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Equestrian Center

South Hadley, MA  01075

(413) 538-2493 #1 / jcollins@mtholyoke.edu

www.mhcriding.com

MHC Community Riding Program

Community Lessons meet on most Saturdays throughout the school year.  Occasionally, lessons are scheduled on Sundays or weeknights in addition to or in place of the Saturday lessons due to facility availability. Extra lessons are available over Winter Break, January, Spring Break and Summer Recess.

Lessons are scheduled “fresh” each week.  Emails are sent to the group on Mondays or Tuesdays asking “who is coming and who is not” for the Saturday lesson that week.  A lesson list is then sent out on Thursday afternoon with times, groups and instructor assignments.  Horse assignments are posted on the bulletin board in the morning before lessons start for the day.

Lessons are $50 for group lessons.  Should riders prefer to pay for a complete session up front, the fee is reduced to $45 per lesson.  There are no make-ups and no refunds for “pay up front”.

Riders may cancel a lesson with no penalty up through Friday 12 noon the day before.  A missed or cancelled lesson “last minute” will result in a $10 fee payable at the next lesson.  We work very hard to schedule each horse for each rider and to pay our instructors well.  Please email/call to let us know if you DO have to cancel after the lesson list has gone out via email and/ or to cancel last minute.

Riders should arrive for their lesson ˝ hour before their assigned time to groom and tack up.  At times, horses are used in back -to -back lessons.  Should a rider not have to tack up because of this, we expect that rider to assist others.  The same goes for un-tacking, cooling out  & cleaning tack after the lesson.

We are a COMMUNITY program.  Riders may be asked to help set jumps, move equipment, longe horses, hack, clean tack, bathe horses, provide medical care, assist with horse show jobs and above all else…give lots of love to our hard working school horses.

Riders to wear proper riding attire for community lessons including ASTM-SEI approved helmet, breeches, tall boots /paddock boots with half chaps, tucked in polo shirt or neat similar, belt & gloves.

IEA MEMBERS:  All MHC IEA Team Members must be enrolled in our Community Riding Program and be active participants by taking at least two lessons per month, competing in at least two onsite open shows per semester, and abiding by our Good Sportsmanship Pledge

Community Riding Lessons are $45 for IEA Team Members to be paid at the time of the lesson.  All IEA Team members will “pay as you go” instead of “pay up front” (for a session of 5 lessons).  IEA Team Members receive special consideration and pay a reduced lesson fee for “pay as you go” which equals the same rate as the “pay up front” plan.