Lessons

Come and enjoy a Journey of knowledge to carry with you for a lifetime.

We offer lessons for everyone– from the very beginner with no horse knowledge to those who have the highest goals of horsemanship and wish to excel in correct classical equitation. Lesson emphasis is based on exercises and techniques for body movement needed to follow in harmony — in a walk, a trot and a canter. Our goal is to develop the horse and the rider’s athletic talent and create balance in motion. Customized riding experiences on some of the best mannered horses in southeastern Wyoming. You will learn to feel comfortable in the saddle again. Lessons can be purchased separately or in bulk for a discount. Riding time alone runs close to an hour for each lesson. Anne is ARIA and Richard Shrake certified and is able to teach the basics in any discipline, concentrating on horse and rider as a team. Anne teaches balance and body aids to assist each rider in feeling more comfortable on horseback. Cost of lessons on our horses includes use of tack and grooming tools. All lessons include basics in ground and riding safety. Lessons include learning to groom and tack up the horse. A hard hat and shoes with a heel are required of everyone under eighteen and strongly recommended for all riders. We do provide certified hard hats.

Why Pine Ranch?

Pine Ranch has a special ambiance that can be found no where else.  The calm and peace that is found upon entering the Ranch is profound and healing.  The people are friendly and enjoyable to be around.  The entertainment value of a trip to the Ranch is sure to cut down on your movie bill significantly! The Progressive Riding Program is designed to create good safety conscious horsemen. Every client will be treated as a future horse owner and as such will be given theory and stable management that will be essential to their success as a confident self-sufficient horse owner, as well as a rider. Safety and quality are the highest priority and to that aim Pine Ranch has a commitment to owning the best possible school horses and top quality new and used equipment. Riders taking lessons at Pine Ranch are afforded many added opportunities to enrich their training with on-site and off site shows, competitions, camps, clinics, and special events that broaden rider knowledge and encourage mastery of horsemanship in specific areas of their choosing. If you love animals and nature — youngsters, teens, adults, older adults — this is fun, healthy and personally rewarding. You’ll make many new acquaintances, too. Learn to ride and experience a unique relationship that you develop with a horse. We can help you design a program that will suit your schedule, and you’ll be guided by a qualified personal trainer who will help you meet your goals — pleasure riding, English riding skills, competition, form, etiquette, horse health and care, and more than you dreamed! We teach you aids that are natural to the horse, not the human. We offer some of the finest riding instruction available with emphasis on SAFETY. We have quality school horses available for lessons for those who are not horse owners.

How will I benefit?

Anne will show you a better fit in a horse-person team. This better fit will make you more comfortable and give you greater stability. For beginners, an experienced instructor and well trained school horses make your learning experience safer and easier. You will learn in a safe, non-competitive environment where the emphasis is on fun. You will be able to increase your skills to be able to move to the next level in your riding ability. Horse back riding is a spiritual and emotional experience. You will learn so much about yourself through the use of your horse.

The Classes

All classes regardless of whether it is a class in the Children’s Program or Private lessons are the same price.

AS OF JANUARY 1ST, 2024:  ALL LESSONS (REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE PRIVATE OR SEMI-PRIVATE OR GROUP) ARE $70 an hour per person. Plus $100 travel fee if I go to your location. Package price-ten private lessons $650.  Add $100 per person if you need to use our horse off location.

*****BEGINNING JANUARY 1st, 2024, ALL LESSONS WILL BE THE SAME PRICE PER PERSON REGARDLESS OF PRIVATE, SEMI-PRIVATE OR GROUP.*****

You or your student may be placed into a group setting to enhance your/their experience or knowledge.  The price of $65/hour remains even though you are in a group setting.  The group pricing occurs when you bring a group of your own to participate with.

Additionally…The first safety lesson costs the same amount as a riding lesson.  My time is every bit as valuable as yours.  My time costs you $65/hour no matter if we do a ground lesson, a saddle cleaning lesson, a team building lesson, a safety lesson or a riding lesson.

We operate on a fully functioning Ranch.  We do not have a credit card reader.  Please come prepared for payment for services with cash or a check.

Beginner to advanced classes. We start with the basics and concentrate on classic, balanced seat. You will learn proper use of aids and cues. You will gain confidence through knowledge in a safe, laid back environment. You will leave with a better understanding of communication with your equine partner.

CHILDREN’S LESSONS

The first lesson with a student under the age of eighteen, will be 1 hour.  I want to assess the student in this lesson and go over our rules and safety policy. This is also the lesson that the parent/s, the student and I make goals and discuss a game plan to achieve those goals. At the end of the first lesson, we will schedule further lessons according to schedules and goals. Wearing jeans, shoes with a heel, and a helmet is mandatory for EVERYONE on the Ranch. We do provide helmets. Anyone showing up in clothing other than these mandatory items will be rescheduled for another time. We can accommodate young riders that are not accepted in other programs. We require helmets, vests and side walkers for these students. We will provide all equipment and side walkers. Children will learn to ride bare back. This method enhances balance and seat. Students learn the necessary aids for riding easier and safer by being able to feel the horse’s movements underneath them. When a student has mastered a walk and trot bareback, they will graduate to a saddle. Students at this point will be required (with some help) to be able to saddle their own mount. All students will be required to catch, halter, groom, and warm up their horses with minimal help. Horsemanship is about more than getting on and riding. Our first lessons are provided in a small round pen. When the students gain ability and confidence, we provide lessons in larger areas. Despite our strict safety policy, our lessons are fun and offer a great form of exercise. I know this sounds harsh but I have been teaching 3 DECADES! This method yields safe, accomplished students who have gone on to show horses at a State, National and World level as they mature.

Refunds, Schedule and Cancellation Policy

You may schedule appointments with me directly, on the phone or by email.

No show appointments will be charged the full fee. Cancellations given with at least 24 hours notice will not be charged. Lessons cancelled because you or your horse is sick or hurt is permissible. Inclement weather conditions that make getting to the Ranch or riding unsafe are also ok grounds to reschedule your session and are actually encouraged. I have been asked what conditions are unsafe for my students to ride in. Here is my response. 1.Wind blowing so hard that the sand in the round pen is impeding vision of either horse or rider. 2.Rain makes the dirt in Southeastern Wyoming slick. Slick mud can cause horses and/or students to fall down. If the horse yard is filled with slick mud, I will reschedule to a drier day. 3. Black clouds that look to be able to produce/or are already producing thunder, lightning, hail, rain, tornado are all grounds for rescheduling the day’s session. 4. Snow, while gorgeous to look at is hazardous to horses and riders. Most of the time, snow begins to melt and makes ice or mud. (Please refer to number 2. in this list.) 5. Extreme cold weather. We do not ride our horses in temperatures below 35 degrees. I will not run the risk of hurting my horses lungs. In temperatures that cold, students are more worried about their extremities being warm than they are about the safety around the horse. Again, class will be rescheduled.

In short, please call me before you drive to my house for your session if the weather looks bad where you are. Sometimes the weather pattern misses us altogether but sometimes it hits us dead on. With 233 average days of sunshine a year in our area, there will be plenty of time to get your session in on a nice day.

Payment is due at time of service and both cash and checks are welcome. There will be a $75 fee assessed for all returned checks plus ALL applicable bank charges resulting from your bounced check. Checks should be made payable to Pine Ranch.

There is no refund for lessons purchased but not taken. Registration and lesson fees are non-refundable.  Sale or transfer of riding lesson or credits is not permitted.
The money you have spent toward packages remains available as credit for you to use.  Lesson prices do increase with the increase in cost of feed, vet and farrier care. These rate increases can happen without prior notice. The money you have available as credit will be used toward lesson fees at the current lesson rate at the time you take each lesson.  Please keep in mind that the current rate could be different from the initial rate at which you purchased the package.

Please be VERY certain you are committed to using the money here at the Ranch before you commit to a lesson package because, as stated previously, there are no refunds REGARDLESS of the situation.

Anyone arriving more than 15 minutes late will be considered absent and will not be able to participate. You will be charged for a full lesson if you are considered absent.

I rely almost solely on word of mouth referrals. I offer a $20.00 referral reward after the person you referred has their second paid session.

 About The Instructor

Does certification automatically produce a better professional? No. But it does mean that an objective third party believes the professional has met predetermined standards for safety, knowledge, and ability to serve clients.

Anne is ARIA and Richard Shrake certified. She holds a number of additional therapeutic certifications as well. Anne has been teaching horses and riders to work harmoniously for over twenty five years. She has mastered a technique that allows horse and human to understand each other. “If we are going to work with horses, we need to think more like horses.” Her specialty is teaching children and those who are nervous around horses. Anne is a current member in good standing of the following associations:

AQHA, ApHC, POAC, , SMR, North American Handicapped Riding Association, American Riding Instructors Association, AQHA Professional Horseman’s Association, Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, Nebraska Horse Council and Colorado Horse Council. Anne is also an approved 4-H and Open horse show Judge.