Lessons

Cedarhill offers English Hunt Seat Equitation Riding Instruction to both children and adults.

Our group lessons are 1.5 to 2 hours long. The first half hour is spent learning to properly bring your assigned mount in, and tack up. An hour is spent in the saddle riding before the last half hour; designed to untacking and properly caring and putting your mount away.

Teacher Assistants help our riding instructors with their students in the preparation of their lesson, keeping the lessons on schedule as well as with the untacking.

• We have over 20 capable school horses and ponies of different levels to provide our students many options. Three all weather footing rings, complete with jumps, cavalletti, cones, and other appropriate teaching materials provide the excellent environment necessary for quality instruction.

• Our wash bays and grooming stalls in both the lesson and main barn, equipped with grooming and tacking supplies provide our students with the necessary tools to complete their lesson in horsemanship.

With the exception of posted holidays our session riders ride every week. There are no cancellations or make ups unless extreme weather makes it dangerous to drive out to the barn. If the weather is not appropriate for riding, we teach horsemanship of all levels under cover.

If you are not able to commit to a session , we offer an a-la-cart program. These lessons are $65. per lesson as available. Please note that session riders for the lower rate of $50. per lesson have priority in all lesson spots.

Lesson Agreement

Our commitment to you:

• To provide a fun and safe riding experience for your child.
• To give excellent instruction on the fundamentals of good horsemanship.

Your Commitment to us:

• Arrive in time for the start of your  assigned lesson.

• Notify us by phone if you are running late for a lesson by calling one of the following numbers:

Cedarhill Farm 704-843-5944

Caroline Foto    704-649-5799

Brenley Allyn    704-989-4098

Calling your instructor is the best way to convey a message.

•Notify us by email Andrea@Cedarhillfarminc.com if you are unable to make your scheduled lesson. We send out at the beginning of the month a "Extra Lesson" Email list to all of our riders. There is opportunity alot of the time to swap out some of the lessons you are missing with another family, also in the same predicament. Note that although Cedarhill will make every attempt to fill your lesson, there is no guarantee that a lesson can/will be made up.

• In case of inclement weather, we will offer classroom instruction and in-the barn practice of grooming and general equine care. Our instructors have developed a curriculum for all ages and abilities of riders. We believe our Training Center helps us better educate our students in all aspects of horsemanship.

• Please  allow two hours for your child to fully enjoy his or her lesson -- 30  minutes to catch and tack the horse, one hour in the saddle and another 30 minutes for un-tacking, grooming, putting away  equipment and returning their horses to the paddock or stall).

• While many of you enjoy helping your children with their horses, please understand that a large part of their lesson is learning how to groom and tack their mounts themselves. Please allow them to learn and practice these skillls. The time in grooming stalls is every bit as important as the time in the saddle.

• Our monthly session riders are billed each month at the rate of $50. for each group lesson. Payment is due by the first day of each month. We have a late charge of $25. for lesson payments paid after the 1st, and a $50 late charge for lessons paid after the 10th. We request an email or letter in writing to Brian Guzinski who handles the bookkeeping to discontinue the session riding lessons prior to the beginning of the next session. His email address is Brian@Cedarhillfarminc.com

• Our a-la-cart riders call to schedule each week at the rate of $65 for each group lesson, and carry a full $65 cancellation fee. Private lessons are available for  $70 per 1/2 hour.

• Occasionally,  due to weather or unforeseen factors, our lessons may run a little behind schedule. Please show us patience and use this time to watch other lessons. Your child can learn a lot by observing the other students.

Summer Riding Sign Up

• During our summer months of June, July, and August most of our families have a very irregular riding schedule compared to the fall (school) schedule. Sign up and pre-pay for a minimum of 4 lessons in any of the summer months to take advantage of the session rate discount. A la cart lessons, which are 3 lessons or less per month are $65. per lesson. The lessons schedule will be in the book for your instructor to sign you up, and collect a check for the lessons. You can also sign up by calling us, however we need a check mailed in before we can put your name on the schedule.

Fall Riding Registration

• We start our fall registration at the beginning of July. During that time all returning students as well as new riders to Cedarhill Farm fill out a new registration form with their current contact information as well as a new Medical form and Liability release form. Starting Fall 2008 Cedarhill requires a $25. yearly registration fee for all new and returning students as well.

• By the first week in August we send out a tentative schedule by e mail, and by August 15th we send out a final schedule which starts the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Lesson Rates

Private lessons: $70/half hour instruction.
Semi Private lessons: $70/one hour instruction.