Riding Lessons
We offer a broad and inclusive riding program for young riders, new riders, casual riders, and competitive riders. We believe good communication and consistency through classical foundations create the best successes. In everything we do, we try to promote community and rely on our various experts to provide the best mental and physical care for our horses and riders. We strive to provide quality, professional training at every level.
We welcome those wishing to start or continue their journey in learning to work with horses and have designed our program to take you from your first rides up through competing in show jumping on a national level. Lessons are available with Instructors of diverse back grounds, and we have a variety of experienced lesson horses up through 2’3”. We also have lease horse and welcome haul in lessons and boarders!
Private, Semi-Private (2), or Group lessons (3-4) are available to all level of riders. Our school can be tailored to your specific needs and has been thoughtfully broken down into a “School Program and Performance Program”. Boarders and lessees receive a $55 discount on lessons.
Littles Lessons
We offer “Little’s Lessons” which is for students under the age of 7 who are just getting interested in horses and riding. These lessons are abbreviated in order to provide an introduction to horses at a better value for parents. These lessons typically have 20 minutes of ride time, and kiddos safely learn to lead, brush, and saddle a horse. This is a great way for kiddos to explore a passion for horses at a young age!
School Program
Our school program caters to people who have never ridden a horse before, to those who wish to continue the hobby of riding. We welcome riders of all levels to ride on our school horses, but please note we cap them at 2’3” for the sake of long term health and maintenance. We offer both private and group lessons (3-4 riders per hour).
Our lessons educate riders (and parents) about safe horse handling such as leading, grooming, and saddling; and introductory riding techniques. Riding time will increase with each lesson as the rider becomes more capable in preparing their horse for the ride. In the saddle, riders will learn about position, basic horse control, and safety as they master the walk and trot.
Annually, we offer a Beginner Summer Camp that may be utilized to further your horsemanship fundamentals.
As students wish to pursue more goals, we recommend twice weekly lessons; pairing one private lesson with one group each week to allow students to increase saddle time under the supervision of our instructors as their skills are developing. The more you ride, the more you learn! If you wish to receive more individualized jumping instruction, you may continue into our Performance Program which is tailored to prepare for eventual leasing, owning and competition.
Performance Program
Our Performance Program is a faster paced track towards leasing, owning and horse showing, and offers more individualized jumping instruction. To prepare students for the increased demands these bring, we offer lessons in a private and semi-private environment.
We encourage riders at all levels to explore competitive riding as a way to take their riding skills to the next level. From conquering nerves in a higher pressure environment to pursuing goals, showing can give us a lot of real world skillsets. As you form a stronger relationship with the horse and trainer with more tailored training, it will set you up for success as you learn how to horse show. From ground poles to 2’3” jumps, riders progress through 5 levels of competition in introductory horse showing at several shows offered at our facility.
We require twice weekly lessons for competition, as this is a sport and the consistency is important for success. In order to show off property or at a larger height than 2’3”, we require half-leasing or owning. We encourage half-leasing or owning to get the most out of introductory competing on our property, but do not require it.
Leasing
Leasing is a very popular option for students to work with just one horse on a regular basis without the commitment of ownership. Leasing is available to compliment but not replace riding lessons. In addition to lessons, unsupervised ride time gives riders a chance to practice skills on their own time, improve their riding fitness, and improve their communication with the horse.
Because these rides are unsupervised, leasing is only available pending trainer approval to make sure it is a safe and positive experience for both horse and rider.
Clinics and other Opportunities
Periodically throughout the year the Four Winds schedules riding and horsemanship clinics as well as fun community events. Some of these opportunities are open to all students, and some are reserved for more advanced riders. If there is a special event or clinic you are interested in attending, please chat with your trainer to determine if it will be the right fit for you!
Thinking about horse shows? We have opportunities at every level.
We believe showing is a great way to create progress and growth for both horses and riders at any level. Show opportunities depend on availability, so if you are interested in showing please let us know!
Our competitive team is a very exciting part of our program. We specialize in show jumping, and compete at both local and nationally recognized hunter/jumper competitions.
Show Jumping is a sport of you and your horse against the course. The strength of your relationship with your horse, your understanding of the sport, and your physical capabilities will be challenged in different ways at each horse show.
Because of the importance of the relationship with your horse, leasing or ownership is required for showing above the 2’6” level. Competitive riders should plan to train a minimum of 4 days per week at the 2’6-2’9 level, and 5-6 days per week for competition at 3’ and beyond. Lessons or training contacts are recommended a minimum of twice per week.
Practice Shows
We host a series of schooling shows throughout the summer for students to have a relaxed and positive first experience with competition. These shows are also open to members of our community. Our goal is to allow riders to discover a passion for horse showing while learning the formatting and expectations that accompany competitive riding
Local Circuit
Our local Colorado Hunter Jumper Association organizes a series of horse shows throughout the state. We typically attend about 10 CHJA shows between March and November for one or both weekend days, as well as a one-week long show in Estes Park each summer. These shows are geared towards riders competing up to the 3’ level, with a handful of bigger classes.
USEF/USHJA ‘A’ rated competitions
We attend 3-6 weeks of USEF ‘A’ rated horse shows throughout the year. These shows typically involve travel and overnight stays for one week at a time, at showgrounds in CO, NM, NE, AZ, or CA. We love the idea of a pony-cation and choose shows based on interest from show team members.
Show with us.
“Competition is healthy in life. It is the only time in which you'll find tangible evidence of the strive to constantly better yourself. It is a positive thing to Learn also to lose. Just for the mere fact in life : you can always be better. I choose to compete with horses because while I strive to be better, they have always forced me to be honest with myself. And they have always been empathetic to that struggle for truth.” -Linnea Throckmorton
We are looking forward to the upcoming Horse Show season!
Four Winds hosts horseshows at our facility monthly from April through November. We also travel to shows, doing three to six weeks of USHJA Shows and at least one CHJA Show off property per month.
Please inquire about horseshow costs if you’re unfamiliar, as we charge differently for shows than lessons.
Please remember that any local shows you wish to attend, must be committed to at least 15 days in advance.
USHJA Shows require 30 days. These shows have entry deadlines.
We will not attend a show with less than three horses on a trailer. This can include the trainer’s horses.