Why learn to ride?

We have chosen to use the U.S. Pony Club curriculum as the foundation of our riding and horsemanship program curriculum, because it is progressive, well-rounded, standards-based, and recognized nationally and internationally. It also connects our students with a wealth of information, great resources, and opportunities at the local, national, and international level.

Many other riding schools and programs have tried to develop their own curriculums, but we believe that none are as thorough as USPC and that if a curriculum is not recognized by others, it has far less value beyond the facility implementing it. For more information, please visit our Chagrin Valley Pony Club page or www.ponyclub.org.

No, you don’t! But, we highly recommend it because membership will connect you with a great deal of knowledge and resources, and your testing certifications will not be formally recognized by USPC unless you are a full member. However, for those who don’t wish to join or participate fully in Pony Club, we’re happy to have you join us for all of our activities!

A rider will learn to guide a variety of horses through straight lines, turns, and circles at all of the gaits while maintaining the proper position and balance. They learn how to correctly space their horses on the rail, as well as the fundamentals of posting, backing, diagonals, leads, and a balanced position. Once a rider is balanced enough on the flat, he/she will learn to jump over small cross-rail fences. When a rider maintains a strong position and can effectively jump a variety of horses over cross-rail fences, he/she will be moved to the next level.

Our memberships included unmounted lessons as an expectation for our students because we have seen that riders who have a more thorough understanding of the training, care, and physiology of horses are better able to ride and care for the well-being of their equine partner, and have more realistic expectations of them. Our unmounted lessons are based on the U.S. Pony Club Horse Management curriculum. Example subjects include: horse anatomy, emergency first aid, feed and nutrition, conditioning, etc. The unmounted lessons/meetings have the added benefit of bringing our riders together to socialize and meet the rest of our community.

We rarely cancel due to rain. We ride on cloudy days, in the mist and in light drizzle, or move inside. Only in cases of heavy rain, lightning, or thunder, do we cancel. Never assume lessons are off; please check your email and call the office first.

Lessons cancelled within 24 hours are not re-scheduled as a rule, but riders are allowed one make-up ride per month to account for sickness, unexpected problems, etc. Our lesson coordinator will work to schedule make-up lessons with students and parents as soon as possible after a missed lesson in a time slot that is best suited for the rider’s ability level. We do our best to work with our customers, but please understand that last minute cancellations create unfilled lessons and excessive make-ups disrupt the training of others.

Our staff and instructors may need to adjust horse and rider scheduling. There are many reasons for this. Please accept these occasional changes as an opportunity to try out a new horse, or ride one you haven’t had in a lesson for a while. You may just find a new friend!

Instructors may change or may be out for a variety of reasons, so it’s important for our students to understand that they will not always have the same instructor. We believe that taking lessons with different instructors is a positive, healthy part of the learning experience, because other instructors may explain concepts in a different way that’s easier to understand or that leads to questions that help a rider understand better. We ask that parents help us to develop and reinforce this mentality with their children. Lastly, as riders progress in their development, they may be assigned another instructor (such as when a beginner student progresses toward the intermediate or advanced levels)

For riding, long pants(breaches preferred and expected within your first few rides) and a shoe with a heel are required. For girls and women, long hair must be pulled back in a ponytail or bun to avoid interfering with a rider’s vision. We have helmets and crops to loan if you do not have your own, but whether you borrow a helmet or buy your own, you’ll need to make sure that your helmet fits you properly. Also, no bicycle helmets, please. Chewing gum, baggy clothing, and dangling jewelry are not permitted while riding. If you wish to purchase your own equipment, we encourage you to speak with an instructor first for recommendations.!

Aside from riding clothing, you do not need to bring anything. Some riders choose to bring a personal saddle pad for a bit of personal flair, which is allowed, but not expected!

You should arrive at least a half hour before your lesson. This allows time to check in and find your assigned horse, select a properly-fitting helmet and pick up a crop (if needed), groom, and tack up your horse. After you mount, our tacking assistants and instructors will do a tack check to ensure you are safe to begin. You will then walk your horse around the ring to limber him up. If you are going to be late, give us a call so that we can give you an extra hand to get you into the ring quickly, but please don’t make it a habit!