
Monach Farms
Riding Stables ~ Pedigree Dairy Goats ~ Pigs ~ Sheep ~ Cattle

specials

YOUR LESSONS AT MONACH

GROUP SIZE

We have found that ½ hour group lessons provide the optimum learning environment for horse riding. You need to remember that you are learning a sport, we are asking you to use muscles that you don’t use for anything else, we need you to coordinate correctly and also to use your brain for listening, controlling your body, knowing where you are going and retaining all that information. If you are truly learning and riding you should find this time more than sufficient

HELPERS

Your helper is there to help you, to explain what the instructor has asked, to help get the pony moving in the correct direction and at the correct speed, to prevent accidents and incidents with other ponies and to give you confidence

LESSON STRUCTURE

As with any sport you need time for your body to warm up and for your brain to tune in to what it is doing. Your horse also needs this warm up time to adjust to you as its rider and to warm up its own body especially if you are its first lesson. We start with walk, steering and stopping exercises and then progress to faster work. We then progress to balance work once you have settled. Both you and your horse should be WORKING from the first step you take.

RATE OF PROGRESSION

As with any sport this varies according to your own ability to learn, confidence, fitness and regularity of attendance. We look for the initiative to come from you rather than any preset time scale. Sometimes you need to change horses until you find one you are happy with and feel confident on.

YOUR HORSE

Although all our horses are well trained, they have been trained to respond to the correct signals as given by an experienced rider. Horses can be rather like computers and can do lots of things on their own but only if the programming is correct. Your horse does not go into the arena and know what it has to do next, it has not seen the instructors lesson plan, and to my knowledge cannot read the letters on the school. The horse is completely dependant on you its pilot to give it the instructions, this is why we give you a helper for your first lessons.

TALK TO US

Whilst all our instructors are experienced they are not mind readers, if you do not tell us that you have not understood something, try as you might you cannot achieve something then we can do nothing to correct it. People learn in different ways, some by doing, some by watching, some by reading technical manuals, if what is being said doesn’t work for you please tell your instructor either during the lesson or immediately after. Otherwise tell the reception staff that you need to talk about your riding further so that your instructor is aware of a problem. We are always willing to help if we can.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO BOOK YOUR LESSONS BECAUSE

MAXIMUM OF 5 PUPILS IN YOUR GROUP LESSON

QUALIFIED INSTRUCTION

LEADERS & HELPERS FOR ALL BEGINNERS & NERVOUS RIDERS

HORSES WORK LOAD RESTRICTED TO KEEP THEM HAPPY

Because these things are important to us we need your cooperation when booking lessons

On arrival at the yard please go into the office & tell them you are here, this is so we can bring out the correct horses or ponies for you.

Can you also confirm your next lesson, this is very important if you are on a block booking scheme.

We know from experience that illness, family & school can get in the way of the best laid plans so please confirm your next lesson.

We will not guarantee which horse or pony you will be riding, where possible if you have a preference we will try to allocate that pony, but because of our commitment to our ponies health & well being we restrict how many lessons they do in a day and how many consecutive lessons they do, they may not be free.

We operate a cancellation policy & require 24 hours notice by telephone or email to cancel a lesson without charge.

Farm shop sales

Traditionally reared meats

A selection of beef, lamb & pork is available, everything from steak to sausages, roasting joints to burgers

Caprilatte ice cream

Our home produced luxury farmhouse ice cream, available in tubs & cones.

Try strawberry, zesty lemon, honeymoon pie or banofee

Monach riding stables clothing

Be part of the team in Monach Farm green, polo shirts, sweat shirts &

fleeces.

Greetings cards

Made from original photos by a member of staff cards featuring the ponies of Monach Farm and other scenes

MONACH FARM RIDING STABLES

What is riding

Riding is where a human sits on the back of a horse & using the human body gives pressure signals to the horse to make it move & turn so that they can both get where they want to go easier. It requires the human brain to think about how to direct the horse, and the human body to feel the reactions and movements of the horses’ body.

PEOPLE WERE RIDING HORSES FOR OVER 1,000 YEARS BEFORE THE SADDLE & BRIDLE WERE INVENTED

Some rules that never change

Your horse is not a machine with programmes & buttons you can set to do what you want. He is a living creature, who carries you on his back because he lets you be there
You will never be in control of your horse. By learning the signals he has been taught, you can learn to ask him to do what you want
Your horse likes to live in a group /herd so its choice of position is with its friends
Riding is a sport / hobby to get better you need to practise.
Never blame the horse, it is not his fault if it goes wrong.

A GUIDE TO TECHNICAL TERMS

USE YOUR LEGS / LEG

This means give a stronger kick or squeeze with the inside of your lower leg against the horses ribs.

PULL YOUR REIN

This means keeping the rein held the same length, move it & the hand back past your body keeping the lower arm bent.

Your reins are attached to an iron bar in the horses’ mouth, any pressure on this, whether a pull or a grip/ hold will apply brakes to your horses’ forward movement. Therefore you must always re-give the go forward leg aids just before you give a rein aid.

OTHER FACTORS

When you start riding we want you to enjoy the experience and come back again. So we prefer you in a group lesson where you don’t have to work so hard on your steering. You need to be able to stay in balance with your horse while he is moving before you start to give steering signals because if you give the wrong signal your horse will not respond as you thought you wanted and it is very frustrating for everybody including the horse.

Your leg & rein aids for steering, do not pull your horse in the direction you want it to go but rather resist your horses instinct and need to go back to the herd.