A: Typically one and a half hours. Students groom and tack the horses they ride, and take care of the horse and equipment afterwards. On hot days, the horse usually needs to be rinsed and dried before he can be returned to his stall. Sometimes it takes a few extra minutes to review last week's horsemanship study assignment and get a new one for the coming week. Sometimes it helps to come early or stay later to watch a fellow student's lesson.

Q: How Many Lessons Per Week Should I Take?

A: At least one. Most non-horse owners take two, most horse owners ride 3-5 times per week. This is an athletic sport requiring balance, rhythm, timing, stamina, coordination, muscle tone, and repetition (correct practice). Riding less often means sore muscles every time you ride, and extra review of the previous lesson. This can be discouraging due to slow progress.

Q: What if I Need to Cancel a Lesson?

A:  Lesson appointment times are a limited resource.  The horse, arena, saddle, and instructor’s time are set aside for you.  The instructor and horse cannot give extra lessons  tomorrow to make up for not working today.  However, with at least 24 hours notice that you cannot make your lesson, the instructor may be able to schedule a make-up lesson for someone else in your appointment time, and you are entitled to schedule a make-up lesson for yourself within the month of your package.  If you do not give a full 24 hours notice, you are charged for the lesson, without being entitled to a free make-up lesson.  “No shows” are charged.  Before scheduling yourself for one or two standing appointments per week, make sure they are at a realistic time, and you are not over-committed.

Q: May I Ride Without Taking Lessons?

A: No. The schoolmasters are not available as rental horses to non-students. A Lease Program enables intermediate and advanced skill students to ride in addition to, but not instead of, their lessons. This ensures the horses are handled in the safe routine with which they are familiar, ridden properly for the kind of work they do, stretched or warmed up before a workout or a hack, legs wrapped properly, hooves oiled afterwards, etc. The rider and horse need to be well-suited so both benefit from the relationship, and to have become comfortable with each other under staff supervision.

Q: Are There Any Height or Weight Requirements for Lessons?

A: Yes.  Children should be at least 4 feet tall and weigh sixty pounds for regular lessons.  This is to enable them to successfully halter, saddle, bridle, mount, and dismount without assistance once they learn how.  Also, their legs need to clear the flap of a child size English saddle or skirt of a Western saddle and touch the horse’s sides. While we do have child size saddles with child length leathers and child foot size stirrups, leg length matters even on a pony-size horse.  These minimums are waived for children participating in Discovery(TM) or Summer Day Camp.

Riders in the regular lesson program must have proportionate height to weight ratios.  This is often described as a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 25.  You do not have to be at a textbook “ideal” weight. However, riding involves balance and control of your body weight, so the weight needs to be proportionally distributed along the body.  The height and weight of the person needs to be matched appropriately with the height and physical condition of the horse.  Many people just assume that any horse can carry any size rider, without realizing that the horse’s bones and joints must bear the weight of the rider and saddle, and the more strenuous the workout, the less weight the horse should carry to avoid injury.  So the school horse’s age, condition, old injuries that have healed, etc. must be taken into account, not just his height. Have you ever noticed that racehorses carry jockeys and saddles with a combined weight of 120 pounds, even though the horses are tall and in peak muscle and condition?  Shorter backed, thick boned horses with short cannons, wide loins and well sprung ribs can usually carry more weight for their height than long backed slab sided narrow loin horses with thin bones and long cannons. 

The limits below are specific to our available school horses at present.  Other stables may have horses that can carry more weight.

	The maximum height we can accommodate with our school horses is 6 feet 3 inches, carrying 230 pounds.
	The maximum weight for a person 6 feet 1 inch is 200 pounds.
	The maximum weight for a person 5 feet 5 inches is 160 pounds.
	The maximum weight for a person 5 feet tall is 120 pounds.
	A person 4 feet 10 inches can weigh a maximum of 100 pounds.

Men carrying these weights are at the upper limits of normal weight for their height, and women carrying these weights are well above normal limits, but still able to ride safely if they do not have other conditions like bad knees or backs, and have very good balance and flexibility.

These limits enable us to provide a horse of the correct height for the rider to safely mount and dismount, and that can safely carry the rider’s weight for normal riding.    We have saddles to fit tall, medium, and petite adults, with appropriately sized thigh flaps to seat size and stirrups for foot sizes.  Riding in a saddle that is too large or too small interferes with the rider’s ability to maintain correct position and is neither safe nor comfortable.

Please note that persons whose Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 25 are 40% more likely to break bones in the event of a fall of any kind.  Safety for both people and horses, and their successful progress is our concern in setting these maximums.

Q: I thought riding was just sitting on a horse.  Are you suggesting that I have to be very athletic, like a tennis pro or gymnast to ride?

A: Absolutely not, and, absolutely not.  Riding is NOT just sitting on a horse, though you might get that impression if you go for a tourist “trail ride” with your horse walking behind the horse in front of him.  To ride a horse that is not following a lead horse, you must use your body to communicate with him, and you must keep your balance and control for speed and steering when he trots or canters, stops, spins, jumps, etc.  A potential rider does not need to be particularly athletic to begin enjoying the sport.  However, he should be generally physically fit, since this is an energetic physical activity.  Riding takes desire, concentration, communication with the animal, confidence, good posture, rhythm and flexibility, balance, coordination, stamina, reflexes and timing.  That said, the average person who enjoys horses and is willing to put in the time to learn and practice can become a very accomplished rider.  But it does require effort.  It is not at all like giving a tot a “pony ride” at an amusement park.  Can you give it a little effort?  If you can jog around a city block without collapsing, or can swim the length of your backyard pool, or ride your bike for half an hour – you know, normal, average physical activity, you can ride. 

We ride horses to enjoy their movement, and our joints absorb the motion. Weak ankles, knees, hips, neck, or a bad back need to be strengthened first through exercises or physical therapy recommended by your physician before attempting to ride.  Persons taking medications that make them drowsy, or slow their reflexes should not take them when riding, just as alcohol and drugs would make riding dangerous.  After all, you are working with an animal that weighs about 1,000 pounds and has a mind of its own. Persons with serious allergies to animal dander, dust, grass or hay, may need to take medications that will not interfere with alertness and reflexes before riding.

Q: I had lessons for a year as a child, and rode off and on with friends on vacation after that.  Do I have to start over as a beginner?  I haven’t ridden now for two decades.

A: Many people take up riding again after a long break.  Don’t worry.  You will answer an experience questionnaire when you enroll in our lesson program, and begin with an Initial Evaluation Session.  During this fun “get back on a horse” session, the instructor will jog your memory of safe horse handling skills, groundwork like grooming and tacking, and riding skills and vocabulary.  This will tell both you and the instructor how much review you need to do.  Since all riders work one-on-one with their instructor at their own pace, and take the number of lessons per week they want, you may quickly return to your former skill level.  You might find that the Del Camino horsemanship and equitation curriculum includes many skills that were never taught by your previous instructors, and not practiced by the friends you happened to ride with, but are fun to learn and make riding even more interesting and successful.

Q:  My child has physical/mental/emotional special needs, and I believe a sport involving animals may provide therapeutic benefits.  Can Del Camino give riding lessons to a person with special needs?

A:  You have heard rightly that persons with various disabilities ride horses.  Hippotherapy is a wonderful activity for many adults and children with various physical, mental or emotional challenges.  To provide genuine effective professional assistance to these riders requires special equipment and training for the horses, riding instructors, physical or mental therapists and even the sidewalkers and other assistants. The North American Riding for the Handicapped Assn. (NARHA) certifies facilities, programs, psychotherapists, physical therapists and riding instructors that meet these requirements.  NARHA has a subsidiary, the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) specializing in mental and emotional needs and learning disorders. Also, NARHA partners with the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc. (AHA) which promotes occupational and speech therapies using equine movement. Del Camino can refer you to excellent local programs, such as Horses Help a NARHA Premier Accredited Center, with locations in North Phoenix and Mesa/Chandler.  In fact, Horses Help operated from 1989 to 1995 at Del Camino’s ranch on Tatum north of Bell, and some certified physical therapists who work there have acquired their horsemanship and riding skills at Del Camino over the years.  We are not equipped to provide horseback riding lessons for special needs.

Please visit the "Choosing a Lesson Program" page for more helpful information about riding lessons in general. For current prices, current schedule availability, or other specific questions about the Del Camino Safety First Horsemanship(TM), Balanced Seat Instruction(TM) lesson program, please contact us by phone at (480) 242-9490.