Blackberry Stables
Blackberry Stables
5
About
If you're passionate about horses Blackberry Stables Riding School will give you the opportunity to experience a wide range of horse and pony activities. Including: Lessons, Hacks, Cross Country and Showjumping all with Excellent tuition. We also do Pony Camps - including Adult exclusive Camps! We are located just 3 miles from Maynooth, Co. Kildare and within easy access of Dublin City.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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5.0
16 reviews
Excellent
16
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Vanessa G
1 contribution
Feb 2023 • Family
Moved my little girls pony up to blackberry two weeks ago. She also does lessons here
Blue had some health issues on arrival so needed to stay in the stables before going out on grass. I can honestly say the staff couldn't do enough for her or for my little girl to help her care for her horse
I'd like to give a particular mention to Clodagh and Antoinette who have been at the end of the phone everyday the past week with advise and updates
Thankfully Blue has turned a corner and will go out to meet her new horsey friends today.
Clodagh you are a credit to blackberry stables we are so grateful for your time patience and experience
Blue had some health issues on arrival so needed to stay in the stables before going out on grass. I can honestly say the staff couldn't do enough for her or for my little girl to help her care for her horse
I'd like to give a particular mention to Clodagh and Antoinette who have been at the end of the phone everyday the past week with advise and updates
Thankfully Blue has turned a corner and will go out to meet her new horsey friends today.
Clodagh you are a credit to blackberry stables we are so grateful for your time patience and experience
Written 8 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Antoinette H
Lucan, Ireland8 contributions
Nov 2015 • Solo
I always wanted to try horse riding but thought I had left it too late til I came into this yard. two very pleasant helpers soon had me on board, Pheobe and Sarah and moments later the instructor had begun to fulfil a lifetimes wish by beginning to teach me! I positively floated home and the next morning I waited for the promised aches and pains of unused muscles but they never arrived so I promptly booked another lesson for the next day and 5 years on I am still riding at this yard, I am now doing BHS exams and I have made many fine and excellent friends in a warm encouraging happy yard. I especially love the adult pony camps. I now know that age does not matter when you allow your inner child to be born again. Definitly a place to come to.
Written 19 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Antoinette H,
Its NEVER too late to start horse riding, there is no age barrier to this sport from 6 to 60 and beyond. You are living proof (even though your no where NEAR 60) There's one common denominator between all riders and that is the horses and ponies and our passion and love for them. We're DELIGHTED that you came to us to begin your equine journey and look at all you have achieved in those five years AMAZING!!! You are a true inspiration.
Thank you for giving us a 5 star review and hope to see you at the Christmas Adult Camp :)
Kind regards
Clodagh :)
Written 11 December 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
John O
Ireland3 contributions
Sept 2015 • Solo
I always had a pre conception of what horse riding and people who rode horses where like - people with gentrified accents riding immaculate and expensive horses baring names from mythology on their stable door and while I've always been fond of feeding grass and forgotten fridge vegtables to horses behind a fence it wasn't until I first went down to visit Blackberry Stables at the age of 33 I realised the smell of straw, poo and horse wasn't just a wealthy cologne!
I found Blackberry Stables a simple and special place where you don't need to own a wax jacket and expensive boots.. you just need a love of horses. On my numerous visits I've watched Vincent teaching every age and ability and always always with his unique brand of humour, enthusiasm and intimate knowledge - there's very few like him and you'll find fewer still that will disagree. From nervous novices to those with experience just looking to improve, Blackberry Stables with all its characters and charm welcomes with a smile and always as part of its stable family.
- I just wish it was closer to home ;)
I found Blackberry Stables a simple and special place where you don't need to own a wax jacket and expensive boots.. you just need a love of horses. On my numerous visits I've watched Vincent teaching every age and ability and always always with his unique brand of humour, enthusiasm and intimate knowledge - there's very few like him and you'll find fewer still that will disagree. From nervous novices to those with experience just looking to improve, Blackberry Stables with all its characters and charm welcomes with a smile and always as part of its stable family.
- I just wish it was closer to home ;)
Written 18 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tara M
Dundalk, Ireland3 contributions
Aug 2015 • Friends
Amazing service.
Enjoyable activities.
Make you feel secure and safe on the horses.
Patience with beginners, talk you through step by step.
Enjoyable activities.
Make you feel secure and safe on the horses.
Patience with beginners, talk you through step by step.
Written 11 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Taz282014,
Thank you so much for your review. We are delighted that you had an enjoyable time. We like to have fun centered lessons. And we love that you felt safe and secure on board that is SOOOO important.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback and for taking the time out to do so :)
Looking forward to seeing you in the saddle again :)
Clodagh :)
Blackberry Stables
Written 14 December 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Emmanuelle F
Paris, France1 contribution
Jul 2015 • Solo
i'm french and i've been to blackberry stables last summer. It's an amazing place : Vinny is an excellent teacher and the horses and the ponies are very friendly, especially Shadow :) The atmosphere is great and they know how to take care of the horses. The lessons are very adapted to the different levels, from a 3-year old beginner to an advanced rider, who has then the opportunity to jump in the fields or in the arena ! A great place for children, adults, students and also people who don't speak english very well ! I've learnt so much in 3 weeks and I'll never forget the perfect jumping position :-P
Written 24 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Emmanuelle F,
Thank you soooo much for your review.
We were DELIGHTED to have you last summer and you are more than welcome back to Blackberry Stables ANYTIME. Thank you so much for your amazing positive feedback about our horses and of course Vinnys instruction too.
Emmanuelle F Shadow says hi and she misses you riding her and jumping her, she very much enjoyed you too as you could tell when she jumped for you.
Emmanuelle F, your English is fantastic in comparison to our French!!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to review Blackberry Stables.
Kind regards
Clodagh :)
Written 11 December 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Una M
County Dublin, Ireland10 contributions
Sept 2015 • Family
My 5 year old daughter has been at me for a year to do horse riding, I heard about Blackberry Stables from another school mom, and decided to give it a go. 15euro for a half hour sounded reasonable but she has got far more out of it than I ever imagined.A very happy friendly and relaxed stables is what we found with happy well looked after horses. The staff and helpers included Chloe in all aspects of getting the horses ready and her half hour class is both fun and challenging with an expert trainer. We havent missed a week in 3 months, Being out in the fresh air and being so close to these animals is a therapy for us both.
Written 23 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Una M,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor and also for giving us 5 stars and such a wonderful glowing review.
We're delighted that your daughter is enjoying her riding experiences at Blackberry Stables. We like to have an inclusive policy. Where the children are allowed to pet and give treats to their ponies and even bring them back to their stables (under supervision of course) But we here at Blackberry Stables feel that allowing the children more pony contact that just riding gives them a more rounded view of horses and not just horse riding.
Una M we LOVE how you describe your experience by saying its like therapy "Being out in the fresh air and being so close to these animals is a therapy for us both"
Thank you for writing down and putting into words what SOOOO many of our clients say. We are thrilled that you get so much out of it.
Thank you again for your review.
Kind regards
Clodagh :)
Written 11 December 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Grainne K
Dublin, Ireland2 contributions
Nov 2015 • Family
When I asked my Grandaughter what she would like for her 6th Birthday she said "to ride a horse" so I duly googled and made a call to Blackberry Stables. They were extremely helpful and I booked her in for a lesson. The whole atmosphere of the stables was friendly and she was able to pet and feed carrots to the horse before her lesson began.The helpers were so kind to her that she was not a bit nervous but what surprised me most was the quality of the lesson she received , She has not stopped talking about it since and I will defiantly be bringing her back on a regular basis. Thank you to all for making her day so wonderful
Written 23 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Grainne K,
Thank you for your praise and kind words and your five stars. We're thrilled that your grand daughter enjoyed her first horse riding experience. Its so important that the first one goes well as this can ignite a passion that can last a lifetime. And they are a big animal and when its a small person sometimes meeting a pony for the first time, so we encourage greeting their pony first as when they're on board they cant see the pony's face. Its a good way to begin by introducing them both to each other with helpers at hand.
Thank you for also saying that the quality of our lessons is of such a high standard as we like to say at Blackberry Stables "We don't do pony rides we teach people how to horse ride" even from their very first lesson.
We're DELIGHTED that your grand daughter had such a wonderful time. We can only take part credit for this, the most of it goes to her pony who gave her the best first experience of horse riding :) I dont think there is a better birthday present than that.
Kind regards
Clodagh :)
Written 11 December 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mary m
Dublin, Ireland17 contributions
Jun 2015 • Friends
it was my first experience at riding a horse and I found the instructor Vinny professional and encouraging ..I rode a pony called Tubs and she was so gentle.. The weather doesn't seem to matter when your riding as you are so caught up in the experience..I booked another session straight away..
Written 19 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi mary m,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review us and go raibh míle maith agat for your 5 stars. As i always say and i cant stress it enough , the real stars of the show are the horses and ponies. So on that vein i'm going to give Tubsy a treat for taking you for your very first lesson. A Pink lady for a lady of a horse i think is the treat of the day :)
Thank you again for your review and see you soon.
Kind regards
Clodagh :)
Written 11 December 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Deborah H
6 contributions
Sept 2015 • Solo
I first visited blackberry stables in September 2014 and returned again in August 2015. As I work in a city I decided to try something different for a change. I had never been horse riding before and it was something to tick off the bucket list. All the staff were really friendly and helpful especially Clodagh and Vincent who are the owners but muck in along with all the other staff. I was terrified much to my embarrassment while kids as young as 3 tackled jumps, but it wasn't long before they had me up and trotting around the arena! This is definitely a place to escape from the city and also a great place for friends and family days out. Highly recommended to all city slickers
Deborah, Dundalk
Deborah, Dundalk
Written 19 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Deborah H,
Thank you so much for your glowing review. We're delighted to have been an city escape for you and how wonderful that we had the unique opportunity to take you for your very first horse riding lesson. We're thrilled that you had a great experience and that you got to tick another thing off the bucket list.
We'll be here for you whenever you want to go horse riding again or even just to get a break away from the city slicker chaos!!
Thank you again for your review and your 5 stars.
(ps I'll give Bart a carrot from you as he is really the one who deserves the credit)
Kind Regards
Clodagh :)
Written 11 December 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Laura P
Maynooth, Ireland2 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
I can highly recommend Blackberry Stables, I wanted to get back into my childhood passion after many years out of the saddle. I'd stopped horse riding after a bad accident and Vinnie took onboard my nerves as I had found it difficult, over the years ,to move past the memory and enjoy horse riding again. He really boosted my confidence and helped me to start to enjoy myself again! I haven't been able to go very much since I had my little boy last year. I miss the horses dearly, but I'll be back again soon and when my boy is old enough, he will learn to ride there too! Vinnie and the team are absolutely brilliant instructors and the atmosphere is so warm and friendly too. If you want to horse ride, Blackberry Stables are the place to go!
Laura
Laura
Written 19 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Laura P,
Firstly we're DELIGHTED that we were part of the spark to re-ignite your childhood passion that is horse riding :) Thank you for the complements about the people and the place we are chuffed to have received your fab feedback and the 5 stars too.
Congratulations on your baby boy and we look forward to starting his equine adventures with him. Sure bring him up some day and just introduce him to the ponies and give them a pet and a carrot if you guys want to.
Hopefully see you in the near future.
Kind regards,
Clodagh :)
Blackberry Stables
Written 28 November 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
im visiting Maynooth this Saturday & am interested in goin horse riding for an hour or two...
ive rode before about 3/4 times( not recently)
can i get price for 2 adults please & do i book or just arrive....
i think we are due rain on Saturday....
can you advise .....
i hope your not full already
thanks a million
Dermot R
Written 6 September 2018
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