Welcome to the Windy Ridge Ranch
30 Years of Teaching and Riding

The Windy Ridge Ranch, east of St. Paul, in Woodbury, Minnesota, offers group riding lesson, a leasing program, and other fun riding activities for our students. WRR is home to 49 well-mannered schooling horses. Learn more about the ranch.

Group Riding Lessons

Focus is on solid equitation skills and horsemanship as well as having fun with horses. We offer regularly-scheduled group lessons for beginners to advanced riders for ages 9 to adult. We also have twice-monthly "Pee Wee" lessons for ages 7-11. Group lessons may include English or Western equitation, jumping, dressage, games, horsemanship, and trail riding (for WRR students only). Feel free to visit one of our lessons. Learn more about group lessons.

Mark Ward started the Windy Ridge Ranch in 1979 and has been having fun teaching riding lessons ever since. He's pictured here with his Quarter Horse, Jet, and with his wife, Katie, on Samson.


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Photo above and at far left by Kathleen Smith.

Riding Lesson Session Information


2012 Session Calendar

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Session 1, 2012 has begun. Session 2 begins Feb. 28.

Click here for how to register.

Learn more about our Lessons.

 

 


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Session 1 2012 Lesson Roster

Makeup Spaces Session 1

 

Horse Utilization

 

 

 

 

News & Events
first-harness

Bingo is a natural!

Bingo is learning to pull a pony cart. Details and videos.

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Some WRR riders have invented a new way of making angels

Watch a 2 second video.

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St. Paul Winter Carnival Grande Day and Torchlight Parades

12 of our beautiful horses performed drill maneuvers in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Grande Day Parade Saturday, Jan. 28 and in the Torchlight Parade Saturday, Feb. 4. There were some thirills and spills; but we pleased the crowds and had fun parading.

 

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Christmas Carolling Dec. 18, 2011

Forty eight WRR horses and riders, followed by Brendan in the tractor, filed through the adjacent Heritage Park neighborhood, stopping to sing carols to quite a few families. It was nearly 40 degrees! We all had a great time.

Video from a previous year

 

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Lessons in the Snow

Video --
The Tuesday morning class enjoys outdoor riding in the winter cold. (12/06/2011)

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A Reminder About the Importance of Wearing Helments for Every Ride, Every Time.
(As told by two Windy Ridge Ranch Riding Lesson Students)

Katelyn Stuck offers a good story about her recent use of a riding helmet.

Leah Stromme explains her helmet experience with a small pony.
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Racer had a successful surgery!

An entrapped and displaced epiglottis was successfully released and Racer's shortness of breath (caused by a parlty blocked airway) seems to be cured. (Dec 13, 2011)

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Halloween Fun Show

25 horses and riders participated in our colorful costume event. And over 50 riders competed overall.

Lots of photos and videos will be coming soon.

Photos by Joe Macc

Mallory & Christina and Mark & Louisa in the ribbon race (YouTube video)

Photos by Amanda Plucker

 

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Windy Ridge Ranch featured in Woodbury Magazine

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Otter Creek Farm Fall Horse Trial, Sept. 23-25, 2011

Mark, Katie, and Jenny F. competed on Jet, Wonder Girl and Jefe.

Photos of Katie in Cross Country Jumping (4mb .pdf slideshow)


Videos
Jennifer Finch in Stadium Jumping and Mark & Katie jumping the "Table"

See Photos of Mark at the last 3-day trial (3 mb .pdf slide show)   

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The Sept 17th Barn Dance had more than 70 attendees.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped put it together. The potluck offerings were scrumptious, the silent auction bountiful, our square dance caller very entertaining, and the bucking barrel, apple bobbing, and horse vaulting were terrific.

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WRR 2011 State Fair Performances

Results

Western Pleasure, 17 & Under: 2nd: Sam M & Ruby; 3rd: Ariel K & Sundance; 4th: Jenny J & Razzberry; 5th: Kristen L & Sage; 6th Clare H & Flash; 7th: Erin R & Penny; 8th: Olivia C & Remy.

Western Horsemanship (23 competitors): 1st: Amanda Plucker !! & Traveler; 2nd: Olivia & Remy; 4th Clare & Flash; 6th: Erin & Penny; 7th: Sam & Ruby. Here's a photo!

Hunter Under Saddle: 2nd: Jennifer Finch, 3rd: Chloe Heifner, 4th: Samantha Mehta, 5th: Olivia Caspers, 6th: Ariel Kramer

Camas Prairie Stump Race (Barrels): 2nd: Mark Ward, 8th: Lynne Menturweck

Click here to find out all the details of our great weekend at the Minnesota State Fair

Drill Team had an awesome performance. We placed third. Here's a video.

JETs put on a great show. Here's a video.

Amanda Plucker has a great set of State Fair Photos.

Mallory G. showed that Sport can leave the barrels standing, after all.

 

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WRR 2011 Jumping Camp

Our jumping camp was a greast success. The 11 participants also got to go horse swimming. See Videos.

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WRRHC overnighter at the ranch.

40 riding club members enjoyed riding, a dinner and a bonfire on 8-15-2011.

Here's a horse swimming video from one of the rides.

 

 

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Otter Creek Farm Summer Horse Trial, Aug 12-14

Mark and Jenny Finch competed in this show.

Mark placed 4th (in Training Level) and Jennifer 3rd (in Starter Level).

An Eventing Trial includes:

Dressage
Cross Country
Stadium Jumping

Here are a collection of Jennifer's photos on Facebook


Here are photos of Mark jumping JETover two of JET's biggest-ever jumps and a photogallery of Mark's entire trial.
(Click each photo in the gallery to advance to the next.)

 

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3-Ring Circus at the Carriage House Farm in Hugo

 

On Sun day, Aug 7, Brendan Hollenbeck, Kelly O'Rourke, Jennifer Finch, Jerry Kleffman, Peg Powers and Shaina Botka, Mark and Katie enjoyed a great show, jumping & dressage!

Videos posted by Kristin Bordanea

Dressage photos -- Angela Schroeder's gallery.

Directions (google map)

 

The Windy Ridge Riders Drill Team and the JETs (Junior Equestrian Team) performed at the Washington County Fair in Lake Elmo.

Bill Tolbert posted high resolution videos:
Drill Team
JETs

Carol McCarty has also posted two videos:
Drill Team

JETs

 

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More News & Events

See stories, photos, and videos of recent Windy Ridge Ranch activities.