Our lessons are all about having fun while building real skills, helping riders grow in confidence as they progress. Whether your child is brand new to horses or you are experienced and ready to take your riding to the next level, our program is designed to be supportive, safe, and encouraging.

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We focus on teaching new and experienced riders the fundamentals using size-appropriate, well-trained ponies and horses, ensuring each rider feels comfortable and set up for success. Lessons emphasize correct basics, balance, confidence, and a positive connection with the horse.

 

Our experienced instructors tailor each lesson to the rider’s age, ability, and goals, creating a learning environment that is both structured and enjoyable.

 

We Offer:

• Private Lessons (45 minutes)
  One-on-one instruction for focused learning, confidence building, and individualized progress.

• Semi-Private Lessons (60 minutes)
  Small group lessons with 2–3 riders per session, offering personalized instruction while encouraging social learning and peer support.

• Lead Line Riding (Ages 4–7)
  Perfect for young riders just starting out, with hands-on guidance to build balance, trust, and confidence in a safe and gentle way.

 

HorseSense Learning Levels

Our lessons follow the HorseSense Learning Levels curriculum. Each level includes riding skills and stable management. Students progress when they demonstrate the required skills consistently and confidently. A level certificate is awarded only when BOTH components are complete.

Progression: Rainbow (ages 4–7) → Red (ages 8+) → Yellow → Green → Blue → Orange → Purple → Teal. After the introductory age groups, placement and progression depend on skills and readiness.

Rainbow — ages 4–7

An introductory level for young riders who need help riding and caring for a pony. All skills are practised with instructor supervision and assistance. Students attend regularly, follow barn rules, dress safely, listen to their instructor, and arrive rested, hydrated and ready to learn.

Pony care and safety

• Wear boots and an ASTM-SEI approved helmet around horses; put on a helmet and show how it fits.

• Describe safe riding clothing and demonstrate a safe approach and movement around a pony.

• Explain why grooming and hoof picking are needed before every ride; help with grooming, hoof cleaning and tacking up.

• Identify basic saddle and bridle parts, including bit, reins, stirrups and girth.

• Lead safely with a halter and lead rope and with bridle reins.

• Explain cooling out and help care for a pony after riding.

• Name at least ten pony body parts and three grooming tools.

• Feed treats safely with permission and explain why too many treats can be dangerous.

• Complete the My Pony worksheet with the pony’s name, colour, markings, height and breed, with help if needed.

• Help clean a stall and explain why stalls and water buckets need daily cleaning.

Saddle skills

• Help check tack and pony before riding, lower stirrups, put reins over the pony’s head and help check the girth.

• Mount and dismount safely, using a mounting block or a leg up as needed.

• Maintain a basic balanced position at halt and walk, with eyes up and heels down.

• Hold reins correctly at a suitable length.

• Perform stretches and warm-up exercises at the walk on a leadline; demonstrate Around the World.

• Use seat, legs, hands and voice to ask for walk, halt and turns.

• Walk once around the arena without a leadline.

• Maintain balanced two-point at halt and walk.

• Walk over ground poles in a good jumping position, eyes up and straight over the centre.

• Ride sitting and posting trot on the leadline, holding the saddle if needed, and maintain a steady posting rhythm.

Red — ages 8+

Riding requirements

• Brush, pick hooves, saddle and bridle, with assistance only if necessary and with awareness of horse safety.

• Mount and dismount independently, with a mounting block if needed.

• Perform warm-up stretches independently.

• Perform an emergency dismount at halt and walk.

• Demonstrate an emergency one-rein stop, pulley rein and safety seat.

• Shorten and lengthen reins correctly.

• Perform balanced walk–halt transitions.

• At walk, demonstrate a diagonal change of direction, half-circle reverse, half-turn and large circle.

• Drop and recover stirrups at halt without looking down.

• Ride in two-point at walk.

• Ride a simple ground-pole course of 3–5 fences at walk, demonstrating jumping position and good approaches.

• Ride on the rail at posting trot, once around in each direction.

Stable management requirements

• Know and discuss safety rules in the barn, pasture and arena.

• Identify horse body language, including subtle tension and discomfort.

• Describe safe riding attire and demonstrate correct helmet fit.

• Catch a horse safely in a stall and pasture.

• Lead safely from the near side, including through gates and doorways.

• Tie safely with an effective quick-release knot.

• Demonstrate pre-ride grooming and know grooming tools and their functions.

• Pick out hooves safely and explain basic hoof care.

• Identify horse body parts, including withers, poll, croup, hock and fetlock.

• Identify saddle and bridle parts and their functions.

• Store tack correctly and give at least two reasons for cleaning tack and equipment.

• Know basic feeding rules and identify good and bad hay, grain and water.

• Muck and re-bed a stall thoroughly and efficiently.

Yellow — follows Red

Riding requirements

• Tack up and untack independently in twenty minutes or less.

• Adjust stirrups and girth while mounted.

• Perform an emergency dismount at trot.

• Demonstrate disengagement and pulley rein by halting from trot.

• Ride smooth, balanced walk–trot transitions.

• Demonstrate knowledge and awareness of posting diagonals.

• At walk and trot, ride a large circle, figure-eight, serpentine, half-circle, half-turn and diagonal with a change of posting diagonal.

• Ride USDF Intro Test A or B, showing knowledge of elementary dressage terms and figures.

• Ride on the longe at walk and trot without stirrups and reins.

• Drop and recover stirrups at walk without looking down.

• Ride posting and sitting trot without stirrups, once around the arena.

• Ride in two-point at walk and trot, developing balance independent of the hands.

• Ride a grid of trot poles in a secure jumping position.

• Ride a ground-pole course at trot, with opening and closing circles and good approaches.

Stable management requirements

• Jog a horse safely in hand as though checking soundness.

• Put on and remove a blanket safely.

• Correctly fit splint, bell and shipping boots; explain their uses and the areas protected.

• Clean and condition a saddle, bridle and girth, explaining each step.

• Reassemble a saddle and bridle without help.

• Provide post-workout care: cooling out, thorough grooming, post-ride inspection and appropriate feeding and watering.

• Know normal temperature, pulse and respiration ranges and discuss taking vital signs.

• Know basic colours, markings, types and breeds.

• Measure a horse’s height.

• Explain basic feeding principles, including roughage and concentrates.

• Recognise signs of colic and know what action to take.

• Know which injuries need minor treatment and which require veterinary attention.

The levels that follow

Green → Blue → Orange → Purple → Teal continue the progression in riding and horse care. Riders develop cantering and jumping skills, then refine balance, accuracy, independence and their understanding of the horse. Placement is based on demonstrated ability, not an additional age cutoff.

Riding objectives must be demonstrated in a safe, balanced position: heels down, eyes up, quiet hands, with the head, shoulder, hip and heel aligned. Michelle and Adriana assess riding during regular lessons. Red and Yellow stable management knowledge is assessed through a written test alongside the practical requirements. Please ask if your child needs assistance with the written portion. Manuals are available for students who cannot attend the Saturday sessions.

Requirements adapted from HorseSense Learning Levels: Rainbow English progress sheets (supplied revision 2024), English Horsemanship curriculum (2026), and English HorseSense curriculum (2025).