River River Ranch
Equestrian Center & Cattle Company
​Horsemanship/Lessons
Interested in horses? We offer lessons from the beginning stages of learning to be around horses, to nutrition, to grooming, tacking, and all the way up to advanced speed events. After you have mastered your discipline, we give our lesson students the opportunity to experience show life by taking you to a local show with one of our horses as your mount (we trailer and pay for stall rentals, you pay for the classes you want to enter into)! Your goal is My goal. I teach lessons one on one, so that we advance at the pace you feel comfortable at.
​
- Prices -
One Hour Lessons: (lesson prices below do not include fuel if I travel to your location) Lessons take about 1 1/2 hours in the beginning until you become proficient with the grooming and tacking of the horse, so please plan accordingly.
Civilian- $50
Military - $40
References Available
Are you just starting out? Beginner lessons starts on the ground learning the basics of leading, horse care and saddling. Once you are comfortable with working around a horse on the ground, we will move on to putting you on the horse and walking you around on a lead line. While on a lead line, I will teach you how to rein and ask for gaits from your mount. We will continue to work on basics in the arena until you are comfortable enough to move into a discipline.
Beginner Riding
Tiffany's brother Brandon riding Ti at his first show, after just 4 months of training by Tiffany since his last race, and Brandon's first show!
Advanced Barrels
Advanced barrels MUST follow beginner barrels as you will now be riding my personal barrel horses and I do not want any mixed signals passed on. We will now work on transitions between barrels more closely, timing will be much more important and your horsemanship will be closely watched as well.
Confidence Building
Do you like horses, but afraid of them? Have you had a bad experience, but want to get back around horses, just don't know how to approach them? I will take the time to help you achieve your confidence around horses. We will start on opposite sides of the fence, then in the pasture with them just walking around, then on a leadrope. Once you are comfortable with that, we will move onto brushing, giving treats, etc. These lessons will go as fast or slow as you want them too!
Beginner Barrels
This is a prerequisite to Advanced Barrels and must follow at least 1 standard lesson so it can be assessed if you are ready to move into a discipline. Beginner barrels will go over the basics, learn to correctly walk, trot and lope the barrels. Hand and body placement will be carefully looked at as well.
Beginner Jumping
I will start with teaching you to walk and trot without stirrups, as losing your stirrup in mid jump is possible, and coming down without a solid, balanced seat can be a recipe for injury. Once we have assessed your seat, we will start with ground poles and cavaletti to introduce you to the different movements associated with the horse moving over an object. Jumps will be moved up at a 2 inch increment after 3 successful jumps in each direction up to 18 inches. As with any of my lesson programs, we can move as fast or slow as you feel comfortable and I see fit for you. Advanced jumping disciplines will be passed onto a colleague.
Tiffany helping a friend get over her fear of horses...
Tiffany's brother Brandon showing Ti in Halter​.
Tiffany and Luke competing in a Cowboy Race in Sept 2010.
Tiffany and Luke in Halter
Tiffany and Luke venturing english for the first time together...
Pole Bending
I will start with teaching you to walk/trot/canter without stirrups, as even I still occasionally lose my stirrups. With any instance a horse is moving quickly and changing directions, losing a stirrup and not having a solid, balanced seat is dangerous. Once you have mastered that, I will start you off walking/trotting/loping the pattern. If you wish to progress, I will move you to my pole horse and start you over with a short walk/trot/canter without stirrup session, then progress on the poles starting at a walk while working with a horse that is hot.
​Roping
Everyone wants to learn roping until they realize that most of this lesson plan is on the ground roping a dummy to get form mastered before we add a moving horse into the mix. Stick with me through the mundane rope throwing and we'll have you roping steers in no time!
Tiffany and Luke waiting for their turn at the cowboy race!
Sorting
Sorting is a fast paced team event in which you pick a steer based off a number on their back and take turns getting them in order through a gate as fast as possible with no mistakes! We will start off with the basic movements on horseback that you will be required to use in this sport and then start working with real cattle in a small pen.