Rider Guidelines

Our goal is to pro­vide a safe and ben­e­fi­cial expe­ri­ence for our rid­ers, vol­un­teers, horses and staff. To do so, we rely on all of our fam­i­lies to fol­low these guidelines.

General

  • All new stu­dents will be eval­u­ated prior to accep­tance in the program.
  • Once a stu­dent is accepted, on-going eval­u­a­tions will deter­mine if rid­ing ther­apy con­tin­ues to be ben­e­fi­cial and our horses and vol­un­teers are able to safely and effec­tively accom­mo­date the student.
  • Approved hel­mets must be worn at ALL MOUNTED TIMES.
  • Any stu­dents rid­ing in stir­rups must use NARHA approved safety stir­rups. (Peacock, Devonshire, Endurance).
  • All releases, med­ical forms and doc­tors con­sent forms must be updated annu­ally prior to par­tic­i­pa­tion in classes.
  • All stu­dents with Down Syndrome must have Atlantoaxial insta­bil­ity ver­i­fi­ca­tion annu­ally from their doc­tors on file.
  • All stu­dents MUST have 2 doc­tor pre­scrip­tions on file with the farm — one from a gen­eral physi­cian and one from a spe­cial­ist or approved ther­a­pist, stat­ing that the rider is fit to participate.

Cancellations & Weather

  • If a rider has to can­cel, a call to both the farm and your Volunteer Coordinator should be made AHEAD of his/her sched­uled day. See our full atten­dance pol­icy below.
  • If we do not have enough vol­un­teers present to pro­vide a safe ride, ses­sions may be canceled.
  • If the weather is below 32 degrees or there is snow/ice, ses­sions may be canceled.
  • If there is a severe thun­der­storm, mounted ses­sions may be canceled.

Rider Attire & Equipment

  • All rid­ers should be dressed in proper rid­ing attire!
  • Long pants and shoes or boots with a heel are required.
  • Approved hel­mets must be worn at all times.
  • Dangling jew­elry may be unsafe and should not be worn!
  • NO per­fume or cologne, as it can attract insects.
  • NO open-toe shoes, san­dals, dress shoes, shorts or skirts are allowed.
  • If you need help find­ing appro­pri­ate attire for your rider, just ask!

Etiquette

  • Rider’s sib­lings and/or their friends should not come to weekly lessons.
  • Do not bring your pets.
  • Stay in the des­ig­nated wait­ing areas until class begins.
  • Parents…Please do not leave the farm dur­ing your rid­ers lesson.
  • Parents…NO DROP OFF POLICY — please super­vise your rider before and after class.
  • Call the barn AND your Volunteer Coordinator if your rider is unable to come to a lesson
  • Do not give treats to the horses.

Our Attendance Policy

Attendance is taken at every les­son through our sign-in sheets.

If a rider is unable to attend a les­son, the barn and Volunteer Coordinator must be con­tacted as soon as possible.

Advance notice is very impor­tant to ensure proper care of the horses and proper use of our vol­un­teers. If you know a rider can­not attend a future les­son, advise us in writ­ing as soon as pos­si­ble so we can make the nec­es­sary staff/horse adjustments.

If a rider is unable to attend a les­son and we do not receive a call, it will be con­sid­ered a “no show.”

Due to the size of our pro­gram and the num­ber of fam­i­lies on our wait­ing list:

  • Three “no shows” in one pro­gram sea­son will result in the rider being moved into appointment-based lessons. This means that the rider will no longer have a set class in which to ride, but lessons will con­tinue by appoint­ment only.
  • Six “no shows” in one pro­gram sea­son will result in the rider being removed from the active program.

Please arrive 15 min­utes prior to class start time.
Tack will be removed from horses 10 min­utes past class start time.
Latecomers will dis­rupt the class and will not be per­mit­ted to ride.

  • Click here to view our list of Volunteer Coordinators.
  • Click here to view addi­tional con­tact info.