"Horses change lives.  They give our young people confidence and self esteem.  They provide peace and tranquility to troubled souls, they give us hope!" 

-Toni Robinson

Riding School

Hidden Hills is dedicated to growing a community of riders that value good horsemanship from the ground up.   We focus on sound horsemanship principles that we consider important for anyone who plans to be around horses in any capacity.  From basic horse care and handling to advanced riding techniques, our lessons include both theory and practical skills and incorporate a healthy mixture of groundwork, arena practice, and trail riding for both English and Western riders.

While our lessons are generally not show oriented, our instructors do encourage students to participate in our own small schooling shows and other events which are fun and relaxed opportunities for students to “show off” their skills.

lesson pricing

There’s a reason there are endless memes about how expensive horses are! But, oh, how worth it! Anyway, our riding lessons are $45/lesson for Levels 1-4 (60 min), $25/lesson for Young Riders (30 min), and $15/lesson for Pony Pals (15 min). All lessons are paid monthly.

riding ages

In our experience, riders are most physically and mentally ready for riding around age 9 or older, though we love to see children becoming comfortable around horses at any age! We encourage children under age 5 to participate in our Preschool Play Days. We also offer limited 15 minute Pony Pal lessons for ages 5-6 and 30 minute Young Rider lessons for ages 7-8. Riders ages 9 and up are generally best prepared to start riding in hour long lessons. 

riding partners

Beginner riders usually start in private lessons to learn the basics of good horsemanship, but we strongly believe in riding with others for the most positive riding experience. In general, Level 2+ riders will be paired with another rider for semi-private lessons. If you prefer private lessons, you will need to call to check on limited availabilities.

English or Western?

At this foundational level, we teach both! By Level 2, most riders will develop a sense of their preferred style - cowgirl or equestrienne! We do not teach specific riding disciplines (barrels, hunter/jumpers, etc), but instead use some of the foundational tenants of dressage (English and Western) to focus on a balanced seat and the quiet use of riding aids that will benefit any rider in their future horse experience.

WORK TO RIDE

*** Note: Work to Ride is currently unavailable. ***

Hidden Hills also offers a Work to Ride program for ages 12 and up, where our riding students can work off a portion of their lesson fees.  Experienced riders ages 14 and older can also become Junior Instructors, helping out with group lessons and summer camps, or teaching Pony Pal lessons.  

Find more information and how to get involved here, or go ahead and register online (see link at the top of the page) for lessons.

Ready to get started?

Our program is very full! Please fill out the waitlist below. We will contact you when we have availability.

riding levels

We have developed our own level system to standardize the skills we teach. Click here to see the specific skills learned in each level, but here is a synopsis of each:

PONY PALS (ages 5-6)

These 15 minute lessons use games and riding exercises to help young riders develop hands-free balance and become familiar with horses. Generally taught by Junior Instructors (14-18yo).

YOUNG RIDERS (ages 7-8)

These 30 minute riding lessons are for beginning riders who are still too small to handle tacking/untacking efficiently. They are learning Level 1 skills.

LEVEL 1

During these 60 minute lessons, riders learn basic ground handling of the horse, general horse/barn/arena safety rules, grooming, tacking and untacking, and develop a solid, balanced seat and use of basic aids at the walk and beginning trot. Usually these are private lessons.

LEVEL 2

Riders in Level 2 begin to learn how to maintain balance and control at the trot.

LEVEL 3

Level 3 riders solidify their trotting skills in the arena and on the trail

LEVEL 4

In Level 4, riders begin to learn canter/lope and pre-jumping and/or obstacle skills. At this level, we hope our riders are well-prepared for horse ownership, perhaps, or even leasing.