El Toro Tack & Feed

Now I know why the review from April of 2013 was a negative one.
They are closing the store and don’t care anymore about their customers.
I was going there today to check out some breeches, looked at their website which clearly states their hours for Sundays.
I drove all the way over there, and what do you know: they are closed on Sundays now since they are GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!

I came in here to buy a few things I needed… Namely boots & maybe some new riding pants. Both are better to try on in person rather than order on the internet.
The store is big and and has a wide assortment of tack & riding gear… but not much in the way of selection of sizes. Almost everything I picked up the sales person said «could be ordered in my size… not a problem». From helmets to boots to riding pants… it seemed they only had one odd size.
Ok…not a problem. I picked out a pair of boots that would have to be ordered… and a couple shirts that I took with me.
A week and a half later I received a phone call that my boots were in. Yippee! So I went by on my way to see my horse… wearing full seated riding breeches. Not too hard to distinguish.
I walked in and there were two people behind the counter who did not even say hi. I was the only person in the store. I went over to the counter and told the blond woman behind the counter that I was picking up some boots that had been ordered for me… and showed her my receipt.
She wanted me to sign for the boots… I said I would like to try them on before I sign for them. This clearly pissed her off and was a major annoyance.
She says to me…“You need breeches to try them on…” …“Um. I am am wearing them…“
She rolls her eyes, grabs the box and heads over to the other room. Not a word… just leaves.
Ok. I guess I am supposed to follow. I sit down to take my boots off… and then go to try the new boots on… which are clearly too small. This is after being berated and schooled about how to zip them up. I think I am old enough to do up a zipper… I don’t need a tutorial.
I tell her they are too small… and ask what size are they? She says they will stretch a full size at least. I ask again… what size are they? She still would not tell me… Not sure why this was top secret information but oh well. I picked up the box and looked.
Well they are a ½ size smaller than I ordered. She tries to get me to keep them. Again… she says they will stretch a full size and that is the way they are supposed to fit.
I have been wearing boots since I was 5 and have had dozens of pairs of boots in my life… I am pretty sure my toes are not supposed to be crammed up against the front. Now I don’t say that… but I am pretty close. I have had enough of her crap attitude and it has only been 5 minutes. But I keep smiling and say «no…I would like to have the size I ordered.»
Big eye roll. So I turn to put my boots back on and she packs up and leaves in a giant huff.
I turn around and am just standing there… not really sure what to do? Did she go to find out how to order another pair? Is she coming back? Did she go to take her much needed Xanax pill that may help improver her horribly pissy mood? (I hope so)
I eventually go back to the cash desk. She is standing there slamming the box around, violently stuffing the boots back into the box.
I say…“ok, how do I go about getting the proper size”.
No answer. Still winging things about. Grabs my receipt and stomps off to the back room.
I am laughing at this point because I am sure I am on candid camera… that is how absurd the whole things was. I mean who acts like this, completely unprovoked? It has to be a joke. I keep smiling mostly because I feel like I am dealing with a crazy person at a bus stop… you are not sure what is going to make them freak out even worse so you just keep agreeing and smiling.
She comes back out and slams a box on the counter. It was my size. She then informs me that they «had to order two pairs when they place an order with that company so they already have my size.» I point out that was the size I ordered anyway and the one I had tried on was not.
Well…I think I saw steam coming out of her ears. I thanked her politely and left.
I will NEVER, EVER come back here in a million years. Nor will anyone I ride with as this she was most possibly the rudest person on the planet… hands down.
Let me preface this by saying that I deal with retailers all the time. I have a degree in Retail Merchandising, have worked with some of the most obnoxious people on the planet in the garment district in NYC, and have never been treated so rudely.
I have been in the Retail sector for 20 years own a company that sells to over 450 retail stores around the country… and if any one of my employees EVER acted like that I would not have a business left. Good luck to the owner of this store… You are going to need it if that is how your employees act when you are absent.

This is a lovely tack store. The staff has always been very friendly and helpful both to myself and as I have observed, to other customers as well. It’s beautifully merchandised making it a real pleasure to browse through, not to mention easy to find what you’re looking for.
I’ve been to some other tack stores that drive me crazy with how messy and disheveled their floor inventory is. Riding is not a cheap sport, so if I’m going to pay good money for something I prefer it to be well merchandised like new product should be, and not be dusty or look like it’s been tossed in a pile or simply shoved on an unorganized rack.
El Toro Tack carries good quality products at reasonable prices and has a knowledgeable staff to help you find what you need. You get what you pay for in terms of product quality and performance. I for one prefer to support a great local business that I know and trust like El Toro Tack & Feed.

I’ve been coming to El Toro Tack and Feed for years. The stores is beautiful, clean and well laid out. The staff here is very knowledgeable. Their prices are fair and the products are high quality. Sign up for their e-​mail list — they have lots of great deals and coupons. I have had issues with items I’ve ordered (coming in late or with the wrong engraving), but the manager has always promptly replaced or refunded the order.
Riding is an expensive sport and when I buy a new helmet, boots, or show coat, I want to make sure it is something that will last me a long time. The staff here makes sure that you buy something that fits you well and will last — they even know what brands certain local trainers like. If you are new to the sport and aren’t sure what to buy, I would recommend this store over any other in the area.

Very pleasant tack store. I am a new rider and picked up many of my «first» supplies here, which is difficult to do online when you don’t know what does and doesn’t work for you. The store is clean, organized and pleasant. Prices tend to be higher than the internet, but I expect to pay (a bit) more for the convience and supporting a local business, especially for smaller items.
The employees were helpful and let me try on a variety of clothing. They even let me buy custom chaps ordered for another customer (after checking with them first) because they happened to fit me so well. Great service experience on that front.
My only complaint is the stocking on some items. Selection of men’s products can be limited, although that’s not surprising given the gender ratio in equestrian. I wear a size 10 glove and I check for them when I come in for other products. They haven’t been in stock yet after 3 visits and the comment from the employees was always «we’ll get a shipment in a few days.» Ended up ordering a pair online.

El Toro Tack and Feed Rocks. I bought a fly spray the other day thinking it was
a safe product after reading the label it is posion, I went to return the spray for
a safe fly spray the helpful staff directed me to a Green fly spray and exchanged the product with no problem. I went home and us4ed it that day on my three horses, it worked and I liked the smell. Knowing I did not harm my beloved horses or the eniviroment made my day. Thank you El Toro Tack and Feed for having safe and green product. l. Anderson

Unbelievable. I love these guys. I have been in the store about 5 or 6 times. As a new rider I was helped with riding pants, helmet, and extensively with boots. A large calf made it difficult to fit me but they were kind, patient with the returned boots and helpful. I feel like I’ve made new friends. I highly recommend this store for the amazing service and product knowledge. The store is clean and packed with current merchandise. I can’t stress enough how warmly I was treated and the good deals I received. Like, like, like.
A happy customer.
Julie St. John

I am a new rider and was told about this store by a great friend who has rode for years. I needed boots, half chaps and pants. Kevin completely helped me out, didn’t try to sell me the most expensive items and overall I had a great experience and for all three items only spent $ 170 which I don’t think was that bad! Very pleased!

Okay, my perspective is that of a novice rider, just starting out at 65. All my friends told me horse riding was dangerous and that I should get a helmet. You can’t buy something like that online and expect a great fit, so my wife, who used to bring her kids to this store for years when they were growing up, recommended El Toro. I was surprised at the California Mission architecture, really beautiful. I am in retail, and the layout of this store is as good as it gets. I think some people just invite bad service with their attitudes — so take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. My salesgirl was extremely helpful and had me matched up with the perfect helmet in no time — even the color was something I would not have chosen at first, but turns out it is perfect. My riding instructor said I had gotten a good helmet, and seemed surprised that I could pick something so good. It wasn’t that expensive, and the great service will bring me back to this store. Nothing but praise for the sales help, the store, the convenient location — there’s a few reasons they have been there for decades. Support your local businesses, forget the Internet shopping when it comes to horse related gear — see what you are getting and get first rate advice from a place like El Toro Tack and Feed.

I’ve been riding Hunter/​Jumper for 11 years now, needless to say I’ve been to this store a few times.
First, the location is convenient. Orange County doesn’t have many tack stores, so really it’s a miracle that this place is here. It’s beautiful inside, pretty birds, nice layout, and very clean.
But, it’s way overpriced. Yes, it’s Orange County, but I mean it’s more expensive than ANY of the other tack stores I’ve been to in all of Southern Cali. So if you are looking for a big purchase item (saddle, bridle, etc) odds are that you will save $$ anywhere else.
The staff is helpful. But they are the sort of people that follow you around asking if you need help about 10 times. I know many of my fellow riders were creeped out by how they follow you from room to room.
So, I come here for little things, or emergency items, that won’t break the bank. If you are looking for a big ticket item and want to save some money (I’ve found items more than 100 dollars off at other places), I would suggest Mary’s Tack & Feed or Broken horn, both have a bigger selection at a better price, even after making the drive to either of those places.

I really, really love this place, not only because of their large selection but their extremely friendly and helpful staff (plus all the beautiful birds that I can oogle every time I come here, lol).
First, to address the price. Yes, I agree that this place is a bit expensive, but I personally believe that you get what you pay for (in terms of product and service quality). And I’m one of those people who, in the end, would rather spend the extra $ 10 – 30 for really good service, and you definitely get that here. Sure, I could probably get cheaper stuff elsewhere, but that would require shopping online (which I hate doing, and as a previous review said, you have to pay for expensive shipping anyways), or drive all the way to Norco for a cheap used store (and the gas I use to drive there is probably going to add up anyways). This is Orange County, and it’s rather naïve to think that you’ll find anything cheap in this area — if you do, I’d be careful.
Next, onto the store itself. Can you say wow? Every time I walk in, I feel like I’m in a mini-​department store for horse people, and I love how everything is so spread out and organized, I literally have to stop myself from browsing every section and buying all the nice things I see. The variety they have is amazing, and when they don’t have something in stock, they always offer to order it for me. Furthermore, they do have a very small used section in the back, which I wish had more things, but oh well — it’s not as if I’m here to buy cheap used tack anyways.
Finally, the service. Now this is the main reason why I come here, because their service is (literally) department-​store quality — especially the gentleman that recognizes me even though I’ve only been here a few times, lol. Like a previous review said, this very kind gentleman walked through the entire store with me and pointed out everything that I was looking for, and he was not at all pushy (and even showed me some of the cheaper brands that he thought would be more suitable for me). And not only that, he waited on me! It actually made me feel bad to take up his time, but he was more than willing to help — if you’re reading this, I love you (lol).
Overall, I absolutely love this place. But if you’re not willing to spend the extra for good quality (and everything organized extremely well for your ease), then maybe you should be going to a thrifty store.

First of all, the place does not look like a tack store at all, it has a beautiful entrance way and is very clean. Everything is organized extremely well which is a huge plus for me.
The second I walked in, a friendly gentleman asked me what I was looking for and was there to provide any assistance I needed. I knew exactly what I wanted, a Charles Owen helmet and he helped me find the correct size, showed me to the mirrors and literally waited on me as I tried on 5 different helmets.
Two stars for that fact that he never tried to up sell me or ask me to try on the really expensive show helmets (to feel the difference). Was not pushy at all, let me choose what I wanted and what was right for my riding style. BIG PLUS!
The store wasn’t very busy so perhaps that’s why I received such excellent service but the man helping me went above and beyond to make sure the helmet I chose was the right fit for me. Granted I did pay about $ 20 more than I could found online but some things (like helmets) you really need to try on in person for quality, fit, etc.
I realize I could just written down the specs and bought it online but at the end of the day with S&H and packaging and tax it really didn’t make that much of a difference.
This place is a little on the pricey side though, I do agree. But I think with the clientele they cater to here in OC, they can get away with it. Plus they have such a wide selection
At least try to do your research a little bit before going, if you end up wandering around you’ll be almost guaranteed to spend more $$$$ that you initially planned on.
BONUS: If you currently train in OC, name your trainer and you automatically receive 10% off.

This place is incredibly over priced!!! They have a nice selection of english tack and apparel, but their prices are ridiculous. I was recently looking for stirrup leathers and a girth and was able to find the exact same stirrup leathers for $ 30 less and the girth for $ 20 less elsewhere. Their supplements are also priced well above retail. I was bullied into buying a supplement there and was disappointed to find it priced $ 30 less at other feed stores.
I have had a couple of negative experiences with a female employee there. I found her to be pushy and condescending.
I would avoid this store if possible.