What to know for lessons

M & N Ranch Lessons:

A little about our lesson programs:

All of our lessons start on the ground with learning the primary concepts of good horsemanship- this means that all student will learn how to properly handle a horse on the ground, get them from their pasture, groom them, tack them up, warm them up, cool them down, end of session grooming and properly put them back out to pasture prior to learning how to ride. This sometimes only takes a couple of lessons, but it certainly varies depending on the student. We do this prep work for a number of reasons; this helps students understand that there is much more to horses then riding, it instills good care management, responsibility and accountability. We are a “non-traditional barn” in the sense that the horse is not tacked up and ready to go when the student arrives, we feel that it short changes students and they miss out on so much when this is done for them. We work with the students to show them all the steps from start to finish and make sure that they have a well-rounded knowledge and understand how to be safe while having fun.

We offer lessons year around, weather dependent. Our lessons have a primary focus on safety.

We offer both English and Western riding lessons, ground work, trail riding and driving lessons. We have a variety of horses to choose from for lessons which allows us to accommodate riders of all shapes and sizes.

We require a 24 hour cancellation of scheduled lessons otherwise we charge full price for the missed lesson.

We accept students over the age of 7 for lessons, however if your young rider is younger than 7 years old and they still want to get their horse time in we have some other options to accommodate them. Please email us for other options for your young rider.

We keep our lesson schedule on Facebook, so please "like and follow" our Facebook page for more information and to stay up to date on activities.

All students must have their own helmet (must be a certified riding helmet - no bike helmets or ski helmets).

All students must have proper footwear; this is a boot of sorts with a small heel. This is a safety item and we cannot allow people to ride without it. You can find the proper footwear and helmet at our local tack shop (Maine Horse & Rider –Holden, or Gass Horse Supply- Veazie, or local tractor supply), they will be happy to fit you with the appropriate riding gear.

We do not require a minimum amount for lessons (we know some barns require people to prepay for 5-10 lessons at a time), that is not the case with us, we allow people to “pay as they go”.

We are not licensed/certified to work with individuals with disabilities. We have worked with some individuals who have high functioning autism, down syndrome and have ADHD in the past. But please keep in mind that we are not a therapeutic riding facility. (But are happy to recommend a few if needed).