Riding Right is...
Expert Instruction & Training
Welcoming for Horse and Rider
Affordable Rates
Lessons at Riding Right
Thanks for the lesson-- I had a blast!." --Adult Riding Student
"Thank you for all you do to help improve people's riding." --Rider
Lessons for Adult Riders at Riding Right Farm: The Basics
For information about lessons for younger riders, please go to the 'Lessons for Young Riders' web page.'
Riding Right provides a great lesson experience for the adult rider. We're distinguished by our truly professional, internationally qualified instructors and our love for teaching from beginners to the most experienced English riders. We love horses and riding, and we want to make sure you have an experience which not only teaches you how to ride but also shares your joy and excitement at horsemanship.
For riders of all ages and abilities, Riding Right provides the best learning environment in the area. The experience and professionalism of our instructors, our well-cared-for horses, our and extensive facility, and, most important of all, our welcoming attitude make this a great place to learn.
A sampling of students gathered at a Summer party.
Who Are Our Students?
We have a very broad mix of riders, in age, ability, and interests.
Who Does the Teaching?
Riding Right has qualified, highly trained, and experienced instructors who have spent years studying riding and teaching as a serious endeavor. Our instructors are internationally trained and certified professionals, and we pride ourselves on their high qualifications.
Lesson Formats and Costs
We offer group and private lessons. For reasons of safety and skill assessment, a rider's first lessons are always private. Once you have some experience - and we have some experience with you, too - you may join one of our group lessons, or continue to take private lessons.
Riders who want to trailer in their own for a lesson are also welcome. Again, the first lesson with any horse which is new to the farm is private, as a matter of safety.
For lesson costs, see our rates page, please.
Clinics, Shows, and Teams
We offer much more than just lessons for our adult riders. We also have an almost-constant series of other ways to learn more about riding and share the fun:
Advanced and Specialized Lessons
In addition to general English riding lessons, we also offer specialized lessons, including Balimo, jumping, and other advanced topics.
To schedule a lesson, please contact us.
Equine Affair – Ohio
Following up on her great reception by the audience at Equine Affaire in MA,Hollie has been invited to be a ‘featured presenter’ at Equine Affaire in Columbus, OH this Spring. You can see more at the Equine Affaire website. It’s a great recognition of Hollie’s skill as a teacher/presenter of riding.
2011 at Riding Right Farm – Cambridge NY
A tradition at Riding Right, we do a year-end video to take a quick, fun look at the past year. And what an amazing year 2011 was! Take a look:
Thanks to all our great riders, clinicians, readers, fans, helper, and horses for making it another wonderful year.
-Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
Presentations at Equine Affaire
Big Crowds
The folks who organize and promote the annual Equine Affaire in Springfield, MA, really know how to do it right. The four day extravaganza of everything equine packed in people by the thousands.
I had my four different presentations to do and I was just one of many that were presenting all at the same time. Obviously, big names like John Lyons really packed in the stands but the variety gave every attendee something to enjoy and learn from.
Education isn’t the only drawing card for a huge event like this. Shop till you drop could be the motto for many. I had two things on my personal list. Fortunately, (or unfortunately for my wallet), I found both and was able to do some hands-on comparison shopping. That’s something you just can’t get from shopping on-line or from a catalog.
So, we walk away from the Equine Affaire, poorer from all the shopping and richer in our knowledge and understanding of the fabulous world of the horse.
-Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
Hollie’s Seminars at Equine Affaire – Nov. 11 & 12 in Springfield, MA
Hollie gave four presentaions at Equine Affire in Springfield, MA, two on Friday and two on Saturday. Over the course of the four sessions, she covered new ways of seeing equestrian (and rider) movement, with lots of unique slow-motion and other specialty video; systematic ways of learning to ride, using the training scale as a framework to understand everyday riding in any discipline; body position, using everything from a bowling ball to a stick figure to explain; and a discussion of the roots of riding, going back the ancient times, and how it affects riding today.
We have a few pictures on the photo page.
The Halloween Show Photos and Results!
Even though our Halloween Show was delayed for a week by an unseasonable snow storm, the weather for this show couldn’t have been better: perfect blue skies, and warm temperatures combined with great rides for a wonderful day. Plus, of course, the always-fun costume class. Photos are on-line now, as are the show results.
Fun Friday
A fascinating bit of history and horses today.
In the British countryside there are several so-called “hill figures.” Many of them are horses, although not all. A hill figure is a huge symbolic animal that was created by digging out a hill side and then filling in the dug out parts with chalk.
The one pictured here is called the Uffington white horse. It measures about 374 feet in length and is about 110 feet in height. The trenches that mark the lines of the white horse are between 5 and 10 feet in width and 2-3 feed deep. What’s amazing to me is that you really can’t appreciate the horse from the ground. It is so big that you need an aerial view to get the idea that it’s a horse. As Britain’s oldest and most famous figure it’s dated at more than 3000 years old. Obviously it was created long before anyone could see it from the air. The earliest reference to it was in the 1070′s when the white horse hill was mentioned in some document.
The actual meaning of the Uffington white horse is debated. Many believe it represents the Celtic horse goddess Epona, who is known for fertility, healing and death. Among the theories for why it exists is that it may have been created to be worshiped in religious ceremonies.
-Hollie McNeil, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm
A Star Is Born
There’s the old story of the down-on-his luck guy who manages to be in the right place at the right time and somehow hits the big time and becomes a successful movie star. It looks like the same inspiring story could be told about a horse. The big star of the Oscar nominated movie War Horse is proving he’s made of all the stuff that Hollywood loves.
The former race horse, who couldn’t run to save his life, is not only the premier equine star of War Horse but he also did Seabuscuit and has a string of new movies ahead of him.
The New York Times did a great piece on him. Check it out:
Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
If There’s Trouble
There’s a old saying, that if there’s trouble a horse is going to find it. Truer words have never been spoken.
Take a look at the picture here. This is Oakie, our school horse, firmly attached with not one but two blanket attachments to the so-called “safety” fence in his paddock. Now, you’d think we were starving the poor boy because this all happened as a consequence of him reaching over this fence to get to that little bit of dry, withered grass on the other side of the fence. Trust me, we don’t starve our horses. I think he’s just into survivalist mode. You know, the people who have perfectly good food on the table but opt to go out to the woods for a week to prove they don’t need modern society to survive.
Upon finding Oakie snagged to the fence you might think it was just a matter of unhooking the snaps. Nope. Can’t be that easy. Every time I tried to unlatch the snap Oakie would pull back in his effort to free himself from his imprisonment. Tension is not what you’re looking for here. Solution for freeing him was to take the blanket off him- not the fence. He ran with glee to return to his herd and eat the hay that is generously provided.
The next quest was to free the blanket from the fence. Easier said then done. I don’t know how he managed it, but those snaps were around two sections of wire fencing where the wire squares come together as a knot. I couldn’t do that with the dexterity of all my fingers so I haven’t a clue how he managed with no fingers at all. Getting it off the fence was about a 10 minute enterprise, where I even contemplated getting out the wire cutters.
As the saying goes- if there’s trouble.
Hollie McNeil-Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
Trapping Skills on a Horse Farm?
When venturing down this road of running a horse farm I really had no idea the number of skills I would pick up along the way. Truly, if someone asked me for my job description I would laugh out loud. The list is so long and so varied. I can now proudly say I can add “animal trapping” to that list.
If you are a regular blog reader you know that when we got a hay delivery last week it came with the bonus prize of two six month old kittens. Well, we thought two. But then determined it was one. But now we’re thinking maybe two again.
The story goes like this: we had a black kitten spotted running from the hay wagon as we were unloading the hay. Clearly this kitten was a stow-away on the hay wagon. I don’t think she was trying to run away from the farm she was at. She was a victim of staying warm buried deep in a stacked wagon of hay. Good insulation really. When the wagon was delivered to our farm, she came along for the ride. Now, when the black kitten jumped ship there was also a flash of something grey. It was presumed that we saw two cats. The following day our dog treed the poor black cat in a lilac bush. Our attempts to retrieve were not rewarded. She jumped and ran like her life depended on it. That’s when we moved onto trapping.
A “have a heart” trap was brought in. Cool set-up. I like catching unwanted things without hurting them. We caught our poor little barn kitty, Tigerlily, the first night. At least it proved the trap works. Then Sunday morning (remember how cold that was?) we found a grey kitten in the trap. Yeah! She’s been returned to her rightful owners. Now the question remains- did the grey cat just look like a black cat, or do we really have another one around?
The trap was set up again in the hopes of catching the mystery “black” cat. Instead with caught a white cat. Andrea’s cat Fritz found himself behind bars when trying to get the food in the trap. We’ve set it again. Who knows what we’ll catch next.
Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
Trapping Skills on a Horse Farm?
When venturing down this road of running a horse farm I really had no idea the number of skills I would pick up along the way. Truly, if someone asked me for my job description I would laugh out loud. The list is so long and so varied. I can now proudly say I can add “animal trapping” to that list.
If you are a regular blog reader you know that when we got a hay delivery last week it came with the bonus prize of two six month old kittens. Well, we thought two. But then determined it was one. But now we’re thinking maybe two again.
The story goes like this: we had a black kitten spotted running from the hay wagon as we were unloading the hay. Clearly this kitten was a stow-away on the hay wagon. I don’t think she was trying to run away from the farm she was at. She was a victim of staying warm buried deep in a stacked wagon of hay. Good insulation really. When the wagon was delivered to our farm, she came along for the ride. Now, when the black kitten jumped ship there was also a flash of something grey. It was presumed that we saw two cats. The following day our dog treed the poor black cat in a lilac bush. Our attempts to retrieve were not rewarded. She jumped and ran like her life depended on it. That’s when we moved onto trapping.
A “have a heart” trap was brought in. Cool set-up. I like catching unwanted things without hurting them. We caught our poor little barn kitty, Tigerlily, the first night. At least it proved the trap works. Then Sunday morning (remember how cold that was?) we found a grey kitten in the trap. Yeah! She’s been returned to her rightful owners. Now the question remains- did the grey cat just look like a black cat, or do we really have another one around?
The trap was set up again in the hopes of catching the mystery “black” cat. Instead with caught a white cat. Andrea’s cat Fritz found himself behind bars when trying to get the food in the trap. We’ve set it again. Who knows what we’ll catch next.
Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
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