WHAT YOU WILL LEARN FROM YOUR RIDING LESSONS

ENGLISH LESSONS By Level

 Beginner (riders will)

• Learn general safety rules for being around horses.
• Learn riding/general vocabulary
• Learn how to groom, saddle, unhalter 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 sitting and posting.

Beginner II (riders will)

• Continue to learn posting and sitting trot.
• Start trotting off of the lounge line around the ring.
• 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.
• Increase speed of serpentines, diagonals and figure 8s to trot.

Intermediate I (riders will)

• Become proficient at posting and sitting trot.
• Become proficient at steering all patterns learned so far at trot.
• Increase horse/riding vocabulary and knowledge.
• Begin learning 2 point position around the ring.
• Trot in 2 point over poles while steering.
• Begin low cross rails in 2 point with attention to form and steering. (no jump)
• Begin low cross rail courses in 2 point to increase ability to steer/balance/use timing. (trot/hop over-no jump at this level.)
• Introduce canter on lounge line or as in catch up game (less than one time around the ring.)
• Learns about posing diagonals and can recognize and fix sometimes by "sitting twice."

Intermediate II (riders will)

• Improve 2 point position safely keeps legs forward over pre/jumping exercises.
• Improve knowledge of posting diagonals, can fix most of the time by looking.
• Learn about transitions up and down (ex walk to trot/ trot to halt.)
• Continue low course work – increase to jumping 12” to 15” high course at trot.
• Recognize canter leads.  Know cues for canter, know how to save a canter when horse is “dying,” proficient at steering while cantering.

Intermediate III (riders will)

• Begin no-stirrup work at sitting trot.
• Proficiency of correct diagonals can “feel” movement and effective smooth transitions.
• Learn how to jump 18” - 21" at trot.
• Learn how to canter to jumps by counting strides up to 18” high.
• 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.

Advanced I (riders will)

• Safely sits the trot with no stirrups.
• Can canter in deep seat positing and in 2 point position.
• Learns to jump 2 feet to 2’3”.
• Learns to count strides for jumps up to 2 feet.
• Can feel for diagonals and leads (diagonals without looking) - can fix easily if wrong.
• Can canter circles, serpentines, figure 8s and diagonals.
• Jumping course work up to 2’3”
• Tacks completely independently.
• Knows and can perform all basic riding skills to this point.

Advanced II (riders will)

• Safely canters with no stirrups when needed.
• Can jump in and outs, doubles, triples, oxers, barrels.
• Develops eye for distances judges jumps correctly up to 2’6”.
• Begins leg yielding .
• Beings rounding horse onto bit, understands “feel” of mouth.
• Knows half seat, light seat, full seat, and deep seat and can use them at will.
• Starts flying lead changes.
• Learns turn on forehand / turn on haunches.

Advanced III (riders will)

• Can ride any school horse and young horses in training. 
• Understands concepts of least amount of pressure in training.
• Waits for horse’s response instead of using force/ offers release of pressure for correct response in training.
• Knows and uses collection, extension, leg yielding.
• Can ride horse in pasture, field, and on trail with control and ease.
• A master of all horse skills in past levels.
• Begins assisting with teaching and instruction, uses caution in instruction.