Four Week - Adult Learn to Ride Immersive Course
This beginner horse riding course is run over 4 weeks during school terms throughout the year. The sessions are 2 hours each week, with a mix of horsemanship and learning to ride. You will learn a number of essential horse riding skills including:
How to correctly saddle and tack up a horse
How to mount and dismount from your horse
How to obtain the correct position in your saddle to ride safely
The correct posture while riding
Groom and care for a horse
Terminology and equipment
How to read a horses body language
How to walk and guide a horse
Work your way to an independent trot
Session 1. Introduction to horse riding – horsemanship
Theory: Learn how to handle a horse
o Key safety factors
o Horse anatomy
o Horse body language
o Terminology
o Equipment/tack for the horse
o Rider’s attire
o How to communicate with your horse – body language
Practical: Prepare your horse for riding (Tack up) + Grooming
o How to groom your horse – correct brushes & hoof equipment
o Identify the tack you need for your first ride
o How to put a halter on your horse
o Learn how to correctly tack up your horse – saddle, bridles, boots
o Learn how to rug and un-rug your horse
o Learn how to correctly mount and dismount your horse
o Learn the correct seat for riding – how to sit correctly in your saddle
o Slow walk on lunge
Session 2. Building your knowledge
Theory: Caring for a horse
o How to care for a horse – feeding, farrier, dentist, vet, physio, osteopath, massage
o How to exercise a horse and horse work loads
o First aid
o Recap of last week’s information
Practical: Communication and posture
o Tack up your horse independently
o Independent mount and dismount
o How to communicate effectively with your horse
o Work on posture, position and balance while riding
o Progression to walk off lunge
Session 3. Accelerating your knowledge
Theory: Improving your communication with a horse
o Types of bridles and their differences
o Types of saddles and their differences
o Types of saddle pads shape, half pads & corrector pads
o Types of stirrups and their differences
o Recap of last week’s information
Practical: Improving your riding skills
o Tack up your horse independently
o Independent mount and dismount
o Perfecting your posture, balance and seat
o How to guide your horse around the arena
o Learning to go, stop and turn your horse
o Trot on or off the lunge (depending on your ability)
Session 4. Reinforcing your knowledge
Theory: Recap on horsemanship skills learnt
o Answering questions
Practical: Improving your riding skills
o Tack up your horse independently
o Independent mount and dismount
o Perfecting your posture and seat
o Improving balance in trot work on or off the lunge (depending on rider level)
o Perfecting your riding skills learnt so far
o Work on arena craft (symbols, terminology, rules etc) and movement if applicable
This course is aimed at beginner riders and parents of riders that want to be able to support their children and learn how to safely handle a horse.
Maximum 4 per class
Pre-requisites: Must be an adult. Weight restrictions for horse safety 80kg (and only 2 horses available at that weight)
Comfortable full-length leggings, jeans or tight fitting pants or jodhpurs are ideal, with layers on top eg. a t-shirt and long sleeved top or jacket.
Covered shoes or boots with a small heel and smooth soles are essential. We have a limited number of boots available in selected sizes to borrow if need be. Riders will need an EA certified helmet to ride. We have a number of certified helmets in various sizes you can borrow to use during your lesson, if you dont have your own. (Down the track if you commit to regular lessons you will need to invest in an EA certified helmet of your own.)
MC Equestrian Riding School is located in Terrey Hills and run by Dee McVicker. With over 30 years of experience Dee ensures the highest safety standards are met for both our riders and our horses. Our coaches are EA qualified and we pride ourselves on improving your horsemanship and enabling you to become a confident rider.
Our horses are calm and well schooled and our facilities are first-class and include; a state-of-the-art, floodlit, covered indoor arena with mirrors, a full-sized outdoor dressage arena and two outdoor smaller arenas. Enroll today as numbers are limited.
