Riding Lessons
Riding & Horsemanship Programs
At Terrey Hills Riding School, we believe that becoming a good rider starts with becoming a good horse person.
Our lessons are designed to give riders a genuine understanding of horses — not only how to ride them, but how to handle, care for, listen to and communicate with them. Time spent on the ground is an important part of every session, helping riders build confidence and develop a deeper understanding of the individual horse they are working with.
We offer group riding lessons, after-school programs, holiday programs and a limited number of private and horsemanship sessions, catering for a range of ages and experience levels.
Our horses are experienced, well-trained and carefully matched to our riders. We aim to create a safe, positive and encouraging environment where both horse and rider can learn and enjoy their time together.
What to Expect
Our regular sessions are two hours long and include both horsemanship and riding.
Before we ride, students learn to catch, groom and tack up their horse, while learning how to handle and interact with them safely. This isn’t simply preparation for the riding lesson — we consider it an essential part of learning about horses.
Each horse has their own personality, preferences and way of communicating. Taking the time to get to know them helps riders become more observant, thoughtful and effective in their communication.
Mounted instruction includes general riding, dressage and show jumping, depending on the rider’s experience and the focus of the lesson.
Trail riding is also offered as part of our regular lesson program, where appropriate. Trail rides are not available as casual one-off bookings and are conducted according to group consensus, weather and conditions.
Lessons are primarily conducted at the Duffys Forest Anembo Road public arena. Students meet at our stables, prepare their horses and then ride down the road and through a short trail to the arena for the formal mounted lesson.
Adult Group Riding Lessons
Our adult lessons are suited to novice and developing riders, although we cater for a range of experience levels through to advanced.
Group lessons are available on a casual booking basis from Tuesday to Saturday, excluding Thursdays.
● Tuesday: 9:30am
● Wednesday: 10:30am
● Friday: 9:30am
● Saturday: 10am and 12pm
Weekday group lessons are $160 for a 2-hour session.
Saturday group lessons are $180 for a 2-hour session.
Popular sessions fill quickly and may be waitlisted, so early bookings are recommended.
Private Adult Lessons
We offer a strictly limited number of private lessons on Saturdays for existing clients.
Private lessons are $220 and payment is required upfront to secure a booking.
To ensure private clients can work independently around the horses, they must already be familiar with our property, able to identify each horse and confident catching, grooming and saddling their horse fully unsupervised.
Adult horsemanship lessons
For riders who want to develop a deeper understanding of horses, our horsemanship sessions provide an opportunity to focus entirely on communication and interaction from the ground.
These two-hour semi-private sessions explore:
● reading and understanding horse body language
● how horses communicate and respond to us
● safe and effective handling
● understanding what the horse may be thinking and feeling
● recognising how our own presence, body language and energy affect the horse
● developing clearer, more empathetic communication
There is no riding involved. Instead, the focus is on learning to see, listen and respond to the horse.
These sessions are valuable for anyone wanting to improve their understanding of horses from the ground, and can be particularly helpful for riders who have lost confidence following a difficult or negative experience.
Horsemanship sessions are:
● $140 for 2 hours, with 2–3 participants per instructor
● $200 for a private one-on-one session
Advance booking is required, with a minimum of 5 days’ notice.
For those wanting to begin in a private environment, horsemanship sessions can also provide a gentle introduction to working with horses before progressing into our group riding lessons, subject to availability.
After School Groups (ages 9 - 16)
Our after-school program is designed for children and teenagers who genuinely love horses and want to learn more than simply how to ride.
The two-hour sessions combine riding instruction with practical horsemanship, giving students the opportunity to spend meaningful time with horses both on the ground and in the saddle.
Students learn to groom, handle and tack up their horses before riding, while developing their understanding of horse behaviour, communication and care.
Sessions run Tuesday to Friday during school terms, with students enrolling for the full term on either a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Students generally arrive between 3:30–4pm to prepare their horses for the lesson. If school commitments mean a student cannot arrive until after 4pm, we can prepare the horse so they can join the mounted component when they arrive.
During summer, sessions run approximately 4–6pm.
During winter, sessions run 3:30–5:30pm due to reduced daylight.
Lessons are $170 per session, including GST, with payment for the term required upfront.
Parents are welcome to stay and watch, or drop their child off and return at the end of the session.
Please see our Terms & Conditions for our cancellation policy.
Holiday Programs (ages 9 – 15)
Our school holiday programs are designed for young people who want to spend more time with horses and experience the many different aspects of horse care and riding.
Programs run for three hours and combine horse management, practical horsemanship and riding, with the opportunity for trail riding when conditions are suitable.
A typical program may include grooming and tacking, ridden instruction and trail riding, along with a range of other topics chosen according to the age, experience and ability of the group.
Depending on the program, topics may include:
● feeding and horse management
● lunging
● bareback riding
● cross-country riding
● competition preparation, including plaiting, washing, bandaging and transport
● equine dentistry and farriery
● equine first aid
Holiday programs are suitable for beginners and experienced riders alike, with activities adapted to suit the group.
Programs run from 2:30–5:30pm and can be booked as individual sessions, multiple days or a full week.
Prices start at $195 per session. Payment is required in advance to secure a booking.
Holiday program dates are generally confirmed and published online 2–3 weeks before the school holidays. If dates have not yet been listed, please check back closer to the holidays.
Bookings can be made through the Holiday Programs page of our website.
For People Who Really Love Horses
Whether you’re an adult learning to ride, a child who is horse-mad, or an experienced rider wanting to deepen your understanding, our aim is the same:
To develop knowledgeable, confident and empathetic horse people — not simply riders.
If you want to learn how to ride, but also want to understand the horse underneath you, spend time getting to know them and learn how to care for and communicate with them, we’d love to welcome you to Terrey Hills Riding School.