4829 Switch Willow Rd. 345-2507.
Switch Willow offers private, semi-private, and group lessons, all of which are given seven days a week in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Glenn and Phoebe will train and/or board your horse for set fees, or they can help you find the right one for you. Switch Willow also offers a summer day camp for kids ages five to 16, instructing them in English riding and general horsemanship. The weekly sessions run M-F, 9am-3pm.
Kings Bridge Farm
710 County Rd., Leander. 259-3479.
Kings Bridge is another beautiful English hunter/jumper riding stable that offers lessons, boarding, and a summer day camp. They also have an impressive tack shop and a swimming pool on the grounds. The camp is open to kids from seven to 16 years of age and runs in weekly sessions, 9am-4pm.
Other local stables:
Cameron Equestrian Center, 13404 Cameron, 272-4301.
Rio Vista Farm & Tack Shop. 247-2303.
Westbridge Equestrian, 6400 Liveoak, 327-3835.
Tack & Beyond
Whether you ride Western or English (with or without the horn on the saddle), whether you are a beginner or a pro, there are quite a few retailers in Austin who can outfit you with everything you may need and some things you might not. Callahan’s General Store, now in two locations, is by far the most fun to visit, 501 Bastrop Hwy183 S., 385-3452, and Cedar Park Square Hwy183 N., 335-8585. The original location has all the Western wear and tack your little honky-tonk heart may desire as well as medical and grooming products for all kinds of livestock. The new location in Cedar Park Square has English tack as well as all the Western amenities that made the original location popular among the horsy set. However, parents beware: I used to take the Switch Willow summer camp kids to Callahan’s and they never wanted to leave without one of the baby ducks, chickens, geese, or turkeys that the store offers.
The Leading Rein sells the occasional piece of Western equipment but is mainly devoted to upscale English tack and apparel, 7739 Northcross, 458-6637. They have the best selection of the latest grooming and health products for horses and a wide selection of riding habits. Claustrophobic alert! The small store has so much equipment and trinkets (most featuring horses or the ubiquitous Jack Russell terrier) it is a bit challenging to browse around.
Finally, Capitol Saddlery, an Austin legend if only for the boot-shaped sign out front, carries most everything you need, 1614 Lavaca. 478-9309. The store is dusty and its salespeople are a bit gruff, but it has an air of Western authenticity that is difficult to find elsewhere. Capitol Saddlery has a full line of English tack and apparel, but if you want it custom-made and made well, these guys offer hand-made boots and saddles. –V.C.
This article appears in May 21 • 1999 and May 21 • 1999 (Cover).