SADDLE CLUB 2026 TERM 2 WEEK 4 NEWS

Hi Saddle Club Members!

Can you believe we are almost half way through the term? By now, everyone should be settling in and the routine should be established. A reminder that you do need to book in at least 24 hours in advance and ensure that payments are up to date. I will be collating payments for the first four weeks and contacting those who have monies owing.

Is your child feeling bored right now? Read on…..Lessons this term have been focused on preparing some of the students and horses for the show that’s taking place next Sunday 31st May. We have been ensuring that the horse/rider combinations are solid and can handle whatever is thrown at them, which may mean that your kids are feeling a little bored.

We understand that some kids require more challenging (both mental and physical) than others and do our best to accommodate. Sometimes, slow lessons are happening because we haven’t quite managed to get the foundations sound enough.

This temporary boredom is a good thing. Don’t worry, it won’t be forever. We are always watching and assessing and adjusting things as needed to balance fun and safety.

Please reach out if you have any questions about how things are running or your child’s progress. We are trying hard to show you how things run behind the curtain, but do be proactive about contacting us.

LESSONS TODAY consisted of arena etiquette; something that keeps everyone safe (kind of like road rules). We focused on five main things - ask your kids what they learned about each of these:

• Entering and exiting the arena
  What do you check for before entering the arena?
  What do you do when entering or leaving the arena?
  Do you need to ask anyone if you want to enter or leave?

• Right of Way
  Who goes on the outside track out of someone walking and someone cantering?
  Do weaker or stronger riders have right of way?
  If someone is having issues with their horse, do they have right of way?
  If someone is having a lesson and you aren’t, do you have right of way?
  

• Spacing
  How much space do you need to leave between your horse and the horse in front?
  What are two things you can do if you are getting too close to the horse in front?
  

• Communication

  If you are having issues with your horse, do you speak up and say something to the other riders?
  What do you say if you want to pass someone on the inside track?
  What do you say if you want to go on a circle?
  What happens if you cut someone off? Do you say anything?
  

• Instructor etiquette
  Do you need to follow directions from an instructor if you are in the arena but not in their lesson?
  Do you need to ask permission from an instructor before you enter the arena?

If your kids don’t know the answer to any of the above questions, please encourage them to reach out and ask us, or do a bit of independent research. They’ve been allocated 12 demerit points and if they lose all 12, they lose their riding licence :)

The ridden component of this week’s lesson utilised the figure of eight. This comprises two 20m circles connect by an ‘x’. Riders combined the skills they have learned over the past few weeks (circles and straight lines) with arena etiquette. They had to communicate where they were when around other riders so that nobody was cut off on the course.

NON-RIDDEN WORK - a reminder that we aim for each student to help lead in one other lesson, and some groups will help instruct. Some weeks will be more demanding than others, but if you feel that your kid is consistently doing more than what they should be, please let us know. Some students put their hands up to do more than their fair share when they see we are under pressure and it’s important that we share the load to prevent burn out from any one person.

Purple, bronze and silver kids can opt to stay for longer periods of time, which likely means they will be asked to lead in another lesson. This is optional.

This week, the groups had the following tasks -

Silver: set up bottom arena, clean tall boys water trough and move their tyre feeders closer, be an assistant instructor for one lesson, lead in one lesson.

Bronze: set up top arena, make all coloured feeds, groom napoleon and aurora (and their manes/tails) and clean their water trough, one person to help instruct (this week was Bella), lead in one lesson.

Purple: make all main herd feeds, refill bins and clean feed landing, clean oldies water trough, lead in one lesson.

Blue: clean all three main herd troughs, lead in one lesson.

Red: clean and fill Violet/Fuey’s water trough, fill/clean shetland water trough, lead in one lesson.

Yellow: clean and refill stable waters, the bit water, and water on the landing.

Green: rake up hay in the run, at ramp and in stable yards.

Fortnightly: clean stables, ensure they are free of poo and any gear before leaving.

All students were reminded to ensure gear and brushes were clean and tidy before they left, that they had someone check their rugging, and to clean the spare brushes if they had left over time.

Remember: Everyone has a file and we are happy to answer any questions from parents or students. Don’t be shy!

For how long should my child be riding? We aim for all students to spend at least 40-45 minutes on horseback each week, which includes the warm up and cool down. The intensive riding component of the lesson (where the rider and horse and both working hard) is about 25 minutes; any more than this results in muscle fatigue and poor form which can then result in accidents.

The lead up to the show may see more sitting stationary on horseback in a lesson and watching other riders do their ‘show prep’, which is how things will run on the day of the show and we need to practice.

If your child is doing the show and currently feeling bored, that’s good. It bodes well for show day. Please rest assured that this will all change in week 6.

SNIPPETS of WEEK 4 TERM 2 below.

We look forward to seeing you all again on Saturday.

Thank you for your support.

Hobart Horseplay.