WRR Practice Riding Policies

For their safety, all riders age 13 and younger must have parental supervision since WRR does not supervise practice riding. (WRR reserves the right to require supervision for anyone under 18 years of age).

You may ride only the horse assigned to you. You may not switch horses. The only exception to this rule is when the lessee of the horse you are riding wishes to ride their leased horse. If this situation arises, please let the lessee know how much longer you are going to ride (you will know this since you already paid for the time in advance). The lessee may decide just to wait for you to finish. If you are planning to ride longer than the lessee wishes to wait, and you are comfortable changing mounts, the lessee will catch and groom a suitable replacement horse (which you must have previously ridden).

Prior to practice riding

Rider must have demonstrated independent control of the horse within WRR lessons and be able to identify, catch and tack assigned horse alone or with a little help. Rider must have passed the WRR Practice Riding & Trail Test (written & ridden portions) and be willing to accept the additional risks and responsibilities of riding outside of a supervised class. Passing the trail test does not mean that you may take horses out of WRR arenas. You must have permission the first time you wish to ride in areas other than the indoor or outdoor arenas.

Rider and guardian must thoroughly read, sign, and submit WRR Horse Usage and WRR Stable Agreements. These agreements contain rules which must be followed.

A reservation must be made with WRR at least 24 hours in advance. Prior to making reservation, check availability of the horse you wish to ride on website. Call (651-436-6557) or email (markward@windyridgeranch.com) to arrange reservation. If you do not receive an OK, DO NOT come out to practice ride. We have limited practice riding on Saturdays. 

When you arrive at the ranch and before you get your horse, sign in to the practice riding log book and leave payment. When making up for a missed lesson, practice ride time is equal to missed lesson time.

Calculating riding/usage time

Practice riding time begins when the horse is completely tacked up and ends when you last get off the horse. If the horse is still hot, it must be walked until cool. During winter, if the horse is cool but still excessively wet, it must be reasonably dry before you put it out (this might take 30 minutes).

Do not leave your horse tied unattended more than 10 minutes. If your horse is tied up more than 10 minutes per hour of riding time, consider this part of your practice riding time.