Spring Email Blast!

Hey Raynham Riders!  In case you don't receive our email blasts, here is what I sent out yesterday! You can register for our email blast here! Hey Raynham Riders! We have finally able to ride outside so spring is truly on its way!  We are CLOSED this Sunday for Easter but classes ARE running Saturday & Monday so please let us know ASAP if you will be missing a class. This post has a ton of info, please take the time to read through it carefully.  We have our Spring Schooling Show coming up in a few weeks, details are below.   We also wanted to remind riders of our make-up lesson policy, below.   Spaces for make-up classes are very limited so please be sure to let us know ASAP if you are going to be missing a class. Learning how to ride is much more than just what you do while you’re in the saddle; we want to develop well-rounded riders with solid horsemanship skills.  Working with horses helps to instil valuable life skills such as patience, discipline, empathy, compassion, responsibility, and dedication.  These characteristics are developed in a large part by caring for the horses properly before and after the riding portion of lessons.  Please see the section below on what tasks are expected of our riders. Lastly, with the increase in volume during our busy spring and summer months, we wanted to remind everyone coming to the barn about some important safety concerns in the tack up area and on the driveway.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Please let us know if you have any questions!  We are always working to make Raynham the BEST place to ride, Nikki, Lindsay & Caryn Spring Schooling Show – Saturday, April 27th Our schooling shows are a great opportunity to test your skills, have your friends and family come to see you ride, and get a taste of competition!  The main goal is for all our riders to learn something and have a good experience, so our schooling shows are very low-key.  We will coach you through it if you need help and everyone gets to go home with a ribbon!  Just a reminder that there are no lessons on Saturday, April 27th and you do not require a make-up lesson as show days are accounted for in the session. You can see all the details and enter online here! Make-up Lesson Policy We are very busy this spring, which means there are very few open time slots in the schedule.  Spaces for make-up lessons are made available by riders cancelling with sufficient notice so that another student can book your spot through the online scheduler.  We ask that riders provide AT LEAST ONE WEEKS NOTICE, via email to the office, if you are going to miss a class.  If you know of any upcoming events that will conflict with your lesson time, please let us know ASAP so we can open your spot on the scheduler.  We realise that things occasionally happen last minute, so we offer ONE “last-minute” cancellation per session, as long as you notify the office by 7:30am on a weekend or 1:00pm on a weekday. All last minute cancellations (anything less than one week’s notice) are to be made up in a group lesson.  Please be sure to notify the office via email if you cannot attend your lesson, even if it is last minute, so we can adjust horse assignments to balance the horses’ workloads. To view the full make-up lesson policy, please see our website: http://www.raynhamstables.com/riding-school-policies.html.

Rider Responsibilities We feel that some riders and their parents are unclear of what is expected of them when they come for a lesson.  Learning how to properly care for the horses that take such good care of our riders is an essential part of learning how to ride.   The staff in the tack-up area is there to supervise, educate and assist riders as needed.  In order to complete everything that is expected, riders need to arrive 30 min early for a group or beginner private lesson and 45 min early for a novice - advanced private lessons (as you are expected to mount 15 min early to lightly warm up).  It will take an additional 30 min after the lesson to complete the required tasks.   Riders are expected to:

BEFORE THE LESSON Store your gear in the lockers so the riding school tack room stays tidy Thoroughly groom your horse/pony & pick their hooves in order to prevent injuries such as saddle rubs, girth galls, thrush, etc. and also to check for any previous injury Sweep your grooming stall before tacking up to leave it tidy for the next rider Saddle and bridle your horse AFTER THE LESSON Untack and cool out horse/pony (may need cooler & hand walking in the winter, hose in the summer) If not bathing, groom horse to remove sweat and arena dirt Pick out hooves Put on blanket properly (winter) Feed your horse, if needed Sweep out grooming stall Clean bit, wipe down tack and put away properly Turn out horse or put back in their stall

To ensure that riders are clear on everything that is required, please CHECK OUT with the tack up help after your lesson before leaving.

Tack-up Area & Driveway Etiquette As the riding school is very busy this time of year, there is increased traffic both on the driveway and in the tack-up area.   The following is to ensure the safety of all our riders, spectators and horses: TACK-UP AREA:  Only riders are allowed in the tack up area, unless they are under the age of 8, then a parent can stay to assist.  Parents and other spectators are asked to wait in the viewing rooms, on the bleachers, or at the picnic tables, as the weather improves.  We’d also like to remind riders and their guests to please stay out of the barns, do not put your hands/arms through the bars of the stalls and do not feed anything to any of the horses without permission. DRIVEWAY:  Please remember that horses always have the right of way.  If there are riders walking their horses down the driveway or staff leading in/out horses, please do not follow closely behind them – it is frightening to the horses and potentially very dangerous.   Do not pass staff leading horses.  If you are able to safely pass mounted riders, please pass wide and very slowly.