M&L HORSEMANSHIP

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     Lessons with our horses...

 

     Are you looking for a genuine, personal experience with horses in a small and intimate setting? Do you want just the right balance of the freedom to learn autonomously with individualized attention that can only come from a a riding instructor who takes your enjoyment of horses seriously? Do you dream of forging a unique bond with a special four-legged partner who will nicker a greeting to you when you pull up to the barn? Is ensuring the well-being of the horses you will come in contact with a priority for you, and are you interested in learning how to best look after the health and happiness of your equine both in and out of the saddle? If so, our lessons may be a great fit for you.

      Safety and fun will be our top priority at each and every lesson. If we aren't enjoying ourselves, why are we doing it, after all? Not only is safety important for the most obvious reasons, but also because it's hard to have fun if you don't feel safe! Before ever throwing a leg over the saddle at the first lesson, every student must first demonstrate adequate competency handling the horse safely and effectively from the ground. Under our guidance, each student will catch, halter, lead, groom and tack up the horse, during which time we will discuss horse behavior, herd dynamics, health and well-being, as well as safe, kind and effective handling/training techniques. For those who have no prior horse experience, they can expect to spend about 70% of the first lesson on the ground and 30% mounted. As the students get more skilled at catching and preparing their mount, this ratio of ground-to-saddle time begins to flip. 

     Whether they choose to ride English or Western, students will learn techniques for acquiring a secure and effective seat. Only through control of our own bodies can we control that of our horse's, so we will work on breathing, balancing and quieting ourselves physically and mentally, focusing our intent and deliberately communicating with our equine partner through clear and concise aids until it all becomes second nature. Students will learn how to guide the horse as an equitable and fair leader; they will learn how to encourage the horse to make the best use of itself physically with a rider in the saddle and how doing so creates a pleasant experience for both horse and rider in the short term, and in the long term expands the animal's sound, healthy and useful life. The horse's response to such riding is to collaborate with us in harmony and provide us with a nice place to sit. A horse whose welfare is looked after both in and out of the riding ring will be a horse who takes care of his human for years to come. 

     Students who ride with us regularly for a period of time will gain the necessary skills for horse ownership and stewardship. In time, we will go over such practical concerns as nutrition, how to evaluate and choose a boarding facility, basic to advanced training techniques, lungeing, stall cleaning and other daily "horse-keeping" chores, basic veterinary interventions and health-care concerns, farriery, and what to consider when purchasing or leasing an equine partner. More adept students will have the option of riding bareback and learning about how to go bridleless; they will also get to accompany us out of the arena on trail rides, day-long excursions, or even to competitions if they so choose.

     Students will have the option of riding with either or both instructors, whose teaching styles are different, yet complementary. Since there are two of us, we also can offer families, friends and couples the ability to have a riding lesson together while still getting individual attention from their own instructor (see below for pricing details). 

     Additionally, our horseback riding clients benefit from our consultation services should they decide to buy or lease a horse of their own. We also offer horse-property or boarding facility evaluations and consultations for anyone seeking to buy or rent horsey housing.