This place is just so wonderful! everyone is so nice! Im doing lessons here and there great, they always greet you and theyre so helpful. I wish to stay here throughout my lessons.

Wonderful place. Tennie helped our little girl have her first experience on a horse and she was so thoughtful, caring, and knowledgeable. Will certainly be back as our little one is hooked at this point. :)

Ive been in and out of ARS for almost 15 years (due to different horses in training) and have NEVER had a bad experience there. The owners are fantastic and some of the trainers have become very close friends of mine. The horses are all looked after very well. 5 stars from me!

Kathleen is amazing and VERY attentive to the horses and her clients, A Rising Star Equestrian Center facility is clean and kept up with high standards. They employ very friendly and knowledgeable staff that has always been welcoming. I enjoy being around everyone and being able to experience this wonderful facility!

The Owners Ron And Robin Are The Best!!! During the Bomb cyclone they were sending multiple emails letting all of us Know How our Horses were doing:) The Trainers And Their Clients Are All Great, I Do Ranch Versatility Which includes Cow Work and they’ve got a nice cutting pen and when the weather dries up we will have cattle arena built as well so we can do fence work and work on rating cattle!!! If you wanna try cows this is the only local facility I know of where you can do it and Kathleen McPhaul has a Fantastic Cattle Program.

We held my daughter’s 10th birthday party here. Everyone working with us was professional, helpful, friendly and sincerely cared about helping the girls learn about and love horses. They ensured safety while trying to make sure everyone had a good time. The part where the kids got to ride the horses while practicing walking and trotting was their favorite part. Thanks for an excellent experience!

I have had the pleasure to work with Kathleen (with McPhaul Performance Horses) over the past six months. Kathleen knows horses better than any trainer than Ive ever worked with before. Years ago I ran barrels, but never understood how to ride correctly - and the small, yet significant movements a rider can make that communicate to their horse.She instructs so as to achieve the best result for the rider, as well as to be sensitive to the horses best interests. Kathleen moved to The Rising Star the first of the year from another facility. Among its other credits the Rising Star is a clean and well monitored facility, both from rider and horse perspectives. I have enjoyed, and have appreciated, the opportunity to receive instruction from Kathleen - as well as to ride at The Rising Star. If you are looking for a facility to board, or to receive lessons I would 100% recommend that you check out A Rising Star and Kathleen (you can read her credits on her website, McPhaul Performance Horses).

Kathleen is appalling. I contacted her to inquire about training, and she never for a second took the time to listen to my needs. When I met with her, she literally, in her words put me to work, had me turning out her horses and feeding her cats. I did this because I figured it may have been an off day for her, she was short handed, and Ill help out until we have time to chat. But she never showed interest in learning my needs, she was only interested in trying to get me to lease one of her horses. She also came across extremely rude and abrasive. I knew immediately she was not the trainer for me, on top of the fact that she is not a cutting trainer and thats what Im looking to get back into (it has been several years since Ive ridden even though I grew up competing in the sport). A few weeks after meeting with her she sent me a message when she had her cattle in, I figured Id take advantage and just go up and ride even though I knew she wouldnt be a good fit for me long term. I showed up to ride and again, she is just so rude. But whatever, Im ignoring her, attempting to saddle the horse. She has me put on a martingale, something my horses never used and I havent put on in probably about a decade, and when I asked for her help she said to me have you never owned a horse before? (Not in an inquisitive way, in a mocking bully way. Like, come on. Be nice! Teach.) Still I am ignoring. I go out to the pen to warm up the horse, Im riding, she enters the arena and just starts correcting me. Bridge your reins! Okay... I dont typically ride that way, so I tell her that, how I’m used to riding with one hand. She literally just stares at me annoyed saying nothing. After several seconds, almost a full minute of literally starting at each other, she finally says Well why are you here then? (I am mind blown that this woman is speaking to me this way! Everything she says is so nasty.) So I tell her, Kathleen, last time I was here I tried to tell you about how I was trying to find a cutting trainer near Denver, but you werent listening as you were having me do your chores for you! We somehow get passed this conversation and start the lesson, which is literally just her SCREAMING at me across the arena! Open up your leg! OPEN UP YOUR LEG! Im trying to tell her that I dont know what shes asking of me (hey, Im rusty, and maybe my trainers never used that phrase...) and her response is these are general western terms!. At this point I stop the lesson. I am done with this. I tell her Thank you for your time but this just isnt a good fit for me. You are being so rude and condescending and Im just done. Should I walk the horse back up? and I hop off. She is clearly surprised and tells me to walk the horse up to the barn and give it to Ann. I leave the arena and am walking up towards the barn, she runs up to me ON HER HORSE and I’m on foot, rips the reigns out of hand and yells at me to “GET OFF MY PROPERTY!” At this point I take my phone out of my pocket and start recording. I have about 5 minutes recorded where she just BERATES ME. Calls me names, threatens to fight me. The entire time I am calm, telling her that shes just not a good fit for me. I mean, I have no idea what is wrong with this person, what her problem is, why she acted this way... I am mind blown. And the people who own the facility she is operating out of should know what an awful, unprofessional human she is! She needs therapy. She should not be allowed to run a business this way.

A boarding and educational facility with indoor and outdoor arenas. Owners, barn manager and staff are friendly, professional and caring. They offer private lessons year round and fun summer group camps. I board 5 horses there and love it.

Would like to say a big thank you to Tennie for making the horse experience for my grandchildren wonderful. We went from grooming to saddling to riding and they had their first horse experience and enjoyed it immensely.

A wonderful place for my 4 year old to learn about horses and ponies. Even though they don’t offer formal lessons for kids under 5, they were very accommodating and provided a great learning experience for my little one.

I brought my almost 5 year old daughter here yesterday. The facility is top notch. We have visited several stables in the past and typically no one even approaches us to ask if we need help.Beth was more than willing to give us a tour of the facility and Lauren was a great instructor for my daughters first lesson. I thought it was great, that although she isnt even 5 years old yet, Lauren had her help groom and saddle up one of their lesson horses before she could mount and ride in the arena. Too many other places just want to give kids pony rides and teach them little to nothing about caring for a horse.In under an hour, she had the horse listenting to commands and walking and whoaing on cue. She even got him to trot a little bit. Overall a great experience and well worth the money for a private lesson. Looking forward to her next lesson.Thanks! -Marc

A Rising Star Equestrian Center is a full service equestrian facility. Horses receive the best care here with a great staff, trainers and riding instructors.

Great place to board and learn to ride!