Riding Lessons

All lessons are taught by Hattie Henderson, owner and manager of Bailey Hill Farms. Hattie has been in the saddle for nearly two decades, competing in everything from hunters to barrel racing. Hattie has been teaching equestrians and their horses part-time for six years.

As a riding instructor, her goal is not to create students that will ride with her for their entire riding careers. Instead, it is to build a foundation of knowledge that sets up every equestrian for a lifetime of success as an equestrian, whether they choose to remain at Bailey Hill Farms, or to pursue another direction in another barn or discipline.

Aside from teaching lessons, Hattie actively trains and shows Dressage, and brings along a variety of horses in Dressage and other English disciplines.

Coming Soon!: Photographs and short biographies for each of our lesson horses!

Recommended for ages 4+

20-40 minutes (based on a child’s interest and ability to pay attention)

An emphasis is placed on learning about horses – safety, care, equipment, grooming and tacking, etc. We want lessons to be fun and engaging for a student, as well as educational. Each lesson will include, at a minimum, a few laps of riding or driving a pony around the arena. As the child progresses in the program, the emphasis will shift to focus on riding and the majority of time will be spent on riding. This program is designed for children that are brand new to horses.

A parent or guardian is required to be present during the lesson. We also highly encourage parents to learn alongside their kids! Horses are a sport for the whole family, and this is a great time to be a part of it as well.

Riders are required to have an ASTM/SEI approved equestrian helmet. Helmets can be purchased online, or through a local tack store, such as East Ridge Tack Shop in Mahaffey, PA or The Silver Stirrup in Duncansville, PA. Any brand will work – a brand at the lowest price point, like Troxel or Tuffrider, must meet the exact same safety criteria as the most expensive brands. Riders are also required to wear long pants, and boot WITH a visible heel. Cowboy boots or paddock boots are preferred, but other types of boots with a heel approximately ½” to 1” high will be sufficient.

We recommend that lessons be taken at least 1-2 times weekly. Students can still progress taking lessons every other week, or even once a month, but oftentimes the bulk of each lesson is spent reviewing the same information from the previous lesson.

*Group Lessons: Your child can take a group lesson with up to two of their siblings and/or friends. While these lessons will follow the same program as the individual lessons, they will likely move along a bit slower and not cover as much information in each session as an individual lesson. One horse or pony will be used and students will take turns practicing skills.

Check out our Lessons for a Student’s Grown-Ups program so that you can be an even bigger part of your student’s equestrian experience!

Prices:

Individual Lesson: $35

Pay by the Month: $30/lesson*

Group (up to 3 children): $50**

* Must schedule a minimum of 3 lessons and must be paid in full at the beginning of each month. If you wish to add on additional lessons during the month, the rate of $30 will be honored for each additional lesson.

** Group Lessons: Your child can take a group lesson with up to two of their siblings and/or friends. While these lessons will follow the same program as the individual lessons, they will likely move along a bit slower and not cover as much information in each session as an individual lesson. One horse or pony will be used and students will take turns practicing skills.

Individual or Pair $30

30 minutes

This program is designed for a lesson student’s grown-ups – their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. – to learn about horses in order to help their student. An emphasis will be placed on safety – how to keep you and your student safe, how to check tack and equipment to make sure it’s safe and fitted correctly, how to safely handle a horse, and any other topic that you might have questions about.

This is not meant to be an ongoing lesson program. These lessons only need to be scheduled on an as-needed basis.

Private Lessons

30-50 minutes

This program is for riders with prior experience OR older kid/adult beginners that are serious about learning to ride. The bulk of lesson time will be spent on riding, with lesson plans tailored to a rider’s specific goals – whether that’s the show ring, trail riding, getting back in shape to ride, or just enjoying time on the back of a horse.

In our program, we focus on:

Rider Fitness, at all levels
Building Confidence
Application of basic Dressage principles to everyday riding
Problem Solving

Students in regular riding lessons are highly encouraged to wear an ASTM/SEI approved equestrian helmet. Students are required to wear closed-toed shoes with a visible heel for lessons.

Prices:

Individual Lesson: $45 (Currently no group offerings)

Pay by the Month: $40/lesson*

* Must schedule a minimum of 3 lessons and must be paid in full at the beginning of each month. If you wish to add on additional lessons during the month, the rate of $40 will be honored for each additional lesson.

Riding Lessons

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