Ride
Great reading for parents of lesson students!
Why it’s not bad for your kid to be frustrated
Learn to ride or sharpen your skills. Stone Ledge Farm is fully staffed with experienced instructors and a variety of reliable lesson horses.
Learning to ride is a lifelong process that involves developing thinking skills as well as balance and timing. It is similar to learning a foreign language that requires your body to do the communicating. Because of this, a rider’s physical fitness and flexibility improves along with developing an understanding of the subtleties required to ride. At SLF, we offer several levels of instruction and competition to enhance the equestrian experience.
Accepting New Students with Limited Availability
This will allow us to perfect our new workflows with existing students and make sure our procedures are working well for everyone. Feel free to inquire and ask questions in the meantime.
To schedule your lesson, register with the Academy Director through our Contact Us page.
All riders must complete and sign all forms in our New Rider Packet. Please click on the link to download the forms. Please print these out and bring to your first lesson. Included in this packet is a handy “What to get and where to get it” sheet for all your equestrian needs!
Follow our Academy Program!
NEW SUMMER LESSON HOURS: Between June 12 – August 11, 2023
Monday | 7-9 PM |
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | 7-10 PM |
Friday | 7-9 PM |
Sunday (unchanged) | 9 AM-3 PM |
All current students have been given their summer lesson times and can check their email for more information on their schedule.
Recreational Riding Lessons
A great way to have fun, de-stress, learn a new set of skills, exercise and strengthen the body, and of course to become a part of our great community of horse enthusiasts. Lessons require a minimal commitment, either with monthly payments or scheduling lessons on an individual basis. No prior experience necessary.
— NEW Lesson Prices Effective January 1, 2024 —
Drop-In Riding Lessons
$50/lesson
Drop-in lessons are well suited for the rider with a busy schedule or who would like to pay as they go. All lessons are small-group (4 riders max) among other riders of similar age and experience level.
Monthly Session
$195/month
Riders who would like to commit to a regular riding schedule can schedule a monthly session. Monthly sessions include one lesson per week at the scheduled time each week. Monthly sessions begin at the start of each calendar month. Riders will work in small groups (4 riders/group max) among other riders of similar age and experience levels.
Tiny Tot Lessons
$35/lesson
Tiny Tot lessons are for riders ages 6 and up. Riders work one-on-one with an instructor on the basics of riding and horsemanship. Lessons are scheduled one per week.
stable shows
A fun, educational way for students to be introduced to competitive riding. Stable shows are open only to students of SLF and beginner riders must be able to distinguish between diagonals at a posting trot, and demonstrate proper leg position and upper body posture in order to compete. Weekly scheduled lessons are required.
STABLE SHOWS: $110/registration without purchase of SLF shirt, $130 registration with purchase of SLF shirt
These are fun, low key shows that serve a number of purposes for the individuals showing. It is a series of intramural shows suitable for very beginning riders to experience a horse show, and for very experienced riders to hone their skills and work on very specific goals. They are designed to be fun, educational showing opportunities offered at a very reasonable rate.
academy team
Academy Team is the next level of competitive riding for students of Stone Ledge. More formal than at stable shows, riders compete against other stables at off-site events on trusted Stone Ledge lesson horses. Academy team is a great way for students to elevate their riding by experiencing the talents of other riders, travelling to new facilities, and working extra hard to be competitive. Candidates for the Academy Team are invited each fall by the Academy Director to join the following year’s team.
$390/mo + Cost of Shows (varies)
Academy Team is the next level of competitive riding for students of Stone Ledge. More formal than at stable shows, riders compete against other stables at off-site events on trusted Stone Ledge lesson horses. Academy team is a great way for students to elevate their riding by experiencing the talents of other riders, travelling to new facilities, and working extra hard to be competitive. Candidates for the Academy Team are invited each fall by the Academy Director to join the following year’s team.
Question about Riding Lessons
More information on our lessons
Ride Time: Lessons are 50 minutes in length, with the first 45 minutes dedicated to riding and the final minutes of the lesson dedicated to wiping down and sanitizing the saddle and reins. Staff will handle grooming and tacking the horse for students. Tiny Tot lessons are 30 minutes in length with the first 25 minutes dedicated to riding and the final minutes spent wiping down and sanitizing the saddle and reins.
Required Attire: Proper attire for riding lessons includes long pants (breeches or jodpurs), paddock boots or boots with a low heel, and a form fitting top. Please, no loose or baggy clothing, and please be prepared to wear layers during colder weather. Riders are encouraged to acquire their own helmet and riding crop, however, these items are available to borrow for first-timers and beginners just starting. We recommend the following online stores for purchasing the proper attire for your riding lessons—
Makeup Classes and Absences: Students are permitted to cancel one lesson (with 24 hours notice), which may be made up during the term if spaces are available. Makeup lessons do not carry over to the next term, with the exception of a proper cancellation with the last week of classes, at which point the student will have thirty days to reschedule. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange any makeup lessons carried over into the subsequent session.
HOLIDAYS: Should a rider’s normally scheduled lesson fall on a Holiday, that rider will be given the opportunity to reschedule that lesson at any time during the current session, availability pending. If no time is available, rider will be given a credit for a lesson in the next session.