Lessons at Diamond C
Horse lessons is one of the many services provided here at Diamond C Stables. Diamond C gives lessons to all ages and at affordable prices. Types of lessons include beginners, western, barrel racing, reigning, trail riding, and Western Pleasure. The best part of taking lessons is that you do not have to own a horse to take a lesson. If you do not have a horse, we will provide one at no extra cost that we feel fits your level of riding.
Learning Levels
The Instructors decide when a student should move on or is ready to lease a horse if interested. We really don’t encourage putting a beginner with someone who has been riding for any length of time. They will have to go through all the beginner steps again. This can be discouraging to someone who has been taking lessons and is a better rider. It might be possible to set up the same time with the other instructor.
Beginners
will not leave the round pens for the first month at least!
Beginner level:
- Learning to go get your horse, putting their halter on and bringing them to the barn safely.
- How to tie them properly and to tie the slip knot.
- How to walk around the horse touching his rear end and letting him always know your back there, brushing them properly, & cleaning their feet properly. (Sweeping up afterwards)
- Then saddling the horse and putting on the bridle. Don’t forget your helmet!
- Then you are ready to go to one of the round pens and learn how you get on a horse. (From this point everyone is different with learning to ride, some have natural seats, some love riding more than others so at this point you will advance at different levels).
- You will learn to ride bare back for balance and to turn around while sitting on your horse.
- When the instructor thinks you are ready he/she will first put you into a trot on a lead line and then let you go on your own, then the same thing with a lope first on a line then after a couple times will let you do it on your own. But all of these speeds will be done in the round pen the first time.
- They will also teach you how to do an emergency stop.
- Occasionally in between they might take you in the big arena so you can get a different filling of the horse. Staying in the round pens is a safety precaution. Which is our number one concern; horses are big animals with a lot of power. Our lesson horses are good horses but you never know when one might spook or at what.
~ Oh yes and if the horse poops that you are riding you have to clean it up! ~
Intermediate Level:
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By this point you should be able to go get your horse, halter it, make sure chains or back on the gates & tie it up, clean out their feet.(Sweep up)
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You will be in the big arena more and will learn about going outside the arena.
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You will learn to trot & lope off the lead line, you will also learn the different leads
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At some point you will be able to ride in the back pasture but that is totally up to the instructor when you are ready.
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You will learn to cool down your horse, unsaddle, and give them a bath if they need it and put them away.
Advanced Level
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Ready for the fine tuning and decide what kind of riding you might want to do.
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Competing, Trail riding, Reining, or just to enjoy horses and get away for an hour or so for mental therapy it is amazing how relaxing riding or even grooming a horse maybe.
Additional Notes:
It is up to the instructors when they think you are ready to move on, to
the next level and if you want too.
We do have a few horses to lease but that would be up to Branden to know
if you are ready for that.
We also offer Play Days for kids 6 & up and even
some adult play days, anyone from any instructors are welcome to
them! We like to sometimes put those pictures on the web site so if
everyone could please sign a web releases form.
Also if anyone would like to write something about their
instructor for the website you can send it to me and I will get it
on there. DCCULVER@gvtc.com
Lesson Instructors
Branden C. Culver
Branden first started riding horses when he was 5 years old. He started competing in rodeos and 4-H competitions by age 8. He has competed in cloverleaf and straight away barrels, pole bending, and goat tying as a boy. He has shown horses in reining and rail classes as an adult. He has been teaching adults and children since 2000. Numerous students have gone on to compete in college or at a higher level of competition or found jobs in the equine industry. Branden is a member of AQHA’s professional horseman. He has completed course work at Ohio State University and Colorado State University in mare management and reproduction. He has a Bachelor’s degree from UTSA in business management. He has spent a year running a hunter jumper barn and spent 3 years as a breeding-foaling manager/ colt trainer. All of these experiences add to Branden’s overall knowledge of the horse and the industry. Branden is an enthusiastic, hands on instructor who focuses on teaching people the proper way to ride in order for them to go on to competition, show or trail/pleasure riding.
Click here to e-mail Branden about taking lessons
Alex
Alex has been riding for 16 years and owns Cainan. She has been at Diamond Cfor 9 years. Her favorite thing is loping Cainan around Bare Back. She has worked with a professional horse trainer for awhile and spent numerous year babysitting.
So starting with beginners to intermediate, young and old works out perfect for her
.
Brittany
Brittney is mainly the intermediate & some beginner’s instructor she owns Maliki, she competes in barrels and poles she has been at Diamond C for 8 years. She has given lessons here in the past and also spent last summer as a wrangler at a camp teaching over 260 kids from beginning how to ride and take care of horses. She has come a long way in the past 8 years.