Frequently Asked Questions

It depends which package you go with. The more lessons you commit to, the better the deal per ride. All lessons include a full hour of riding, you have time apart from your riding time to tack up / untack and groom your horse. Our rates are very affordable, the competition hates us for it, but I wanted to be able to run a lesson program where kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to ride are able to. Quality of instruction still remains at its greatest.

If you don’t own your own helmet (a certified horse riding helmet) then you will be required to pay a $5 helmet rental fee.

Yes, I do travel quite a bit to outside barns for coaching. It makes it a bit easier on the horse so they don’t need to think about too many outside distractions in a new environment and it allows the rider to learn. Trailer ins are also welcome but I can come to you. Pricing for lesson packages are the same but gas and mileage applies. If you are at a boarding barn and other boarders want to ride as well either at the same time or in a separate lesson on the same day I will work with you to accommodate them and the gas/mileage fee can be split among the students.

I don’t like to go further than an hours drive but I do travel to barns outside of that if group lessons are arranged in advance.

I offer lessons for children ages 6 and up. Adult students are always welcome and I’ve been strictly forbidden to say the ages of my oldest students. For younger children we can do a simple short pony ride where they wont be as involved in tacking up or grooming the horse (parents and/or myself get to help). They have very basic lessons on lead, and get the general idea of steering and stopping on a safe pony (because we know that the younger children still want to ride!). These lessons are shorter due to both physical and learning limitations on younger riders.

Yes we always allow that. It’s a great opportunity to ride indoors if the weather isn’t co-operative and of course it allows your horse to gain experience outside of home which is great in preparing for shows.

An ASTM approved riding helmet which can be purchased at a local tack shop. If you do not have a helmet but wish to try a couple lessons before purchasing the equipment we have helmets available for rental.

A boot with a small heel is also required. This is a safety piece of equipment that prevents the rider’s foot from slipping through the stirrup iron and becoming stuck. Most rain boots, hiking boots, or work boots have a small heel that is suitable but proper riding boots are always a great investment.

I often have boots for sale from students who have outgrown theirs, so it may be worth a check with me first. Helmets should always be purchased new to avoid any previous drops or falls.

All children 18 and under are required by law to follow the above listed guidelines. While at Fire Fly Stables all riders, regardless of age, are required to wear proper helmets and footwear. This is our policy.

Lesson cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance. Please be sure to tell your coach you will not be there. If we are aware of the cancellation, we can always schedule a make up lesson at a time slot that works for you, and is at your experience level. If the cancellation is not made in advance, the lesson is forfeited and cannot be made up.

This is a sport, rather than a drop-in type of hobby. Our students ride a minimum of once a week to keep their muscle memory and work towards achieving goals that they set with their coach. More competitive riders will choose to ride more than once a week. Book a time slot that is convenient for you so that you can commit to the same time each week.

Yes, most horses can be taught to do anything with patience and a firm grasp of what your trying to teach. Step by step tricks are easy to teach. The Spanish walk, rear, lay down, bow etc are all tricks that I can teach you, to teach your horse.

I get this all the time. I want to let everyone know that English/Western/Saddleseat/Driving or other styles of horse sports to me are all the same principals. I want my horse confident, willing to please, happy, and trained so well that the rest of the world thinks the horse is doing all the work and I’m just sitting there.

That is one of my favourite things to say to my students, make it look easy, make your friends think “I could do that, it looks so easy!”. This concept is what I try to apply to everything. My horse should steer completely off of my seat, weight, eyes and legs, and my horses do! I take the bridles off all the time and ride without because I can. This is what I want all the horses I train to be able to do. It means no short cuts, the horses learn everything thoroughly. We don’t just hop on and ride for hours one day and expect the horse to absorb it all by the end. Short but frequent lessons are the best and the horses learn and enjoy learning.

I train mostly dressage. I had a clinician dare me to make a horse go round and do upper level dressage moves without a bridle, he said it was impossible, and I’m out to prove him wrong.

I specialize in dressage training, however I have also competed in hunter/jumper as well as the western disciplines both performance and speed events. I bring a well rounded knowledge to my training and I have picked up tools and techniques from each discipline that I have ridden through.

We do, we can accomodate up to 40 horses on our property, check the boarding section under services to see more information on the packages offered.

No deposit is required for boarding, but a board contract and first and last month payment are required on the day the horse arrives.

Boots, blankets, fly masks are all included in the indoor board price. The barn staff will put on and remove as required. It is up to you to keep them in good repair, and replace them as needed if your horse requires them.

Extra grain or supplements, if your horse requires extra grain (outside of the grains we already feed) or extra supplements for it’s health, we are happy to feed it. You must include it in your contract so that all barn workers can be made aware of dosages. You do need to provide these extras but we are happy to feed them at no extra cost to you.