11/15/2024
In lieu of the beginner lesson inundation lately … friend’s, neighbors, new comers, and all in between, I’ll do my best to try to try and elaborate on how intricate this has become.
To have a horse that is beginner safe, (truly adult or child beginner safe if you know you know) takes years to develop. Every beginner lesson that horse does, takes its training backward, not at fault of trainer or student, it’s just horse nature, they don’t perform because they naturally want to folks, it’s because of a set of cues properly executed after being taught. If in our program we could have that string of horses being maintained with those cues being properly maintained in todays prices to feed it, vet it, farrier it, and all of the other maintenance that goes into it, the price point for that would be outside what anyone would expect to pay for the service. I want to see every new generation of children learn on safe ponies and horses, but no longer can program’s afford to carry that cost. It’s a sad day for non committed families (and I get that too) but barns can’t carry enough lesson horses for the demand and stay afloat. The cost of feed, hay, vet, farrier just won’t allow it. I don’t know how it all will play out, maybe better days economically, I am sad for every eager person with a child I turn away or put on a wait list but trying to live and keep everything fed (not extravagantly on either end) means we can no longer run a large string of truly safe sound lesson horses unless you are willing to commit the expense that’s required. In no way meant to dampen anyone getting into riding or steer away from it, just trying to give a bit of explanation as to why lesson horses are disappearing these days.
