Horseback riding lessons

As part of our mission to share our animals to teach animal care and connection: Horseback Riding Lessons are offered at Cheyne Ranch!

Please visit this webpage to let me know your preferred classes and times.

Our lessons are different than other barns - Cheyne Ranch is NOT a typical sport lesson barn.

• We do NOT go to horseshows (read more here) but we do have a fabulous student SHOWCASE at the end of the year!

• It is part of our mission to be inclusive and accessible to all people - so we welcome ALL students (everyone, including visitors, must be able to follow basic safety precautions)

• Is your student looking for a traditional lesson & show barn? I am happy to refer you to some local area show barns that have a proven track record for proper teaching and safety practices.

Answers to some FAQ for Cheyne Ranch horseback riding lessons:

• Focus of our lessons is beginner skills, safety awareness, connection with the horse, and proper care of the horse - both on and off the ground.

• Minimum Age is 5, but each student will be evaluated to make sure student can safely participate.

  • NOTE: We have PALS students much as young as you want to bring them! We have 4 students in our PALS program who are age 3 and under!

• No Maximum age! We try and group students by age, and we mostly have students ages 6 - 25. However, we welcome older students as we have openings!

• Length of Lesson: 60 minute group lesson with up to 2, 3 or 4 students all on horseback in our fenced pasture area.

  • We follow the best practice of group lessons, because it allows the horses a physical and mental break, and it provides a way for students to also learn from watching each other.

  • We utilize the group instructor model as well - meaning, there is one main instructor (Sally), who plans out each lesson specific to each student. There is always one adult present during the lesson + 1 - 3 paid assistants & volunteers to help keep everyone safe.

  • The 60 minute lesson includes horse care before and after the riding part - this means the student can expect to be in the saddle about 30 minutes each lesson. Some weeks will be more, some weeks will be all UNmounted due to weather, or learning specific ground skills.

• Lesson cost: Lessons are scheduled in 8 week terms of $400 each. Dates for the 8 week terms can be found here

• Curriculum: We use a curriculum called Learning Levels! Keep scrolling down this page to read more.

PALS:

• Are you interested in your child having individualized time in the barn and with the animals, but not quite ready for them to be in control of their own horse? Our PALS program might be just the perfect fit! Please see more info here, or contact us with any questions!

Expectations & Agreements

Expectations are SO important. So we have written out the expectations as clearly as possible, please reach out with any questions:

• Inclusive & Accessible: Cheyne Ranch is a community that welcomes students of diverse physical and mental abilities. Not all unique abilities are obvious from the outside and being together in this community is a learning & growth experience for everyone. 

• Rain or Shine Policy: Our programs meet rain or shine (please do not drive in dangerous weather.) Our instructors plan for rainy days and there are a lot of fun learning lessons to have in the barn on rainy days. 

• Payment Policy: Our classes are paid in 8 week sessions of $400 each. Payment arrangements can be made - discuss with Sally. There are no refunds for missed lessons. Invoices are sent out and payment options are available on the invoice.

• Student absence / make-up Policy: We understand that students get sick, have school performances, family travel, and other scheduling conflicts.

  • For riding lessons & PALS, we offer 1 make-up opportunity at the end of each 8-week session.

  • There are no make-ups for group classes such as Nature Club and Treasures

  • **If any class is cancelled from a hurricane or instructor absence, a make-up opportunity will be provided. 

• Instructor Policy: The student’s preference for an instructor will be considered but this is not guaranteed. 

  • NOTE: 

    All lessons are planned by Sally and each instructor will be teaching these lessons specific to the needs of each student. We are committed to developing our programs with experienced instructors who can deliver high quality lessons according to a standard curriculum that is documented and tracked for each student. 

• Horse policy: Each lesson, a student may be assigned any of our schooling horses. Our instructors make this decision based on the horse, as well as the student's current needs. 

  • NOTE:

    It is important the student grow and is challenged to ride different horses at different times. It is also important to respect the horse's health needs and respect when the horse may need time off. Lastly, it is important to understand how the student may have contributed to a horse's behavior in the past and pairing the student with that horse again is at the sole discretion of the instructor or Sally.

• Riding Level Policy: The instructor will guide the student through advancement of riding independently, trotting, cantering, jumping when the student has met the prerequisite skills and can demonstrate a safe progression into the new skill. The horse's health will always be considered and progression to the new skill may vary based on horse availability.

  • NOTE:

    Cheyne Ranch was never meant to be a "jumping" lesson barn. To maintain horses that are capable of handling 20+ students each week jumping on them is not in line with our mission, and not in line with how we choose to partner with our horses.

  • All of our horses have been donated because their owners believed in our mission and what we teach. Each horse is incredible, beautiful, all very capable in their own way. Our focus is SAFETY, care, connection, communication, horsemanship. We are happy to refer to you other lesson barns if your student wants to advance to a specific discipline (such as jumping) and/or focus on showing. See blog post about showing for further reading.

• Small Group Lessons: Riding lessons will be taught in small groups of 2, 3 or 4 students. This follows the recommended best practice that gives the student as well as the horse physical and mental breaks and allows riders to learn from watching each other. 

• Horsemanship Philosophy and Emphasis: Cheyne Ranch focuses on teaching the art of horsemanship, which countless authors have written books and attempted to define. To oversimplify, it refers to the bettering of the rider, so the rider can better communicate and partner with the horse. It is about the rider being aware, acknowledging & accepting how they are communicating with the horse, and how the rider can continuously improve their side of this partnership.

  • NOTE:

    One of the most beautiful things about spending time with horses (both in and out of the saddle) is that we can spend our lifetimes striving to continuously improve our communication, clarity & confidence, all of which makes us a better partner with our horse.  There are no age or time limits on this journey and every step forward helps us improve ourselves.

Learning Levels Curriculum!

Instructors

• Sally** - Trainer, Barn owner, president and founder of Cheyne Ranch nonprofit, lesson planner, 20 years experience working with special needs students, lifetime learner, lifetime teacher

• Alyssa** - Trainer, hunter / jumper, 20+ years of experience

• Anna - Assistant

• Isabella** - Assistant

• Emilyse - Assistant

• Gabby - Assistant

  **denotes ADULT

Alyssa

Alyssa is a an expert horse rider - she competed at upper levels in English Hunter / Jumper around Ohio from age 6 - 18. She is an all around animal lover, as a young adult, her travels took her to Australia to work in an animal sanctuary! Alyssa and her husband live in Oviedo with their 3 young kids and 2 dogs. Alyssa is a kind and gentle teacher for beginner and intermediate riders. She loves helping people with special needs and she has a special talent for helping hesitant riders find confidence.