Rancho Viejo in Portola Valley

Rancho Viejo is about 2 minutes away from the Alpine exit off of the 280 freeway, on the same road as the Portola Valley Training Center, and about 5 minutes away from the southeast corner of the Stanford University campus. The facility is private, not public, so please don’t just “drop by.” We prefer that you call to arrange an appointment to see the place.

FACILITIES

Rancho Viejo is a very friendly, low-key place with excellent amenities for horse and rider. We have 2 wash racks, a people shower and an indoor toilet. We have several tack rooms and everyone is allowed 1 saddle rack, 1 bridle rack & space for 1 tack trunk. We have a few hours' worth of flat trail access and a few hundred acres of open range trails. We have 5 arenas: 1 covered with lights, 1 large outdoor arena with jumps and lights, 1 dressage arena with lights, 1 small outdoor arena with no lights, 1 round pen with lights. The arenas are watered and dragged almost daily, as needed. The large outdoor arena & the dressage arena are graded, with bases and sand footing. The covered arena is dirt with no base. The small outdoor arena & the round pen are sand with no base. You can ride pretty much any time within reason—(7 am to 9 pm, more or less) every day. The dressage arena is sometimes closed if the weather is bad enough. The other arenas are almost never closed. There is always at least 1 arena (other than the round pen) that you can ride in. You may ride in the round pen if you wish, but it is designed for lunging & very few people ride in it.

HORSE CARE

The horses receive wonderful care. There is an on-site grounds manager who does early morning and late night checks on all the horses. We feed a 60-40 alfalfa-oat cube twice a day, stalls are cleaned every day, we have automatic waterers, and we bed in shavings. There are a lot of stall-paddock combinations, but you have to move in to a stall and put yourself on the waiting list (with your trainer) to get one, & it can take a long time, as almost everyone is on the waiting list. We do have, however, several large & small turnouts that you are welcome to use so long as you remain on the property.

RATES

As of February, 2008, Board is $600/month (technically, $650 with a $25 discount if you pay before the 10th of the month). Trailer parking is available to boarders only for $25/month. Dressage arena membership is $100 for boarders, $300 for non-boarders. (Rates are subject to change without notice.)

TRAINING

Rancho Viejo is a private facility with 5 main training barns: dressage, arabian, hunter-jumper, western and rodeo. If you board at Rancho Viejo, you may only take lessons from the Rancho Viejo trainers. However, you don't need to be in training to board at Rancho Viejo and you are welcome to move in & take lessons when (or if!) you need them. The dressage barn, Seven Oaks, has staff on site 7 days a week. If you are interested in dressage, please see the "Programs" page on this website for Seven Oaks information. The Arabian trainer, Dee Dee Kramer, offers many different forms of instruction, from jumping to side-saddle to carriage driving. You can contact Dee Dee directly by calling: 650-296-3183. The hunter-jumper trainer is Sara Morgan and she will be offering instruction in jumping and equitation--we'll have her phone number up soon. The western barn is a pretty independent group. As for rodeo events, the owners of Rancho Viejo are sometimes available for help with roping, barrel racing, etc. During the spring & summer each year, Rancho Viejo runs a roping school every Tuesday night. If you are an experienced roper, you can join the practice ropings on Wednesday nights

RULES

Rancho Viejo has a lot of rules, most of them organized around common-sense & courtesy. There are a few rules, however, that some people find unusual. First of all, there are no outside trainers allowed. If you board at Rancho Viejo, you cannot take lessons from anyone except one of the Rancho Viejo trainers--you cannot even have your best friend or your mother give you a lesson or coach you, paid or unpaid. This rule has to do with insurance & liability. Second, Rancho Viejo does not allow horse sharing--no leasing, half-leasing, etc. The general rule is "one person, one horse," with family members being the only exception. Third, minors may not be unattended--there must be an adult who is responsible for the minor on the property at all times. This adult can be your trainer, if your trainer agrees. Fourth, there are no dogs allowed at the barn at any time (other than in your car). Finally, you have to clean up after yourself & your horse: you must sweep up the cross-tie area after every use and you must pick up your horse's manure anywhere in the common areas (cross-ties, parking lot, wash racks), before you go off to ride & before you put your horse away. Again, our rules are designed for the maximum safety and enjoyment of you and your horse and of everyone else and her/his horse.

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