What to Expect

 

Gypsy Farms is a small, part-time operation. We have three lesson horses, one of which is our beginner lesson horses. For your first lesson, you will be required to do a private lesson where you will be evaluated. From there it will be determined if you will continue private lessons or move to group lessons. Group lessons only consist of two students in the arena at a time. Our arena is a dressage arena, we allow a maximum of two students at at time. There is a nice shade tree and picnic table next to the arena where spectators can hang out, relax and snap some pictures of their loved ones as they ride. 

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Lessons are 45-60 minutes long and cost $50 per lesson per person for group lessons and $60 for private lessons.​

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NO SHOW/CANCELLATIONS: Cancellations must be done with more than 24 hour notice otherwise you will be charged. a late cancellation fee. No shows will be charged full price.

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Before you come, please fill out and email

to Sara@farmergypsy.com or print and bring 

the Liability Release.

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Payment can be made via Venmo or cash. Payment is accepted at the time of the lesson.

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Clothing/Shoes/Helmet

Please wear jeans/breeches that are comfortable enough of you to be able to stretch to mount the horse. If you prefer not to wear jeans, workout pants are fine, Cowboy boots are recommended for Western style riding, and paddock boots for English, please cover your ankles if you plan to do more than a walk during your lesson. Please no capri pants and tennis shoes, your skin will likely get pinched or rubbed raw. If neither of those are an option, please wear a boot with a small heel. Tennis shoes are not recommended and jeans or long pants are mandatory. We have several helmets to choose from, or you can bring your own. If you are over 18, you can opt out of a helmet, but you must sign a waiver. Helmets are HIGHLY recommended.  

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Check out our gifts and gear recommendations    

 

I have posted links to gear that I have personally purchased,use, and recommend. If you use these links, it does not charge you more, but still gives me a small percentage of the purchase price, which all goes right back to the horses.

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Boots: There are many types of boots. I prefer Ariats brand because they are comfortable and long lasting. 

Be sure that you get ones with rubber soles. I love his pair. I have had them for 7 years and they are still 

alive and kicking after daily use on the farm.

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If you are riding english, you will want paddock boots. Again, I prefer Ariats for comfort and durability. There are more inexpensive boots which work fine too, especially if you have growing kids feet. 

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Helmets: Although we have helmets for your use, some people prefer their own helmet. I recommenthe Troxel or IHR helmets. These are inexpensive, safe and adjustable for your growing child's head.

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Breeches: I love riding in breeches. I have my summer pair and winter pair. I like the Tuff rider brand because

are economical and last forever!

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Riding socks: Please do not let your children come in ankle socks. They will chafe. I recommend regular ole' Ariat tall riding socks. I have tried many brands and get frustrated  when they slide down in my boot, etc. These have lasted forever and are fine for both summer and winter. 

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What you will learn

During your first lesson, you will learn horse safety, grooming and tacking the horse. You should expect to spend the majority of the lesson learning about the horse, and 15- 20 minutes in the saddle. Once you understand how to groom and tack the horse, your time in the saddle will increase. 

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Beginners

You will likely be riding for about 30 minutes, the rest of the time is spent learning about tacking up, horse care and equipment. As you progress, you will start to try new things like  trotting, jumping, obstacles, and even short rides outside of the arena. Once you are able to demonstrate total control of the horse, you can move to canter/lope, begin increasing jump size and difficulty of maneuvers.

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Some types of tasks you will learn at the beginner level:

• Balance

• Build confidence on the ground and in the saddle

• Brushing, equipment use, tacking, cleaning hooves, leading

• Controlling the horse with pressure and release

• Walk

• Trot

• Halt

• Turning

• Leg yielding

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Intermediate Riders

Once you are able to demonstrate the skills necessary, we can begin to focus your riding and build your experience. I am prepared to help you and/or your horse prepare for any of the following:

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• Playdays

• Drill Team

• Trail Riding

• Endurance Riding

• Jumping

• Dressage

• Western Pleasure

• Barrel Racing

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Types of tasks you will learn at the intermediate level:

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• Balanced riding

• Bending the horse

• Asking for lead changes

• Flying lead changes

• Side Pass

• Half Pass

• Mastering pressure and release

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Horse Training

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We also offer one-on-one assistance in horse training and dealing with various issues. We do not take horses in to train them, but can help on an hourly basis as time allows.

 

We can come to you if you are close, or you can come here. You are always more than welcome to come watch and learn as I work with other horses. 

 

If you want to better understand how I apply our techniques, I am a Buck Brannaman follower, and believe in fairness, building trust, respect and communication with your horse. 

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Some areas where I specialize are:

• Colt starting

• Basic ground manners

• Lounging (pronounced "lun-jing"

• Respect and assertiveness for both horse and rider

• Understanding horse behavior

• Correcting overbearing behaviors

• Building trust and respect 

• Clear communication with your horse