Pony Club Lessons will be scheduled on Saturday afternoons at 2:30 or 3 pm. Once a registration form is received, a specific date will be arranged based on availability. The Pony Club Lessons will be booked one at a time.
Click Here to register for a Pony Club Lesson!
Arriving at the Barn
There is an area inside the lesson barn designated for students to wait for the Lesson Prep Leader to bring you into the preparation area. You simply go through the lounge (follow the signs) and wait in one of the designated areas for the Lesson Prep Leader. The number of spectators is not limited, but there is not a lot of space inside the viewing area in the arena, so please be respectful of other students' families and friends and make sure that everyone has space! Students are to arrive already ready to ride with your helmet and boots on. Please leave all belongings in your vehicle.
Inside the Barn
We have staff in the barn to guide and teach the students in the preparation phases of the horse. This area is for students and staff only. Regardless of the age of the student, no parents or guardians are allowed inside the barn.
Makeup Lessons
If you are in the Pleasure Lesson Program, makeups/refunds are not offered for any missed lessons. The reason for this is so that we can keep the cost of the Pleasure Lesson Program as low as possible! If you are a Recreation or Competitive Lesson Program student and need to miss a lesson, we need at least 72 hours notice (more is appreciated!) for you to be eligible for a makeup lesson. Notice that you will need to miss a lesson needs to be sent directly to Michelle@maplewoodec.ca. Refunds are not provided for missed lessons. Makeup sessions are not guaranteed - we do our best to find options for everyone, but if the spaces that we have available don't match up with when you're available, then we may not be able to arrange a makeup. Makeups are unsupervised riding sessions on Saturdays at 12:00 pm.
Frequently Asked Questions...
I don't have an equestrian-approved helmet. Can I borrow one?
We have some school helmets that can be borrowed and they are sanitized after each use. However, we ask that if you are taking lessons on a regular basis, that you purchase a helmet from one of the equestrian stores in Ottawa. Apple Saddlery (Innes Road) and Greenhawk (Slack Road) will have a wide selection of approved helmets at a variety of price points. If you forget your helmet and need to borrow one from the school, there is a $5 plus HST rental fee to cover the costs of having staff sanitize the helmet.
I'm accompanying my child but would like to go for a walk. Can I take a walk around the farm?
You can stay and watch the lesson, but if you want to go for a walk, we recommend that you drop off your child for their lesson and go to some walking trails in the area. There is a wonderful multi-purpose trail only 4 km south of Maplewood on Dunning Road.
Can I wear running shoes?
This is a firm no! You must have footwear with at least a small heel. Regular rubber rain boots are usually perfect in the spring, summer, and fall, but not warm enough for winter. For winter, I typically recommend to invest in some winter riding boots as these can make the difference for keeping your feet warm during the lesson. But whatever you decide, it must have a heel and not just a bumpy tread. You will not be able to ride without proper footwear.
Do we ride the same horse every time?
Each school horse has something different to teach the students, so we try to mix it up as much as we can so that students learn to ride a variety of different horses and ponies.
Can I pick which horse I'd like to ride for my lessons?
It wouldn't be possible to manage everyone's requests for horses (Paddy can't work EVERY lesson! :), so we do not take requests. Horse assignments are based on a complex mix of factors including the overall workload of the horse, the type of lesson that the coach is going to be running, the skill level of the student, and more!
Can I pay by credit or debit card?
We are able to accept cash, cheques, and email funds transfers but are not set up to process debit or credit cards. We prefer email funds transfers for payment as this is our only contact-less method of payment.
Lesson Availability
We are currently not adding anyone to a wait list. We are happy to set up a trial lesson, before you commit to the semester(s), especially if you already have experience so that one of our coaches can determine which lesson spot(s) will work best for you and your equestrian goals! To have specific questions answered, please submit a Lesson Request Form:
