Northwestern Stables

Join us for our next riding session...

Fall One: September 7th - October 16th

$280.00 for 6 weeks

(Monday Riders, $235.00 for 5 weeks, no lessons on Labor Day)

To Register, call (215)685-9286 or (215) 242-8892

or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

About our lessons: We teach Children over age 8 and Adults all levels of English Riding. 

• Upcoming 2010/ 2011 Session Dates:

• 2010 Fall Two: October 18 - November 27 $280 for 6 weeks
  
• 2010 December Mini Session: November 29 - December 18 $145 for 3 weeks
• 2011 Winter One: January 3 - February 12, $280 for 6 weeks
• 2011 Winter Two: February 14 - March 26, $280 for 6 weeks
• 2011 Spring One: March 28 - May 7, $280 for 6 weeks
• 2011 Spring Two: May 9 - June 18, $280 for 6 weeks
  

NEW STUDENTS: Please contact us to determine the best possible class for you and for a PDF file of the Registration Form, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Full payment is expected at sign up.

CONTINUING STUDENTS: To ensure your place in lessons, payment is expected BEFORE the open registration dates above, otherwise your space will be filled with new students.

*photo credit: Candid Shotz by Denize  www.candidshotzbydenize.lifepics.com

At Northwestern Stables we teach “English” riding, with a focus on the hunter style – appropriate movement of the horse, correct positioning of the rider on the flat, and jumping over cross rails and vertical fences up to 3 foot in height.  Lessons run every weekday in hourly slots from 4pm to 8pm, and on Saturday from 10 am until 1pm.  Lesson times aren't published because they vary due to out enrollment and our horses' needs. 

What to expect:

• Group lessons consist of 4-6 riders.  Riders are grouped by riding level and age group, we don't group young children with adult riders.  There is a variety of lessons that will suit all levels for both children over 8 and Adults. 
• Although a lesson might be scheduled from 4 until 5, in actuality your time at the barn will be about two hours.  We require our students to be hands on and learn the whole horse experience so arriving early is necessary.  Half an hour before a lesson you should arrive at the barn to groom and tack up your horse or pony – this takes 20 - 30 minutes.  Lessons start at 5 minutes past the hour and continue until 5 minutes to the hour.  After the lesson you should allow 30 minutes to untack, cool down and groom your horse, before putting him or her into the stall.

 Costs for Group and Private Lessons:

• GROUP:  A session of 6 lessons (one per week for six weeks) costs $280.00
• Private Lessons mean just that; one rider taught by an instructor for an hour.  The fee is $210.00 for 3 Lessons.
• Semi-Private Lessons consist of two rides taught by one instructor for an hour.  The fee is $180.00 per rider for 3 lessons.   

Attire:

Riders should dress appropriately for lessons.  Riding boots are required, and riders may wear jeans, chaps or britches. A t-shirt or collared shirt is preferred.  No tank tops or belly shirts are allowed, and for safety and comfort reasons, no shorts or sneakers.  Riding helmets are available for you to use.  We don't allow bicycle helmets or chewing gum.  

Riding Levels:

This is a guide to understand the difference between the different riding levels taught at NWEF.  Please note- it is up to the trainer or instructor's discretion to assign a riding level based on an observation during a lesson or conversation about the rider's accomplishments on horseback.   

• LEADLINE:  A leadline rider is over 8 years old or an adult that has never participated in a formal lesson and/or ridden a horse before.  These lessons are an hour and a half.   The first half hour consists of a barn lesson where students learn how to groom and tack a horse up.  The next hour is the riding lesson in which students are paired with another rider and  they share a horse.   One person will lead while the other rides.  They then switch half way through and the leader rides.  As the weeks progress, the rider become more independent in their riding skills and horsemanship skills.  The goals of a leadline rider are proper communication and steering.  They should also have a strong sense of balance and know how to post at the walk and have practiced a posting trot. 

• BEGINNER:  A beginner rider has learned how to steer his or her horse without a leader.  They have an understanding of a posting trot and are working on sharpening that skill with a lot of practice.  Beginner riders also will learn how to change their diagonal and hold the "Two-Point" position over a ground pole.  A beginner rider that is strong in these skills may begin to learn how to canter.

• NOVICE:  A novice rider is comfortable with the posting trot and knows how to check and/or change the diagonal.  He/She is now learning how to canter and sharpen that skill.  A novice rider usually learns to jump obstacles like ground poles and cross-rails at the trot and canter.

• INTERMEDIATE:  An intermediate rider is comfortable riding at the trot and canter.  This rider knows how to ask the horse for the correct lead at the canter.  Intermediate riders sharpen their skills on the flat and over fences.  These riders practice trotting and/or cantering a course of jumps.

• ADVANCED:  The advanced rider is comfortable at all three gaits on the flat and cantering a full course of jumps.  He/She has the knowledge of the many details that go into the horse and rider partnership.  This rider is working on sharpening their technical skills on horseback.

Weekly Schedule:

Riders participate in one lesson per week during a session.  The day and time depends on the rider's experience and our class availability.  This schedule gives an idea of our weekly schedule but it is subject to change.  Please contact us for exact placement and registration information. 

Lesson Policy and Reminders
Northwestern Stables staff works very hard to create an enjoyable and well organized riding experience for you. In order to run our program as efficiently and smoothly as possible, we will be incorporating the following policy beginning with the Spring 2 Session, March 30th 2009.

Please be aware of the following:

• Each session is 6 weeks long. The cost is $280.00; $45 per lesson, plus $10 for supplies like hoof picks, blankets and fly spray. This supply fee is non-negotiable and applies to each session.

• NEW Enrollment Requirement: When registering and you know you'll be missing a lesson, you are welcome to deduct ONE lesson at the time of registration. Riders must pay for a MINIMUM OF 5 lessons per session. ($235.00) We have found that allowing students to miss more than one lesson in a session leads to a diminished learning experience for all participants in the group. Progressive learning is disrupted and skills levels become quickly mismatched. We understand that our customers have busy schedules, however, our previous policy yielded erratic participation, leading to weeks with lessons with only one student, which was inefficient for us as well as undesirable as a learning protocol.

• No make-ups or credit for lessons that you have paid for, but do not attend.  Unfortunately, there will be no make-up lessons and it is no longer possible to apply that missed lesson as a future credit toward the next session. We understand last-minute conflicts arise, however we are unable to accommodate a make-up/credits due to our large client base and the overuse and abuse of our previous policy. Our programming is well planned and we make every effort to limit the number of participants per lesson. We promote a commitment based learning structure and make-up add ins and individual lesson credits compromise the quality of our lessons to our dedicated weekly customers.

• LATE ARRIVAL POLICY: Arriving late and entering the ring after the lesson has already started can be discourteous and disruptive to the instructor, as well as the other students. If you are late and the instructor agrees to admit you into the lesson, you will not be provided the full hour and the lesson will end at the designated time.

• CANCELLATION POLICY:  In the event that we cancel your lesson because of a weather related issue, we will provide you with a make-up lesson during that session.

• If possible, please leave a phone message if you are unable to attend your lesson.  Call the voice mail: (215) 685-9286.  Our staff often works behind the scenes to make sure your horse is ideally prepared for your lesson. We often lunge or exercise our school horses before a lesson to make sure you get the most from your experience. Please help us be more efficient by letting us know if you will not be able to attend.

• Please arrive at least 20 minutes before your lesson and be prepared to stay at least 20 minutes after.  Leadline riders need not come earlier than 11:30 am.  At NWS we teach horsemanship, not just riding. The welfare of the lesson horses depends on each and every rider doing their part before and after the lesson.

Thank you for understanding our need for these policies.  We greatly appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the future.

The staff at NWS

*photo credit: Candid Shotz by Denize  www.candidshotzbydenize.lifepics.com

Northwestern Stables actively participates in promoting competition for junior and adult riders, both by hosting horse shows at the facility and by attending shows throughout the region via the Associated Horse Shows circuit (AHS).