" trainers. By "real" I mean trainers such as Ashleen and Betsy, who have actual experience in the horse industry and are actually professionals. Not someone who took lessons as a child and now pretends to be knowledgeable about horses to make money, as some of the other trainers people have spoken highly of in their reviews do.
As for Ashleen it is very upsetting to see these false accusations made about her. Most of the people that made these comments came into the barn very ignorant of the horse world and often blamed Ashleen for issues that were beyond her control. Knowing from experience, As I was one of her students and on the show team, Ashleen will go above and beyond what is expected of her to help her clients because she actually cares. Whether it be helping a client find a horse, training their horse, helping a student find a way to show or anything else, She will do her best to help them succeed. She is very talented at what she does and has a long future in it.
As for the facility itself it is a great barn. After seeing many other barns over the past year Freedom Woods is definitely above average in comparison. It is heated, has big stalls, big arenas, is very clean, and a great environment to be in. On top of this they are constantly making improvements to the stalls and arenas to make them more accommodating to the clients and their horses. The only major downfall is the lack of turnout area for the horses, but this is a sacrifice that is made for its good location, which goes for other barns in the area also.
Overall Freedom Woods is a great facility to ride and board your horse at. If I did not have to I would have never left. Unfortunately I know from experience that there are some crazy people who slip in every now and then, usually being very ignorant to the horse world, and when they finally leave it often leads to negative comments you see below.

posted at 02/07/11

LoRider

Where I became the rider that I am now!!

To comment on jennaahhhh (whatever her name is) comment: Ashleen is one of the best trainers I have ridden with. I think you're just venting because you're so spoiled that because Ashleen couldn't give you the attention you needed you felt it necessary to rag on just her. Get over it, you're not going to get people to not go there just because of her and if you do, you can get sued for Defamation of Character because the success of the business would override your comment on a site that doesn't even focus on people looking for barns to ride at and the praise her clients give her

posted at 02/07/11

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