The Rainbow Barn

The goal of traditional riding lessons is to use your body to move horse's body in a prescribed way. At The Rainbow Farm, we know that is a mere fraction of what horses offer to teach us.

Our Complete Horse Lesson Program is very different from traditional lessons. We always start by building a relationship with the horses. Getting to know that Jamie is cheeky and that Peter doesn't like to be forced to do things is essential for a safe and enjoyable experience. Relationship building is an essential social skill for horses and humans. By learning about each other, we can find the strengths of others and ourselves, building our confidence and the connection we have with the horse.

As the relationships form, we also learn about horse communication. What is the horse saying to you? How does the horse feel today? Would you want to work if you were feeling grumpy or tired? Being empathetic to others' experiences is a wonderful skill which allows us to better navigate the world and our own emotions. We explore motivational training techniques, anxiety management and how to manage emotions when things don't happen the way you want. Imagine learning all these essential social skills and you also get to pet horses! 

As we learn about the horses and how to care for them, we identify valuable skills and apply learning to real life situations. Equine assisted learning and personal development play a huge part of our program, identifying client strengths and challenges. Through use of obstacles we work to increase the confidence of the horses and students. 

In our lessons we do build basic riding ability as we progress, but riding is not our main focus. Learning to walk, steer and stop are important. But life isn't about running circles in an arena. Life is messy and has challenges; most of us struggle at times. We use our time in the saddle to enhance the confidence, communication, and coping skills of our clients while putting the needs and wellbeing of the horses at the forefront. It is a great skill for a client to put the horse first- rather than focus on their own wants. The skill of deferring gratification and being empathetic applies to almost every aspect of modern life. 

Our horses come from varied backgrounds and levels of experience. We use the individual needs and stories of the horses to apply learning in a safe and encouraging way. Our focus is how to overcome challenges with healthy thinking and habits including communication skills. This allows us to honour the horses' experiences and ensure their well-being while creating deep connections with them.

Our lessons include:

• equine assisted learning
• energy work
• obstacle work
• basic riding skills
• ground training
• grooming
• horsemanship
• confidence building (horse and client)
• training techniques for horses
• fun and games with a focus on building social skills

Clients must be aged 8+ for semi-private lessons.