"I have never known her to feel so connected to a horse. Thank you for all you and Andrea do."
Lessons for Young Riders at Riding Right Farm
For information about lessons for adult riders, please go to the 'Lessons for Adult Riders' web page.'
Riding Right provides a fun, exciting lesson experience for the young rider. We work hard to make sure your riding is both safe and fun! We love horses and riding, and we want to share that with you.
And, most important of all, our welcoming attitude make this a great place to learn.
Riders and the Crowd at a Riding Right Horse Show
Who Do We Teach?
Riding Right is great for lots of different types of riders. All we ask is that you care about horses and riding, have a sense of fun, and want to learn.
Jumping at Riding Right
What Happens in a Riding Class?
When you first learn to ride, we'll have you in a private lesson for the first few lessons. That's so we can see you ride, get you used to the farm, etc., before you're riding in a group. And if you're an absolute beginner, we'll spend part of the time in the first lessons teaching you how to lead a horse on the ground, groom him and get him ready to ride, and the other parts of horsemanship which aren't actually on horseback.
Once you have your feet in the stirrups, so to speak, we'll find a group of other rides with similar abilities and interests, almost like a private riding club. Lessons are a mix of working on specific riding skills - like sterring your horse or learning how to approach a jump - and playing lots of riding games to practice those skills.
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 - see above.) 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.
Our Youth Riding Team
Clinics, Shows, and Teams
We have much more than just lessons:
For Parents and Other Adults
We have lots of extras for parents and other adults who want to watch a young rider. When lessons are indoors, you can take advantage of the heated viewing room, usually with a pot of hot coffee and wifi, too. When the lessons move outdoors, we have a shaded viewing balcony with some relaxed chairs to spend a quiet hour with your child.
To schedule a lesson, please contact us.
Lessons Blog
Summer Camp Planning
How far away is summer? Not that far and we’re already getting requests for our summer camp information.
Here you go:
For the 12 and under rider we are offering two different camp sessions this year.
Session A runs from June 25-27. Three days of riding, learning, and horse related fun activities.
Session B runs from July 30-August 1. It will be different material but same format. Riders can attended either one or both!
For members of our Youth Dressage Team, a D4K Boot Camp.
This camp runs from July 1-3 with the focus on test riding, getting the competitive edge, studying for the written test and winning warm-up techniques.
For the more advanced rider we also have our Advanced Camp.
This year the dates are July 18-20. With dressage, stadium, cross-country and other horse adventures. In the past we’ve played polo and learned how to drive a carriage. This camp includes a camp-out style sleepover.
For more information look at our camps page: http://ridingfarm.com/riding-camp.php
Get in touch with us if you’re interested in signing up!
-Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer: Riding Right Farm
Tune-Up
Sometimes when your car isn’t running quite as well as it should be you know it’s time to take it into the shop for a little tune-up. The same could be said of horses.
Take for example our fancy German Riding Pony, Jimi Hendrix. He knows it all: shoulder-in, traver, renver, half-pass, flying changes, canter pirouettes. He’s a wonderful asset to the riding program as he truly falls into the category of “school-master,” meaning he’s able to teach riders what he knows. Sometimes however, these school master types start taking advantage of their situation. “Not riding me quite right? Well, here’s a little curve ball to deal with.” That would be Jimi talking if he could.
That’s where the tune-up comes in. A rider who knows more than Jimi (i.e. Andrea, our assistant trainer) got on the little squirt yesterday to set a few things straight. The rules are pretty easy to understand. You will go forward, straight and obediently. Not sideways, silly, and with your head looking one way and your haunches swinging like you are Hawaiian hula dancer. Jimi was none too pleased with being told who was who and what was what. He had a look on his face that clearly conveyed the message that he had been caught being naughty and he was being called on the carpet for it.
This tune-up is what makes working with a trainer so important for horse owners. It’s so easy to get stuck on your own and out-witted by your horse. When you can have someone who is more experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable get on your horse and clarify the training process everyone benefits.
-Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
Lendon Gray and Education
I got back late last evening from a trip to Woodbury, Ct. I was presenting one of my educational powerpoint/videos at the Dressage4kids Weekend Educational Program, otherwise known as WEP. This was the 10th annual WEP and the brain child of two time Olympian, Lendon Gray.
You really have to hand it to this woman. She has truly dedicated herself to the education of riders. Her focus has been on kids, as they are obviously our future riders and the caretakers of our horse knowledge. However, education is for every age and the door is always open and adults are encouraged to attend these events.
Here’s a brief overview of some of the topics that were offered this weekend. Dr. Hilary Clayton, the country’s premier researcher on equine bio mechanics, gave lectures on horse back pain, bits, bitting and rein tension. Other presenters talked about everything from animal cruelty investigations, to speech therapy and therapeutic riding, to improving performance through sports psychology.
There were also sessions for professionals in the business that tackled the tough subjects of difficult client situations. Examples: how to deal with difficult boarders (and tell them to leave…), and the sometimes dicey relationships between students, parents, and horse owners. Lendon was one of the presenters for this one and it was great to hear how she’s dealt with these difficult client situations. After decades in the business and running facilities with more than 50 boarders she’s pretty much seen it all.
Personally, I found every session I attended interesting and informative. There’s never an end to how much you have to learn in the horse industry (and in life itself for that matter). A big thanks to Lendon for doing her part to make all this knowledge accessible.
-Hollie McNeil, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding
Cool Mo-Cap
The technology that is turning movie making into a computer project, almost rather than an acting project is the future. Take for instance, Tin Tin, Avatar, and Lord of the Rings. It’s the melding of what’s real and what’s not and sometimes and it’s tough to tell the difference. For our Fun Friday today a look at how one film company took on the project of motion capture with horses. This is some fascinating video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbNeRjfEPkw
-Hollie McNeil, Author:40 Fundamentals of English Riding, Owner/Trainer:Riding Right Farm
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.
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