North Wynd Stable Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania

I have been boarding here for almost a month now, horses are happy and healthy. The care they receive is fantastic two of the three we board receive the same attention and care and our one in stall board. Stalls are cleaned twice a day and have access to unlimited hay and water. They are all loved by the people working there. The trainer Leah has been working with my one horse who needs help understanding cues when it comes to riding we have seen great improvement in the month with her and will be teaching our daughter how to ride her as well.

This barn was a disappointment… I came to visit two friends who boarded there and their horses. Facility-wise, the fences were falling apart and horses were fighting over the fences because there’s only one fence line. The trainer is nice enough but there was definitely a condescending air about her and she only seemed interested in people I assume are her “circle” - there was a clique-y vibe all over. I’ve also heard reports of lying to boarders, showing and jumping lame horses (from friends who had attended the same events), and some of the teaching instruction I overhear was…questionable at best. Has a lot of potential, but not a barn I’d feel comfortable at or giving responsibility of my horse.

BEWARE!!! This place is not a healthy environment for riders or horses! They promote discrimination within the barn and if you are not part of their clique they make being there miserable for you and your horse(s). They falsely accuse people of back stabbing, causing drama, stealing (all of which are false) while harassing these people for no reason. They have signed eviction papers without giving the boarders notice or cause while also allowing those same boarders to bring in a new horse. When the boarders were finally given notice of their eviction they had less than 30 days to find a new boarding facility for multiple horses. Some of the horses there are not sound and instead of finding the root cause they drug the horses up to hide the lameness. These horses are still being used in lessons when they are obviously in pain/suffering. The management is extremely unprofessional along with the trainer. They have enlisted cronies to write positive reviews, sometimes multiple reviews by the same person, as well as people who no longer board at this facility just to boost their review scores. The people who run this facility are in it for the money not the love of the horses or riders!

This place is awesome!! Leah does a fantastic job at instructing, training, and keeping the horses healthy. I competed in my first horse show 2 weeks ago and won 1st place. This goes to show how good of an instructor she is. I have taken lessons at 4 different places over the past 2 years and nothing compares to North Wynd!!!

Beautiful boarding facility. Tons of improvements in the past 3 years. Indoor and outdoor arena, huge pastures, tons of turn out and field board as an option also. Management does everything possible to keep your horse safe and you happy. Leah is a wonderful trainer and person. There have been some young, childish people leaving bad reviews, don't listen to them, come visit, meet with the boarders, the show team, the trainer, see for yourself!

I love North Wynd stables, the people there are SO WONDERFUL! The horses are so fun to ride and take lessons on, I have learned so much over the past year and my riding skills have gotten so much better over the year as well! Even though I am only a lesson student at the moment, when I finally get my own horse I will be boarding my horse at North Wynd Stables. The best part about North Wynd Stables is going to horse shows in the summer and competing in the shows with the barn family. My trainer Leah is the BEST trainer I have ever had in my life! She is so kind and wondering and taught me so much over the year I have been at North Wynd Stables! - Tori Rock

North Wynd Stables is a beautiful place! I've been there numerous times with a friend. The staff is very friendly and helpful, my friend loves it there as does her horse. The facility is always being updated, which is a lot of undertaking for a 95 acre facility. Fields are huge with tons of turnout. New pastures are being made. Their trainer/teacher Leah is an amazing young women with tons of knowledge, easy going, and licensed. Not only that but the amenities are a big plus! Indoor arena, outdoor arena, viewing room, tack room, and a BATHROOM! All horses are fat, healthy, and happy!

North Wynd Stables has been a wonderful place to board your horse, ride your horse, meet like-minded horse owners, and train with such a passionate trainer, Leah Saltzman. Our daughter has progressed in her skills since training with Leah. Her confidence and love of riding has exceeded our expectations and all because of the help and professionalism from Leah. Our horse has also been through training with Leah and has improved tremendously. He gets the care, love, and support from North Wynd Stables and we are very pleased. The barn amenities are perfect for your riding pleasure! As with any barn, you can not always please everyone, especially those with strong opinions or deem themselves all knowing. If unsure about your choice with any barn, do yourself a favor, go visit, ask questions, and see for yourself if this is the barn you desire for your horse. Not one barn is perfect, but it’s what you make it while there. Keep positivity flowing and positive results occur. I am more than happy to share our experience so far about North Wynd and I’m sure you will love it too!

When I came to North Wynd, I was greeted with promises of safety being the number one priority, being a drama-free facility, and that they were making every effort to further improve the property. In my time there and my opinion, I find that none of those statements were true. Safety: In my opinion, the property sports incredibly dangerous fencing. Several horses have been seriously injured, including at least one fatality. When I moved to the stable in November 2020, I was told that new fencing was going to be added to the property and be completed by mid 2021; this has yet to happen. Instead of new fencing, temporary "improvements" (electrifying top wire) have been added to current fencing. There is one field with the updated fencing, which appears to be plastic and is not professionally installed. In my opinion neither fencing option, old or new, is safe or appropriate for housing ANY livestock or large animal. The staff at North Wynd Stable is constantly changing, and in my opinion, most of the staff hired are extremely under-educated. Necessary communication regarding horse's conditions and emergencies at the property also fall short in my opinion - I have come to the property on several occasions where my horse is sporting a new injury and there was no communication from staff or management. The fields are horribly maintained; sporting overgrown grass that they proceed to mow and leave the clippings laying in the fields. When taking a break from mowing, staff leaves the tractor unattended in the fields with the horses. In my eight months at the property, the run in shelter was cleaned out once. Drama: In my opinion, I would regularly witness or be informed of several accounts of boarder to boarder harassment, and staff to boarder harassment. Many accounts management did not address and offered zero solutions to; in fact, they may have even made the situations worse. Training: In my opinion, trainer and former manager, Leah Saltzman, is under-educated and unfit for her position as a trainer/instructor. There are very few horses available for their lesson program, and of those used many are lame and have been assessed by the vet to verify lameness. Obviously, training is a highly opinionated area of horsemanship, however, I urge owners/riders to take a deep look at a lesson or training ride before enrolling with their trainer. Improvements: Put bluntly, in my opinion, no improvements to the staff or property have been made. In my time at North Wynd, the only project that is seemingly complete is the outdoor arena - however, it still needs maintenance to be totally finished. Other projects that were said to be in the works seem to have been forgotten or thrown out entirely. A note to make: The owners were trying to begin filming a TV series on the property; it would seem that their priorities go directly to the show instead of improving the facility or resolving boarder concerns. Though I cannot write an in depth review, I leave you with this. During my stay at North Wynd, my horse came up dramatically head shy. Management approached me to ask if I had any ideas regarding the cause as practically everyone on the property agreed something was wrong. Knowing my horse well, I explained her situation and that I had reason to believe their new staff member was to blame. The manager dismissed my concern, blamed it on a new boarder and offered no comfort or effort to look into the situation further. Flash forward; the staff member was caught smacking several horses in the face. Management never came back to apologize to me for the situation. Such trauma left my horse head shy and untrusting for 2 months. In my opinion, many of the negative rumors about this facility are true.

North Wynd Stables is a fantastic place! I have two horses, one is on retirement field board, the other is a young TB on training board. I have been here since August of 2020. The owner purchased the property (an old breeding farm) a few years ago and has been making a lot of updates. There have been a few people writing bad reviews, and as we all know in the horse world or any business, you can't make everyone happy. Some of the reviews are very misleading, spiteful. The poster Rachel mentions safety of fencing. Yes, the farm had very old fencing which IS being replaced with HDPE imported from Europe and is extremely safe (and expensive). A top electric wire along the fencing to stop the horses from wanting to hang over it, in my opinion is perfectly acceptable ( I grew up on a horse farm, and that is what we had!). As with any animal, especially our wonderful huge four legged ones, they get into things. North Wynd has and does try to do everything to insure their safety! The fields are huge, yes, lots of turn out and they have an option of field board. If your pony/horse is over weight, you better get a grazing muzzle because there is tons of grass! Fields are mowed regularly to keep the weeds down and good grass growing :). All horses are checked for injuries when turning in/out. Field boarders are checked during feed times. If there is any emergency, there is an on call vet. Staff is very helpful in giving eye drops, fly spray, anything that I may need to make my horses comfortable and myself reassured. Now, on to the trainer. A few old boarders have been posting some pretty rotten stuff. This is just wrong and spiteful. These type of people are the "drama" that is being weeded out and asked to leave. Leah is an absolutely fantastic trainer! She is very quiet, does not yell at her students and makes them all feel good about themselves and enthusiastic about riding. Not only is she a good teacher, she is a great trainer. My TB only had maybe 4 rides on him when coming to North Wynd. She has taken him from tripping over his own feet to winning champion jumper shows! Even though he is now schooling 2'9, he is only showing cross rails or 2' for his first year, the way it should be. She is one of the lightest (in seat) riders I have seen in a long time. All horses are thanked and given praise, never beaten or yelled at! None of the horses in the lesson program are lame. Some are older with arthritis that is managed by the vet, but none are what these other past boarders claim. Coming to North Wynd was the best decision I ever made for myself and my horses. I'm sorry some people feel the need to trash others because of their own insecurities or some other agenda but this is what happens now with social media.

Being a boarder there I know my horses are cared for and loved. Leah is a great trainer and has done wonders with our one horse who is currently in training with her.

Check safety of fencing. See attached photo.

Very very friendly staff. Well maintained

It’s just okay barn staff needs help and they need more experience

This boarding and lesson facility hits all the marks. If you're looking for a place to call home for your horse and for you, you've found it. The barn manager, Leah and all of the volunteers are amazing. Everyone is welcoming, kind, and truly are happy to see you when you come in. Leah takes the time to get to know you and your horse and is always willing to help out and offer advice. There are big things planned for this place and it's awesome to be a part of it.

Leah does a fantastic job!

Beautiful facility with lots of improvements coming! Jeff the owner is very caring and always willing to listen to ideas/suggestions! Leah taught my horse to jump and even helped with a bridling issue when we first got there! The place has really come a long way in a short amount of time and there are plans to continue the progress! LOTS of trails to ride on which made it fun for me and my horse being able to mix things up from ring work!

I could barely walk around with my mini, but now she may even be able to drive soon! Leah has a magic touch with horses and her passion as a trainer is unparalleled.

Went on a trail ride here with Leah and had a blast! She was super knowledgeable and was very helpful as I had never ridden a horse before. Can’t wait to go back!

I am not one who usually leaves reviews, BUT Leah Saltzman is an incredible trainer. I have been riding my entire life so it can be hard to find a trainer that can truly spot my weak points and give me exercises to improve them - Leah does this so well it impresses me. She also isn’t afraid to push me and give me challenging things to try - which I LOVE. Furthermore, Leah has some of the nicest horses I have ever ridden as part of her lesson program and she will truly work with you to meet your specific needs as a rider. Words do not adequately express how impressed I am with such a young trainer!!! She really knows her stuff!!

All of the horses are well cared for and receive full care and attention from the staff. The barn manager and staff were always willing to lend a hand and made sure I was comfortable. Everyone was friendly and said hi. I really enjoyed my time here and I'm looking forward to visiting in the future.

Leah is an amazing trainer and I was deeply impressed by her love for the horses.

I love coming here with my friend to see her horse. Owner/management is super friendly!

Update: owner of the property is now threatening to sue me and anyone who tells the truth about his trainer instead of fixing the issue. I truly do not know where to start. I brought my gelding here in February. I was the first boarder. In the 4 months I was here I was manipulated,lied too, taken advantage of, and turned into a horrible rider. The owner of the property (Jeff) knows nothing about the horses made lots of promises and hopes but never fulfilled those. He knows nothing about horses, doesn’t care to learn, just believes this business can bring him money. The assistant barn manager has no experience in horses and knows nothing. She left my horses grain out in the open for rodents to get in simply because she didn’t like me and started drama because of her own insecurities. Now for the trainer/barn manager. Leah has very little experience in training and barley any experience in care for horses. 4 horses have been either died or been put down (3 on property) because of her lack of knowledge. And there are 3 other cases of horses almost dying. Leah is comes off as an amazing person but it is all an act. As long as she is getting money she does not care. She brings her personal life in with her clients and even has sleep overs with 13 year olds and talks about inappropriate things and about other boarders and clients behind their back. If you talk to a boarder who has previously left you are told to leave or pushed out and made uncomfortable. Now to leave training. She said she’s Hunter/jumper and equitation trainer although she will admit she only knows about jumpers. And says it’s all about just getting over the jumps as fast as possible no matter how you look. She does not teach proper jumping positions and causes horses to be back sore. She also will beat your horse with crops/whips, use them without you knowing, and push you to do things they are not ready for. (Having beginners jump before they have a good foundation, having clients continuously fall off and not realize the problem is they are being pushed too hard). You are not allowed to go to clinics or trailer off property because she does not want you to realize you’re learning the wrong things. References have also been made that she knows more then the vet. Some of these reviews are old from people who left because their horses safety was in danger and there was too much drama for a barn that doesn’t allow it. Please do the right thing by your horse and do not go to North Wynd. I wish I had one more day with my horse but unfortunately Leah ran him into the ground.

This farm is beautiful. The staff are so kind and willing to help however they can. Highly recommend this barn!

Leah helped me get situated and comfortable riding and was there every step of the way during my experience at North Wynd

This stable in my opinion shows so much love and care for the horses, and I also love seeing videos and pictures of the my friends mini. I love her horse shows and know that this barn is doing an exceptional job.