After the Intro Program, students in the Equestrian Development Program will work towards improving their skillsets and moving from Beginner to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced.  Note that depending on the riding stream/discipline a student is in at the time, it may affect how quickly they work their way up through the skill levels.

Riding Streams

Riding Streams:
​- Groundwork and Horse Training
- Western Riding
- Hunter-Jumper
- Dressage
- All Round Horsemanship (includes trail riding, recreational riding and learning a bit about all the disciplines/streams offered)

Skill Levels

We use the following theory and riding skills breakdown to help us split students into appropriate classes on the schedule and keep them working towards achieving their goals.  Please note requirements for showing under any stream or discipline are listed in the Intermediate skill set below.

Beginner

Stable Management:

• Cleaning/picking hooves
  • Initiation: needs assistance
• Blanketing
  • Initiation: May need help with straps/buckling
• Basics of horse behavior & safety around horses
• Catching and haltering a horse
  • From a stall
  • From a pen

• Leading a horse
  • Inside (Around other horses)
  • Outside (Handling distractions such as grass, wind, stormy conditions)
• Grooming a horse
• Theory: breeds/colours/parts of the saddle/bridle/anatomy
• Basic horse health monitoring

Riding:

• Mounting/dismounting
  • Initiation: Coach holds the horse and guides the rider
• 10m and 20m circle at the walk
• 20m circles/basic steering in trot
• Transitions
  • Walk
  • Trot
  • Halt

• Direct rein steering
• Introduction to Sitting trot
• Introduction to Posting trot
• Introduction to Posting Diagonals
• Weaving through pylons at the walk
• Introduction to two-point
• Emergency dismount

Theory:

• No theory requirements as Intro/Beginner is a whole program

  
End Goal for Beginner Level Rider Position:

• Rider has learned what the basic positions are of sitting in the saddle, posting and two point but does not yet have the strength to hold for long periods of time with total accuracy. Frequent reminders are needed to keep a correct position.

Riding Stream Interest:

• At this point riders could make a choice to transition to western or maintain an English focus. (At any point riders can transition to a western focus).
• Sagehill also offers a groundwork focus that can begin at any level throughout students’ training.

Novice

Stable Management:

• Cleaning/picking hooves
  • Acquisition: Can pick out independently
• Blanketing
  • Acquisition: Can put on independently
• Open and close gates safely/independently
• Bathing
• Cleaning Tack

Ridden:

• Mounting/dismounting
  • Acquisition: Does not need coach to hold horse unless horse is moving
• 10, 15 and 20m circles at the trot
  • Initiation: Shape of circle may be compromised but idea is cemented.
• No stirrups at the sitting trot
  • Initiation: Rider may bounce or need to hold the saddle.
• No stirrups posting trot
  • Initiation: Rider may not be able to maintain perfect rhythm or change posting diagonals.
• Indirect rein steering
• Independent change of posting diagonal
• Trot weave through pylons
• Balanced two point at walk and trot
• Ground poles
• Bareback at the walk
• Introduction to canter
• Cooling down a horse properly after a ride

Theory:

• Pasture Safety
• Basic First Aid
• Horse and Barn Safety

  
End Goal for Novice Level Rider Position:

• Rider has learned the basic positions of sitting in the saddle, posting and two point, but does not yet have the strength to hold for long periods of time with total accuracy. Fairly frequent reminders are needed but rider has improved control of the legs and hand and has begun to be able to balance on top the horse with their seat.

Intermediate & Competitive Start

Intermediate

Stable Management:

• Cleaning/picking hooves
  • Mastery: Ability to recognize and treat hoof conditions such as thrush. Notice missing horseshoes, chunks missing of hoof, ensure stones are picked out of entire foot, sometimes lodged in wall not just clefts
• Blanketing
  • Acquisition: Ability to recognize when temperature is too hot or cold for blanketing
• Catch/groom/tack up
  • Independently and confidently
• Handing basic behavioral issues on the ground (i.e pushy horse)
• Appropriate times to feed, types of feed and hay
• Basic understanding of bridle fit
  • Initiation: Know to check for bit too tight/loose along cheekpieces and where noseband should sit

• Basic understanding of saddle fit
  • Initiation: saddle sitting on wither, rising up off back
• Basic equine first aid (Ability to recognize a cut, clean and recognize when it should receive ointment to put on. Ask coach for specific ointment.)
• Polo wrapping and booting
  • Initiation: Wrapping should always be checked by instructor. Understand purposes of both.
  • Acquisition: Wrapping should always be checked by instructor, understand pros and cons of both.

• Introduction to Standing Wraps

Groundwork in Relation to Riding:

• Basics of jump course design/striding (ability to set and start to see how many strides are in combinations/lines from the ground)
• Introduction to lunging walk/trot
  • Initiation: Learns to safely handle lunge line/whip
  • Acquisition: Continued development of lunging including the canter

Ridden:

• Mounting/Dismounting
  • Mastery: Ability to correct a horse that does not stand at the block
• 10, 15, 20m circles at the trot
  • Acquisition: Shape develops as rider’s eye learns to see their track. Round circles
• Steering at canter (figures, ex. 20m, 15m, figure eights, etc)
• No stirrups sitting trot
  •  Acquisition: beginning to develop a completely independent seat, may not follow the horse completely if they speed up/slow down

• No stirrups posting trot
  • Acquisition: No longer any gripping/pinching with leg/knee, hands not bouncing, can change posting diagonal
• Sitting canter
  • Initiation: Basics of staying somewhat grounded to the saddle but may have a swinging leg
  • Acquisition: Leg begins to stay steady, heel remains consistently down, rider follows with the seat and hands are independent and quiet
• Ability to consistently control rhythm/pace at walk/trot
• Half seat canter
  • Initiation: Shoulders remain forward and slight bouncing may occur
  • Acquisition: Rider begins to have the strength to stay tall and the motion of rising and falling in the saddle is consistent and steady

• Leg yield/lateral work at walk/trot
  • Initiation: Learns to perform movement
  • Acquisition: Ability to perform movement fairly correctly and recognize when it is not correct, able to recognize change of rhythm but not necessarily correct either of those
• Simple lead changes through trot
  • Initiation: Simple change is performed but may take time or be rushy
  • Acquisition: simple change is performed with a set amount of trot steps, rider can influence the horse’s body to bend and pick up new inside lead without excess movement of their body
• Collection and extension at the walk/trot/canter (learning to half-halt)
  • Initiation: Rider can adjust stride length but has a change in tempo.
  • Acquisition: Rider can quickly adjust stride length and can recognize change in tempo. Can identify collection/extension when watching another rider
• Jumping (Including a mane release)
  • Initiation: can maintain a fairly balanced position over a fence and ride a correct turn to the fence
  • Acquisition: Rider is balanced in their position and performs a mane release without being told. Can maintain consistent rhythm to the fence. Introduces low verticals
• Walk to canter transitions
  • Initiation: sustains a few trot steps
  • Acquisition: no trot steps
• Ability to see a distance to a fence
  • 3 strides away
  • 4 strides away
• Trail riding
• Bareback riding
  • Walk
  • Trot

Theory:

• Learn to Fall
• Horse Welfare
• Intro to Lunging
• Essential Horse Care/Intro to Stable Management
• Bandaging

 
End Goal for Intermediate Level Rider Position:

• Acquisition: While keeping in mind personal attributes, the rider’s position is steady at walk, trot and canter. The hands remain quiet and the rider is beginning to develop a steadier rein contact. The lower leg has minimal movement with head hip and heels in a straight line and the heel remains the lowest part of the foot. The rider now has the strength to hold positions such as sitting trot and two point in all gaits for extended periods of time.
• At this point students could indicate an interest in being a jumping vs dressage, groundwork or learn to train stream. While the advanced skills listed below are taught in both disciplines, there differing end goals and finer details that can be tailored to a student’s future focus.

Riding Stream Interest:

• Upon completing the Intermediate riding level, EDP students have the opportunity to choose from a number of focused streams offered in the program.
  • Hunter/Jumper
  • Dressage
  • All-Round
  • Horse Training
• Additionally, students have the opportunity to choose a competitive focus enabling them to attend horse shows throughout the province in a discipline of their interest.

​Ready to Compete?
               Once you reach skills in the Intermediate skills level and are interested in showing, if you demonstrate the ability to meet the Competitive guidelines, you may be considered to join the Sagehill Stables Show team.

Competitive

​Ready to Compete?
               For those in the Intermediate skills level and beyond may be considered to join the Sagehill Stables Show team if these competitive guidelines are met.
​
Ability to:

• Demonstrate proficiency at stable wraps
• Administer syringes
• Utilize different methods of restraint
• Fit jump boots
• Basic stable management:
  • Bed a stall
  • Muck out
  • Feed hay and have knowledge of appropriate hay distribution/consumption
  • Fill water buckets safely off property

• Clean tack
• Bath a horse
• Walk a jump line and determine striding (Hunter/Jumper focus)
• Walk/Trot/Canter proficiently with a fairly balanced seat
• Jump a course of medium sized cross rails proficiently (Hunter/Jumper focus)
• Understand how to ride and handle horses in large groups
• Has knowledge of off property equine health safety protocols

Advanced

​Stable Management:

• Blanketing
  • Mastery: Ability to recognize when blanketing is useful for a particular horse and explain benefits, uses and types
• Catch/groom/tack up
  • Mastery: Can do all three independently even with more difficult horses. Introduction of positive reinforcement as a training tool to improve the horse’s outlook on human interaction. Using reward and body language to help regulate a horse’s behavior during grooming/tack up.
• Ways to use feed to give medications, improve hydration and how different feeds work. How to implement a feed program/choose a diet for a horse
• Bridle fit
  • Acquisition: Can fit a bridle to a horse understanding noseband placement, cheekpiece/bit placement, browband/crownpiece sizing to a horse
  • Mastery: Can fit a bit to a horse and begin to understand bit action in the mouth and how different bits effect the horse differently, why different horses go in different bits.

• Saddle fit
  • Acquisition: understand gapping of saddles along the back and how to check, channel width, gullet sizing and length of saddle along the spine
  • Mastery: understand how different paneling systems, knee rolls and half pads effect the placement and how and when to implement a half pad
• Equine first aid
  • Ability to recognize when a cut is treatable vs needs advanced first aid or veterinary first aid. Able to find correct ointment for wounds
• Polo wrapping and booting
  • Mastery: Be able to identify types of each and how they benefit/hinder the horse. Pros and cons of both. Should be able to confidently and effectively put all types on any school horse proficiently regardless of size or age
• Standing wraps
  • Understand uses, pros and cons of traditional wraps vs. quick wraps, modern types of technology within some cottons (no bows, ceramic, magnetic) and sub-types of standing wraps (suspensory vs stove pipe).

Groundwork in Relation to Riding:

• Jump course design/striding.
  • Ability to set jumps according to specific horses/length of strides including rollbacks, bending lines and gymnastics
• Advanced development of lunging
  • Mastery: Including reasons to lunge and how it benefits horses especially their mount. Ability to positively affect the horse’s way of going and see continued positive progression of the horse and student’s aids.
• Recognize the benefits of loose rein cool out at the walk and trot at the finish of a ride and how that effects the spine

Ridden:

• 10, 15, 20m circles at the trot
  • Mastery: Maintains shape through transitions and other complicated maneuvers while maintains track
• Refined control at the canter
  • (ex. 10m circles). Rider rarely to never reverts back to a direct rein on the inside rein for turning and instead correctly utilizes the outside turning aids
• No stirrups sitting trot
  • Mastery: collection to extension and figures with no change of balance
• No stirrups posting trot
  • Mastery: collection to extension, balanced position in rhythm with horse including use of figures
• Sitting canter:
  • Mastery: Follows the horse without impeding their forward motion, lower leg remains steady with a grounded heel. Arms are independent but can remain connected to the mouth via rein
• Ability to consistently regulate rhythm/pace at the canter
• Half seat
  • Mastery: Rider’s shoulders stay above hips and the half seat allows the horse to cover ground while encouraging lightness of the forehand. Rider can move from sitting canter to half seat at any given moment when called for

• Lateral work:
  • Mastery: Can recognize when movements are not correct/rhythm changes and adjust accordingly. Introduces half pass and lateral movements at the canter
• Simple changes:
  • Mastery: Through walk and trot with set number of steps, understanding of lightness of the forehand in the transition and how to encourage said motion. Does not require use of corners to attain leads
• Collection and extension
  • Mastery: Can perform movements of such at specific letters, can identify when they have achieved called for collection/extension and working gaits on their own mount
• Jumping
  • Short, medium and long crest release
  • Verticals
  • Small Oxers
• Ability to both see and adjust distances to fences
  • 5 strides
  • 8 strides
• Walk to canter transitions:
  • Mastery: Understanding of the horse’s hind end pushing the transition and not pushing the horse onto the forehand. Canter is balanced and not rushed following transition)
• Refinement of non-progressive transitions to include lightness of the forehand and responsiveness of the horse
  • Understanding the benefits to a horse’s training
• Introduction to hand gallop
• Improving a horse’s suppleness and can encourage the horse to work in frame.
  • Initiation: Rider may need constant reminder to ride back to front and not overly focus on the hands. Horse may be inconsistent in frame
  • Acquisition: Rider is more confident in their aids and the horse is consistently in frame. The rider is starting to learn to identify themselves when the horse is moving correctly from the hind end and does not need to be told when to soften.
  • Mastery: Rider can ask for direct and lateral flexion as well as the degree desired. Rider can encourage the horse to reach for the bit and realizes one wants to push the horse onto the bit instead of take. Can decide what degree of lateral flexion they want at a specific time (ex. transitioning from on the vertical to a more relaxed hunter frame).

• Variations of the seat including:
  • Light Seat
  • Full Seat
  • Driving Seat
• Flying lead changes
• Bareback riding (walk/trot/canter)

Theory:

• Advanced Lunging
• Medical Bandaging
• Bits/Tack/Equipment: Reasons for Use, Positive and Negative Impacts
• Feed and Nutrition
• Equine and Stable Management

 
End Goal for Advanced Level Rider Position:
While keeping in mind personal attributes, the rider’s position positively influences the horse at walk, trot and canter. The hands follow the horse’s motion with the ability to have a connected rein with an elastic connection, and the lower leg is still. The rider stretches through their entire leg into the heel without gripping. The rider’s position is balanced in their seat, not impeding the forward motion of the horse. The rider can move from a sitting position to out of the saddle and variations within with no interruption of the horse’s natural way of going.

 If you are interested in showing and demonstrate the ability to meet the Competitive guidelines (see above section), you may be considered to join the Sagehill Stables Show team. 

Lease a horse

Join the show team