FAQ & Important Details

Pricing:

• Single Lesson (group or private): $60
• Book of 6: $330 (10% discount*: $300)
• Book of 12: $600 (10% discount*: $540)
• Tiny Trotters lesson: $35

*We offer a 10% discount off lesson packages for multiple family members who lesson weekly or for students who lesson multiple times a week. Lesson books never expire and can be used whenever. Book purchases are non-refundable. Please note that lease lessons do not qualify as a multiple lesson for 10% discount. 

We have a 24 hour cancellation policy; read more about our cancellation policy below. 

New Client Forms:

Please print out and fill out a New Client Form for every rider. Please bring with you to your first lesson. 

What do I wear? 

You do not need to go out and buy a whole new outfit of riding apparel, especially until you’re sure you want to continue (which we’re pretty confident you will!). 

Riders will need boots with a low 1⁄2” heel. Sneakers and open toe shoes are not permitted – hiking boots or fashion style boots are a great option to start, or Amazon has some very reasonably priced options for riding boots by searching for “Paddock Boots” for English riders. Rain boots or rubber boots, while acceptable, don’t always provide the flexibility a rider will need through their legs and ankle. 

Riders should wear long pants, jeans or leggings. Dressing in layers with a light jacket, especially in the cooler months is ideal, as you will get warm as you start riding, however the barn can be chilly during tack up time! 

All riders are required to wear a helmet. We sell helmets in a variety of sizes or you may purchase your own directly. Amazon has a good selection of reasonably priced helmets, just be sure the one you select is ASTM certified – Troxel, Ovation and IRH all make great, affordable and safety-certified helmets. 

As always, we’re happy to help you with selecting the gear you need, so talk with your instructor! Mack Hill will provide all the horse’s gear that you need for riding. 

What do I need to bring to my first lesson?

Besides the apparel listed above, we have some New Client paperwork that you can save time at your first lesson by printing at home, completing and bringing to your first lesson with you! Our New Client paperwork consists of the following: 

• Client Information Form: this is how we will contact you in case of lesson rescheduling or cancellation, as well as provide you any info or updates regarding lessons and the farm. 
• Payment Policy Form: this details our payment and cancellation policies. You are not required to fill out credit card info and if you choose not to, we just ask that you review the policies and sign the bottom of the form acknowledging you’ve read them. 
• Liability Release Form: you’ve probably seen these plenty of times! For our protection and for yours we ask that you acknowledge the inherent risks associated with riding and know that we will do everything we can to keep you and your family safe during your time at Mack Hill!

What can I expect when I come to the barn? How long will I be there? 

All lesson students – with the exception of our Tiny Trotter lessons – should plan to arrive to the farm 15 minutes prior to their scheduled lesson time. During this time, students will work with a working student to groom and tack up their lesson horse before their lesson time. (Arriving less than 15 minutes early or arriving late may mean your riding time will be shorter.) After grooming and tacking up, students will head out to the riding ring with their instructor. Private lessons will ride for 30 minutes; group lessons (2 or more students) will ride for 60 minutes. After the lesson is over, students will return to the barn to untack and groom their lesson horse. All in all, you can expect to spend approximately 30 additional minutes (15 before and 15 after) at the barn in addition to your lesson time. 

What about Tiny Trotter lessons? Tiny Trotter lessons are designed to give our younger riders (ages 6 and under) an introduction to being around horses and riding. Tiny Trotter lessons are 30 minutes long and include time in the barn working with their instructor learning safe horse handling skills, grooming, and tack up time, followed by 15-20 minutes of riding time. Tiny Trotter lessons should not arrive 15 minutes early for their lessons as grooming and tack up time is part of the lesson time. 

When do you teach lessons? 

We are open 7 days a week for riding lessons. Each day we have at least one instructor available for lessons, often times two or three, so we are able to accommodate most scheduling needs! Our lesson schedule is based on availability, and our busiest times are after school. Let us know what days and times are ideal for you and we will do our best to give you a few options. 

I would prefer to do a group lesson, how do I get signed up for that? 

We require that students are able to independently walk, steer, stop, and have started trotting off the lunge line before they join a group lesson. Current students can inquire with their instructor or email us if they’re interested in joining a group and we can provide you with some scheduling options. New students to Mack Hill who have ridden before and are interested in joining a group lesson will need to schedule a private evaluation lesson to determine their best match for a group lesson.

How do I pay for lessons? 

We accept cash, check, Venmo, PayPal or credit cards for lesson payments. We encourage, but don’t require, students to leave a credit card on file to prevent interruptions in lessons. We offer options to have your card automatically charged weekly, or to be used to renew a lesson pack when due. Those without a credit card on file will be unable to lesson if there is any outstanding account balance, so it’s important to make sure to bring payment to your lesson weekly or purchase a lesson pack. We use Authorize.net to securely keep cards on file and charge them. Depending on the option you select on our payment form we will either: charge your card weekly for each lesson taken or charge your card for a lesson pack whenever your pack is due for renewal. Credit card authorizations can be cancelled or modified at any time by sending us an email and/or requesting a new form while at the farm.

What is your cancellation policy? 

We ask that lessons are cancelled with as much notice as possible. Our policy is 24 hours notice. We understand that sometimes in the case of illness 24 hours notice is not always possible, so we ask that you reach out with as much notice as possible and we will do our best to work with you. Lessons that are a no show or cancelled with minimal notice will be charged for and must be paid for prior to attending further lessons. Mack Hill reserves the right to cancel future lessons until any outstanding balances are paid.

Will there be lessons when the weather is bad? Snow? Rain? Cold? 

Because we have an indoor riding arena we are able to hold lessons in most inclement weather! Rain and a little snow generally doesn’ t stop us! In the case of poor road conditions due to snow or ice Mack Hill’ s management will decide whether it is safe to have people driving to their lessons that day and will make an announcement on Facebook regarding lesson status. During extremely cold weather, for the safety of our horses, students and instructors we generally cancel lessons when the temperature is below 25 degrees, this will also be posted on Facebook with as much notice as possible! As always, if you feel you cannot safely get to the farm for your lesson we ask that you reach out to us with as much notice as possible so that we can work with you to reschedule.

What are the “fill rate lessons” I keep seeing on your Facebook page? 

Fill rate lessons are a great way to get in an extra lesson at a reduced rate. Each week we look at our schedule and offer open lesson slots at a reduced rate. Fill rate lessons are offered at a rate of $50 per lesson. Fill rate lessons must be paid for at the time of service by check or cash only. Due to the fees we pay our credit card service and the discounted nature of these lessons we are not able to accept credit card payments for fill rate lessons at this time. If you see a lesson spot that you would like to take just shoot us a message on Facebook or an email and we will get you on the schedule!