Idylwood Equestrian Center

I have ridden at Idylwood for more than 10 years and obviously I love it. The two main reasons that I have been happy at Idylwood is that Jaime truly cares about the welfare of the horses as well as her riders. I know that my horses will be well taken care of and her barn is run professionally – everything is neat and clean and safety (of horse and rider) is always a priority. Jaime helped me find my very first horse that I still ride and adore. She is excellent at matching horse and rider as well as finding a horse that fits that person’s budget – which is no mean feat. I also find Jaime to be a natural teacher. She enjoys teaching and everyone is welcome to learn how to ride - no matter the skill level or age. If you have a love for horses Idylwood is a great place to be!

Jaime is very encouraging and likeable, however she does not have the horses care at heart. She has drugged horses so they ride sound, when in fact they should not even be ridden at all. She trained me many years ago, eventually I bought a horse she recommended, the day I left her my horse came up lame and was to the day he passed. Other friends I kept in contact had the same experience with their horses. Again she is very fun, but it comes with a cost to these poor animals. I hope one day she sees the error to her way.

Idylwood is a top notch place to learn horse riding. Not only will you learn to ride but also how to care of these magnificent animals. You will learn all this and much more in a very safe environment. Special care is taken during lessons making sure you have a safe enjoyable ride. My granddaughter started riding at Idylwood at 5. She is now 8 and it's amazing how skilled she is riding and jumping fences. I have also taken lessons and highly recommend Idylwood for beginners and experts.

Idylwood is an amazing and beautiful property! The lush green trees and manicured lawn feels like a relaxing getaway. They really care about their clients and want your experience to be fun and enjoyable while learning. Jaime is attentive to the specific needs of her clients and to the horses under her care. All of the horses here look happy and healthy!

We my BF and I had the ultimate experience in English riding at our visit at Idywood. We started with bonding with our horses by grooming them saddling them up and preparing them to ride. We both have been horse back riding many times but never with this much detailed interaction and capacity. Our trainer Kevin and Megan gave us history of Idylwood, each horses personality and bio, of their competions and abilities in expert riding and jumping. We learned about the abilities on how the horses understand navigation without looking at you by the contour and shift in your body language on their backs....wow...I was amazed at how comfortable Woody had become with me being so playful, it was almost as though I had the Ghost Whisper ability..I'm not kidding. Totally cool. I defiantly recommend this place for beginners and experts. This place is kid and family friendly (the owners little son about 5 years old is all over the place helping out learning, telling you about his horses and as sweet as pie) We plan to return and take an advanced riding course in English riding real soon. You better get your reservation soon as they fill up quickly.

****PLEASE READ ENTIRE REVIEW*** A great and lovely barn on the surface, but horses and clientele treated poorly, unethically, and taken advantage of. Trainer over charges clients and does not provide services billed for. My daughter and I rode at Idylwood Equestrian Center for 5 years. We had to make the difficult choice to leave because my daughter was starting high school and living in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, we needed to find a closer barn for our horses. We were sad because we loved riding at Idylwood and having Jaime as our trainer. She had found great horses for us. For my daughter, then 14, she offered her own cute paint that everyone at the barn loved. For me she found a mare she said came from another barn in town to be sold. Jaime said she needed to be re-trained because she was not ridden properly by her former owner and they had a hard time handling her. When we got to the new barn my daughter's horse became lame just about a week after we arrived. I called Jaime and she assured me that the horse was sound. Not many days later he became so lame in his front hooves that the new barn owner thought he had founder. After many months of vet visits and finally arriving at the U of M vet clinic, we found he had navicular and arthritis, both conditions were pre-existing. We were not informed of any pre-existing issues when we purchased him. Within a few more months we found out Jaime not only lied about my daughters horse, she lied about mine as well....The previous owner of my horse was given to Jaime to retire at Idylwood. The old owner contacted us and couldn't believe she was being ridden and in training. She informed me that my horse had a torn suspensory ligament. A career ending injury they tried for a year to rehabilitate. My horse was not mistreated, she was very much loved by her daughter who rode her in many shows around the country. She should not have been ridden and was to be retired- The former owner felt so terrible... We were devastated, how could a professional dedicated to the health and wellness of horses treat our horses with such disregard! How could the trainer we put so much trust in out right lie and sell us horses that were not rideable!!! Both horses were not misbehaving, as we were led to believe, they were in pain!!! (My daughter's horse was obviously heavily medicated to appear sound). There are many other barns in the area that are honest and have trainers who are better qualified. There are also many similar reviews from other patrons who had moved their horses from Idylwood. Please be aware and seek another option. There is so much more to tell...Don't waste your time or money on this place. Thank you...

It has taken me a very long time to write this review for multiple reasons. I was emotionally scarred after my experiences there and there was always a fear of retaliation from the owner Jaime Benner. I started riding at Idylwood after taking a couple of years off of riding, and at first everything was great. On the surface, Jaime seemed to really care about her horses and the education of her riders. That being said, there was always the pressure to go to the bigger and more expensive shows and lease or buy my own horse. My finances were very limited at the time, so taking lessons alone was a big deal for me. After awhile, she suggested that I try a new horse that had supposedly just been out of work for a bit and was free to whomever wanted him. As a girl who had been wanted a horse for almost 20 years this seemed too good to be true. She convinced me that I would be able to work at the stable to pay off his board and part of my lessons so I would still be able to afford it and that his medical expenses would be relatively low/he didn't have any known issues. I was naive and had never owned a horse before, so I did not do a pre-purchase exam. That was my fault completely, but I had grown to trust my trainer and believe she had my best interests at heart. I had no business buying this horse and learned that very quickly. After he got some of his strength back he became a nightmare to jump. I had always been a very confident rider, but he completely shook me and I became afraid to jump even a crossrail. The first winter that I had him he got really bad colic. Unbeknownst to me, that was a chronic problem for him and he had colic almost 10 times in the year and a half that I owned him. I was drowning in vet bills and all of a sudden Jaime refused to let me work for her anymore. I became more and more in debt since I was no longer able to work off my board and had almost $4000 in vet bills to pay off. Finally, I tried to communicate with Jaime that I would need to sell him or give him away because I simply couldn't afford his keep. Less than a month later I get a phone call from Jaime saying that he got colic again and was dead. Even though he was a challenge to ride, I loved this horse with my whole heart. He was my first horse and meant everything to me. Come to find out, I was not contacted until 12 hours after he passed away, the vet was not called until after he passed away, and his body was taken away from the facility before I could come out and say goodbye. I will never know what really happened to him. After all of that....I tried to come and pick up my saddle and my trunk, but when I arrived nothing was in the tackroom. I tried to contact Jaime to ask where it was and she told me that she had "put it away" until I paid off my vet bill. Keep in mind, I had never been late on a payment to her and had never given anyone permission to use my equipment as collateral. After almost a month of negotiation I was able to borrow money from family members so that I could pay her off and get my tack back. I implore anyone who considers this place to think very hard about their decision. I am not the only one who has had a horse die or become seriously injured in her care. Please don't let my story become yours.