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Come to Liberty Stables in Millarville and learn to ride and work with horses. You volunteer your time for free and we provide you with a six module training program for free, to work through at your own pace. This opportunity is similar to a working student program but with flexible hours for people already having a job or for a student finishing school.

Ideal if you are considering buying a horse of your own in the near future, if you are considering keeping your horse at home, working in the horse industry or just for the love of horses.

Learn the skills of each module, with numerous horses on which to practice and gain experience. Assuming a 4 hour morning, each module will take 40 hours. More time may be spent in any one module if you are not confident to move on. You set your schedule. It can be as little as once a month, once a week, every weekend or full time.

Instruction everyday with lots of supervised practice time. Learn in more depth and progress much more quickly than you would in a weekly riding lesson. Sorry kids, only available for teens and adults. You must have your own transportation, as Liberty Stables is located about 30 minutes south west of Calgary, Alberta.

The modules are as follows:

Module 1 ... Horse care and stable management
Module 2 ... Grooming and horse handling
Module 3 ... Ground training horses
Module 4 ... Safety Riding
Module 5 ... Exercise Riding
Module 6 ... Training Riding

Module 1 ... Horse Care and Stable management

Horse handling
Learn the ins and outs of feeding horses
Learn how to clean and bed stalls
How to tell signs of a healthy horse
Notice signs of illness and know when to call the vet
Learn body parts and conformation
How to check horses and identify each by markings and color
How to blanket horses – also when and why
How to treat minor wounds and recognize lameness
Horse psychology –understanding pecking order

Module 2 ... Grooming and horse handling

How to catch, lead, and tie safely
Grooming
Feet care
Tacking up – Western and English
Putting on boots and bandages
Mane and tail care
Health maintenance – massage, chiro, stretches, magnet use
Tack cleaning and care
Clipping (seasonal)
Bathing (seasonal)

Module 3 ... Ground Training

Liberty – how to communicate with the loose horse
Identifying a horse’s personality and understanding how to work with it
Neutral stop spot – establishing respect
Dominant leading
Building trust – how to de-sensitize the horse
Pressure yields
Driving yields – building respect
Bareback mounting – on and off
Walking in neutral – circle and straight
Circling on line or lunging

Module 4 ... Safety Riding

Mounting and dismounting
Bending to a halt using a halter (lateral stop)
Responsibility Circle
Disengaging the hind (indirect rein)
Open rein steering – riding reverses
Single rein back up
Trotting on circle
Trotting on the rail
Lateral stop from a trot
Staying on the rail game

Module 5 ... Exercise Riding

Posting / two point
Reverses at trot
Arena patterns
Sitting trot
Work without stirrups
Cantering
Riding out at a walk
Riding out at a trot
Hill work
Mountain riding

Module 6 ... Training Riding

Flexions
Turn on the forehand
Leg yields
Rein back
Side pass
Canter out of reverses
Simple change of lead
Riding in contact
Walk to canter
Turn on the haunches