More About Our Equestrian Academy
The Equestrian Academy is designed to take young riders to the next level—building confidence, deepening horsemanship skills, and fostering friendships that last a lifetime.
Here, every child is matched with peers of similar ability, guided by caring instructors, and supported by the bond between horse and rider. Parents can expect a program that not only teaches riding but also instills responsibility, patience, and teamwork.
Academy Schedule
Riding groups meet once a week for 12 sessions, for ages 6+ and grouped by age & skill.
🐴 Private & Semi-Private Lessons
In addition to the weekly Academy group sessions, each student is encouraged to take a weekly private or semi-private riding lesson (scheduled at your convenience). This ensures your child gets one-on-one attention to advance their riding skills.
🌟 Benefits of the Academy
Parents can look forward to seeing their child:
Develop stronger riding skills through a blend of group and individual lessons
Gain confidence, focus, responsibility, leadership and teamwork skills
Learn the full scope of horsemanship—both in and out of the saddle
Build friendships in a safe, supportive environment
Experience the joy of connecting with horses on a deeper level
In our peaceful and supportive environment, your child will discover the joy of riding. Here they can relax and learn without ever feeling overwhelmed or pressured.
💡 What to Bring
We recommend that parents send their child with plenty of water and a light snack to keep them energized along with appropriate attire.
👉 The Academy is the perfect way to keep your child engaged, learning, and growing in the barn this fall. Spots are limited—reserve your child’s place today!
Holiday “skip” weeks are built into the cale
🌟Who is the Academy Good for
The Academy is designed to provide beginners through advanced intermediate students with weekly mounted lessons and horsemanship classes. Beginners learn the basics of riding, safety around horses, proper grooming, and tacking up, while more advanced equestrians focus on deepening their connection with the horse, refining their riding skills on the flat and over the jumps.
Students are also encouraged to enrolled in weekly private or semi-private lessons in addition to their group lessons and horsemanship classes on Wednesday evenings with other like-minded kids. The group lesson and horsemanship classes will be split between riding and horsemanship/groundwork/academics, with students grouped according to their skill levels, allowing each child to flourish to the fullest.
In addition, students strengthen life skills such as patience, perseverance, confidence, focus, teamwork, leadership, and much more under the tutelage of our instructors. Horsemanship classes are largely conducted unmounted.
Nod Hill Equestrian Center / US Horse Welfare & Rescue
Rider Policies and Guidelines
At Nod Hill Equestrian Center, a division of US Horse Welfare & Rescue (USHWR), we are committed to maintaining an environment rooted in respect, safety, and comfort for all participants and families. The following guidelines have been established with everyone’s best interest in mind. Please read carefully and have the responsible party initial each section where indicated.
Appropriate attire:
Riders must wear long pants or jeans (breeches are encouraged but not mandatory), boots with at least a half-inch heel, and an approved riding helmet. (Bicycle helmets are not suitable.) A limited number of schooling helmets are available, but fit is not guaranteed.
Steel-toe boots are not allowed on the farm or around horses.
Hair is to be pulled back in a ponytail or pigtails.
Helmets must be worn at all times when mounted. Riders under 18 are required to wear a helmet when fetching or grooming a horse. Adults are encouraged to do the same. _________ Initials
Safety Expectations:
Safety is our top priority. All riders are expected to adhere to the following guidelines:
Avoid going behind horses.
Do not feed horses without permission, as some have special diets.
If permitted to feed horses, treats must be fed using a bucket
Ensure reins do not drag on the ground.
Do not enter a horse’s stall or paddock without the trainer's or barn manager's permission.
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Barn & Property Conduct:
Help us maintain a calm, respectful atmosphere
Avoid running, yelling, or sudden movements that may startle the horses.
Cell phones must be silenced in the arena and not carried by the rider during lessons.
All children must be supervised at all times. Siblings and guests should remain near the grey stone barn courtyard. PLEASE, NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED
Please do not wander onto the property owner's private areas or allow children to pick flowers, berries or fruit on the premises.
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Timeliness & Lesson Expectations:
Punctuality matters
Late arrivals may result in reduced riding time if you are not able to get your horse groomed and tacked up by your lesson start time. (e.g., arriving 10 minutes late = 10 minutes off riding time.) Equally, we expect our instructors to be on time. One exception: there are times when an instructor is working with a student and horse when the need to work through something outweighs timeliness. In the horse world, you always want to end on a positive note, and that may cause the instructor to run over. If you are ready for your lesson, and the instructor is OK with it, you may enter the arena, mount, and warm up at the walk while the instructor finishes with the previous rider.
Riders should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to their scheduled lesson to allow time for catching, grooming, and tacking. This hands-on time is a vital part of learning and bonding.
If your horse is already tacked, please be at the arena gate 5 minutes before your lesson starts.
Parents are encouraged to assist younger children in grooming and tacking up when possible.
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Horse Assignments:
Horses are assigned based on rider experience, training goals, and available horses
Riders should refrain from requesting specific horses week to week. The best riders ride many different horses.
Instructors select horses based on their knowledge of the student's progress and safety needs, as well as to avoid overuse of a particular horse.
Parents, please help your children understand and adapt to riding different horses.
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Youth Riders:
Some younger riders may struggle with focus for a full 30-minute mounted session. In such cases
Instructors may incorporate groundwork and horsemanship activities.
Students will still receive a full 30 minutes of equine interaction.
Additional horsemanship lessons are available for $60.
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Post-Lesson Horse & Barn Care:
All students are expected to contribute to aftercare.
Brush and clean your horse, including picking hooves post-ride.
Hose and cool the horse if sweaty, with supervision
Clean tack: wipe down and condition the saddle & bridle, rinse the bit, and hang saddle pads to dry.
Return all tools to their proper place.
Clean grooming area: sweep up, pick up manure, and rinse mats if the horse urinated. If you prefer to not participate in the post-lesson care, we offer to do the clean up. Please speak with your instructor about buying a post-lesson package. We do, however, encourage our riders to participate in this with the horses, as it builds a bond, trust, and skills. Failure to complete post-ride care may result in a $5 charge.
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Payments & Cancellations:
Based on industry standards
Riding instructors depend on their calendars being full to pay their bills. Equally, these lessons are how the horses at USHWR eat. We therefore have set the following guidelines:
Lessons must be paid in advance. Packages may be purchased online @ www.USHorseWelfare.org, or you may pay with cash, check (payable to USHWR),
We reserve the right to charge a Late fee of $10 per lesson for anyone who repeatedly pays late. Bounced check fee is $36 per incident.
24-hour notice is required for all cancellations, or your account will be charged for the lesson.
Any missed lessons (cancelled prior to 24 hours) need to be made up within the same Quarter.. Packages are non-refundable and non-transferable, though in extenuating circumstances, a credit may be issued for future programs and must be used within 3 months.
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Weather & Substitutes:
We operate rain or shine
Cancellations occur only when the weather has resulted in dangerous driving conditions.
In extreme temperatures (below 28°F or above 89°F), sessions may be replaced with unmounted horsemanship or horsemanship activities at the instructor’s discretion. Some lessons may take place in the main barn (cool in summer & heated in winter) to accommodate temps above or below our threshold. Lessons are not cancelled due to temperatures. If you choose to cancel due to temps without the required 24 hour notice you will be charged for a lesson.
Lessons are conducted by qualified instructors under USHWR's watchful eye. USHWR has the right to substitute an instructor with another qualified instructor either for a day or permanently. No refunds or cancellations are given due to instructor changes.
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Rider’s Name (Print): ___________________________ Date: _______________
Parent/Guardian Signature: _________________________ Date: _______________
Rev. 09/26
US HORSE WELFARE & RESCUE
MAILING ADDRESS: 345 WATERVILLE RD, AVON, CT 06001