Pine Lake Pastures offers several different classes for riding.
 

TAUGHT BY Cheri Morton- instructor, owner of Pine Lake Pastures 

• BEGINNER LESSONS: 9-adult; learn basic riding skills that will help you learn balanced riding, reading the horse's behavior, saddling, grooming and basic horse ownership. See below in the achievement testing for items learned during class.
• INTERMEDIATE LESSONS: learn more advanced skills in reading your horse, and balanced riding. Posting without stirrups using correct leg muscles (not your knees) learn collection of horse, canter, games on horseback, and beginning jumping. See achievement testing for more information.
• ADVANCED LESSONS: Building muscles, skills, knowledge of horse and riding, these lessons will also start out with muscle building routine and then end the lesson with jumping.

Training 101: Cheri will come to your location to help you train your horse. She and you will be at times riding or ground training. Training fees vary for location of horse, and amount of training needed. Evaluation fee is $50

Training /breaking 102: Pine Lake Pastures offers training and breaking of young horses. Please call or email to inquire if space is available on their farm. In some circumstances training can work at your farm as well. Pricing is same as above.

Beginning Horsemanship: This class is for the family who has purchased a horse or horses, and needs more information on how to care for it. Content of lessons will vary on student´s knowledge.

Traveling Instructor: Several barns, Pony Clubs, and 4H groups have hired Cheri to come and teach as a substitute teacher or at a clinic. Email for information regarding this service.

4H- Cheri is offering free clinics to St. Croix County's 4h youth, and anyone involved in the St. Croix County Horse Program. Recipients must be present at mandatory meeting in March or April and sign up thru program.

FOR THE VERY YOUNG BEGINNER-- taught by  Hannah Morton

3-7 Yr old INTRO TO HORSE/SAFETY CLASS: 30 minute lessons: includes horse saftey, grooming, saddling, and light walking, fun and interesting class. Instructors are fun and great with children. They have much horse sense, and can teach your child the neccessities to someday owning a horse. $15/hour or $10 for 30 minutes LESSONS ARE 1:1

• 5-9 yr OLD INTRO HORSE/SAFETY CLASS: 45 min lesson. This class includes more riding, and moving out to the back arena where student will learn more advanced riding skills and play games. This is great preperation for moving into more advanced group lessons. Lessons are 1:1 $48/4 lessons package.

 ACHIEVEMENT TESTING

Current students are welcome to take achievement tests which are based (not exactly the same) on Pony Club.  Certificates of achievement will be given to riders that pass each level.

Beginner 1,2, 3 are based on the D level of Pony club Achievement testing.

Intermediate 1,2,3 are based out of the C level Pony Club Ahievement testing.

Beginner 1:

• heels down most of the time- less than 3 reminders per class
• mount and dismount with some assistance
• demonstrate and describe proper rein holding
• ride at a walk on the rail with control
• demonstrate simple change of direction
• perform gradual transition between walk/trot and walk/halt
• explain 3 aids to riding
• demonstrate 2 methods of stopping a horse

Beginner 2

• heels down less than 2 reminders per class
• be able shorten and legthen reins at a walk and trot
• ride with control on the rail at walk and trot
• circle horse while on rail at walk
• walk over poles
• trot on rail in one stirrup
• dismount unassisted
• around the world
• begin balanced half seat at trot

Beginner 3

• demonstrate balancing exercises  toe touching, ly down, sit up
• emergency dismount at standstill
• perform walk, trot wtih out pulling on horses' mouth
• verbally expalin where the poll, crest, and withers are on the horse
• post on correct diagonal
• canter horse under control
• demonstrate half seat at trot be able to maintain balance
• back horse
• sit teh trot wtih balanced seat
• demonstrate trot over poles
• achieve riding without stirrups at walk and sitting trot

Intermediate 1

• clean and balanced posting without stirrups for 25 posts
• saddle horse unassisted
• verbally explain how to canter your horse and how to achieve the correct lead
• mount and dismount unassisted,
• know 3 releases for jumping
• decrease and increase gait of horse at walk and trot
• demonstrate trotting over cavaletti poles in half seat
• post on correct diagonal without looking down.

Intermediate 2

• perform 20 meter circle walk, trot, canter
• be able to tell meif you are on coreect lead at canter
• trot over ground poles followed by cross rail
• trot to canter thru a jump
• trot over at least 2 jumps in control
• have knowledge of what terms mean: standards, cross rails, oxers, cavaletti, dagonal, broken line
• posting trot without stirrups count of 80
• figure 8 diagonal change at trot: keep speed, complete round circles, and changing diagonals.

Intermediate 3

• mount and dismount unassisted without mounting block
• perform bounce jumps up to 4
• explain what to do if a horse bucks, rears; we will not purposely expose you to these situations but at this level in your riding career, I would have liked to see you successfully handle a difficult situation.
• basic knowledge of counting strides between jumps
• demonstrate steps to getting your horse collected
• posting without stirrups
• canter without stirrups