• How Our Lesson Program Works•
Here you’ll find more detailed information about the instruction we offer at White Winds Farm Equestrian Center. Our goal is to be as user-friendly as possible, creating wonderful experiences for our students, whether they’re brand-new beginners or more experienced riders. Below you’ll see how students typically progress through the different levels of instruction we offer.
ASSESSMENT LESSON
This is the first lesson every new student will take, whether a total beginner or a more seasoned rider. You may schedule this lesson on the website here.
For the beginner rider, this serves as an introduction to horses and how to interact with them, how to groom and tack up the horse, and hopefully (time permitting) as an opportunity for you to climb aboard and begin learning the basics in the saddle. This lesson is also an introduction to the instructor that lets you decide if the farm and the instruction you receive will be a good fit.
For the more experienced rider, this lesson provides both the student and the instructor with an opportunity to evaluate one another, enabling each to determine whether or not our program will be a good fit. The instructor will be evaluating you to see where any holes in your riding are and determining which school horses would be best for you to learn and progress on.
AFTER THE ASSESSMENT LESSON
Upon completion of the Assessment lesson, you and the instructor will discuss whether you’re interested in Private or Group lessons.
For the experienced rider, a group lesson that best suits your level of ability will be offered.
For the beginning rider, the next step is the “Introduction to Horses” lesson package, which lasts for one month. This is a reduced-rate month of 4 private lessons which serve to increase your comfort with various aspects of horse handling and riding, to include catching the horse, tacking up, getting to the arena on time, and being able to steer well enough that you will not play “bumper ponies” with others in the arena.
The hope is that by the end of the month you will be able to join a group lesson and have fun! Once in a while, we do get students who take longer than a month to develop the comfort level needed to proceed to group lessons. These students will be referred to private lessons if needed in order to bring them up to the ability level needed to safely participate in group lessons.
Once in a group or private lesson of your choosing, you’re on the road to achieving whatever goal you are looking to attain in riding!
FOR PARENTS OF YOUNGER CHILDREN
What I have observed in all of my years of teaching is that younger riders, typically ages 6 to 7 or so, require more help and supervision. The instructors at White Winds Farm love to teach and help these younger children learn and grow into their riding and our program.
Sometimes the youngest ones are slower and have to be overseen for the duration of each lesson time, to include tacking up beforehand and untacking after. If you would like to see your child in the saddle for the full 50 minutes of each lesson, you are welcome to join in learning how to tack up and groom the horse. This will help get the pony out and into the cross ties sooner, saving time; the instructor can meet you at the cross ties to help finish up.
Without this parental help, the little one has to wait for the instructor to be free to tack up., and this is not always possible in a timely fashion. White Winds Farm prides itself on making sure that each and every student knows and understands not just how to ride a horse but also how to take the very best care of them. This can be a slow process for our younger students, so parental involvement can be enormously helpful in moving this process along!
OPTIONAL HORSEMANSHIP LESSONS
Horsemanship lessons are currently held on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. There are Beginner and Advanced classes available each month. In these lessons, we teach both book-based and on-the-ground lessons about horses, covering topics ranging from veterinary knowledge to riding theory to how horses work and think. These very beneficial lessons are available to everyone taking lessons as part of one of our monthly tuition program packages. We encourage everyone to attend whenever possible!
WHEN YOU’RE READY TO COMPETE
Those taking weekly lessons may participate with a school horse in local shows up to “Green as Grass” Combined Tests (these feature dressage and stadium jumping with jumps of up to 18” in height.)
If you are half-leasing one of our school horses, you may participate in local Maiden horse trials (jumps of up to 2’3”) and/or any local dressage tests you are capable of.
If you wish to compete at any level above Maiden, you must purchase your own horse.