We have been with Skye Valley Training for 2+ years, through ups and downs, with good clients and not-so-great clients. Through all of that, I've seen the hardships they've endured (COVID, those tricky clients, lifelong horse pass of old age, etc.) Yet, they've handled it all with grace and professionalism. I've spent the last few minutes reading through the reviews below. There cannot be a more false representation of the business and ethics of Jaimi and Skye Valley overall - conjecture at best.
Those who have given the retaliatory reviews below are doing so based on their inability to handle situations like adults through conversation. As a result, the reviews are based on a. childish retaliation, b. a hunger for drama c. to feel better about themselves by harming others. Jaimi and Ainsley (now Dr. Faraday) are some of the most selfless and loving people I have ever met. Do they run late sometimes, yes? Does your pediatrician run an hour late when you have a sick kid? Also, yes.
Under Jaimi and Ainsley's care and coaching, we saw our daughter go from anxious, stressed, and sometimes sad to the confident, capable, and frankly excellent rider she is today (placed at Nationals - woot!). She has flourished in life, and I attribute a huge chunk of that to these women at the barn. She has ADHD and can be perceived as a LOT by some people. But, Jaimi and Ainsley always met her with grace, patience, and understanding. Most importantly, when she was off track, they would refocus her without shame and in a positive way - that's more than I can say for myself, and I'm her mom.
Do you know what you want from trainers? Someone who is so safety conscious will reject a horse you have on trial because they don't trust it. No matter what. No, it didn't do anything awful during the trial, but she knew, and even I did. Jaimi and Ainsley had the care to tell a little girl that the pony she thought she was in love with wasn't the safest option and that she had to say goodbye. We now have what I consider one of the safest horses money could buy.
As for the stealing accusation, bogus, stealing is willingly taking dozens of additional lessons from your "friend" and never paying for them.
Everyone has terrible reviews sometimes. Everyone has bad days. But sometimes, you have to consider the source. Ask yourself, what kind of review would you leave if you were kicked out of a barn for bullying a tween, attempting to steal clients, and talking poorly about your 'best friend/trainer'? And then sign yourself up at Skye Valley, where you know you will be SAFE and cared for.
Yes, you might even progress a little slower, but ONLY because it's the absolute fundamentals that will save your life when you move to the next step.
Enough said.
The team at Skye Valley Training is awesome! I have been taking riding lessons since I was a kid, under the instruction of quite a few trainers of a varied range of quality. I wish I had had the opportunity to have such incredible teachers as Jaime and Ainsley from the beginning. Because I've had so so many teachers in general throughout my life, I have a good sense of just how good (and not so good) different people can be at teaching. Jaime and Ainsley are hands down in the top few percent of teachers in general in terms of quality of instruction and integrity. My riding proficiency has increased so much more efficiently under their instruction than I have in the past because of their teaching skills and unwavering positive regard toward me, even when I've felt utterly incompetent or just had a tough day. Jaime and Ainsley's encouraging and non-judgmental attitudes toward each of their students, combined with their technical expertise in horsemanship really sets them apart from most other trainers, particularly in the English riding world.
I don't want to make this review too long, but I must briefly highlight some of Jaime and Ainsley's other qualities that make them stand out. They highly value the safety of their students. They take exceptionally good care of their horses.
Unscrupulous Business Owners Still Waiting for Reimbursement
In Spring of 2018, when they were still located in Castro Valley, we registered our son for the week long horse camp the first week after school let out for the summer. Another friend also enrolled their kids as well.
The week before camp, we received emails about the move to the new facility in Martinez and a request not to cancel, but to take a credit for the future if we were unable to attend.
Trying to attend would have meant adding over an hour, one way in dropping off before heading to work 1 hour 20 min vs 15 min commute. Obviously not going to work with 1 weeks notice. Making multiple day trips to use credits was also not something we were prepared to do.
Further research on their Facebook page revealed this move had been planned for some time and could have/should have been communicated earlier. Parents rely on these week long camps to be able to bring there kids somewhere while they work and have the entire summer already planned out by week months in advance.
We requested to be reimbursed back in June, and after multiple emails and phone calls, neither we or our friends (to my knowledge) have received our money back of over $500 per camper.
I'm more than happy to invest a little money in a business if I'm getting some sort of interest on my original investment. We'll try contacting again and I'll post a follow up on whether....
A) We receive full reimbursement along with something to compensate us for giving an interest free loan for a year B) We receive full reimbursement only C) We continue to get the run around and no reimbursement
