2483 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Oakville, ON L6M 4H1

Name: Clare Allen

Rating: 5

Date: 2016-02-28

Review: My horse and I have been boarding at Schellenberg for over a year now and we couldn't be happier. Angie and Steve assiduously maintain every aspect of the property and the care of the horses is first-rate. The barn and stalls are beautiful...bright and roomy with excellent air flow which makes them cool in the summer and cozy in the winter. There are two gorgeous indoor arenas and a huge outdoor sand ring so there is always somewhere to lunge or ride your horse. The owners take great care in selecting experienced and knowledgable staff and instructors so that everything runs smoothly and have been very accomodating when my horse has required individualized care. The paddocks are lovely and I appreciate that they are rotated regularly so that my horse can enjoy grass turn-out in the warmer months. My horse has really thrived here; he's shiny, happy and healthy. Also, the board is very reasonable when you factor in the central location, quality of the facilities, access to top-notch instruction and the level of personal care that each horse receives. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this barn whether you want to take lessons or are looking for a new boarding facility for your horse :)

Name: Kim Jones

Rating: 1

Date: 2015-11-27

Review: I free leased my horse to this stable and I believe they have ruined my horse. Prior to leasing him to this riding school, he had been in another one for about a year. He was happy, he was a well-mannered horse, and he was a "class favourite". I brought him to this stable mainly because of its proximity to me so I could still see him frequently. Having known some of the stable's faults already (i.e. lack of turn out space, heavy work for schoolies) I was hesitant to bring my horse there. I voiced my concerns to the barn owner and she assured me not to worry. She promised me my horse would still get daily turn-out, that he'd work maximum 6 days a week, and even said she would try to find him a show rider. Gradually each of her promises were broken. I found out daily turnout meant only during the week because it was too much for the riding school children to walk out to get their horse (which none of the fields were a long walk). There were periods he was used 7 days a week, up to 4 hours per day. In the summer he would be used monday-friday in the summer camp and still be used in the weekday evening and weekend lessons. She never found him a show rider and in fact denied kids interested in him the opportunity to show him because he was too valuable on the weekends. My breaking point was after a month stay in the hospital, I get out and first go visit my horse. I arrived around 1:00pm on a Sunday. Naturally I walked up to the list to see how many lessons he was in, as I had already asked her multiple times if he could be used less. I saw his name written 3 times at first (each a 1-hour lesson), 2 had already occurred and 1 was coming up. I went up to the coach to tell her she needed to pull him out of the 3rd lesson because he's only supposed to be in 2 max. She appeared shocked and it was quite clear she did not already know. While I was doing that, the rider that had just ridden him went to see the list and pointed out that he was written down 4 times (3 of them already occurred). So at that time I ensured he would not be in that next lesson. I immediately called the owner of the facility, but the call was not answered. I immediately got on the phone to get him out of there. The best I could do was the next day and that is when he left. In the meantime, I had employees from this stable harassing me on my online ad for a lease (which I did not disclose the barn name) saying things like I haven't even been to the barn in so long how would I know how many lessons he'd been in (keep in mind I had been in the hospital for a month and am dealing with this in the midst of that) or the coach had the situation already handled as if I wasn't the person who brought it to her attention. I believe now that because of being extremely overworked, this barn has destroyed my horse's amazing disposition. I am shocked at what he has become. A horse that I used to give my younger cousins free lessons having the most gentle and kind personality has now come to hate children. If he just sees a child he now pins his ears. His previous owner and I (I've owned him 7 years) have NEVER seen him behave the way he is now. My horse thankfully still trusts me, but he has lost trust in everyone else. I don't know exactly what they did to him, but I know for sure that he was worked so hard that he feared work itself. The horses at this farm are lucky to get 2 hours of turnout each day, except if the fields are the slightest bit damp when 3/7 fields aren't allowed to be used. All of her school horses are exhausted with life in general, all currently being used as much as Lex was. I believe the barn owner lacks any drive to run a top notch facility, like she claims hers is, and has started cutting corners as a result. It is not wrong for horses to earn their keep, but it is wrong to treat them like slaves.

Name: Yanita Lazaruk

Rating: 5

Date: 2015-12-14

Review: Amazing horses, superb staff and overall great experience otherwise I wouldn't still be taking lessons here after 7 years :)

Name: Natasha Bodanis

Rating: 5

Date: 2014-06-26

Review: Great Barn with very well trained school horses and friendly staff! They have different level coaches that are all very experienced and focus on safety and producing knowledgeable strong riders. I would defiantly recommend it to anyone wanting to ride for the first time or for someone looking for a professional barn to show at high level. Schellenberg Stables is a no drama barn with a great friendly atmosphere!

Name: Pawel P

Rating: 3

Date: 2014-06-22

Review: Stable not bad, pretty good selection of horses, both arenas are relatively nice, and there is a decent-sized arena outside as well. Decent prices as well. Owner is approachable and nice to chat with, but the biggest issue is with the staff who is not that friendly and coaches are lacking experience and professionalism, more suited for beginners, plenty of room for improvement there