Peninsula Riding Academy - Portola Valley, California

Madison Pobis

Mary genuinely cares for her students, horses, and staff at PRA!! I’m an adult amateur who wanted to return to riding after a 10-year hiatus to re-learn the basics of good horsemanship and English riding. I’m so thrilled that I found Mary! In just a few months, I already feel like I’ve made great progress with her both through one-on-one and group lessons. She is patient, encouraging, and has a deep understanding of the mechanics to make riding as safe and comfortable as possible for horse and rider. Looking forward to continuing my journey at PRA.

Jessica McDonell

I am so grateful to have found PRA! Mary is an excellent teacher and also an admirable horse woman. I had taken a break from riding for a few years after going to my old lesson barn became more anxiety provoking than enjoyable, but I had been wanting to get back into riding as I find horses to be such incredible therapists and I love just being around all things equine. PRA maybe costs bit more than the riding barns I had been going to before, but the experience is also incomparable. Firstly, Mary takes excellent care of her horses, and their welfare and wellbeing clearly is a top priority. Secondly, the detailed attention and instruction you get from Mary and her instructors is not something you'll find at just any lesson barn. Thirdly, her level of care and interest in her student's enjoyment and progression is amazing! I can't recommend this barn enough, for anyone with a love of horses and horsemanship, this is the place for you!

Karin Hejmanowski

Mary and her staff are AH-maz-ing!

My preteen daughter has been taking lessons with Mary for just over six months and her progress is incredible. It's clear that Mary and her staff have the skills to teach true beginners or advanced riders.

Mary teaches with an keen eye for technical precision while also leaning on her acute intuition to determine next steps. My daughter has grown in confidence in the riding ring in ways that translate to school and the rest of life. Mary is constantly affirming her for her riding and for who she is while not sacrificing correction regarding technique.

Mary treats her horses, her staff, and her clients with deep care and fosters the same for her students as they learn to care for and ride her horses.

We're so, so glad we found PRA. If you're considering beginner lessons or looking for a new training situation, definitely get in touch with her!

Laura Rivera

Mary is fantastic! She cares personally about those she instructs and is great with kids. I trust her to keep my 9 year old daughter safe. She has taught my daughter so much about riding and horse care, and most importantly she’s helped my daughter gain confidence. She really knows her stuff. I highly recommend Mary if you or your kids are looking to learn the fundamentals of horseback riding. She is the best!

Mira Bach

We knew Mary was a horsewhisperer first time we met her. Our daughter took her first horseback riding lesson and instantly trusted her and the horse. Mary teaches her students how to speak to and ride a horse. She is very knowledgable, calm and fosters their confidence and independence in this special kind of relationship and sport.
We are very excited for her new riding school and to be part of it.

Maressa Jonland

Mary is an excellent instructor. I have been riding for 25 years and she really knew how to help me understand my bad habits and work on fixing them. I understand the movement of the horse and how to properly frame them up. I know my riding has immensely improved with her instruction. She really cares about her clients and horses. She is very diligent on deciding who is capable to ride each horse and makes sure the horses are not overworked. Peninsula Riding Academy is really a great atmosphere to gain horsemanship knowledge and learn how to ride.

Olivia De Voy

Mary is AMAZING! I grew up riding horses but took a hiatus from riding for almost 15 years. I wanted to start riding again, but really wanted to focus on improving my riding ability. After trying a few other local facilities, I found Mary at Peninsula Riding Academy and even after only after 1 month of Mary training me, I have learned and improved so much! She offers the best critiques and is SO knowledgeable and you can really tell she loves and cares for every single one of her horses. All of her horses are so well trained, and receptive to their riders and are not dead sided like other school horses I’ve ridden in the past or at other facilities.

Mary is great for riders of all skill levels and ages. Whether it’s someone who’s just beginning to ride, a re-rider after taking a hiatus or advanced students, she works with each individual to help them succeed.

At peninsula riding academy, I have seen my riding ability grow and my knowledge of horses and the equestrian field has been vastly expanded thanks to Mary and her wonderful horses. 10/10 would recommend!

Sara Turner

Both myself and my daughter (6 yo) have been riding with Mary, Sydney, and Delaney for a few months now and came to them with very little experience riding.
We love this barn! The horses are so beautiful and well taken care of by Luis and everyone else there. We’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time. I really appreciate that there is an emphasis on both groundwork and riding and I always feel safe both for my daughter and myself. The instructors are all able to adapt their style and meet the rider where they’re at.
My daughter will be participating in her first show next weekend. I feel very lucky that we found Mary and her team as we dive in to this world of horses.