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What To Do – Horse Stable Program Ideas

What To Do – Horse Stable Program Ideas

For many equestrians, their first few years spent learning how to ride and care for horses are fond memories that helped build a lifetime of love and passion for horses and riding. If you are considering adding other horse stable programs to the services you already offer for youths to help young riders in your local community learn more about horses and riding, continue reading for some tips and considerations.

After School Programs

After school programs are an excellent way to keep children entertained and stimulated doing activities that they love while simultaneously providing parents with a safe and fun environment for their children after school. They are also an excellent way to add supplemental income for your business. When designing your after-school programs, consider the following:

  • Separate programs for different age groups; how will they be split up?
  • How many trainers will need to be on staff for the programs?
  • Do you have enough lesson horses available for the programs?
  • What sort of activities will be offered in the programs?
  • Will the programs be offered every day after school, or on certain days every week?
  • Discuss coverage with your insurance agent to ensure that your business is fully covered
  • Create pricing options based on the services offered

Horse Stable Programs for the Summer

Many young riders anxiously look forward to the beginning of summer horse camp all year long; days filled with riding and making friends in the hot summer sun are often the highlight each year for young equestrians. Work with your staff to design a summer program that keeps children entertained, safe, and smiling all summer long. Consider the following while creating your summer program:

  • Separate programs for different age groups; how will they be split up?
  • Staff needed/Camper-to-counselor ratio
  • Activities that will be offered
  • Camp start and end times: many programs closely mimic parent’s work schedules to make drop-off and pick-up time easy
  • Lesson horses available for use
  • Lunch and snack times: decide if the food will be provided, or if campers will be asked to bring their own. Be sure that your registration info asks about food allergies and have a plan to ensure these are reviewed and considered every week
  • Ensure there will be at least one “cool-down” activity each day, whether that be swimming, relaxing in an air-conditioned space, etc.
  • Discuss coverage with your insurance agent to ensure that your business is fully covered
  • Create pricing options based on the services offered: older campers will probably take part in more extensive activities, which will warrant higher prices.

Once you have established the programs that your barn will offer to young riders, it is crucial to begin advertising as soon as possible to allow parents to discover your program when they first start looking in the early spring. It is also important to remember that a successful summer program might entice parents to sign their children up for lessons in the fall, winter, and spring; this is an excellent way to keep business rolling in all year round.

After-school and summer programs can be a key source of new long term customers, so be sure to wrap up each session with information to the parents on what the best next step would be for their child to continue with equestrian activities at your stable.

horse stable programs