Seaton Hackney Stables

I used to ride, obsessively, in my pre-​teen years (back before I discovered «romance,» shall we say). Back then, nothing could get me off the back of a horse. I rode w/​walking pneumonia, after being thrown & cracking some ribs, nothing could stop me. Then life happened & I ended up moving very far from the stable at which I had grown up riding.
To be honest, I came across Seaton Hackney through their amazing Groupon offer (if it’s still available, pick one up; it’s well worth it). I had tried another stable’s Groupon prior to finding Seaton Hackney, & I was sorely disappointed. Still, I was willing to try again… mostly b/​c I desperately wanted to ride again.
From the moment I arrived, the staff at Seaton Hackney made me feel right at home. We were joking around like old friends in a few minutes. As I was early, they invited me to look around & say «hi» to the horses. They have a wide selection of gorgeous animal, & it wasn’t just limited to horses! There are chickens, goats, a donkey… all well-​maintained & obviously well-​loved.
I had my lessons w/​Frank & I plan on returning for a longer-​term package ASAP. He was so encouraging, attentive, warm, & reassuring. I had a pretty nasty fall when I learned to canter originally &, when I told him, he made me feel like there was nothing to worry about &, w/​his encouragement, he had me cantering along in less than a minute. I think he’s absolutely fantastic & I can’t wait until my schedule frees up enough to take another lesson under him.
Finally, Levi is a fantastic horse. Frank made sure that I got to work w/​this gentle quarter horse each of my 3 Groupon lessons. He was completely unflappable, albeit a little lazy (but I’d prefer that to a high-​energy horse while I’m relearning all that I’ve forgotten in 15+ years), & had the smoothest, most rocking-​chair canter I’ve ever experienced.
Seaton Hackney is definitely my new «go-​to» stable.

My 4 year old loves horses, and this is the only place I could find that has a program for her age! Now she’s completely hooked.
I called around to several places and found them all to be rude. With Seaton Hackney, I was able to email him and he responded very quickly — and he has been responsive with every email question since.
At first they had the kids groom the ponies and then go for a ride, but then they started providing really good instructions. My daughter, myself, and my SO even are so much more comfortable around horses. We have had a great experience and I hope that it continues into her future. She has more confidence in herself now and it’s only getting better.
She also loves the chickens!

Seaton Hackney is a wonderful place to ride and go to camp. The staff really cares about my children and are patient and informative. Jenna and Katey are especially lovely and carrying! If I could give 6 stars I would. Thank you for being my daughter’s favorite place to go!

I knew very little about horses — ‘still do – but I know when I’m in the presence of professionals. I have yet to map out what’s next with my daughter’s riding but I so enjoy the Flex Camp, Summer Camp and occasional trail rides, and travel from Essex County to do so for her whenever I can. We’ve even attended SHS’s Christmas party where I was like a kid, myself, feeding carrots and peppermints to the gorgeous animals. My daughter has gone rain, shine, cold, heat, New Year’s Day, has done barn work, cared for and learned about the animals and calls it her «therapy». SHS is a world class establishment where (I’ve met everyone by now) the staff is knowledgeable and organized.

For a person whose first time riding a horse, this place wasn’t bad. My instructor was great. I arranged for my friends and I to do this for fun. A lesson/​trail ride for an 1 hour cost $ 55, which isn’t too bad. But my friends did say we could go elsewhere for cheaper. The location was easy to find in Morristown, NJ. The place does have animals so be prepared for the smell. It was pretty simple to make the reservations. I had to call with the names, height and weight of all my friends who were going to participate. When you get to the office, you have to sign a waiver and get a helmet. I am not sure how clean the helmets were though.
Cons– The woman at the desk was not hospitable at all. She wasn’t very inviting or welcoming. She didn’t have change when I tried to pay off my balance since I paid the deposit via phone by debit card and she made no effort in trying to get any. She told me to go across the street to the deli. So when I went there, he said he was closed and had no change. SMH. I am not sure if they are used to taking large groups because we had 1 instructor to 3 of my friends and NONE of us has had ANY experience. My other friends had another instructor but the aides were not very friendly. We booked for 1 hour and I didn’t feel that was enough time, by the time I got used to the horse, we were rushing back for her next appointment. Also, the saddle was extremely uncomfortable.
Pros– My instructor was great but I know we each were expecting more to the lesson/​trail ride. The trail ride was nice, my horse, Clark, went into a nice trot and I didn’t fall off, so I consider that a major accomplishment. The trail ride went off the property into the woods. My instructor also took some cool pictures of me with Clark.
Although, the hospitality was poor. I rated them average because I liked my instructor, she engaged with us and made sure our safety came first. I am not sure If I would return here for another experience though. I may look elsewhere.

We love Seaton Hackney Stables! We visited twice over the summer and both times we had great experiences: the first time, my daughter’s Girl Scout troop had a class lesson and we really appreciated the care that was put in each individual training and the friendliness of the instructors. The horses were mild mannered and visibly happy, the facilities are comfortable and — if you’re there with younger children — the corral with a few farm animals is a bonus. We returned a few weeks later for a family class and we liked it even better. Our instructor, Frank, was outstanding and so personable. At the end of our lesson, we felt energized and with a greater love for both horses and riding than when we started (most of us are beginners). A plus, Seaton Hackney Stables makes riding more affordable with the variety of plans offered, for adults and children alike.

I had been longing for the chance to ride a horse again after being absent from the sport for several years. I began riding while away at a college in Oklahoma. When I moved back to NJ I had almost forgotten about the great experience I previously had with riding horses. In my search throughout NJ and NY, I had tried various horse ranches but none of which were like SHS. I got an actual lesson and not a tour guided trail ride! My trainer was Nicole and she was beyond great! She took the edge off from being nervous about not having ridden in a while. Nicole was especially humorous as well as encouraging. The people that worked there were very welcoming.
Although I enjoyed my session I was not super fond of having to use the
community head gear. I was lucky enough to bring my hair cap to use underneath the helmet. I suppose, however, when I decide to sign up for more lessons, I will invest in my own personal horseback riding gear. A word of advice would be to not wear jeans and shoes with no more than a 1 to 1 ½ inch heel. Jeans tend to be restricting so if you’re serious about riding it is best to wear clothing that allows you to move freely (i.e. spandex/​lycra, breeches, leggings, etc.)
Finally, I have earned my riding points by not falling off, as I almost did. Haha ahaha! Yes, I almost fell off however, I saved myself that bit of excitement. Seeing that I have not ridden in a while, I did wake up the next day feeling pretty sore from having awakened my unused muscles in my core and thigh areas. I wear that pain proudly and look forward to returning to SHS for future riding experiences.
By the way, they have a newer, much larger location in Flemington, NJ. It is a little over 100 acres, I believe. As of this date, that location is not yet opened as they are working on getting a few additional things up and running (i.e., water). I will be heading out there to check it out when I get the chance.

Try to call reserve 10 people for horseback riding (5days ahead of the schedule) and called to book, i got back is they want me to have all their names, so ihang up and do my hw, meanwhile i have 5 more frds interest to go, so i got their name and call back to tell them all their names, and when i speak to them, they also ask for the height and weight, i was like ok, (as i from my experience b4 from other 2 different places no need to), well, then i give them as best as i could, after i told her i have another 5 people, and i got yell that «BUT YOU SAID JUST 10» then like pissed me and keep reply me back w a attitide that they will separate 3 group and after 2^nd group it will be 30 mins wait and 3^rd group, i was like ok. I aslo questioned about if we can use the Groupon, then she said «what groupon???», i answered her that on Unilocal,then she said she doesnt know about and said is the owner put in there, i mean how could u not know if u work there? And she found out finally, she said u must print them or they wont accept.
Guess what, i called another place after, with whic this one they have w a nicer tone, and friendly voice w a reminder of what wear best and as they can separate only 2 groups for us for 1 hour each group. U can see where i decide to go at the end.

Signed up for a last minute trail ride and it was an amazing experience. I was nervous at first but my guide Jeremiah was really patient providing helpful tips and integrating basics into the ride. From our conversations, I can tell he truly loves horses and is a professional. I had such a nice time that I promptly signed up for my first half hour lesson next week. SHS offers group riding lessons as well but unfortunately it didn’t fit with my schedule. Looking fwd to my next visit (hopefully with Thunder)!

I came from another horse riding schoold and have to say that Hackney stables combine everything I ever wanted: outdoor lessons, beautiful nature around, friendly staff, experienced instructors. Besides, you can chose from a big variety of programms and volunteer if you want. There are also some ponies, birds and other animals the stables own which make the atmosphere even more fantastic.

We used Seaton Hackney (i.e., Equishare Baraat Horses) for our Indian wedding groom procession recently («baraat») and we received excellent service. They provided the horse right on time and it was beautifully decorated with traditional Indian décor. Payment was easy and they were easy to work with. We would recommend using them for your Indian wedding events.

We were greeted by friendly staff. The horses were very well trainen and beautiful. The ride was long and relaxing. Great place for beginners!

Really awesome, went here with a groupon and was treated superbly. Saturday was a get to know the horse kinda thing– rode around a fenced off area. Jenna was the instructor and she did great. Told us how to get the horse to do certain things and why. Very fun. The next day we did a trail ride, which was also really nice! We had two instructors one from new zealand and one from england and they also were super nice and personable. We would definitely come here again.
The only thing that bothered us on saturday was the amount of annoying bratty kids that were hanging around. but that wasn’t even a big deal. also the helmets were kinda yucky– i recommend you bring your own. again, no big deal.

This is the greatest Horse camp my daughter has ever gone to. There is plenty of space for riding and they have spacious paddocks and rings for training and for riding. The assistants and teachers have a great knowledge of the equestrian sport and are willing to share their knowledge with the students and riders. We really enjoyed watching the riding and my daughter came home with many stories off her experience. I would recommend these stables to many people who have a joy for riding horses. We will most certainly be returning for more of lessons and riding. Special thanks to Marisa who spent lots of one on one time with my daughter and helped cultivate her love of horses.

First off let me say that I never went to this place. I called the establishment for an inquire on this place from a groupon I saw. First off the person who answered the phone was extremely rude. He had a french accent. Anyway, I called asking if I had to reserve a spot and what times are available. This person had the ordacity to tell me he doesn’t have time to explain this to me. How do you talk to a new customer like that? I have no knowledge or experience with horses and you dont want to explain to me something that I am putting my money towards!/? I am trying to plan a family trip and this rude ass hole wants to act this way.

Didn’t even know this place existed.
Attended a birthday party for a 2 yr old.
They offer an area that has a tent and tables for your party needs.
*Rides on horses.
*Tractor hay rides.
Friendly, helpful staff. On a nice day, a great spot for a party. No booze though. It’s ok 2 yr olds can’t drink… and it was at 1pm… :-)

Opinions seem very divided. My experience was: Polite staff and competent instructor. So why only 3 stars? When I called to book a 1 hour private lesson I clearly stated that I was intermediate. But I was registered as a beginner and given the slowest most lazy horse I’ve ever sat on. Still, it gave me the opportunity to practice some basic stuff — which I needed.
I’m sure I’ll return though. Now they know my level — and we can pick it up from there (likely resulting in more stars next time)

Wow, owners responses speak for themselves.
Just a piece of advice — accusing me of lying is defamation of character, which is a legal charge. And btw, I have video footage from the camp, showing exactly horses to kids ratio.

I find some of these reviews to be despicable. I’ve been riding at Seaton Hackney for a little bit over a year now, and as a twenty-​something with a demanding Manhattan job who lives nowhere near the barn, I’ve found SHS to be the most accommodating, flexible and fair stable in Northern Nj. (Those are NOT EASY TO FIND!) there’s also a complete and total lack of any snobby attitude at this place, another rarity in the horse world.
Anyone who has a negative word to say about the cleanliness of the facilities or the condition of the horses is either 1. Taking out a personal vendetta, 2. Completely out of their minds, or 3. Knows nothing about horses or horse care. Again, I’ve been there for a year, and no matter what time of day you are there, there are always at least 5 – 6 volunteers or employees taking care of the place. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite things about SHS is that EVERYONE is expected to do their part, even if it just means grooming and tacking up your own lesson horse.
I hope I don’t get accused of writing a fake review… I literally don’t have time for that. I feel passionately about the only barn that’s ever made it possible for me to spend meaningful time with horses without breaking my budget.

I hope my review is not going into the filtered ones, because Unilocal has filtered all the great ratings for this stable! This place has improved so much the last year! The stables are rebuilt, the footings are replaced, and the place is very nice. Yes, it can be crowded on the weekends, and yes, the office space is very small, but my daughter has fun every week for her private lesson. I agree though the summer camp is a waste of money, especially if the weather is bad. Come, give this place a try! Its worth your time!