LESSONS I am available for lessons at my location, which is 2ks up Paradise Valley Road, Rotorua.
Private with my horse 1 hour - $60 A 10 week consession price is available, payble in advance. Please contact me directly for more information.
Private with your horse 1 hour - $50 A 10 week consession price is available, payble in advance. Please contact me directly for more information. Groups with your horses 1 hour - $40 per person Min. 2 and max. 6 people
LESSON PLAN Each lesson is tailor made to you and your horses needs. Regular lessons will have your goals in mind, and each lesson will be working towards those goals. I particularly specialise working with adult riders returning to riding or learning to ride and working with confidence issues for both horse and rider of any age. All levels of experience and abilities catered for including learner riders and green horses - not necessarily in that combination! Children must be over the age of 8 years - although can assess on a case by case basis depending on ability, confidence and character of child.
OUR HORSES We have a small hand picked herd of horses. Each horse brings a different personality and character to the mix. We have seven client horses, that we also work and ride with as well plus our own two personal horses. Our horses well being, health both physical and emotional/mental are important to us.
Each horse gets specific down time to prevent burn out, boredom and sourness. We want our horses to enjoy their work and want to be with us. They are looked after as individual horses; each gets trimmed on a 4-6 week basis, their teeth are done annually, they are wormed regularly. They have their own saddle and gear fitted to them individually and receive regular body work including Chiropractic that keeps them comfortable, pain free and in peak condition.
The herd of nine are a mixture of shapes, sizes, breeds and gender. We have three geldings; Tonka, Danny & Bobby, and six Mares; Mine, Cindy, Bracken, Gracey, Pepper and Mimi. They range in size from 13.2hh to 17hh, and breeds include; Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, Paint, Arab cross, Thoroughbred, Kaimanawa and a good old New Zealand 'coastie' horse.
Movement is a vital component of a happy horse, both physically and mentally, so the bulk of the year they live on a track system that entwines around the property and through the forest next door which we kindly have permission to graze and access. They have access to grazing paddocks 24/7 (season dependant) but have the choice to move through to the forest and back again as they please. A lot of domesticated horses don't have the freedom of choice, so this is important to us that some of the time our herd does have a choice and has the ability to display natural behaviours.
The herd are generally kept uncovered all year round, perhaps they may get covered in particularly nasty freezing cold AND wet weather, or if having trouble maintaining their weight, but other than this they are allowed to grow a winter coat and use it as nature intended. They have plenty of natural shelter and have adlib hay or haylage 24/7 available to help warm them up. The horses are kept as naturally as possible including hoof care.
When you are in a learning capacity you will ride bitless. Our horses are happy, responsive and very controllable ridden like this. While you are learning to balance and to rely on your seat for balance rather than the reins it is best for our horses comfort that you don't ride with a bit. When I feel you are at an advanced stage, the opportunity to ride with a bit will be available. The bridle & bit are used for refinement i.e.: to refine your communication rather than for control.
