Testimonials

“Amanda Lyons cares about horses and people who ride like no other!  I have learned so much from her in my short time at her stables, I am super impressed.  She takes your safety and that of the horses as her number one priority, her attention to detail in her instructions is the best I have seen so far after riding at a few different locations in NS.  I wouldn’t go anywhere else now that I see the difference.  She is really hands on so you get immediate feedback whether its your first or later lessons and you can tell how passionate she is, it shows in her well cared for clean stables and her love of her horses.  I truly appreciate how open she is to each and every one of my questions and how thorough her guidance is.  I just wish my 5 yo niece taking lessons in Ontario lived here instead.  I highly recommend Amanda and Equine Estates to anyone of any age!  

Elizabeth McMahon, Bedford, NS 

 “Equine Excellence is a great place for you or your child to learn how to ride Western-style! Owner-instructor Amanda Lyons provides a fun, safe lesson program, starting with basic barn and horsemanship skills, and going up to advanced training for Equine Canada rider levels. She gives her students lots of personal attention, taking her time to get to know each one, and she’s always happy to answer questions. She takes excellent care of her beloved horses, who are well-trained and safe, and her barn is clean, spacious, and very well-organized. After many years of riding English, I’m having a wonderful time learning to ride Western with Amanda and my patient equine partners, Tulip and Maddi! 

Vivien Gorham, Dartmouth, NS” 

After having a few years experience from various barns around the maritimes; teaching me a few things here and there about horses. I have just recently become a new student at EE.  

Already after a only a few lessons. I am feeling my riding and horsemanship skills improving tenfold.  As an instructor, Amanda Lyons has true and amazing teaching skills that really helps you visualize, feel and understand how and why you do everything around horses.  She has made me feel welcome since the beginning and I leave every lesson with a smile on my face.

Not only dose she excel as a teacher but as a horse owner.  The respect, love and the understanding that she has with each of her horses is inspiring and a perfect picture of true horsemanship.  I have only ridden doll as of yet but his horse especially has the sweetest personality and has been trained well by Amanda, making her an ideal horse to learn how to make good connections with your mount.

I can’t wait to continue on with my learning curve here at EE.  During previous  experiences.  I have always been nervous and anxious at the thought of competition or any kind of testing.  But with all there is to offer at this barn, I am gaining the confidence in my riding and horsemanship skills that I feel that I will be able to meet future challenges.   And I would highly recommend this barn and Amanda to anyone who has a love of horses and is looking to explore further into their own riding!

Ashley Campbell, Halifax

To ride in a Western saddle and do it well has always been on my “Bucket List”.  Having ridden English saddle for 25 years or so I scouted the area for operations that offered qualified instruction in western riding.  I wanted more than the trial ride experience.  I found Equine Excellence at Equine Estates and set up an appointment to meet Amanda and see the operation.  Right from that first meeting I got a “good” feeling and so began the weekly ride/lesson.  Amanda provides the finer points of western riding and is a very patient instructor.  The barn is “very clean, functional and well maintained.  Should also mention that it’s great “fun” Check it our and you find it “great” too.

Bob Webber, Dartmouth

“I have been riding at Equine Excellence with Amanda Lyons as my instructor for the past year.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my riding experience here.  The facility is spotless, organized and safe;  Amanda is responsible, caring and very knowledge with horses.  I loved riding here because Amanda made me feel confident; she could break down aspects of my riding so that we could focus on areas of the ride that needed improvement.  Amanda is a talented rider!  Thank you Amanda for preparing me for my upcoming riding adventure!”

Romona Jospeh, Bedford

” I have spent many years standing ring side while my daughter rode, always planning to take up riding myself but never finding the time.  Recently retired from full time work,  I decided it was time to learn to ride, and I wanted to take up western.  Amanda Lyons was recommended to me as very experienced and talented rider and instructor with some excellent horses for novice riders.

She has since then proven that statement and has already helped me gain a very solid base for riding.  I have found that Amanda’s teaching method is to explain to me what the goal is, who to get there, and why.  This allows me to see the whole picture clearly.  Amanda’s school horses are so well trained that they instill confidence and allow me to concentrate on learning to ride.   I’ve made a lot of progress in my three months and someday I will even master the posting trot.  a skill that looks so easy but has eluded me so far.

Located in  Mount Uniacke the barn is only a 25 minutes drive from the city, making it an easy commute.  Amanda runs a clean orderly stable with an indoor arena and further improvements to the facility are on going.

My Wednesday afternoon trips to the barn are quickly becoming the highlight of my week, and I recommend it to anyone, any age, who has been thinking about giving riding a try.”

Betsy Landva, Dartmouth