Meet our lesson Horses

 

 

*LESSON POLICY

 

*PRICES

 

*TACK STORES

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

Q: What type of clothing should I wear to my lesson? Do I need special equipment?
A: The basics are pants, boots, and a helmet. We recommend breeches or jodhpurs for better comfort but long pants or jeans are permitted as well, we don't allow jogging or sweat pants. We also require any type of low heeled boot (hiking boots are acceptable as well for your first lesson).  Tennis shoes are not permitted for safety reasons. Tall riding boots or field boots are preferred and paddock boots are also permitted.  Half chaps are highly recommended for comfort if you decide not to purchase tall boots.  Helmets are required for anyone under the age of 18, bicycle helmets are ok for the first lesson but if you wish to continue with riding you will need to purchase a proper equestrian riding helmet from a local tack store. We do not provide helmets or boots so please bring your own. We have a list (see below) of local tack shops to purchase any of these items listed above.  For more information on riding attire/ gear see below for a more detailed list.

 

Q: What time should I arrive for my lesson?  And where should I go?
A: If this is your first lesson or if you have a 1 hour lesson, you should arrive at your scheduled lesson time and meet your trainer in the main/big barn.  You are more than welcome to show up early to look around but your trainer may not be there until your scheduled lesson time. 

 

A: If you are a continuing RREC student taking 30 min. private lessons and are expected to tack up your own horse, arrive at least 30 minutes prior to tack up and warm up.  Try and have a 5-10 minute warm up on your horse prior to your lesson.  You should meet your trainer in the jumping arena if you are jumping or the small arena if you are working on flat work. 

 

Q: How do I pay for lessons?
A: We accept cash or checks only, sorry no credit cards are accepted.  We require payment prior to the lesson.  Please hand payments directly to your instructor so they can log your check and mark you as paid. If you are participating in the tuition program, payments are due the first of every month for the desired number of lessons (minimum 1/week), there is a 10 day grace period, otherwise a late fee of 10% will apply. 

Q: When can I sign up for semi- private/ group lessons?
A: Every student is different and learns at their own rate. We have a few requirements before you can sign up for semi-private lessons.

1. Know all the lesson horses in the riding school (that are for your level of riding) and feel comfortable around them without full trainer supervision
2. Understand how to halter and tack a horse safely and correctly
3. Know how to correctly check and tighten your girth
4. Able to adjust stirrups to their correct length.
5. Safely and correctly able to start, stop and steer your horse with little help from an instructor
6. Safely trot and canter on the rail by yourself
7. Know the basic riding positions: full seat, half seat, two point/jumping position, posting.
8. Safely steer your horse in traffic
9. Mount and Dismount safely

Q: Am I going to ride the same horse every lesson?
A: RREC usually will keep you riding the same horse for your first few lessons.  But we will be switching you around from time to time on a few different horses so that you can ride different horses with different movements and personalities.  Riding different horses is the best way to become an accomplished horse person. We have 6-8 school horses in the program ranging from beginner to advanced and we will make sure we put you on a horse that fits your skill level.

Q: What is RREC's cancellation policy?
A: Due to the scheduling of our horses, instructors and arena time, we have a strict 24 hour cancellation policy. If you cancel less than 24 hours in advance we have  to charge you the cost of the lesson.  If you cancel more than 24 hours in advance, then a makeup lesson is required.  Although if a trainer cancels your lesson for any reason including but not limited to scheduling conflicts, rain, bad weather, illness, etc. a makeup lesson is optional.

Q: I'm signing up for the tuition program (minimum 1 lesson/ week) so can I reserve the same time, day and instructor each week?
A: Yes, we actually require you to schedule a regular lesson time with your instructor.  Your requested instructor will be your main instructor 99% of the time.  Our instructors occasionally will fill in for one another but this is very rare.

Q: I think that I'm getting too advanced for my beginner/ intermediate instructor can I switch to an advanced instructor?
A: Every student is different and learns at their own pace.  It may take years for your beginner/ intermediate instructor to consider you advanced.  Here are some of the requirements you must meet before you sign up for advanced instruction...

1. Know all the lesson horses in the riding school (that are for your skill level of riding) and feel comfortable around them without full trainer supervision OR own/ lease your own horse
2. Understand how to halter and tack a horse safely and correctly
3. Know how to correctly check and tighten your girth
4. Able to adjust stirrups to their correct length.
5. Safely and correctly able to start, stop and steer your horse
6. Understand the basics of steering: what a leg yield is, direct rein, indirect rein.
7. Safely walk, trot, and canter
8. Know the basic riding positions: full seat, half seat, two point/jumping position, posting
9. Safely steer your horse in traffic
10. Mount and Dismount safely
11. Have a desire to show (this is a requirement for advanced instruction- spaces are limited so we must limit our students to only showing riders)
12. Own or lease your own horse (not required but probably means that you are considered advanced)

HELMET (required): ASTM-SEI approved helmet with harness is required when mounted on a horse.  If student is interested in showing we would recommend purchasing a stylish black or gray stripped helmet by GPA, Charles Owen, etc.

 

SHIRT/ CLOTHING (required): Any jacket, sweater, shirt, vest, or sweatshirt worn to a riding class must be fitted, otherwise students equitation will be difficult to evaluate.

 

PANTS (required): Breeches or jodhpurs and jeans are permitted- Breeches or Jodhpurs are recommended.

 

CHAPS (recommended):  English Full Chaps or half chaps are highly recommended for english riders.  Western riders only need to wear jeans.

 

BOOTS (required): Tall riding boots- leather field boots preferred. Rubber boots are not appropriate for riding as they prevent lowering of the heel comfortably in most cases. Paddock shoes are also permitted. Tennis shoes for the first lesson is not acceptable. 

 

GLOVES (recommended): gloves are recommended, leather or cloth okay.  This will help your hold on to your reins better.

 

SPURS (recommended): spurs are sometimes recommended, small or medium length okay, talk to your instructor first about spurs and whether or not you may need them.  We do not have spurs available for student use, this is why you must purchase your own if it is recommended by your instructor.

 

 

 

For further information about lessons or to schedule an evaluation lesson please contact one of our trainers:

 

Emily Richards (Advanced Instruction/ Training & General Information): (858) 449-4311

Megan Gendreau (Beginner and Intermediate Instruction): (858) 395-0914