Ontario Shut Down Order

Hey Raynham Riders,

I know you are all anxiously awaiting an update on the impact of the new "Shut Down" order on our lesson program. The published information is unclear and has conflicting information so we are just trying to get some clarification before we announce our plan.

We will post here, on Facebook and send out an email blast as soon as we have further details,

Nikki  

UPDATED Spring Lesson Schedule

Hey Raynham Riders,

Thank you for your patience while we update the schedule, we did our very best to accommodate the requested changes.  We spent hours and hours juggling riders, checking horse assignments to ensure there are suitable horses for each rider each day, and tried to be as creative as possible to fit people in.  A huge thank you to Gabby, Lindsay, Alex & Rachel for your help.  Please be sure to double-check your time - we didn't make too many major changes to the schedule as it's just jam-packed so full, but there have been some adjustments.

We intentionally have very few groups of 5, to ensure the school horses are not overbooked as they have not been in heavy work since mid-December.  Once we see how the horses are adjusting to the increased workload, we may be able to add more riders from the waiting list to the schedule.   

We will start sending out invoices tomorrow.  To be fair to those on the waitlist, if invoices are unpaid by the second class of the session, riders will lose their spot and we will offer the time to someone on the waiting list.  If you need to make payment arrangements, please just let us know.

The session starts this Saturday, March 13th.  We are VERY much looking forward to having everyone back at the barn!

Nikki & the Raynham Team

TENTATIVE Spring Lesson Schedule

Hey Raynham Riders,

I apologize for the delay in getting the schedule posted. I know I always say the schedule is a challenge (and it is!) but this one really was a doozy.   We simply do not enough hours in the day or horses in the barn to accommodate the demand from our regular students, never mind the extensive waiting list.  I hate disappointing people and always try to fit everyone in, but it simply was not possible this time.  Below is the tentative schedule.  I had to give quite a few riders times that were slightly outside of their provided availability.   If your time does not work, please let me know ASAP.  I will do my best to adjust, but if there isn't another suitable spot, I will start offering those times to the riders that did not get a spot in this draft of the schedule.

Please send us an email with any conflicts by 4pm on Tuesday.  I will work through the required changes Tuesday & Wednesday and will post a revised schedule on Wednesday afternoon.  This schedule begins on Saturday, March 13th.  

Thank you for your support,

Nikki & the Raynham Team

How do Private Lessons Work?

Hey Raynham Riders,

We’ve had a few students asking how private lessons work at Raynham! Here is an overview of how our program works. 

New Rider & Beginner Private Lessons

New and beginner riders must start with private lessons (or a Saddle Up program, if we are currently running one), as they need one-on-one attention for safety.  These private lessons are 1½ hours long, below is a breakdown of how the time is spent. As we book the time with the instructor in our scheduling program, you should arrive 30 minutes BEFORE the time in your reminder email and plan to stay 30 min after the mounted portion.

Advanced Beginner to Advanced Private Lessons 

Our more advanced riders can do either group or private lessons. Private lessons can be especially beneficial if they have certain skills or positional issues they need to focus on, as the lesson can be tailored specifically to the individual. 

Once riders are able to groom, tack-up, and mount independently, their coach & tack-up help will approve them to head to the ring 15 min before the start of their lesson time to mount and lightly warm up at the walk and trot before their instructional time begins. Then, riders will work for the full 30 minutes with their instructor and cool out their horse after the lesson ends. This means that riders are still in the saddle for 50 min in the saddle with a private lesson, which is the same duration as our group classes. NOTE: Riders MUST first be approved by their coach and tack-up help by demonstrating they can tack up, mount, and safely warm up independently (without interfering with the lesson still running). 

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns! 

Nikki & the Raynham Team

York Region Reopened - Lessons Resuming!

 Hey Raynham Riders!

As I’m sure you have heard, York Region has moved back into red zone as of today, so we are permitted to resume classes.  We are VERY excited to be able to get our riding school students back to the barn.  In order to ease the school horses back into work, we are going to start with pay-as-you go lessons for the remainder of the winter session, details below.   

We have also starting to work on the schedule for the Spring Session. As March Break has been postponed, we are going to shift the start date of our Spring Session to Saturday, March 13th (and will close for the April break instead, April 12 - 18). If you have not yet done so, we are asking ALL students to please submit the Spring Session Availability form by SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28^th, even if you filled out a form for the winter session, so we have everyone's updated availability.  Ideally, we will have a tentative schedule posted by Fri. March 5^th so that we can work through any requested changes before the start of the session.

Pay-As-You-Go Classes: Feb 23 – March 12

• We are offering pay-as-you-go lessons through the online scheduler for the remainder of the winter session.  
• Spaces will be limited to ease the school horses back into full work.
• WEEKDAY classes will NOT have tack-up help - these times are only for riders that can catch their horse, tack up and untack WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE (or help from a parent that is riding at the same time). This will be riders 11 years old+, riding for at least a year, and be a strong advanced beginner or higher level.  If you think you are able to tack up independently but don't meet these requirements, please send an email to see if we're able to make an exception. 
• WEEKEND classes will have assistance, so they are open to all levels of riders. 
• These classes are ONLY open to riders that were enrolled in the fall session.  As spaces are limited, we are not accepting new students for these classes.  If you would like to join our waiting list for the spring session, please submit this form

If you have any questions, please let us know!  We look forward to seeing everyone back at the barn!

Nikki & the Raynham Team

Clarification of Reopening Plan

Hey Raynham Riders,

I was happy to hear so many of you are keen to get back in the saddle, I've already received dozens of emails in reply to my email blast last Thursday.  There were many questions that were the same, so I thought I'd just send another email blast to clarify, rather than answer the same questions individually. 

The past year has been incredibly challenging, with the constantly changing and evolving rules and regulations.  We have greatly appreciated everyone's patience and support while we "shift gears" once again.

The following details are all the information I have to give at this time.  I will continue to send out updates as I have further details,

We are VERY excited to have our riding school open again soon!

Nikki & the Raynham Team


Pay-As-You-Go Lessons for the Remainder of the Winter Session

• Tentatively, the plan is to offer pay-as-you-go lessons through the online scheduler for the remainder of the winter session, once we get official notice we are permitted to reopen.  The province has not confirmed a date yet, but it may be as soon as Mon. Feb 22nd. 
• You will have to book and pay for the classes using the online scheduler, you will not automatically have the same time as you did in the fall session. 
• Spaces will be limited to ease the school horses back into full work and we will only be allowing bookings from riders that can tack up and untack independently (or with assistance from a parent that is also riding in a lesson at the same time). 
• We cannot accept new students for the pay-as-you-go lessons as there will not be tack-up help during these weeks. This means there will not be staff available to assist new riders not familiar with our horses/program.
• The scheduler is not open for bookings yet, as we still do not know when we will be permitted to open.  I will send out another email with further details once we get an official opening date.

Spring Lesson Session: NEW Start Date - Saturday, March 13th

• As March Break has been postponed, we are going to shift the start date of our Spring Session to Saturday, March 13th (and will close for the April break instead, April 12 - 18).
• We are asking ALL students to please submit the Spring Session Availability form, even if you filled out a form for the winter session, so we have everyone's updated availability.
• We are going to be cautious as we reopen and will start with accepting a limited number of riders.  If pandemic restrictions and conditions continue to improve, we will consider adding more riders mid-session.  The more availability you are able to provide, the more likely you are to get a spot. Priority for spaces will go to boarders, part-boarders, and those that were enrolled in classes during the fall.
• Please do not send an email to register for the spring session, I can no longer keep track of requests through email.  All riders need to submit the Spring Availability form.  

PAY AS YOU GO DETAILS AND SPRING AVAILABILITY FORM HERE

Virtual Lesson Reminder - Tonight @ 5:00pm!

Hey Raynham Riders!

In case you missed my last email, we are going to do a SECOND virtual lesson this evening!  We received tons of great feedback on the first lesson, you can view the videos from the first lesson here.  

To participate in the lesson this evening, please register here.

I hope to see many of your faces through Zoom tonight!

Nikki