Garrod Farms Riding Stables

Scenic horseback riding just 25 minutes from downtown San Jose in the Saratoga foothills. Come enjoy a guided horseback ride through Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards and the Fremont Older Mid-Peninsula Open Space Preserve on the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains facing San Jose. Our trails wander through vineyards and oak chaparral forests teeming with wildlife.

Garrod Farms, at a thousand-foot elevation, features spectacular views of San Francisco Bay and Santa Clara Valley.

History

Great-Grandpa David Garrod, his wife Sophia, and children-Harold, Ralph Vince and Maisie immigrated to America from Southern England in 1892, establishing Garrod Farms with the purchase of 65 acres. They made a living by working for neighbors, cutting wood to sell in San Jose, and finally planting apricots and prunes. When RV was 42, he married Emma, the daughter of a German sea captain immigrant. Emma was born in San Francisco and lived through the 1906 earthquake. RV and Emma added acreage and children until they had 240 acres of apricots, prunes, and hay fields and Louise, Vince and Richard. In 1941, Louise married George Cooper, and they have four children: Bill and Barbara work for Cooper-Garrod Vineyards. Vince and Jane have six children: Jan, Vicky, Emma and Christina, who work for Garrod Stables; two other sons live elsewhere.

With the decline of agriculture in Santa Clara valley following World War Two, the Stables opened for business in 1962 with the purchase of 10 horses. The barns and arena were built in 1964; the first vineyard was planted in 1972. In the early 1980s, we sold and gifted 120 acres to the Mid-Peninsula Open Space Preserve. Currently Garrod Farms has 120 acres of stables, pastures, vineyards, and family homes with access to 23 miles of riding trails on the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. The ranch has remained in family ownership and operation since 1893, and celebrated its centennial in 1993.