Public Programs

Our Public Riding lessons are for anyone, age 8 and up, with little or no experience with horses and/or horseback riding. Lessons are taught by instructors certified by Equine Canada and CanTRA, and are designed to get you comfortable with riding basics and to progress through to an intermediate riding level.

We run five, 6-week Public Riding Sessions that mirror the traditional school year. 
Since the programs are personalised to each rider’s abilities, you have the choice of participating in any or all of the five, 6-week sessions. Throughout your session, our goal is to help you progress, perfect your techniques and most importantly, have fun!

Through the 6 weeks of lessons we offer:

• Lessons for riders age 7 and up
• A horse (of course!) for you to ride
• Group lessons, scheduled with riders of similar age and ability
• Your choice of English or Western style riding
• Grooming
• Tacking
• An indoor, heated arena
• An outdoor arena (weather permitting)
• A safe and fun public riding experience

Public Riding Schedule:

• Public Lessons are held on weekends
• All lessons are offered in a group format (maximum 3 riders per lesson)
• Each weekly lesson is 45 minutes in length

Please refer to our Calendar or contact our office for exact start and end dates.

Registration:

(Download the registration forms: Public Riding Registration.)

PARDS accepts registrations throughout the year for all riding sessions. Payment must be received a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the session start date in order to confirm your spot.

• If you pre-register with us, we will contact you approximately 3-4 weeks prior to the start of the riding session to schedule your riding time and confirm the session details with you. Payment must be received a minimum of 2 weeks prior to session start date in order to confirm your spot.
• Registration for each Public Riding Session consists of 6 weekly lessons.
• One Registration Package may be used for any or all of the five sessions in the program year (September through May).
• New registration forms are required if personal details change.

Please note that these changes must be confirmed prior to the start of each session.

Please contact us if you are having difficulty completing the registration information, or if you have questions. We are happy to help.

Riding and Safety Equipment/Dress Code:

• In order to take part in a lesson, each rider must wear:
• an ASTM/SEI certified riding helmet
• riding boots or closed-toe shoes with a small, 1-inch heal
• long pants

• PARDS has a supply of riding helmets and boots if the rider does not own their own equipment.
• We recommend dressing warmly and in layers, especially during the colder months because although the arena is heated, it is kept at 5C.
• For safety reasons, please do not wear loose or bulky clothing that may catch on equipment. Please ensure clothing is comfortable and well fitted.

Fees:

• Each Public Riding Session: $210.00 per rider
• A $10 annual membership fee per rider (or $20 per family) is required for insurance.
• PARDS memberships are valid from January 1 through December 31.
• Fees are due 2 weeks prior to the first lesson.

Need Financial Support?

There are organizations which may be able to provide financial support, please contact us for information.

Cancellations / Missed Lessons:

• Please call us as soon as possible to let us know if you are not able to make it to your lesson.
• If a client is unable to attend their scheduled lesson for any reason, PARDS will not provide a make-up lesson or refund.
• If PARDS cancels a lesson, we will inform you immediately and will either schedule a make-up date for the missed lesson or credit your account for the lesson fee.

Additional Advice to our Riders:

We ask that all our riders arrive at PARDS at least 10 minutes prior to their lesson start time in order to change into their riding clothes/equipment. It is important that riders are ready for their lesson at the start time as we are unable to extend riding times due to scheduling constraints. If a rider is more than 15 minutes late for their scheduled class, they will not be permitted to ride.

For more information, please call the PARDS office at 780-538-3211

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