HORSEMANSHIP LESSONS
For beginners and conscienscious humans who want to fill in the mutual empowerment gaps in their horsemenship, however advanced it may already be.
Here is everything you need to know about our lessons:
what we teach, lesson formats, who our students are and more!
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Who Are Our Students?
ADULTS
We work with adult students from all experience levels, disciplines, and interests, but the goal for our teaching is always the same: to help our students learn how to better support horses through connection and partnership. Many adult students are thoughtful and heart-felt first-time horse owners. Some are long-time dressage enthusiasts looking for a different or better way to dance with horses. Some adults are just trying to fulfill a childhood dream!
TEENS
Our teenage students love to engage with horses in different contexts and disciplines, such as dressage, jumping, liberty, tricks and trail rides. Our teenage students also find depth in the pure relationship with their equine partner/s. Horses can make us laugh, protect us, communicate strong emotions, carry us, connect or disconnect with us. Interacting with them gives us lessons for life, especially valuable in complex times such as adolescence.
CHILDREN 8+
Children come to Hatha Equus to meet horses as holistic beings, sometimes for the first time. They learn to stay safe around these beatiful, mighty…and quite flighty beings. They learn the basics of “horse whispering” from the very beginning, through foundational horse handling, and liberty. These foundations are necessary, whatever horse-related path they might choose in the future: be it competing in a specific discipline, adopting a horse for personal pleasure, gentling a wild mustang or becoming a trainer.
New Student, Start Here!
Some of the “languages” we speak and teach humans in communicating with horses (and training them kindly) are cutting edge, different, not well known. This is why we have two entry programs aimed at getting folks up to speed on those foundational principles – one more hands-on and one more hands-off.
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
This is your “entry” program with us.
It includes:
a 3-hour active participation in our Horsemanship Program
a 90min audit to a horse-training program (Playground) of your choice
access to a supporting video series
SNEAK PEEKS
Not sure you're ready to commit to an Orientation Program? Come to some of Hatha Equus' select horse training classes as an auditor, and get a direct sense of how we work, how we communicate and how we support our horse and human pairs in training!
Click on the button below to book whichever you like.
This is our weekly curriculum:
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum goes from zero to high levels of disciplines such as dressage, colt starting, liberty, gentling, trail riding, cooperative care and more.
We’re focused on helping humans be the best (and happiest!) possible horse sidekicks, and on helping horses to feel great in the domestic world they live in, as well as making them happy and healthy mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Beginner students start from leading and husbandry, and once they know how to keep themselves safe, they start liberty, positive reinforcement and intrinsic motivation. Watch the video to know more about your journey within our curriculum!
We accept new students (both human and equine, meaning horses in training) a few times a year.
SAFETY
✓ Haltering
✓ Safety tools with horses on-line
✓ Gate protocols
✓ Safety tools with horses at liberty
✓ Navigating the herd in tight spaces
CARE
✓ Body scans
✓ Consensual grooming
✓ Everything blanketing
✓ Consensual fly spraying
✓ Foundational hoof care
✓ Tack
✓ Recognizing pain in horses
COMMUNICATION
✓ Herd dynamics observation
✓ Precision requests with natural horsemanship
✓ Choice, tricks and games with Positive Reinforcement
✓ Fun liberty play with Intrinzen
TRUST
✓ Predictability
✓ Unique language blend for unique horse personalities
✓ Consent
✓ Relaxation work
✓ In-depth study of subtle stress signals
Frequently asked questions
WHERE WILL I (OR MY CHILD) START?
Regardless of your riding level or potential previous experience with horses, we will have you (or your child) start from our New Student Orientation program. If you are interested in our approach it probably means that you feel there might be some holes in your horsemanship, especially related to consent, species-appropriate management and new movement acquisition. So we invite you to embrace a new beginning where we explore together the foundations that will add more substance, joy and mutual empowerment to your horse-relationship(s).
DO YOU DO TRAIL RIDES?
We sure do…for our advanced students! In order to take you out on a trail ride, we need to know that you have developed solid safety instincts on horse back, confident seat and cues, and especially a trust based relationship with the horse you are going to partner up with! So if you wanted to call us because your granddaughter’s birthday is next week and you wished to take her on a trail ride…we are probably not the right fit for you!
DO YOU RIDE ENGLISH OR WESTERN?
YES!....but talking about the type of saddle we use misses the point for Hatha Equus. We draw from different disciplines and horsemanship frameworks (which we practice on horseback and on the ground), to teach our human students of any age how to support horses physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually…and vice versa! Sometimes a certain type of saddle supports a horse or rider better for their personal goals (ie- a jumping saddle for someone who wants to jump is more comfortable than a western!). But we can do dressage in a western, or trailride in a dressage saddle!
Many new students also ask us what sort of clothes they need to wear for lessons. We have no other standard than comfortable and safe (we will be more specific as you join our programs of course!)…for the rest, you do you!
WHAT HORSES WILL I WORK WITH?
We are lucky enough to have many horse teachers among our herd, of many different breeds and talents, each of whom will teach you incredibly valuable lessons! At the beginning of your journey with Hatha Equus, we try to pair you up with as many horses as we can, so that you can learn to communicate with as many horsenalities as possible! As you make your way to intermediate and advanced level, you might even start considering leasing opportunities with a horse in particular!
WILL I GET ASSIGNED MY OWN HORSE IN CLASS?
Since most of our offerings are in group format, we will often work with several different horses in one lesson, frequently rotating between them! In the earlier lessons, you’ll likely share a horse, taking turns working on specific skills. As students become more advanced, they’ll work with their own horse. We love for students to have an opportunity to work with a variety of horses so that their horsemanship skills become more dynamic. The more horses we work with, the more opportunities for learning there are!
DO YOU HAVE LEASING OPPORTUNITIES?
Indeed! Leasing opportunities often come up at Wildsong Ranch, and Hatha Equus is excited to facilitate horses and humans finding each other in more committed partnerships! As soon as our beginner students get handy with the horsemanship tool kit we teach and are able to cross a few safety and consent items off of our “leasing eligibility checklist”, then beautiful conversations can happen 😍 Remember, all the horses at Wildsong Ranch have owners so it doesn't depend on us. We can just say that we have seen over time that the universe has a way of opening up opportunities at the right times.
A note on riding
Riding is not a necessary activity for a horse to be happy — quite the opposite: maaaany of them dislike it!
Most of us humans LOVE riding, though...us included!
So, our team has spent a lot of time, studies, exploration and sweat trying to find a way to introduce it to horses in a way they can themselves find fun.
It is absolutely possible, yet it takes a while to master this “way”. Please know, in this sense, that riding will appear later in our programs, and even when it will, it will always happen on the horses’ terms, and it will never be the only thing we do with them!
Also, let us share this vision with you: once you’ll have mastered all the necessary tools, which we are very much committed to sharing with you, we want you to be able to experience the joy and reciprocity of consensual riding! It’s one of the best feelings in the world!
These are not really riding lessons, got it. Won't I get bored?
Our current students would laugh at this question, since when they found us, they didn’t know that so much fun could be had with horses from the ground either! Below are snippets of real life to give you an idea of what you’d be doing in our classes (this is a list we compiled for our younger students, but the same activities hold for adults 🤗)
Liberty play with Positive Reinforcement
Consent work
Bonding games
Passionate liberty play with Intrinzen (advanced student with a horse who has a solid sense of boundaries)
Passionate liberty play with extra safety feature in case the previous video left you wondering about your survival 😂
Herd observation
And, on top of all this, remember: once you have all the tools to be a happy sidekick to a happy horse and you have built a relationship with a horse who is now excited to carry you...the sky is the limit!! You can jump, trail ride, play fun games from the saddle, develop your dressage skills, while continuing to develop all the skills (and the fun!) above!
What's Next?
After Orientation, you will be invited to our regular Beginner Horsemanship classes.
We have a whole checklist we'll work on during your beginner horsemanship months (years?). Once you can cross all of the items off of it, you will be invited to join the more intermediate/advanced programs, where you will learn horse training skills!
BEGINNER HORSEMANSHIP PROGRAM
This is the place for all-round horse-related learning.
We teach the skills and the knowledge to train and care for horses.
Week by week, we rotate among:
Different horsemanship frameworks — such as natural horsemanship, positive reinforcement, intrinsic motivation;
Different skill development focuses — such as husbandry, ground work, safety;
Learning general horse knowledge — such as diet, anatomy, natural behavior, tack, hoof care, breeds, and general horse know-how.
The beginner program focuses on:
Supporting individuals who are interested in developing the skills necessary to eventually lease, own, or adopt their own horse
Building autonomy in horse care and training – how to be a great horse owner!
Foundational skills of safety (pressure and release), two-way communication (positive reinforcement), horse training (all of the above + intrinsic motivation), and horse care (first aid, nutrition, living environment, etc.).
Students will learn about energy, space, non-verbal communication, and respect for each other (which are applicable beyond the horse world!)
HORSE TRAINING PROGRAMS
You are now ready to join horse owners in our weekly classes, monthly clinics and more. Whether you have found a lease horse, whether you have adopted your own or whether you are still happy to work with all the personalities available at Wildsong Ranch, our home, you now have the skills to support them mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually, and to have some serious fun while doing so!
TESTIMONIALS
"I originally approached horses with the goal of learning to ride. The connection I have with horses now is so rich I no longer see riding as my goal. I love grooming rituals as much as I love liberty play. Hatha Equus has taught me skills that have not only helped me as a horseman but have helped me connect to myself. My work with horses has changed me. I show up differently to my relationships. If you are looking to have a meaningful relationship with yourself through horses, the team at Hatha Equus are the catalyst for a journey that will take you to places you only thought existed in films."
Brock Daves
Fine Art Photographer and Graphic Designer
“These trainers are amazing. I have been a student for the last 2 years and I cannot state enough how much Elizabeth helped me grow. Their holistic and gentle approach goes way beyond just a simple horse lesson. You learn how to respect your horse and ask him/her permission to create a relationship, which is based on respect and enthusiasm instead of fear and submission.Highly, highly recommended!”
Mario Di Dio
VP of Engineering, Nova Labs
“My daughter has been attending beginner horsemanship classes at Hatha Equus for the past three months. As soon as she finishes a class, she starts counting down until the next one. Learning how to care for the horses in addition to learning how to ride makes her feel empowered. I love that the instructors are patient and kind and have a strong focus on safety. We highly recommend the classes at Hatha Equus for building a strong foundation in horsemanship. We feel so lucky to have discovered this gem!”
Rosalie O.
Mom
