Heart's Haven Ranch - Riding Ready! So You Want to Own a Horse! #1

I have been teaching my popular "Heart's Haven Ranch - Riding Ready" series on Outschool  for some time now. In that series, I always ask the learners what their "dream come true" experience would be with a horse. The most prevalent response is to OWN a HORSE. The next most popular dream is to OWN a RANCH and TEACH RIDING LESSONS. 

That was also my dream, as a child, and I have created that reality. I also have taken a number of students from starry-eyed little kids to Certified Instructors.

Both of those dreams require a great deal of preparation and eventual commitment to a lifestyle. Owning a horse is not like owning a cat or a puppy. Safe and productive horse ownership requires great horsemanship skills and deep knowledge in a myriad of topics, to foster happy outcomes in the experience. 
 
This class is the first of a series of 2, 4 week classes that teach the skills and knowledge required in Equestrian Canada Rider Level 1. Even if the learner does not do the formal testing, this knowledge will be useful if they participate in Pony Club, or wish to test in other governing Equestrian bodies in their late teens. The knowledge is also critical for healthy, happy horse ownership.

The lessons will be taught by video demonstration of all the skills and knowledge needed for the subject. All videos are made here at Heart's Haven Ranch, a working teaching and competition facility in Raymond, Alberta, Canada. I will also do worksheets and Question and answer to test their knowledge and memorization.



Week 1: English Tack 
In this lesson learners will be taught 
- 4 different English saddle types and their purposes
- the parts of an English saddle
- different English bridles and their purposes
- the parts of an English bridle
- different saddle pads and their purposes
- different girths and their purposes
- 6 different English bits


There will be worksheets to label for the saddle and bridle parts and question and answer interaction.

Week 2: Horse Anatomy
In this lesson learners will be taught
- 20 different parts of a horse's anatomy
- face markings
- 10 different horse colors
- blind spots on a horse and why that knowledge is important

There will be worksheets to label the parts of the horse
Lots of photos and videos of our horses here at Heart's Haven Ranch, a working Equestrian Riding Center. We have 16 different breeds here and almost all colors of horses

Week 3: Grooming and Tacking the horse
In this lesson learners will be taught 
-  8 reasons to groom your horse 
- 10 grooming tools and their proper uses
- how to completely groom a horse 
- how to correctly tack a horse, with attention to fitting details

All instructions will be video led, of horses here in our riding school.

There will be a worksheet for grooming tools and their uses and the reasons you would groom a horse.

Week 4: Rider Fitness and Safety
In this lesson learners will be taught

- safety rules in the stable
- safety around the horse
- safety equipment for horse and rider
- riding in different weather conditions
- how weather affects a horse's behaviour
- exercises and stretches to prepare and strengthen the human athlete
- natural and artificial aids 
- Proper warm up for your horse, including  basic ring figures to help a horse and rider warm up in a balanced manner

This class is  video based with students practicing the skills in their seats as much as possible.


I am an Award Winning Certified Equestrian Canada Riding Instructor. In that capacity, I have the opportunity and authority to deliver, and evaluate knowledge in, a vast curriculum of horsemanship skills and information. Equestrian Canada has 10 Rider Levels, each with rubrics for the requirements of the level. Each level builds on the last one. To be able to apply to test to become an Equestrian Canada Riding Instructor, a candidate needs to have successfully completed Rider level 6 on the Flat, and level 6 Jump, if they wish to teach both flat work and jumping. It is a rigorous, years long, process. Candidates can apply and test to be an Instructor any time after their 16th birthday if they have all the prerequisites in place. Riders do not need to be Canadian citizens to test these levels, but they must meet the requirements. If they are testing in another country, these lessons will most likely prepare them with base knowledge for the certifications available in your location.

It has been my experience, and I test a LOT of riders, that it takes about 1 year to complete each level if the candidate is taking 1 lesson a week, for levels 1 to 3. They should be riding a lesson 2-3 times per week to attain a yearly level advancement in levels 4 and beyond. Each level has a Ridden component, a Stable Management Component, and a Written component. In Level 3 and beyond  the ridden component includes a flat dressage type ride as well as jumping grids and courses, with increasing height and complexity. 

In the facility I built and developed I teach an average of 50 students per week, ranging in ages from ages 3 to adult. Each year I present 20-30 riders for testing. I am authorized to test my own level 1-2 students and level 3-4 students who train under other instructors. 

Since Heart's Haven Ranch's "birth" in 2007 ( when it was an empty field) we have had 7 candidates achieve their Equestrian Canada Instructor Certificate.  The depth of training that goes into that certificate is massive. 

I hold Equestrian Canada Level 8 on the flat and Level 7 at Jump. I am an EC Certified Instructor. In addition,  I am a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and a Centered Riding Level 2 Instructor.