Riding School Policies and Riding Requirements
Riders wishing to begin classes at Forward Riding School must be a minimum of 7 years old. Riders wishing to ride in a group lesson must be able to safely and competently perform the following tasks:
- Groom, saddle and bridle a horse under minimal supervision
- Walk and trot
Students who are unable to meet these criteria will have to enroll in private/semi-private lessons.
Lesson Details
Students are expected to arrive 15-20 minutes before their lesson time to groom and tack up. Students should be in the ring, mounted and ready to ride, at the scheduled start of their lesson. After the lesson, students are expected to properly cool out and groom their horse before putting them away.
Once students are deemed ready to jump, group classes will alternate between flat and jumping. However, in the interest of the well-being of the horses, lesson content will always be subject to the discretion of the Instructor.
Please be aware that horse assignments are up to the sole discretion of the instructors. We are happy to accept requests, but cannot guarantee a particular horse/pony unless you part-board, lease or own your own horse.
Required Equipment
All riders must have the following gear:
- Correctly fitted, ASTM helmet
- Boots with a 1/2″ – 1″ heel
- Long pants for riding (we suggest breeches or snug fitting yoga pants)
- Riding gloves are recommended
- Protect vest (16 years and under). Vests are provided by FRS at no charge.
Payment
All lessons must be paid for in advance.
Lesson packages are non-refundable and non-transferable. Lessons can be paid for by cash, cheque, etransfer or credit card. There is a 3.5% admin charge on credit cards.
As riding is a year-round sport, all students are automatically enrolled in the next session. If you wish to discontinue classes, please notify Maxine via email at least two weeks prior to the end of the session.
Missed Lesson
We realize that students occasionally have to miss a lesson. Spaces to reschedule are made available by other students canceling, so please be courteous and PROVIDE AS MUCH NOTICE AS POSSIBLE IF YOU ARE GOING TO MISS A CLASS. It is the responsibility of the student to book their make-up/rescheduled lesson by the end of the session. Only 1 cancellation per 4 lesson package is permitted.
Rescheduling A Lesson
It is considered rescheduling if you provide more than 48 hours notice.
Please be aware that spaces are very limited, so it may be difficult to find a spot
Late Cancellation
We realize things occasionally come up last minute. As long as you notify Maxine via email with more than 48 hours notice, riders can have ONE late cancellation make-up per session
Missed Lesson Policy Details
Please be aware that we cannot guarantee you will be able to find an opening to reschedule a missed class.
Please be aware that if you cancel a private lesson, there may not be an opening to reschedule a private lesson so you may have to do a group lesson.
Make-up/rescheduled lessons are only available to students currently enrolled in lessons. If you stop taking lessons, any missed classes are void.
Make-up/rescheduled lessons are non-transferable and cannot be deducted from the next session fees.
Make-up/rescheduled lessons must be booked within the session they are missed and will be forfeited after 30 days.
There are no makeups for a canceled make-up lesson.
Only 1 cancellation per 4 lesson package is permitted.
There are no makeup rides for cancelled Practice Rides.
In the unlikely event that Forward Riding School has to cancel a class, we will ensure that you are able to make-up the lesson.
Inclement Weather Cancellations
Lessons will be cancelled if the temperature is below -10c before the wind-chill or warmer than 30c. Please note that cancellations will be confirm by Maxine.