Lesson Information

Lessons at Harrogate are a 2-hour time commitment. Students arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled riding time to groom and tack up their horse. The riding portion of the lesson is one hour, and then students stay for 30 minutes after their lesson to care for their horse and put all of their equipment away. Trained, on-the-ground assistants will be available to help beginner riders.

Students are required to wear a pair of full-length, stretchy pants, boots with a half-inch defined heel (nothing with a higher heel or a large tread), and an ASTM-approved helmet.

Harrogate Hills can provide a helmet for the initial assessment and the first lesson, but after that we require that students purchase their own professionally fitted helmet. We also have a selection of boots that can be borrowed for those fast-growing feet.

Be sure to dress for the weather – the arena can get pretty cold in the wintertime and pretty hot during the summertime. Riding is much more enjoyable when you’re not freezing or overheating!

Feel free to ask us about our local recommended sources for buying riding equipment.

Life happens – and sometimes you may have to miss your regularly scheduled riding lesson. If 24-hour’s notice is provided, a makeup lesson can be scheduled. Please note that the exact level of lesson may not be available for a makeup, but a suitable, safe lesson will be provided. All we’ll need you to do is fill out a Makeup Lesson Request Form – this helps us keep track of any missed lessons. These can be found in the lounge, or on our website.

Students are placed into lessons based on their riding level and experience. Students who have never ridden before will be placed into our beginner lesson program. Harrogate provides trained, on-the-ground assistants for all beginner riders. Harrogate has a wide range of riders with different experience levels, so finding a lesson that meets your needs is our priority.

Unless we hear from you, Harrogate will assume that you want to continue lessons into the next month. If something comes up and you are unable to attend the following month, 2-weeks’ notice is appreciated.

Invoices are sent out by email near the end of the month for the upcoming month, and payment is due on the receipt of the invoice or by the first lesson of the month. Payments can be made by cash, cheque, e-transfer, or credit card. Please note there is a 3% transaction fee on all credit card payments.

Statutory Holidays are optional at Harrogate. If you’re unable to attend, please let us know before the beginning of the month in question for invoicing purposes.