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Leap Of Faith Farms

Added: 03/24/2009 1:29am. Last updated: 05/22/2009 6:44pm
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General Information
Stable manager/owner: Jim and Mariah Bradford-Urban
Stable website: http://www.leapoffaithfarms.com
Type of stable: public

Address and Contact
Street: 1550 Castle Rock Road
City: Walnut Creek
State: CA
ZIP Code: 94598
Phone number: 925-938-9550

Property Profile
Approximate size of property: 10 acres
Approximate number of horses on property: 150-200
Approximate age of stalls: less than 10 years old
Types/sizes of stalls: Box stall, Fully covered pipe corral, Partially covered pipe corral, In and out
Number of arenas: 1-5
Type of footing in the arenas: Felt, sand, and rubber in different combinations
Number of turnouts: 11-15
Type of turnout: dirt
Access to trails or bridle path: easy to access
Approx. number of vets in service area: 11-15
Approx. number of farriers in service area: 16-20

Trainers
Number of trainers on premises: 6-10
Trainers for which disciplines: Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, Western Pleasure, Western Roping, Western Cutting, Endurance, Therapeutic, Natural Horsemanship, Trail Riding, Other

Amenities
Disciplines supported: Hunter/Jumper, Dressage, Eventing, Western Pleasure, Western Roping, Western Cutting, Endurance, Therapeutic, Natural Horsemanship, Trail Riding, Other
Type of feed: Alfalfa hay, Oat hay, Orchard hay, Timothy hay
Supplemental feeding services: yes
Frequency of stall cleaning: once a day
Horse shows held: no
Indoor or covered arena available: yes
Eventing course available: no
Eventing course level: N/A
Race track available: no
Hot walker or Euroxciser available: none
Grooming/care services available: yes
Number of crossties: 16-20
Number of hitching posts: 1-5
Number of washracks: 6-10
Heated water in washracks: yes
Breeding facilities available: no
Trailer parking available: yes
Grazing available: yes

Costs
General boarding costs: $400-$600/month, $600-$800/month
Cost of trailer parking: $25-$49/month

Other
Other features: none

Information is updated by stable manager
 

Reviews for Leap Of Faith Farms

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Disclaimer: The following reviews are solely the opinions and claimed experiences of the reviewers. Horse Stable Review does not endorse any of the following reviews and cannot attest to the veracity of the statements made by the reviewers.
 
Reviewed by Gaye DeRusso on 03/11/2012 4:48pm
 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful
What I like:
Overall this is an excellent stable, lots of different disciplines and everyone gets along quite well together. It has excellent arenas and the trails are right across the street. the barn is constantly being kept up, and if you have a complaint it is taken care of to the best of their ability. the workers are friendly and helpful
What needs improvement:
the trails can be busy on the weekend since everyone from the city and oakland come to hike and bike there, but your horse will get use to it all in time.

i would like to have more gaited horses besides the ones in training with me!
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Reviewed by Alex E. on 09/27/2011 2:46pm
 7 out of 11 people found this review helpful
What I like:
Near Mount Diablo
What needs improvement:
My wife had arranged for horseback riding lesson for out two daughters with the trainer named Deb. She had given us an offer for horseback riding at this place using Groupon rate even when we did not reserve through Groupon. On the Sunday afternoon we were scheduled to go, Deb called my wife and asked if we could go an hour earlier (due to a cancellation), so we hurried up and drove 40 minutes distance from our house to their location and arrived there at the time she had requested. When we arrived, Deb was surprised that our girls were tall and told us that she had saddled up two ponies instead of horses. We reminded her very nicely that we came here for horseback riding and not pony riding (my wife had already told her that our girls have taken horseback riding classes before). She got upset very quickly and said it is up to us whether we want to ride or not. My daughters said they do not want to ride ponies. She suddenly took off without talking to us and left us with no choice to leave. We were shocked as how rude and inconsiderate she was.

The next day, I called their office and left a message for the manager/owner (Mariah). She called me back the next day and was very nice at first. She said she understood why my girls would be disappointed since she has kids of similar age. She said that she likes to talk to her trainer (Deb) and find out why she treated us this way. She never called me. After a few days, I called her back, but she said she was busy with her kid and would call me later. Again, she did not call me back for a week. I called her again to find out what is going on. She started to say we are the ones who refused to ride the ponies (of course, I had already told her that) and that ponies are as good as horses and I don’t understand anything about horses or ponies in this case. She even said something about ponies being like Porsche and horses being like SUVs, both are good but different! Without allowing me to even say anything, she hung up the phone. Since I never got the chance to get a word in, here it goes:

Mariah, It does not matter how good you think your ponies are. We came to your facility for “horseback riding” even if you think we are stupid. That is all that matters. If your trainer had told us that you have “super natural” ponies and my girls will be riding them instead of “inferior” horses, we would not have driven 40 minutes to your place! Is this so difficult to understand?

I thought that Deb was illogical and rude, now I realize this is how this business is run. Both my wife and I are doctors and are used to dealing with professionals. Based on our experience, there is nothing professional about this business. All I wanted to hear was a simple acknowledgment of misbehavior and mistake, but Mariah made it even worse. We never asked for any other thing in return for wasting more than one hour of our time and disappointment of our daughters on an otherwise nice Sunday afternoon! I guess an apology was too much to ask!
Stable Owner's Response:
I have spoken to this man on the phone at length two separate times, and it seems to be impossible for him to understand what the problem was. First of all, they booked the lesson under false pretenses (claiming to have a Groupon that they did not have. Neither my employee Deb nor I offered to give them a Groupon rate that they never actually purchased.) Second of all, we did actually still agree to teach their daughters after their 40 minute drive, but they refused to ride our ponies and demanded that we saddle horses for their 10 and 12 year old daughters. Deb refused to do this, explaining that the ponies are as good as horses, but this family refused to ride the ponies. It is completely untrue that they had no choice but to leave -- they could have still had their lessons, but they would not do so on the ponies that were saddled for them. I don't know how else to say this, because I said this on the phone to this man over and over again. We have both horses AND ponies in our lesson program. All of them are very high quality show horses and ponies. All of them jump fences, do flying lead changes, and are premium animals. I tried to explain to this man that perhaps they had a misconception that they would get some kind of a "pony ride" by riding our ponies, but that was not true, the ponies are just as well trained as the horses (and yes I did compare them to porches and SUV's to try and get the message across to someone who clearly does not have very much horse experience.) Simply being a Doctor does not mean you are an automatic expert in other fields, and this family refused to understand and accept our expertise. It is unfortunate, because there was no need for their daughters to miss out on a lesson (and being 10 and 12 I am sure that they were sorely disappointed), but they refused to accept that perhaps we might actually know more than they do about our own horses and ponies, and they chose not to ride. Additionally, it is flat out libel for this man to "quote" me as saying my ponies are "super natural" and horses are "inferior." I never said that, and of course I do not believe that. That is frankly just silly. All I am trying to get through to this person is that for him to telephone me repeatedly accusing me of "False Advertising" and to attempt to trash our reputation on-line just shows how extremely ignorant he is about equines. His entire gripe is that he saw us advertise Horse Back Riding Lessons, and he feels that we cheated them because two excellent Medium ponies (13.1hh) were saddled for his 10 and 12 year old daughters instead of horses. I certainly hope that anyone considering us for lessons, boarding, training, camps, or sales understands that it is impossible to make everyone happy, and this is a situation where they could not be pleased except by us putting away the ponies and re-saddling horses. Since there was absolutely no valid reason to do this except to satisfy some imagined vanity of this family, we chose not do so. And I stand by that decision.
Submitted: 09/27/2011 5:41pm
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Reviewed by JJ Drake on 05/06/2011 10:47pm
 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful
This review has been removed due to a violation of our review guidelines or terms of use.
 
 
Reviewed by Robert G on 04/09/2011 6:58pm
 15 out of 16 people found this review helpful
What I like:
To its credit, LOF appears to have well-tended horses, numerous arenas both indoor and outdoor, and offers many options for boarding, lessons, services, amenities and views.
What needs improvement:
The office staff, does not return calls or e-mail messages and lies straight to your face.

I wouldn't go back for lessons or board if this women is lying to me now, what else is she going to lie to me about in the future?

I might have given LOF a higher rating if I hadn't been treated in such a disrespectful manner by the women in the office. I would rather spend my time and money at a place that does not lie to me and at the very minimum returns calls.

First impressions can be worth a lot.
Stable Owner's Response:
As the barn owner and manager, I took great care to investigate this complaint when he first e-mailed me. In my opinion my staff behaved appropriately and this man is completely out of line. Leaving a message at 4pm on a Friday and then showing up without an appointment at 9am the next day expecting a lesson is not reasonable and it does not mean that we don't return calls or lie. Further, then dumping your young child at the barn and leaving for a couple of hours is outrageous. I completely agree with my staff for reprimanding him, and frankly sometimes it does take a day or three to listen to messages and return calls. This doesn't make my staff "liars" for saying they had not yet received his message wanting a lesson when he showed up unannounced.
Submitted: 05/21/2011 10:39am
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Reviewed by Mary McConnell on 11/15/2010 12:22am
 1 out of 4 people found this review helpful
What I like:
Rode my whole life, until marriage and kids. This has been a nice place to restart. Have had lessons from Mariah, the owner, and Laura and Heather. All have been wonderful and patient and just the perfect amount of pushy to help me get comfortable in the saddle again. Have ridden four or five different school horses which are well-trained and beautifully cared for.
What needs improvement:
Can't think of a thing.
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Reviewed by Ramona Bourgeois on 08/16/2010 1:11pm
 3 out of 5 people found this review helpful
What I like:
The physical plant is second to none. The horse husbandry routine and available services is also excellent. The location is perfect for trail riding. The number one plus is that this is primarily a BOARDING stable. While there are several top trainers of different disciplines available for instruction on site, on going lessons and/or training is not required. THANK YOU LOFF!
What needs improvement:
I honestly can't think of a thing.
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Reviewed by Tracy Murray on 06/28/2010 1:00pm
 1 out of 5 people found this review helpful
What I like:
Leap of Faith offers a wonderful location, great facilities and owners/management that really care about the welfare of the horses. There's plenty of room for every discipline. One of our horses is semi-retired, and just does trails. The other jumps and is in full training. I really love that I can travel for a week and know with absolute certainty that the horses will be fine. The owners Mariah and Jim have been very welcoming and have offered lots of encouragement and advise when we added a second horse to our family.
What needs improvement:
A giant expresso maching. Actually, I think one is soon to be installed.
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Reviewed by Horse Boarder on 05/02/2010 8:52am
 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
This review has been removed due to a violation of our review guidelines or terms of use.
 
 
Reviewed by Lori S on 04/18/2010 11:01pm
 5 out of 8 people found this review helpful
What I like:
Location, location, location! I moved my Reining horse to LFF hoping to enjoy having him close to home rather than at my trainers and commuting 75 miles round trip to ride him. I really wanted to get comfortable trail riding. There are so many great people at this facility, that in not time we were out on the trail and traveling around the many miles of trails and enjoying my horse in a new way. I could get carried away telling you about the great people and friends I have met there, but you propably want to know about the facility. Mariah and Jim, they have a passion for horses and every decision they make is for the improvement of the horses experience. The great thing is that as a boarder, we get the best in ammenities to make LFF the kind of place where you can have peace of mind and know that your horse is well fed, living in the best stalls, looked after every day and have the best footing for all kinds of disciplines. Whether you ride Reining, Western Pleasure, Dressage, H/J, etc. You will find friends there and safe footing for your discipline. You can pay less elsewhere but will wish you were at LFF or you can board at LFF and never need to wish for anything more. Just come out and see for yourself.
What needs improvement:
not a thing
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Reviewed by Diann Boyle on 06/02/2009 10:28am
 11 out of 18 people found this review helpful
What I like:
This is my daughter's 2nd barn, first horse, first trainer, and first time showing. We LUCKED in to Leap of Faith Farms, Inc. The facility, trainers, arenas, and nearby trail location are unbeatable. The management and staff are approachable, friendly and responsive to your needs. There is a nice mix of English and Western riding. The price is reasonable for the full service we receive. I can go on vacation and know my horse will be fed, turned out, trained, taken to the vet if needed, etc. Any level of service is available.
What needs improvement:
The only thing bad about this place is that I have to drive 25 miles from South Pleasanton and pass 10 other equestrian centers to get here. It's worth it.
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Reviewed by Brad Hodges on 05/22/2009 5:47pm
 7 out of 25 people found this review helpful
What I like:
I like everything about this stable. It is one of the finest equestrian facilities in the Bay Area and probably in California. Service and response is 5 Star, Management is 5 Star, Location is 5 Star, Facility is 5 Star. If this were a restaurant or resort it would be 5 Diamonds.
What needs improvement:
Nothing.
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Reviewed by Linda Grohman on 05/22/2009 5:33pm
 14 out of 27 people found this review helpful
What I like:
We like everything about this facility. In almost 40 years of boarding our horses at some of the best boarding and training facilities in California, we have NEVER found one on par with Leap of Faith Farms. Every single thing is amazingly perfect - from the owners, the staff, the facilities, all the arenas (outdoor, covered and indoor), the round pens, the turnouts, the hundreds of miles of trails, the 5 star barns, everything is perfect down to the last little detail. Nothing is overlooked when it comes to the best for you and your horse.
What needs improvement:
There is really nothing that needs to be improved. We can't imagine how it could be any better than it is.
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Reviewed by Horse Mom on 05/22/2009 3:47pm
 15 out of 39 people found this review helpful
What I like:
My 9 year old daughter is part of the western riding program here with about 20 other kids. It is such a wholesome and healthy place for kids that love horses! My daughter loves having her horse here and the families with kids in training in the western program are fantastic. LFF has the best western trainer for kids and difficult horses. There is a tremendous amount of room for the kids to train in arenas but also room to "ride around the property" through creeks and on the mini-trail. The location at the foot of Mt. Diablo cannot be beat. Our horse is well fed and cared for and the barns are immaculate.
What needs improvement:
I cannot think of a thing I would change, except I would like to see some on-site events -- schooling shows, clinics, etc.
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Reviewed by Bethe Mounce on 03/24/2009 1:31am
 18 out of 41 people found this review helpful
What I like:
facilities are safe; stalls in good shape; emergency situations responded to quickly, hay/grain source are adequate. Not much drama at barn!
What needs improvement:
We sure could have more turnout, but space is limited.
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