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Our mission is to teach horsemanship, not just riding; by striving for excellence in the care and training
of the horse, and practicing safety in the proper handling and riding techniques of the horse. All of this should be
done in a way that the horse understands what we are asking of him. This is accomplished by using the tried and true
EQUI-VENTURE standards of DEDICATION, SAFETY, DISCIPLINE, EDUCATION and DETERMINATION.
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If one induces the horse to assume that carriage which it would adopt
of its own accord when displaying its beauty, then, one directs the horse to appear joyous and magnificent, proud and remarkable
for having been ridden.
~ Xenophon
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NOTE: For
the health of our equine friends and the safety of those wanting to participate, there is a weight restriction for riders.
Riders and the tack must weigh less than 20% of our horse's or pony's weight. (We prefer to keep it to 15%).
Other restrictions may apply in regards to a horse's health, build, condition and age.
For those participants that are over according to our weight restriction, we encourage them to still be active with
our groundwork horsemanship activities.
We closely monitor the work load and activities of our horses. Some restrictions may apply as to the type of lesson
or activity that is scheduled and allowed.
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INTRODUCTION
The EQUI-VENTURE EQUESTRIAN Horsemanship
Program is the result of many years of the certified and/or qualifed EVEC instructional staff's experiences combined
with the guidelines of natural horsemanship, the CHA, 4H, ARIA and the USPC. We here at EQUI-VENTURE believe that
excellence in HORSEMANSHIP is achieved by utilizing the EQUI-VENTURE Standards of: DEDICATION, SAFETY, DISCIPLINE, EDUCATION and DETERMINATION.
DEDICATION - to the commitment to a goal and the decision to pursue
those ambitions. We ask our EQUI-VENTURE students what goals they have and help them try to achieve those
goals through a systematic horsemanship program. We also let students know that it is okay to change those goals as
well.
SAFETY - of
the rider and horse is the number one priority in any equestrian activity. We are very safety conscious at this stable.
All students are taught that from the beginning.
DISCIPLINE
- is to train and then practice what you have learned. Train and then practice, properly! At EQUI-VENTURE,
we offer unique opportunities for students to gain extra training.
EDUCATION - is learning through instruction. Here at EQUI-VENTURE we offer
a thorough and comprehensive horsemanship education to our students. We believe in the tried and true methods
of the CHA, 4H, USPC, ARIA and “natural horsemanship” and have incorporated these guidelines into our own methods.
Our instructors are safe and experienced!
DETERMINATION
- is the perseverance and drive to obtain a goal, even at times where there is a struggle. EQUI-VENTURE students are
taught that riding is not always fun. Riding requires a lot of hard work! Horsemanship is fun, because students are acquiring the skill of relating to
horses. A lot of horsemanship skills are developed off the back of a horse. So, when there is a tough or frustrating time
developing a riding skill, students can work on a horsemanship skill that ends
on a positive note for human and horse. Motivation and fun are other key elements that we utilize in our horsemanship
program.
When a student combines the EQUI-VENTURE Standards, then he/she can learn the EQUI-VENTURE Horsemanship
Skills through: EDUCATION, GROUND WORK, RIDING, STABLE MANAGEMENT and HORSE TRAINING established for each of our progressive horsemanship levels. The end result will produce an accomplished and knowledgeable horse person that can enjoy a life time with
horses.
ABOUT OUR HORSEMANSHIP LESSONS
We teach horsemanship
lessons, not just riding! Our goal is for each of our students to become the best horseperson they can be;
not the best rider they can be. Our instructors teach English and Western horsemanhip in a variety of classes.
Check out our webpage on the types of horsemanship classes we offer.
We are sure that we can provide a class for almost any client.
At our facility, beginners through advanced riders are accepted. We even have classes for very young children and classes
for adults (even adult beginners). We have a larger than normal adult client base! There are group lessons, semi-private
and private lessons available.
The convenience of our large indoor arena allows us to teach
lessons year round. We also have an outdoor / dressage arena, a jumping field complete with show quality jumps, cross
country jumps, a trail course and a large round pen.
We want all of our students to be comfortable with their progress
level. Some students want to take things very slowly or may never be interested in going to higher levels or competing.
Others may want to move along quicker or be able to compete. We DO NOT push our students! The student lets us
know what goals he/she wants to accomplish. If a student wants to progress faster, then just like other sports, the
more one practices, the stronger and more skillful he/she becomes. Here at EVEC, we offer lots of additional and affordable horsemanship
opportunities so our students can advance in their horsemanship levels.
FREE INTRODUCTORY LESSON
or EVALUATION RIDE
We would like to introduce you to our horsemanship lessons and
our way of teaching, along with our other programs. This is why we would like to have you come out and have a FREE lesson
on us! Click on the link below to get more information.
ORIENTATION
Should one want to continue with our program(s) after taking
the Introductory Lesson or Evaluation Ride, the next step is to have a orientation. This is usually given after the
initial ride and lasts about an hour. If there is not enough time, the orientation can be scheduled at another time.
Please click on the link link below to get additional information.
PROGRAM POLICIES
Just like other programs like the YMCA, ballet or karate classes
and team sports like soccer or football, Equi-Venture also have program policies. These policies are important
to help to:
- ensure safety of participants and horses,
- keep continuity in the lesson plans and curricula,
- avoid misundertandings,
- help maintain our budgets for the care of our equine friends
EQUI-BASICS COURSE or EVALUATION
for New or Beginner Students
We take a lot of pride in our unique horsemanship program
and our safety measures for both rider and horse. We want our students to spend as much time as possible on accquiring
their equestrian goals. While our lesson plans incorporate safety, horse handling and horse care; these are done
on a progressive level built from basics.
Since we are always accepting new students into on going
classes, we want ALL students to be able to safely and effectively care for their equine partner without taking excessive
intructor time from the lesson plans. There simply is not enough time in our format to allow for instructors to
continually go over routine safety & horse handling rules, grooming, tacking & untacking horses, adjusting
tack and reminding students how to provide basic and needed horse care. We wanted to come up with a way for our students
to be safe and knowledgable in the basic equine care without taking a lot of time from our other participants. To enable
our instructors to concentrate more of their efforts and more time on the lesson plans of our horsemanship levels, we have
developed our Equi-Basics course.
This course is a REQUIREMENT for ALL
beginners and new students. If a new student is not a beginner and can pass our Equi-Basics Evaluation,
then he/she does not have to take the course.
RIDING ATTIRE REQUIREMENTS
We do require correct riding attire for our students
and participants in our programs. This is mainly for safety reasons. Also we like to encourage our equestrians
to dress appropriately for uniformity and to promote stable pride. We do have logo items and apparel available
for purchse if the student so desires to wear them. Our Riding Attire list is in PDF form for our participants to print
out and take with them to shop. There are links to several local tack stores, as well as, some of our favorite catalogs
located on our Riding Attire webpage.
The EQUI-VENTURE
HORSEMANSHIP LEVELS
For English and Western
We have a very thorough and progressive horsemanship program that is broken down in manageable and motivational
steps. Our prerequisites to advance to the next level are safety and rider skill based. Each of our horsemansip
levels includes skills that must be accquired or tasks that must be accomplished before the student may move on to the next
level. We use awards to present to our students in recognition of their accomplishments.
An EQUI-VENTURE student
will be taught, and know the Educational section required for each level. The student will be shown the Ground Work
skills, and with practice, will be able to demonstrate these skills, with assistance if necessary. The student will be taught, and will be able to perform the Stable Management skills of each level.
The EQUI-VENTURE student will know the importance of the Horse Training skills of the various levels. The student
will be able to perform these skills, with assistance if necessary (for the young or smaller students). When an EQUI-VENTURE
student completes the Level Riding skills, he/she will be confident riding a well schooled horse and will be
able to perform the riding requirements with knowledge and skill. The student will be able to demonstrate control of
the horse and maintain a correct and balanced seat. Then the student will be able to move up to the next level should
he/she desire.
| EVEC EQUESTRIAN ACHEIVEMENT CERTIFICATE |
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| Awarded for some Stable Management skills / other achievements. |
| EQUESTRIAN ACHIEVEMENT RIBBON |
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| Awarded to students for accomplishing a particular skill or task. . |
| EVEC HORSEMANSHIP LEVEL ACHIEVEMENT RIBBON |
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| Given to students for accquiring equestrian knowledge. |
| EVEC HORSEMANSHIP LEVEL EQUESTRIAN MEDALS |
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| Awarded to students for accomplishing tasks / accquiring skills for horsemanship ground work. |
| EVEC HORSEMANSHIP LEVEL EQUESTRIAN BADGES |
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| Awarded to students for accquiring certain stable management skills. |
| EVEC HORSEMANSHIP LEVEL EQUESTRIAN PLAQUE |
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| Awared to students for accquiring training skills. |
| EVEC HORSEMANSHIP LEVEL EQUESTRIAN TROPHIES |
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| Awared to students as they accomplish each EVEC Horsemanship Level. |
| CLICK HERE to see the EVEC HORSEMANSHIP LEVELS |
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TYPES of HORSEMANSHIP CLASSES
We offer YEAR ROUND horsemanship
instruction in English & Western Pleasure, English Combo, Dressage, Combined
Training/Eventing and Hunter/Jumper. Western Horsemanship & Performance,
as well as, X-treme Cowboy and Trail Class are also offered. Mounted Games, Drill
Teams, and a Show Team, along with trail riding, are also available.
LESSON FORMAT
We want our students to know what to expect in one of our
typical lessons. We have provided a link below.
CLASS SIZE and LENGTH of
TIME
We offer private, semi-private and group lessons. The length of class times depends on which type of
lessons the student is participating in and the number of other participants. Please follow our Program Policies link
for this information.
STUDENT STATUS
Regular EVEC Student: takes one PAID lesson weekly
Active EVEC Student: takes at least 2 PAID lessons OR takes one PAID lesson &
participates in another PAID program each week.
OUR SCHOOL HORSES
We here at EQUI-VENTURE, know that our
school horses MAKE our programs outstanding! Therefore, their care and well being are a top priority. Our
equine friends are groomed and checked daily for any health concerns or signs of injuries or illness. We strive to keep
them happy, healthy and sound. NO horse will ever be over worked, stressed, made sore and/or asked
to do something it has not been trained or conditioned to do. We have weight carrying restrictions,
as well as, other strict guidelines in regards to their care and work schedules. We DO EXPECT our students
and/or participants to take care of these wonderful creatures (physically and mentally), according to our standards.
Our EVEC school horses come in a variety of sizes and breeds.
Our staff regularly school and condition each horse used in our programs. The work and training schedule is closely
supervised for each horse. We strive to prevent our equine friends from getting soured from doing repetitive ring
work. We do this by adding variety and fun activities to our lesson plans. And of course, each horse gets plenty
of well earned rest and relaxation. This helps to ensure that our clients get the best possible experience while taking
a lesson, doing some practice, having fun at one of our stable activities or even competing.
Our mounts
include trail horses, Western and English pleasure/ equitation horses, hunter/jumpers, dressage horses, and eventers. Some
horses are able to perform in more than one discipline. We even have national level champion equiation, pleasure,
and dressage horses for our more advanced riders. Our schoolmasters include horses that are currently competing or those
that have retired from the show ring.
LESSON and PROGRAM FEES
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