Lesson Policies

Lesson Times

(Expect a regular group lesson to take 2 hours start to finish)

Riders are expected to arrive 30 minutes before each lesson to get their horse, groom and tack up.
Riders should be tacked up and ready to enter the ring at the start of their lesson time. Riders arriving late or not tacked up on time will not have their time made up. If you know you will be running late, you may call ahead and have the horse tacked up for you, however, if it is happening on a regular basis there will be a $10 “tack up” fee applied to the lesson price.
Horses not cleaned and cared for properly will be sent back to the barn to be properly cleaned before being ridden. This time will not be made up. Please come early enough to properly care for your horse.
Riders must be tacked up and ready to enter the ring at the start time of their lesson. Riders not tacked up on time will not have their time made up.
Riders arriving to the ring more than halfway through the lesson, may not join the lesson and the lesson will be forfeited.
Riders that are still new to tacking up, or are having difficulty tacking up, should do as much as they can to get their horse tacked up, then wait for the coach to come out of the previous lesson to help with any difficulties. Please do not disrupt the lesson to ask for help with tacking up.
After the lesson, riders are expected to properly cool out and groom their horses before putting them away. This time may take up to 45 minutes depending on the season and the temperature.
Riders that regularly do not properly cool out or groom their horses will have their lesson end early to allow for more time to cool out and groom their horse. The care of the horse and good horsemanship is the number one priority at L.E.C.
Riders must clean their tack on their scheduled days. Riders must check the calendar at the beginning of the month and allow for extra time to clean tack on their specified days.
Riders must make sure all brushes are put away in the proper brush boxes.
Riders must make sure all tack is put away properly. This makes it easy for the next rider to find their tack and helps prevent damage to equipment. Damage done to any tack due to not being put away properly is the responsibility of the rider. Parents of riders under the age of 16, please take responsibility for checking that equipment is put away properly and not able to be damaged.
The barn must be tidy and swept clean before taking your horse into the arena for a lesson. Any equipment not needed in the arena must be stored in the tack room. No equipment, bags, brushes or personal items should be left in the barn aisle at any time. This makes it cluttered and difficult for horses and people to move around. Any personal belongings that were damaged while left in the aisle will be at your expense.
Personal items should be stored in the viewing room on the appropriate shelves, or in your personal tack locker during lessons. This keeps the aisle clear and safe, as well as protects your items from damage by horses or Pumba. Any personal items damaged while left in the aisle will be at your expense.
Damage done to L.E.C. tack, equipment, furnishings and/or buildings, beyond reasonable wear and tear, or due to negligence, is at the expense of the rider or the parent/guardian of the rider, to replace or fix the damage.
Horse blankets must be hung up on hooks in the appropriate stalls while the horse is being ridden, and not left on the floor.
All riders and spectators under the age of 12 must be always under direct supervision of a parent or adult guardian while at the L.E.C. property. Kids running around on the property can spook horses, causing injury to themselves or others. No games, yelling, screaming or running is permitted at the farm.
Fifteen days’ notice is required before the start of the month to change or discontinue lessons. This allows for the spot to be available to other riders. r. Lost and found items will be held for 2 weeks before being thrown out or donated.
Riders are responsible to leaving the barn and arena clean. All poop must be picked up in the arena and the barn. The barn must be cleared and swept clean before leaving.

Rider Turnout

(Label your personal equipment with your name)

Correctly fitted ASTM helmet must be worn at all times while handling horses and riding.
Boots with a 1/2" - 1" heel, and not too thick of a tread
No boots with zippers on the inside of the calf
Long pants, even during warm weather
Gloves (recommended)
Long hair tied back into braids or a low ponytail, not loose
No dangly earrings. No crop tops or belly tops
No chewing gum. Gum must be disposed on in the garbage before riding
No cell phones while riding. Cell phones may be in the arena but must be on silent. No videoing while on horseback
Warm clothes and layers in the winter
No open toed shoes, sandals or crocs in the barn or near horses

Payment

PLEASE NOTE that due to the high increases of hay (35%) and grain (30%) and general increase of other supplies and services, the LESSONS fees increased by 10% effective November 1, 2022. The lesson fees have not been increased since 2019. To minimize the price increase, the group lessons will now include up to 5 students.

All lessons and practice rides must be paid for in advance of the ride.
Only e-transfer payments are accepted for lessons and board.
When sending an e-transfer, please indicate the first and last name of the rider that the payment is for, and what the payment is for. ie) “Stef Mayheu July group lessons Mondays” or “Stef Mayheu Part board Cosmo July”.
A late payment fee of $15 applies to lessons not paid for by the 1st day of the month. The late fee is due with full payment before the first lesson of the month.
Failure to pay by the first lesson of the month will result in the rider not being assigned a horse. The lesson time slot will then become available to other riders.
Lesson spots will not be held open for the rider if the month is not paid for.
All accounts must be up to date for the rider to continue lessons. For example, if a horse show fee has not been paid, the rider may not continue lessons until the account is up to date, even if lessons have been paid for.
All group lessons must be purchased on a monthly basis (4 lessons, once a week)
The only option for drop-in lessons are 30-minute or 1-hour private or semi-private lessons
Drop in lessons must be paid for in full at the time of booking, which includes a non-refundable $25 booking fee. The booking fee will not be returned in the case that the rider does not show up or needs to reschedule the lesson.
Payments for lessons are not refundable.
Payments for lessons may not be transferred. For example, payment for a lesson may not be transferred to payment for a horse show.
Any discrepancies or errors on invoices or changes to invoices should be brought to the attention of Hana at L_E_C@live.com

Make-up Lesson Policy

Riders must provide notice of a lesson being missed ON OR BEFORE the first day of the month in which the lessons will be taken.
All cancellations must be in writing to info@lenkaec.com. Notice of cancellations through any other platform (phone calls, texts, in person, instagram, facebook, etc) will not be considered. At the time of cancellation, please offer as many days and times as possible, that you are available for a make-up class. If these steps are not followed, a make-up lesson cannot be provided.
Only one make up lesson will be granted per month, as long as notice is given by the first of the month.
Any additional lessons being missed during that month will be forfeited, no matter how much notice is given. There is an exception for riders that are away on statutory holidays in addition to an extra day during the month.
Make up lessons must be scheduled within the month that the lesson is being missed. Ie) missed lesson in July must be made up within July.
It is the responsibility of the rider missing the lesson to provide days and times available to come for a make-up lesson. A strong effort will be made to find an agreeable time within the month.
A missed group lesson will be made up with another group lesson. Missed group lessons may be made up with a half an hour private lesson for a $25 upgrade.
Make-up lessons are not guaranteed to be at the current rider’s level, and maybe be offered at a level lower than the rider’s current level.
Make up lessons are non- transferable and non- refundable. The fees from missed lessons may not be used towards future lessons and may not be put towards other services.
You will not receive a make-up lesson for a missed make-up lesson, no matter how much notice is given or what the reason is for missing the make-up lesson.
L.E.C. reserves the right to move riders who are consistently absent from their lesson to a different day/time where they have better availability. Riders who often miss their lesson will fall below the level of the group and will be required to move to a lower, more suitable level as to not hold up the class.

Inclement Weather Cancellations

Lessons will be cancelled during unsafe driving conditions, extreme cold or thunderstorms. Please check social media stories (Instagram @lenka_ec or Facebook Business page Lenka Equestrian Centre) for notice of cancellations and updates.
In the case of instructor illness, a fill-in instructor will be present. If in the chance, there are no fill-in instructor available, the lessons will be cancelled.
A make-up lesson time will be offered by L.E.C. in the instance of cancellation.
Riders will receive a make-up lesson for any lessons cancelled by L.E.C. during the month that they are enrolled in lessons, or in the following month, even if they are not enrolled in lessons for that month.
If two cancellations occur in one month, the price of the lesson may be deducted off of the following month's lessons.
All reminders and important notices will be communicated through social media. Riders will not be contacted individually. Please check the social media accounts before coming to lessons to stay up to date on important information.

Monthly “Off” days

When a month has 5 days (example 5 Saturdays in one month) lessons will only run on four of the five days. The “off” day will be listed on the calendar in the viewing room. It is the rider’s responsibility to check the calendar and note the day that is off. Reminders for off days will be posted on social media stories.
“Off” days are scheduled around the horse’s work schedules (shows and camp) and not around holidays, be sure to check the calendar and give proper notice if your lesson is running on a holiday and you will be away.
The only observed holidays are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
During the “Off” days, the barn is closed to all riders and students. “Off” days are not an available option for make-up lessons

Additional Barn Rules

There is no smoking allowed anywhere on the L.E.C. property
There are no dog allowed on the L.E.C. property
The house and the lawn surrounding the house is private property. Please keep away.
Drivers may not speed on the driveway. The posted speed limit is 15 km/h. Come to a full stop at the stop sign.
Cars must be parked in the designated parking lot and may not be parked by the house

FOLLOW L.E.C. SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS FOR CURRENT UPDATES, REMINDERS, MESSAGES, INFORMATION AND CANCELLATIONS.

L.E.C. CANNOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTACTING EACH RIDER INDIVIDUALLY.

*Updated October 15, 2022