Four rides, side by side
Rides at the barn
The guided beach ride, the sunset ride and cookout, a private VIP ride and arena pony rides, compared with ages, times and prices.
Compare the rides
Riding lessons and horsemanship programs on the Daly City coast Ride the coast. Start with the horse.
Leyden Horsemanship is the school at Ocean View Stables: riding lessons from age 3, the Level One program, and leadership work for teams. Every lesson and ride at the barn books here.
Find your lesson Compare the rides
- Lessons from age 3
- Level One, taught like a trade
- Free online courses
- 15 minutes from downtown SF
Stay by the Sea: private oceanfront pods on a working horse ranch in Daly City, 15 minutes from downtown San Francisco. Check dates
Your first lesson
New to horses? Start with one lesson.
An hour at the barn and in the arena with an instructor. You learn to catch, groom and lead your horse and to read what it is telling you, and you ride once the groundwork holds. It is the first step on the Level 1 path, and nobody is too green for it.
- Kids riding lessons from age 3, with 30-minute lessons for the youngest.
- Adult beginner riding lessons, no experience needed.
- Private riding lessons, one rider and one instructor.
Two names, one barn
Leyden Horsemanship is the school; Ocean View Stables is the barn where we teach, on the Daly City bluffs above the Pacific. The program is Western horsemanship in the vaquero tradition, built on one standard: the horse comes first.
- Leyden HorsemanshipThe school: the method, the lessons, the books.
- Ocean View StablesThe barn: the herd, the arena, the trail. Visit the barn
- The horse comes firstOur standard: calm, safe, willing, in that order.
Ways in
Four ways to start
A ride, a lesson, a camp or a stay on the bluff.
Ages 3 and up
Riding lessons
Kids, adult beginners, private lessons and the monthly Lesson Club, all on the same Level 1 path.
Find your lesson
Summer and holiday weeks
Kids horse camp
A week at the barn with a camp horse of their own. Dates, ages and registration are on the Ocean View Stables camp page.
See camp dates
Horse Retreat
Stays by the sea
Our tiny guest ranch minutes from the San Francisco Zoo: a whole private pod on the bluff from $450 a night, always booked together with a horse experience, a ride, a lesson or Sip & Paint. Or the all-in Cowboy Weekend.
See the stays- More ways to spend a day at the barn
- Private VIP ride
- Birthday parties
- Level One program
- Corporate team building
- Leadership clinic
- Horse photography sessions
- Gift cards
Book online
Live times and prices
Rides and lessons, straight from the booking calendar. Prices shown are before a 3.6% payment processing charge, itemized as its own line and shown to you before you pay.
The Leyden way
From the ground up
Every student starts at Level 1, on the ground, next to the horse. Level 1 Foundational Horsemanship runs in four courses, from the barn aisle to the trail above the Pacific.
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Course 100Care comes first
Equine Science and Care: barn safety, grooming, saddling and aftercare. You learn what a horse needs before you ask anything of one.
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Course 101Read the horse
Ethology and Safety: reading the horse, the catch and the draw, leading, tying and knots, bridling, and hooking on in the round pen.
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Course 102Groundwork
Ground Mechanics: lateral flexion, moving the hindquarters and the forequarters, backing, and desensitizing. The language is pressure and release, and the release is what teaches.
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Course 103The saddle, then the trail
Applied Equitation: mounting, a balanced seat and independent hands, steering with direct and neck rein, transitions and stops, and the trail.
A skill counts only when you can do it on your own, with no coaching. We call that the Zero Assistance Standard. The four Level 1 courses are also online and free, so you can start at home.
How we teach
Soft is strong. Clarity is kindness.
From Soft Is Strong: The Art of Horsemanship, by Zachary Leyden with Kalea Leyden
Our teaching comes out of the line of horsemen that runs from Tom Dorrance through Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman. It rests on feel, timing and balance, and on pressure and release: ask with the least pressure that gets a try, let go the moment you get it, and let the release do the teaching.
Western horsemanship in the vaquero tradition is the only kind we teach. The Leyden Standard asks everyone who handles the herd to leave each horse and each person calmer, safer and more willing than before.
The horse comes first.Who we are
What to expect
Before you come out
Arrival
Come 20 minutes before your start time to check in, fit a helmet and sign in. Visits are by appointment only, and parking is on site.
What to wear
Long pants and closed-toe shoes with a slight heel, which keeps a foot from sliding through the stirrup. Bring layers: the coast is cooler and windier than the city.
Helmets
ASTM-certified helmets are provided. Riders under 18 must wear one. Adults are strongly advised to wear one and may decline only by signing a refusal at check-in.
The waiver
Everyone signs the Ocean View Stables Participant Agreement before any hands-on time with a horse; a parent or guardian signs for a minor. Sign online beforehand or on paper at check-in.
Phones on the ride
Bring your phone. Keep it in a zipped pocket while you ride, and take your pictures when the guide says it is a good moment, or hand it over and the guide will take them. The one thing we ask is that nobody rides with a phone in their hand while the horses are moving.
Weather and tides
Weather, surf, tide, ground conditions, safety and the welfare of a horse are our call, and we make it for safety. If we cancel, you choose: a new date at no charge, or a booking credit for the full amount paid. Credits do not expire. We do not issue cash refunds.
Where we teach
At Ocean View Stables, on the Daly City bluffs
Lessons, rides, camps and events all happen at the barn, minutes from the San Francisco Zoo. More about the barn.
Ocean View Stables, 2152 Olympic Way, Daly City, CA 94015From riders
What riders say
The trail is absolutely beautiful. The views are not just a flat beach. You ride a gorgeous trail with vegetation and cliffside views as well as the beach.
I loved feeling no pressure as a beginner, being taught the basics and supported along the whole ride. The scenery was unreal, and they even took pictures along the way...
...Beautiful views, the horses are well taken care of, and the trail is just gorgeous. Staff is amazing...
From reviews of Ocean View Stables on Google, quoted as written. An ellipsis marks where a review is shortened.
No. Lessons and rides both begin on the ground: how a horse thinks and how to stay safe around one, then riding instruction, on a horse matched to you.
Beach and trail rides are for riders 8 and up, and a child under 8 cannot ride double with a parent. Lessons and arena pony rides start at age 3, because they stay at the barn and in the arena.
Long pants, closed-toe shoes or boots with a slight heel, and layers, because the coast is cooler and windier than the city. Bring water and sunscreen; fog is not shade. ASTM-certified helmets are provided. Riders under 18 must wear one.
Yes. Riders must be 240 lbs or less and able to mount and dismount with minimal assistance. The limit is there for the horses’ safety, and we match each rider to a suitable horse from the herd.
Reschedule at no charge up to 24 hours before your start time, subject to instructor, horse and facility availability. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead and we issue a booking credit for the full amount paid; credits do not expire and are not transferable or redeemable for cash. Inside 24 hours, or a no-show: no refund and no credit.
Weather, surf, tide, ground conditions, safety and the welfare of a horse are our call, and we make it for safety. If we cancel, you choose: a new date at no charge, or a booking credit for the full amount paid. Credits do not expire. We do not issue cash refunds. If we shorten or change an experience for safety once it has begun, we will offer a fair partial credit.
Yes. Every participant signs the Ocean View Stables Participant Agreement, Release and Assumption of Risk before any hands-on activity with a horse, and a parent or guardian signs for a minor. Sign it online before you arrive, or on paper at check-in.
At the barn office at Ocean View Stables, 2152 Olympic Way, Daly City, CA 94015. Parking is on site. Arrive 20 minutes before your start time; the facility is gated and staffed.
Notes from the barn
From the journal
Notes on horse behavior, riding and the history of horsemanship.
Leyden Horsemanship at Ocean View Stables
Begin on the ground
Find the lesson that fits who is riding, or compare the four rides at the barn.
Find your lesson Compare the rides
Rather talk it through? Call (415) 969-1223.