Riding School Policies
Riding Requirements
Riders wishing to begin classes at Raynham Stables must be a minimum of 6 years old and 20kg (45lb) and no more than 82kg (180lb) for non-riders or 90kg (200lb) for balanced, experienced riders. Riders wishing to ride in a group lesson must be able to safely and competently perform the following tasks:
• Groom, saddle and bridle a horse under minimal supervision
• Walk, trot, canter and maintain a two-point position in the trot
Students who are unable to meet these criteria will have to enroll in private/semi-private lessons until their instructor approves them for group lessons.
Riders wishing to begin classes at Raynham Stables must be a minimum of 6 years old and 20kg (45lb) and no more than 82kg (180lb) for non-riders or 90kg (200lb) for balanced, experienced riders. Riders wishing to ride in a group lesson must be able to safely and competently perform the following tasks:
• Groom, saddle and bridle a horse under minimal supervision
• Walk, trot, canter and maintain a two-point position in the trot
Students who are unable to meet these criteria will have to enroll in private/semi-private lessons until their instructor approves them for group lessons.
Lesson Details
Students are expected to arrive 30 minutes before their lesson time to catch their horse (Novice +), groom and tack up. Students should be in the ring, mounted and ready to ride, at the scheduled start of their lesson. Private lessons are expected to mount 15 min early to warm up (once approved by their instructor). After the lesson, students are expected to properly cool out and groom their horse before putting them away. Students are also expected to clean their tack and put it away before leaving and leave their grooming stall raked/tidied. Overall, it will take approximately 2 hours for a riding lesson.
Once students are deemed ready to jump, group classes will alternate dressage and jumping. However, in the interest of the well-being of the horses, lesson content will always be subject to the discretion of the instructor/riding school and in some instances a jumping lesson may need to be replaced by a dressage lesson (i.e. the day after a schooling show, extreme heat, etc.).
Please be aware that horse assignments are up to the sole discretion of the instructors. We are happy to accept requests, but cannot guarantee a particular horse/pony unless you part-board, lease or own your own horse. Our #1 priority when assigning horses is ensuring everyone that rides that day has someone safe and suitable for them to ride!
Students are expected to arrive 30 minutes before their lesson time to catch their horse (Novice +), groom and tack up. Students should be in the ring, mounted and ready to ride, at the scheduled start of their lesson. Private lessons are expected to mount 15 min early to warm up (once approved by their instructor). After the lesson, students are expected to properly cool out and groom their horse before putting them away. Students are also expected to clean their tack and put it away before leaving and leave their grooming stall raked/tidied. Overall, it will take approximately 2 hours for a riding lesson.
Once students are deemed ready to jump, group classes will alternate dressage and jumping. However, in the interest of the well-being of the horses, lesson content will always be subject to the discretion of the instructor/riding school and in some instances a jumping lesson may need to be replaced by a dressage lesson (i.e. the day after a schooling show, extreme heat, etc.).
Please be aware that horse assignments are up to the sole discretion of the instructors. We are happy to accept requests, but cannot guarantee a particular horse/pony unless you part-board, lease or own your own horse. Our #1 priority when assigning horses is ensuring everyone that rides that day has someone safe and suitable for them to ride!
Required Equipment
All riders must have the following gear:
All riders must have the following gear:
- Correctly fitted, ASTM helmet
- Boots with a 1/2" - 1" heel (paddock boots and half chaps or field boots are preferred, rubber riding boots do not bend well in the ankle)
- Long pants for riding (we suggest breeches or snug fitting track pants as loose pants and jeans can rub)
- Riding gloves & a crop are recommended
Payment
All lessons must be paid for in advance (view lesson pricing here). If you would like to take advantage of the discounted rate offered by purchasing a lesson package, payment must be received by the second class of the session. Installment plans are available for our longer fall & spring sessions. Lesson packages are non-refundable and non-transferable. Lessons can be paid for by cash, cheque payable to “Raynham Stables”, Visa, MasterCard or Interac e-Transfer.
As riding is a year-round sport, all students are automatically enrolled in the next session. If you plan to discontinue classes, we ask that students notify the office via email at least three weeks prior to the end of the session so we can adjust the schedule as needed.
All lessons must be paid for in advance (view lesson pricing here). If you would like to take advantage of the discounted rate offered by purchasing a lesson package, payment must be received by the second class of the session. Installment plans are available for our longer fall & spring sessions. Lesson packages are non-refundable and non-transferable. Lessons can be paid for by cash, cheque payable to “Raynham Stables”, Visa, MasterCard or Interac e-Transfer.
As riding is a year-round sport, all students are automatically enrolled in the next session. If you plan to discontinue classes, we ask that students notify the office via email at least three weeks prior to the end of the session so we can adjust the schedule as needed.
Lesson Cancellations
We realize that students occasionally have to miss a lesson so we have simplified our make-up lesson policy as much as possible. Spaces to reschedule are made available by other students canceling with sufficient notice, so please be courteous and PROVIDE AS MUCH NOTICE AS POSSIBLE if you are going to miss a class. It can be difficult to find an open spot, especially during the busy spring and fall months so, please do not cancel unnecessarily as we cannot guarantee you will be able to find a spot to make up a missed class.
We realize that students occasionally have to miss a lesson so we have simplified our make-up lesson policy as much as possible. Spaces to reschedule are made available by other students canceling with sufficient notice, so please be courteous and PROVIDE AS MUCH NOTICE AS POSSIBLE if you are going to miss a class. It can be difficult to find an open spot, especially during the busy spring and fall months so, please do not cancel unnecessarily as we cannot guarantee you will be able to find a spot to make up a missed class.
Early Cancellation |
Late Cancellation |
|
Notice |
More than one week’s notice |
By 8:00am on weekends and 1pm on weeknights |
Limit |
Unlimited |
One per session (per # of lessons/week) |
Make-up Type |
Same lesson type as cancelled lesson |
Group lesson for all late cancellations |
How to Cancel: Simply email the office to notify us that you need to cancel and we will send you a booking code so you can rebook using the online scheduler.
Cancellation Policy Fine Print:
Cancellation Policy Fine Print:
- Early cancellation private lessons: There may not be an opening to rebook a private lesson, so you may need to book a group class instead.
- Make-up lessons are only available to students currently enrolled in lessons. If you discontinue classes, any unused make-up lessons are void.
- Make-up lessons are non-transferable and cannot be deducted from the next session fees.
- All make-up lessons must be booked within the session they are missed.
- There are no makeups for missed make-up lessons.
- In the unlikely event that Raynham Stables has to cancel a class, we will ensure that you are able to make-up the lesson or we will deduct it from your fees for the next session.
Inclement Weather Cancellations
Lessons will be cancelled if the temperature is below -12c before the wind-chill or during unsafe driving conditions (such as heavy snow or icy rain). Please remember to check the blog or our Facebook page to ensure classes are running. Any cancellations will be posted by 7:30 am on weekends, 1:00 pm on weeknights.
Students do NOT need to book a make-ups for inclement weather cancellations so there’s no reason not to ride over the winter! For the winter session, we bill for one less class so if we have to cancel a class, we are square. If we have to cancel any additional time(s), riders will have the option to schedule a make-up or deduct the class off of the spring session fees if you prefer.
Want a copy to print? Download the .pdf below!
Lessons will be cancelled if the temperature is below -12c before the wind-chill or during unsafe driving conditions (such as heavy snow or icy rain). Please remember to check the blog or our Facebook page to ensure classes are running. Any cancellations will be posted by 7:30 am on weekends, 1:00 pm on weeknights.
Students do NOT need to book a make-ups for inclement weather cancellations so there’s no reason not to ride over the winter! For the winter session, we bill for one less class so if we have to cancel a class, we are square. If we have to cancel any additional time(s), riders will have the option to schedule a make-up or deduct the class off of the spring session fees if you prefer.
Want a copy to print? Download the .pdf below!
| riding_school_policies.pdf |