WHAT YOU WILL LEARN FROM YOUR RIDING LESSONS
ENGLISH LESSONS By Level
YEAR 1
Beginner (riders will)
- Learn general safety rules for being around horses.
- Learn riding/general vocabulary
- Learn how to groom, saddle, and bridle horse.
- Learn how to halter and lead a horse and lead horse
with bridle.
- Learn how to mount and dismount safely.
- Learn how to make horse walk, stop, turn (left turn,
right turn, circle,
- weaving through cones, tight turns /wide turns, walk
over trot poles.)
- Begin trotting on lounge line or around the arena
sitting and posting.
Beginner II (riders will)
- Continue to learn posting and sitting trot.
- Increases horse/riding vocabulary.
- Begin steering/trotting over trot poles at posting
trot.
- Begin circling at trot.
- Learn serpentines, diagonals and figure 8s at walk.
YEAR 2-3
Beginner III (riders will)
- Become proficient at posting and sitting trot.
- Increase speed of serpentines, diagonals and figure 8s
to trot.
- Increase horse/riding vocabulary and knowledge.
- Begin learning 2 point position around the ring.
- Trot in 2 point over poles while steering.
- Begins working on poles 6" off the ground.
- Begin learning how to canter.
Novice (riders will)
- Improve 2 point position safely keeps legs
forward over pre/jumping exercises up to 6" off the ground.
- Learns about posing diagonals and can recognize and
fix sometimes by "sitting twice."
- Learn about transitions up and down (ex walk to trot/
trot to halt.)
- Learn about using leg aids to steer.
- Become proficient at steering all patterns learned so
far at trot.
- Begins working on poles 12" off the ground.
YEAR 2 - 4
Intermediate I (riders will)
- Improve knowledge of posting diagonals, can fix most
of the time by looking.
- Increase to jumping 12” high in a single jump or in a
line of jumps.
- Continue to work on ring patterns, working on
consistency
- Work on rein control and leg control
- Steering and control with legs and seat
- Work on recognizing canter leads
- Know and recognize posting diagonals
- Begin work in Light Seat, 2-point at trot and canter.
YEAR 3 - 5
Intermediate II (riders will)
- Safely sits the trot with no stirrups.
- Can canter in deep seat positing and in 2 point
position.
- Learn how to jump 18” at trot, 12" at the canter.
- Can feel for diagonals and leads (diagonals without
looking) - can fix easily if wrong.
- Can canter circles, serpentines, know and properly
execute figure 8s and diagonals.
- Beings rounding horse onto bit, understands “feel” of
mouth.
- Recognize canter leads. Know cues for canter, know
how to save a canter when horse is “dying,” proficient at steering while
cantering.
- Proficiency of correct diagonals can “feel” movement
and effective smooth transitions.
- Able to canter around the ring at least 2 times and
can safely pass and turn tight when needed.
- Know how to take apart oil and put tack back together.
- Begins jumping 2'
YEAR 4 - 7
Intermediate III (riders will)
- Safely canters with no stirrups when needed.
- Tacks completely independently.
- Learn how to canter to jumps by counting strides up to
18” high.
- Solid Course work.
- Begins leg yielding.
- Knows half seat, light seat, full seat, and deep seat
and can use them at will.
- Learns turn on forehand / turn on haunches.
- Start out of arena work.
- Works on improving jumping 2'
YEAR 5 - 10
Intermediate IV (riders will)
- Develop an eye for distances judges jumps correctly up to 2’
- Can jump in and outs, doubles, triples, oxers, barrels.
- Starts flying lead changes.
- Waits for horse’s response instead of using force/ offers release of
pressure for correct response in training.
- Begins assisting with teaching and instruction, uses caution in
instruction.
- Can ride horse in pasture, field, and on trail with control and ease.
YEAR 6 -12
Advanced Intermediate (riders will)
- Can ride any school horse and young horses in
training.
- Understands concepts of least amount of pressure in
training.
- Knows and uses collection, extension, leg yielding.
- A master of all horse skills in past levels.
- A proficient elementary teacher and trainer of horse
and rider.
Advanced
- A master in a chosen riding discipline