Policies
Payment Terms
Payment of cash or check is due in full prior to your first lesson.
PACKAGES ARE NON REFUNDABLE.
If you are purchasing a monthly package, the entire balance is due on the day of your first lesson. Lesson packages expire 2 months from date of purchase. Prices are subject to change.
Cancellations & Rescheduling
Part of horsemanship is respecting the horse, the instructor, and other students. Please be on time for your lesson. Please give the instructor 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule (12 hours at the very least). It is your responsibility to keep up your monthly training, but we understand that things come up and life happens. We ask only that you keep us informed. If the weather prevents us from safely riding, lessons will be rescheduled. Lesson packages will be automatically renewed after the last lesson in the package. Please give us two weeks notice if you wish to end lessons.
Barn Rules
1.) NO SMOKING in barn or on property. If we see you smoking, we will assume you are on fire and act accordingly.
2.) ABSOLUTELY NO DOGS. Dogs are forbidden on premises, whether in a car, truck, trailer, or your pocket.
3.) CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF AND YOUR HORSE and return all stable supplies to their appropriate place.
• Clean up any mess you or your horse makes in the aisle, tack room, wash rack, or riding ring (including manure, hair, hoof pickings, and the long trail of droppings your horse leaves all the way from arena to stall).
• Please sweep up hair and hoof pickings, and pick up manure in the wash rack/grooming areas before your horse leaves the area.
• Put everything away and leave the barn as clean or cleaner than you found it.
• If you open anything, close it when you’re done.
• If you take something, put it back where you found it.
4.) NO LOOSE HORSES. Close and latch all gates and stall doors, every time.
• Horses are escape artists—let’s keep them all on the property. Always keep gates closed and latched. When you go through them, close them. If you find them open, close them!
• Horses outside of stalls or paddocks must have a human attached at all times – no “I’m just gonna leave my horse standing loose in the aisle while I run into the tack room real quick like” – just no. Not even for a second.
• Don’t leave unsupervised horses tied in the wash rack or cross-ties. Unsupervised, tied horses soon become unsupervised, loose horses.
5.) RESPECT HOURS OF OPERATION AND PRIVACY. The residence on property is private. We ask that you respect our privacy and do not enter, unless invited.
6.) NO UNATTENDED CHILDREN
• All children under 12 must be accompanied by their parent/guardian on the ground at all times.
• Running, screaming, and fence climbing are not allowed, as well as playing in that wonderfully enticing but itchy haystack.
• Unsupervised children will be given a free espresso and a puppy.
• Ill-behaved children will be given a Shetland pony and all pink tack.
7.) LIABILITY RELEASE FORMS:
All first-time visitors and students must sign a liability release form.
8.) DRESS APPROPRIATELY
• When riding: Boots and helmets – Appropriate footwear with a heel and ASTM-SEI approved helmets must be worn when riding – EVERYTIME.
• When handling horses: Wear appropriate footwear with a closed toe. Absolutely no flip flops/sandals/crocs.
9.) BE CONSIDERATE. Help keep our barn peaceful and pleasant for the enjoyment of all:
• Please be respectful of our instructors, other students, and their property.
• Please don’t use anyone else’s tack, brushes, sprays or supplements.
• No running or Horse Play, unless you have hooves and a tail.
• Do not borrow, feed treats, or otherwise mess with anything that is not yours, without direct permission from the owner.
• No screaming, unless you’re actually dying. If you’re screaming, you better be on fire or have a stick in your eye!
• No loitering in tack stalls, wash racks, or cross ties! If someone is waiting for the wash rack and you need more time to groom your horse, move your horse to a stall.
• No comments allowed on horses or riders except by trainer.
• No chasing the chickens or cats.
• No loud music, without prior approval or unless you’ve qualified for the Olympic Musical Freestyle and need to practice, in which case, congrats!
• THIS IS A GOSSIP FREE BARN.
◦ Chickens/roosters exempt.
10.) LESSON ETIQUETTE
• Be kind and compassionate to your horse, first and foremost, always and forever.
• Be on time.
• Dress appropriately (boots, helmet, long pants required, decent t-shirt/polo and jeans/breeches suggested).
• Leave your phone at home or in the tackroom.
• No whining, please please please.
• Pick out feet: no hoof, no horse.
• Groom horse from head to toe, check for injury/swelling/tenderness and report anything unusual to trainer immediately.
• Check tack before every ride: report any issues immediately.
• Beginners: do not mount without instructor’s presence and permission.
• Clean and check all tack after ride, and replace where and how you found it.
• Shake out and re-wind polo wraps, wash if needed.
• Wash saddle pads/girths/cinches if needed.
• All parents must obey the Fifty-Foot Rule during their child’s lesson: parent must be 50 feet away from child at all times during the lesson (no hanging on the rail), and No Commenting.
• Please respect the instructor’s time: call ahead if late and call ASAP if unable to attend (see cancellation policy above).
11.) BASIC SAFETY
• Don’t feed treats/fingers to horses without permission. If you’d rather not feed fingers to the horses, offer treats on a flat hand or put treats on the ground or in a feed bucket.
• No jumping or ground poles permitted when alone.
• No riding horses in full suits of armor without prior permission of the instructor.
12.) POLICIES
• 24 hour notice required for cancellation. Life happens, so we will work with you, but if it becomes a pattern you will be charged. See payment and cancellation policies above.
• No call, no show may jeopardize your place in the lesson program and you will definitely be charged for full lesson.
• SUNHORSE STABLES reserves the right to refuse service to anyone, and to change the barn rules at any time.
SunHorse Stables 