Happy New Year!

With our winter program hiatus the New Year is a great time to re-examine, refresh, and renew. As our program evolves, the needs of our students change, and we are continually nudging, tweaking and adjusting our courses. For this fifth (yes, fifth!) year of the Cavaliere Program we have some larger program changes for you.

Intro to Mounted Combat

This is the one workshop that remains the same, and runs roughly every second month on the first Sunday of the month from 10am to 1pm. This workshop provides a taste of everything we do in the program–riding, horsemanship, and mounted combat–and is the ideal place to start. Small class sizes and a larger than usual number of instructors means everyone gets individual attention from an assistant instructor when getting on a horse for the first time. The first class of the season is February 1st. The workshop is limited to ten students, so don’t delay signing up.

1 February 2015
10am – 1pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
cost: $149
prerequisites: none

Cavaliere Classes, which combined Riding, Horsemanship and sword drills are no more. Instead we have separate courses for each of these skills at different levels. Riding and Horsemanship Levels 1 and 2 are still offered together in two hour classes, while higher levels of Horsemanship and Riding are taught in separate courses. The old Mounted Combat workshops have been broken into two courses: Mounted Combat Skills, offered at the salle, and Mounted Combat, for those with their Green Spurs or higher, offered at the barn. There will be more details on those classes in next week’s blog.

Beginner Riding and Horsemanship

This six-week course is designed for those just starting out. In each two hour class you will have a Horsemanship lesson on the ground and a group Riding lesson. The curriculum includes:

Horsemanship

•   haltering, leading & securing your horse
•   points of the horse
•   parts of the saddle & bridle
•   grooming & tacking up
•   untacking and care of tack
•   basic feeding and needs of the horse

Riding
•   turn out and checking tack
•   mounting & dismounting
•   warm up exercises
•   basic seat position
•   aids for walk, trot and halt
•   circles & turns
•   rising trot
•   ground rails
•   introduction to canter if ready
•   single hand reining
•   stirrupless work
•   introduction to games skills

The cost of the course includes one free Riding or Horsemanship assessment (see below). By the end of the six weeks it is reasonable to expect you will be able to assess your Horsemanship Level 1. Riding Level 1 typically takes an additional six weeks, depending on your prior experience.

Sundays 8 February – 15 March 2015
10am – noon
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
cost: $300 for six classes
single classes: $60, space permitting, with permission of the instructor
prerequisites: none, though Intro to Mounted Combat is recommended

Riding & Horsemanship Level 2

This six-class course will help the riders achieve Horsemanship and Riding Level 2. The curriculum includes:

Horsemanship

•   points, breeds, colours, markings & sex terminology of the horse
•   grooming & tacking unassisted
•   routines of the horse
•   care & cleaning of saddle & bridle
•   riding etiquette
•   leading in hand at walk & trot

Riding
•   adjusting tack
•   exercises at halt & walk
•   basic seat position
•   changes of direction, circles at walk & trot
•   single hand reining
•   dropping and regaining stirrups
•   games skills
•   canter work & identifying leads
•   introduction to drill work
•   introduction to jumping
•   longe-line work

The cost of the course includes one free riding or horsemanship assessment. Students can expect to be ready to assess Horsemanship Level 2 at the end of the six classes. Readiness for Riding Level 2 usually takes two iterations of the course.

Horsemanship 3 or 4

These six-hour series cover the material for Horsemanship Level 3 or 4, with three classroom sessions and three practical sessions in the stables.

Sundays 8 February – 15 March 2015
11am - noon
cost: $150 for six classes
single classes: $30, space permitting, with permission of instructor
prerequisites: none, but Horsemanship Level 2 recommended

Horsemanship 5 and up

Course content for Horsemanship Level 5 and up is delivered over eight classes, four in the classroom and four in the stables.

date & time tba
cost: $200 for six classes
single classes: $30, space permitting, with permission of instructor
prerequisites: none, but Horsemanship Level 4 recommended

Riding Level 3 and up

A six-class series for riders working on Level 3 and up. Group lessons consist of up to four riders. Additional time slots are added as needed, and riders grouped by level as much as possible. Riders are expected to arrive at least half an hour before class and have their horses groomed, tacked up, and partially warmed up before the lesson starts.

Sundays 8 February – 15 March 2015
1pm – 2pm (except 1 March, noon – 1pm)
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
cost: $200 for six classes
single classes: $45 space permitting, with permission of the instructor
prerequisite: Riding Level 2 or permission of the instructor

Assessments

Riding, Horsemanship and Mounted Combat assessments will occur on the first Sunday of every second month (on opposite months from Intro to Mounted Combat). Assessments must cleared with an instructor and be booked one week in advance. Students may assess all three components of the program, or one or two of the components only.

Sunday 1 March
1pm – 4pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
full Assessment (all 3 or 2 of 3 components): $80
partial Assessment (1 component): $50

Next week we’ll take a look at the Mounted Combat courses and our new Mounted Combat Playday.

Jennifer Landels heads up Academie Duello's Cavaliere Program. She has been swordfighting since 2008, and riding since before she could walk. She started the program as an excuse to combine those passions.
Read more from Jennifer Landels.