It’s a Winter Wonderland: Building a

It’s a Winter Wonderland:

Building a Bond With Horses & Students

By Shya Beth

Whether your students have their own horses or ride your stable’s lesson horses, you can bet being at the barn is a highlight of their week. Some will come by every day just to give their favorite horse a carrot and pat while others only come for their weekly lesson, and that’s okay! But what if you could bring your group of students closer together, building not only their trust and friendship but a community of riders centered around your stable and love of horses?

Making your barn into a social center for your students does not mean you need to open a horse-themed coffee shop on the stable grounds, but rather by building stronger connections to you and your business. Besides offering the normal lessons, leases, and horse show support, your students will be more apt to join your barn and stay with you long term if they feel like it’s their second home…and let’s face it, don’t most horse people refer to the barn as their “home away from home”?

Focus on Bonding

For most students, the majority of their time at the stables is focused on building their skills as a rider on horseback. And while riding is the biggest part of most lesson plans, let’s not forget the other part that makes someone a horseman or horsewoman and not just a rider—horsemanship! Many students these days show up for their lesson to a pre-tacked horse and pop off after their lesson, not to be seen again till the next time. While there is nothing wrong with that, this is creating more riders, not horsemen. It’s important to encourage students to take an interest not in just the ribbons and prizes, but in the day-to-day horse care and being a well-rounded horseman.

Build Barn Camaraderie

There are many winter activities you can do that require minimal setup that will educate your students and build trust and friendship between them. Besides being somewhere to stable their horse and train, students can find a community and home within the barn with you, other employees, and of course, other students! Regardless of the ages you cater to, there are a host of activities that can be done to include everyone.

WATCH PARTY: Are there some high-level horse shows happening within your discipline that you could host a watch party at the barn?

Not only would it be fun entertainment to see some of the best riders and horses compete, but it would also serve as great inspiration for students to keep leveling up their skills during those bleary winter days!

BRAIDING / CLIPPING PRACTICE: Being a great horseman or horsewoman is not just being able to ride, but being able to take care of horses and know the ins and outs of the “on the ground” care. If you have a pair of clippers and some wooly mammoths you’d like to turn back into horses, send a calendar invite to your students and get them excited! Offer refreshments, give the hallway a sweep, and open the barn doors for a few hours of barn talk and fur balls.

BAREBACK WINTER WONDERLAND:

What’s one of the best things to do on a crisp, fresh snowy day? Going on a bareback canter through the fields, of course. Invite a group of students and open up one of the outdoor pastures and have fun on a bareback ride through the snow—just be sure to bring hot cocoas and carrots! Not only is bareback riding fun, it’ll help strengthen your student’s riding skills, too.

A Match Made in Heaven

Kids and ponies—a match made in heaven, right? If teaching kids and beginners is your main focus, then there are countless ideas for making the barn a fun, safe place for kids to not only learn how to ride but foster their love of horses and make friends with fellow barn-mates by hosting laid back events that older students or barn hands can help you run. They do not need to be extravagant events—depending on the ages of the students, there are different ideas you can modify to your student’s ages, disciplines, and interests.

Building an indoor obstacle course is a great way to use what you have, and teach students how to “bombproof” their horse, and how to deal with surprised or nervous horses. Regardless if you are on the trail or in the show ring, nearly anything can startle a horse.

Giving their horse a massage is a wonderful way to bond and get to know their horse on a personal level. From stretching their legs and giving them a warm-up massage before riding, horses love massages just as much as people do!

Making horse-themed holiday crafts is another simple but fun activity for younger students to get creative and have fun in the barn. From painting horseshoes to felt Dala horses, there are ample opportunities to have fun. Group Tack cleaning session—it’s not the most fun activity in the world, but bring some warm drinks and students together, and it can be, allowing students to bond and spend more time at the stable.

There’s More Than Just Riding

At the stable, there are more ways than one to connect with your students and create another revenue stream. While an instructor’s daily to-do list is ever-so long, it’s worthwhile to consider bringing in another aspect to your barn—offering group sessions on different subjects. Whether it’s building a career or switching to a career in the equestrian world, or asking your vet, farrier, local equine artist, or other equine-related professional to give a talk or demo on their work, there are countless ways you can bring your equine community closer together.

Having a monthly or bi-monthly meeting, talk or demo can draw more students and clients to your business, showing that your stable is approachable, a fun place to be, and a top-notch training facility.

Just remember to make sure all students warm their bits before tacking up—the horses will surely thank you for it!