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Lessons
ages horses
levels barrel
racing prices
Learning to ride is now easy and convenient!
Join us at Wildwood Manor Ranch where our friendly, knowledgeable
coaches can teach you in a relaxed and accommodating environment.
Located one hour north of Toronto,
we accept riders of all levels and coach you at a rate that's
comfortable and convenient for you. We are open all
year around, and feel that riding in every season is the best
learning experience of all!
Everyone must fill out a riding waiver: download
here.
Ages Accepted [back
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We accept any age over 3 yrs old for
our lessons, as we feel that horseback riding is an excellent
learning experience
at every stage of life.
Our Horses [back
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We have a variety of horses, all with
unique dispositions and riding styles! We encourage our students
to ride all
the horses of Wildwood, and learn how to handle them all.
The more horses you ride the better you will become!
For those just starting out we have horses that are very easy
to control, so the rider can focus more on themselves than
on the horse. Likewise, for those who are comfortable with
riding and are looking for a challenge, we have
horses to fit that need!
Prices [back
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Our lessons include 1/2 hour of instruction,
followed by 1/2 hour of trail riding to test your skills for
only $55/person (taxes included).
The Levels [back
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Our lessons are structured around eight
horsemanship levels that are designed to build knowledge,
experience and confidence in dealing with horses.
Level 1:
1. Leading & properly handling a horse from the ground
2. Mounting & dismounting correctly
3. Posture
4. Basic neck reining
5. Guiding & reining horse (stop, start, turn) –
on and off
the rail
6. Stop horse using reins, voice & seat
7. Basic “roll back” at a walk to change direction
– properly executed
8. Walk, jog & lope on command – delivering proper
cues
9. Ride with stirrups – proper leg position
10. Hand written quiz
11. Grooming horse
Level 2:
1. Ride with rhythm – with & without stirrups
2. Proper neck reining techniques – guiding horse
with reins
3. Basic posting – rising from hips and using horse’s
movement to bounce with
4. Change of direction through moving across the diagonal
5. Maintain a walk, jog or lope for extended periods of time
– without losing momentum (around field/arena non-stop)
6. Smooth stop transition from walk & trot
7. Back up horse – proper leg & hand position
8. Perform consistent circles at walk, trot & lope
9. Understand “leads” & know how to identify
the correct lead from the ground
10. Exercise program with saddle
11. Hand written quiz – 2nd level
12. Grooming & hoof care
Level 3:
1. Basic direct reining – correctly holding reins &
guiding horse with both inside and
outside rein
2. Beginner leg yields – moving horse off leg
3. Posting – posting properly on the correct diagonal
4. Correctly identify leads from horse’s back &
know how to cue the proper lead
5. Excellent posture & steady soft hands throughout
all gaits
6. Riding in straight lines off the rail
7. Figure eights – walk & trot
8. Execute patterns on command that involve direction changes
& gait transitions
9. Smooth stop transition from lope – maintaining proper
seat position
10. Rollbacks at a trot
11. Basic bareback, on & off with help
12. Hand written quiz – 3rd level
13. Tacking up horses properly
Level 4:
1. Direct reining continued – controlling horse’s
head
2. Lateral bending – using both hands & legs to
achieve bend
3. Circles & figure eights – maintaining an inside
bend & maintaining no bend
4. Leg yielding in a circle – alternately making circle
smaller & bigger
5. Ride a variety of horses & control them properly –
both stubborn & hyper horses
6. Lead a trail ride – maintaining a safe speed at all
times
7. Bareback – walk, trot & lope maintaining proper
posture
8. Exercise program without saddle
9. Handwritten quiz – level 4
10. Treating minor skin ailments & wounds
Level 5:
1. Direct reining continued – using reins to balance
horse
2. Lateral bending – bending to the outside in a circle
3. Posting – rising with the correct diagonal depending
on the horse’s bend
4. Figure eights – maintain one bend throughout figure
eight pattern
5. Bending at the poll – properly drive horse into the
bit with seat & legs traveling
in a straight line
6. Turn on the haunches & forehand – use front or
hind end as a turning focal point
& cue properly, keeping horse’s
head straight
7. Proper rider posture & head position when asking for
turns on haunches or forehand
8. Counter-cantering – properly executing a figure eight
without changing leads, and remaining
balanced while counter-cantering a
circle
9. Rollbacks at a lope
10. Handwritten quiz – level 5
11. Basic health – proper feeding regiments & feeding
schedules
Level 6:
1. Direct reining – keeping horse off of rein pressure
& maintaining a “light”
horse
2. Bending – both at poll & laterally simultaneously
3. Framing – keeping a horse in a frame without having
constant rein contact
4. Sidepassing – effectively cuing a sidepass and keeping
horse’s head straight
5. Simple lead changes – loping a figure eight, breaking
stride in the center to change leads
6. Controlling the horse’s hip – effectively cuing
a horse to travel in travers &
renvers (forward motion with haunches
to inside or outside)
7. Walk to lope transitions
8. Lunging – successfully communicating with your horse
through body language
9. Handwritten quiz – level 6
10. Health continued – proper health schedules including
deworming, farrier, yearly shots
Level 7:
1. Neck reining revisited – properly cuing the neck
rein using legs & one hand
2. Circles & figure eights – ride on a loose rein,
guiding with seat and legs at a walk
and trot
3. Frame a horse with one hand
4. Sidepassing – cue a horse to sidepass while maintaining
an inside bend
5. Turn on the forehand – maintain an inside bend, keeping
the horse upright
6. Turn on the haunches – perform on a loose rein at
moderate speed (2 full turns both
directions)
7. Lope a circle keeping the horses haunches pushed to the
inside of the circle
8. Flying lead change – lope a figure eight with a flying
lead change in the center
9. Handwritten quiz – level 7
10. Conformation – understand & be able to identify
desirable body characteristics and
know why they are desired
Level 8:
1. Neck reining advanced – be able to ride solely with
one hand, using minimal or no hand
movement to guide
the horse
2. Properly cue a horse with minimal hand movement to transition
through all gaits
3. Flying lead changes on a straight away
4. Spin on haunches – perform at maximum speed with
loose rein (4 turns in each direction)
5. Effectively perform & sit to sliding stops
6. Learn either Reining or Barrel Racing – compete at
a local show
7. Arrange & prepare you and your horse for the show
by yourself
8. Know & obey rules for showing – attire and conduct
9. Arrange trailering
10. Conduct yourself professionally and responsibly at the
show, and properly care for your horse
at the show
Barrel Racing
Lessons [back
to top]
Looking to specialize in a form of
western riding?
How about learning how to barrel race? At Wildwood we have
many different barrel horses for people of all ages
and skill levels. Whether you want to barrel race for a hobby
or you want to compete on the one of the Ontario barrel racing
circuits, Wildwood is the perfect place to further your western
riding pleasure! To learn more about the sport of barrel racing
visit our "Barrel
Racing" information page.
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