RIDING LESSONS
Specializing in eventing, hunters, jumpers and dressage
Riders who have no horse experience, limited experience, or have been away from horses for a long period are required to take grooming lessons. The grooming lessons are taught by our head groom. With her detailed and patient manner, she covers all aspects of grooming, ground horse handling, and basic horse nature and behavior.
All beginners must take at least one grooming lesson. If necessary, to master these basics, we will recommend continuing the grooming lessons until the client is ready to progress to tacking and riding.
Group lessons
for boarders and haul-ins
Getting involved in group lessons is a great way to enjoy camaraderie, watch and learn from others get encouragement and feed back from peers, and practice in show like situations.
It's perfect as a low cost extension to a weekly lesson. and for those who have their horse at home, group lessons offer a new and broader experience for your horse and self, riding at a different facility and among other horses and riders.
The criteria for beginners being able to attend a group lesson are that the rider must be able to groom and tack their horse independently and ride/perform the walk and trot with full control of their horse at all times under normal circumstances.
Classes are held on the weekends. Please call for schedule and space availability.
Group I - Flatwork Advanced beginners to intermediate level flatwork. This class will concentrate on developing the rider in the trot and canter, preparing the rider for more advanced riding and/or groups II and III.
Group II - Flatwork Flat work for intermediate level and up riders, and those involved in the jumping class. This class will focus on advanced trot and canter techniques, including ground poles, lateral movements, beginning collection and lengthening, and more in depth skills for the rider.
Group I – Jumping Beginning Jumping – includes flatwork as it relates to jumping: working over ground poles, cavaletties, cross rails and introduction to easy gymnastics, oxers and elementary courses.
Group II – Jumping Jumping for Stadium and Cross-Country – does not emphasize flatwork. Riders are to be mounted and warmed up, ready to begin jumping at the start of class. This class will include working over grids, jumping exercises and course work, plus cross-country jumping techniques. All riders will have multiple opportunities to perform the sessions’ exercises, work on technical problems, and practice the target areas.
Working Student Program
Our working student program is offered for equestrians that have horse experience but may not currently have the funds to own a horse or take lessons on their own horse. It is a perfect opportunity for the high school or college student, stay at home mom and retired individuals whose schedules are not limited by nine to five.
Working students will be required to handle, grooming, tack and un-tack horses, plus perform a variety of barn chores including but not limited to cleaning tack and feed buckets, washing, and cooling out horses before and/or after a training session, medicating, wrapping legs, blanketing, turning out and/or lunging horses, and according to their riding level, may be asked to exercise some horses.
Students earn a lesson for every 10 hours worked. The lesson may be a private, semi-private or group, depending on the situation of the current week.
Students must commit to specific days and hours. If a student worker is unable to fulfill their time schedule, it is up to the student to find a fellow working student to take their hours.
Days and hours needed:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
10AM – 5PM
We like having several students working per week. This allows all of the days and hours to be covered. And once you are a working student, you become part of the Chocolate Horse Farms family!
Additional Services Available
Lesson Rates
| Home Facility: | (lesson horse) | (own horse) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grooming - 1 hour |
$ 50.00 | $ 50.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Private - 1/2 hour * | $ 35.00 | $ 25.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Private - 1 hour | $ 50.00 | $ 40.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Semi-private (2 riders) - 1 hour | $ 40.00 each | $ 30.00 each | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group (3+ riders) - 1 hour - groups are put together as available | $ 30.00 each | $ 25.00 each | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supervised practice ride - 1 hour | $ 30.00 | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * all grooming and tacking preformed without instructor and rider must be warmed up and ready to work. |
At Darla Opava training / Chocolate Horse Farms the focus is on function over form; meaning that as you ride the horse correctly to gain the horses best movement, you as the rider will inherently be in the correct form.