Seaton Hackney Stables, Morristown

The entire staff -office, yard, rangers- is extremely helpful and supportive. The place is very organized and the horses are fabulous. Definitely NOT overworked, just the opposite! The owner is courteous and spares no effort to make everyone feel welcomed. We'll be back.

I bought a riding coupon from Living Social and redeemed it in late October. The facility is very well kept, the horses are in great shape, and the staff was very accommodating. I really enjoyed myself. Not only did I have a great trail ride, I decided to sign my daughter up for a private lesson. She ended up taking three in November and we have since signed up for winter troop. The instructor (forget her name...B something) was very good, not just as a horse instructor but as a teacher in general. I grew up around horses and know a thing or two. I appreciated the experience of this instructor and how she helped my daughter. For anyone interested in trail rides, the trails are very well kept and the trail ride is lovely. I was very impressed with the facility and the people. And, having grown up with horses, I know it's not always easy to deal with horse temperment as well as the people who think they can ride them. Kudos to the Seton Hackney barn.

I redeemed a voucher from Living Social recently for a 1 hr private lesson. A little background on me: I took lessons at another stable for 1.5 yrs and stopped because life happened and haven't been on a horse since which is about 4 yrs ago. I would say my riding level is between beginner and intermediate. so my lesson at Seaton Hackney started off fine with a cheerful trainer. But soon I was finding myself fighting an obstinate horse. Couldn't get the horse to obey my commands. The trainer told me the horse loves to come to the middle of the ring and sure enough everytime I asked the horse to trot, he would immediately cut inside. Halfway through the lesson the trainer says the horse is a "level 3 horse and I should've been put on at least a "level 2" horse and that the front desk should've asked what level rider I am when I called. Her explaination for why I was put on this particular horse is that he was the available one for this time slot. Needless to say I was very disappointed with the lesson as I felt like I was fighting the horse the whole time. Now, it never occured to me to tell the person I spoke to on the phone to match me with a horse at my level of riding, but shouldn't that be their responsibility?! No one even asked me what riding level I am before I got out in the ring. I just did not feel like I was cared for as a rider. I felt like I was just thrown on any horse that was available because I wasn't a regular rider there. A truely disappointing experience.

We bought a groupon, thinking it would be a fun family event, and 3 of us had been several times before. We got there, and the owner was very nice and friendly, but that's about where it ended. There was confusion on who should take us on the trail and which horses went to who. It appeared that my horse needed a break, since he didn't want to go anywhere he was being led-- even when the employee was pulling him by the reigns. As we started, I noticed my saddle wasn't secured to my horse and I didn't have a handle on my saddle. I was told this is "English style"-- I'm not sure, but I would assume the English have many more injuries if this is the case. The woman leading us was nice, but 3 of the 5 horses wandered off with us on them, and she seemed unable to help. she kept telling me to try to stop my horse by pulling back on the reigns. The horse jerked forward and pulled me with him. I got very scared, and wanted to go. Noone offered a refund, or a different horse. It was not the good experience I'd hoped for.

As a mom in Morris County, I am very satisfied with this place. I grew up around horses. The horses are plump, happy, and go out every night. The staff even invited us to see the horses run at night...which was amazingly beautiful. It was my best memory of the summer...my daughters' too. Both of my girls went to camp this summer. We were very pleased with how nice everyone was. The owner greeted us in the morning, the instructors were fabulous and fun. My girls insisted on going back for another week. Most of the girls were sweet and kind...unlike other barns. There were a few who were a bit above themselves but, now that we have continued on with troop, I see that they have left. So, the environment is relaxed and family-oriented. That's what I want for my girls. BTW, whoever commented about "rats"...all barns have rodent problems...so that was a stupid comment.

I read the other reviews and, as a Seaton Hackney rider for several years, I'm dismayed by their comments. Obviously, they come from the riders who left with the two instructors this summer. I have to tell everyone that those comments are by misguided riders. Seaton Hackney has a great program for all riders. The horses are amazingly well cared for and the facility is very well maintained. There was one down side...the snotty little riders who thought they were too good and eventually (thank god) left. I don't think these people realize that Seaton Hackney is a barn for everyone...with opportunity for everyone. Those girls liked to jump, jump, jump and their instructors were always putting riders before safety. It's good that marc got rid of them. Their new instructors are so much nicer and better when it comes to actual instruction. Marc is wonderful, the new instructors are great, and the horses are wonderful. So, if you are a new rider and not thinking you can do Olympic riding, this IS the barn for you.

The below is my friend's review, a very capable rider with a horse of her own. "I rode at the new SHS once. The trainer put me on a "beginner" horse and proceeded to blame me for the fact that every time I asked the horse to canter, it would dive off in one direction (and I almost fell off at one point). The instructor was very rude and talked down to me and she also spent quite a bit of time talking to the other trainer who was in the ring and watching the other person getting a lesson go over 2 foot verticals. Overall I was just not impressed with the place or its "trainer" credentials. I wouldn't go back." I'm not sure when she ventured to ride there, but I'm assuming it was sometime after it reopened with the new management. The old management was awesome. What scared me the most was that when the new management reopened the barn, they had kids riding in BIKE HELMETS! I think they have since changed - luckily, it seems, before a kid fell off a horse and found out the hard way that a bike helmet is not certified for protecting the back and sides of the head like legitimate ASTM/SEI equestrian helmets are. That being said, I remember riding with the Pony-share people back when I was a little girl at the Jockey Hollow Girl Scout Camp. The "Pony Camp" was little more than pony rides up and down the dirt road. I remembered the owner was friendly and would tell us about the ponies' personalities. (I recall Peter Pan and Mellow). Years later, I acted as an assistant counselor for the Pony Camp group, and not much had changed. By that time I had been riding for awhile and assisting lessons for beginners - I was not impressed by the instruction or how little time the kids spent learning basic horsemanship skills.

There are many inexpensive activities, the staff is very helpful, the horses rock.

My daughter loved the horses, I loved the place but the owner is disrespectful and rude with customers and staff -both American or international-. It's a shame because it would be a great place to have an excellent riding experience. It is true, there are a lot of rats there.

I have over 20 years of experience as a horse person and I have been a customer and friend of Seaton Hackney since it reopened, 5 years ago. Despite the grudges and misguided prejudicial and unfounded statements expressed by some former employees of Seaton Hackney who were let go by Marc because of their poor performance, the facility rocks. The atmosphere is extremely congenial, the kids are safe and encouraged to perform to the best of their ability, The horses, many of them rescued by Marc himself, are perfectly suited for to the particular activities they are assigned to. As far as his staff is concerned, Marc may be a bit of a disciplinarian but he is extremely fair -he just sent his staff to the Dominican Republic for a one week all expenses paid vacation- but, as he is himself often overhead saying, quoting the former Perdue's commercial: : "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" ! Give the guy a break, he is the Lee Iacocca of the horse world and he runs a great facility!