About our Prgrams
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Riding Lessons Here at Cornerstone Farm is it our main priority to keep our riders as safe as possible. We teach our riders from the ground up about horses for their safety and enjoyment. Private Lessons Each rider will be responsible for catching, grooming and saddling their lesson horse. This will be part of the lesson for the first few lessons so riders will know our routine in getting horses ready to ride. After that if the students would like to come earlier than their scheduled lesson time for saddling they may do so and have the whole lesson time for riding. Four private lessons are required prior to joining a group lesson. Group Lessons Group lessons will be set up so that the riders will be working on the same discipline at the same riding level. Four private lessons will be required before riders are able to join a group lesson to be sure which group to place them in. Group lessons are a privilege and the riding instructor will let the rider know when they are ready for a group setting. We encourage you to join a group lesson to build friendships and more confidence in your riding. Tiny Tot Lessons This program is new for 2010 and are half hour lessons geared towards kids ages 3-6. In these lessons the riders will learn to lead, brush and saddle their horses in a smaller scale than the regular lessons and riding time will be on a lunge line so the instructor has majority of control of the horse. Riders will learn the basics of riding in a fun, age appropriate lesson. School horses We choose our school horses carefully to make sure you have the most enjoyable experience possible with horses. Everyone does need to remember though that horses are prey animals that are much larger than we are and may act outside of their training which could result in a fall. Personal Horses If you would rather take lessons on your own horse we will gladly accommodate that. We offer Boarding if you would like to keep your horse on the property or you may trailer the horse in for your lessons. 4-H group lessons This is a new program for 2010 geared towards those enrolled in 4-H. We will be helping the kids fine tune their skills needed to achieve the goals they have set in the record book and build their Horsemanship skills. At the first lesson riders will be asked to set their goals for the year and then keep a Lesson Journal throughout the year to mark their progress. These lesson times are set aside two evenings a week, riders may come one or both times in the week. Sadly we are limited to 6 riders at a time so RSVP is required. We would love to set up additional times if there is interest. Note that these lessons will not be tailored to riders specific needs and Private lessons are available for those who need additional help. Also check out our 4-H training program! |
| Boarding Programs Here at Cornerstone Farm we take great pride in the care of our horses. The each are treated as one of our own and if a problem ever arises we will contact you, the owner immediately. Stall board Be confident knowing your horse will be comfortable in a spacious 12x14' stall well bedded with Best Cobb corn cob bedding and receiving 2-3 feedings of hay per day plus high quality Purina Strategy feed twice a day. Stalls are cleaned at least twice per day and your horse will receive turn out time each day. The buckets and feeders are always kept keep to keep your horse healthy and the water is heated in the winter months to make sure your horse continues to drink as much as needed. Our schedule for stalled horses usually runs as stalled during the day to keep them from the head and flies May - September, and stalled during the night October - April to protect from the cold. Full Turnout Board We have three primary turnout lots for horses to enjoy. We make sure that horses turned out with other horses are all happy and get along well. If there are any horses that do not get along we will immediately remove the problem horse to make sure their time is peaceful. Our main turn out lot has several trees for the horses to find shade under during the warm days and we open up the barn for them to "run in" out of bad weather. The water tank is regularly cleaned as needed to keep algae from growing. The water is heated during the winter months to make sure your horse continues to drink a much as needed. A round bale is usually the main source of feed for the horses to each free choice. If not horses are fed hay twice daily as well as receiving Purina's Enrich 32 as a mineral supplement to make sure your horse is getting all it's nutrients needed to stay as healthy as possible. |
| Training Programs Here at Cornerstone Farm we watch our horses carefully while they are being trained and we rule out any additional problems that may be effecting their performance or attitudes. We work with Dr. Christine Woodford of Veterinary Integrative Performance Services (or VIPS for short) to make sure our horses are as comfortable as possible. We also work with Abraham's Equine Clinic in Cedar Rapids to maintain the health of our horses. Regular training This program is set up for horses who are in training for the show ring, in need of a tune up or have some problems that need fixing. We work the horses 3-6 days per week, dependent upon schedule and weather. We do use training aids such as running martingales and draw reins only for use in aiding the horse in figuring out what is being asked of them. As soon as the horse responds as asked, the training aid disappears and the horse will learn to do it by them self. This makes for a much happier, more confident mount. Starting Horses Under Saddle This program is for young horses learning the basics of ground work, carrying the saddle, using the bridle and the first foundational rides. We believe that this is a huge time commitment and can't be rushed. Because of this we require horses to be in training with us for two seasons and ask that you be prepared to have the horse with us for a minimum of 60 days each season. These years and first rides are what landmarks the horse's entire career and cannot be rushed. We will accept horses as young as yearlings for this program. In the building the bond ground work program we will work with the horse on standing quietly while being handled, learn patience, trust and respect by exposing them to several stimulating situations including "sacking out," being ponied off of an older horse on the trails, and obstacle courses in the arena. This first year program does not include saddling a horse, so if you decide to have us work with your yearling you do not need worry about that. Two years of age is the absolute youngest age that we will saddle and mount a horse. Continuing ground work and first rides is when the fun begins. This season, in addition to building on the ground work from the previous season, we introduce the horse to the saddle and bridle. From there we will ground drive the horses so they learn the cues for walk, trot, canter and whoa, and also learn to give to the pressure of the bit. This way, when we mount the horse for the first time it is very stress free because the only new thing asked of them is to carry the rider. These two programs go hand in hand for the right foundation for a horse's career no matter if they are a trail horse or show horse. We will not start a horse under saddle until they have completed the building the bond ground work program successfully. 4-H Training Program This program is for kids enrolled in 4-H with their horses and it gives them the chance to work one on one with the trainer to learn how to train a horse. It is somewhat like an apprenticeship program. We can guarantee you that you will learn a lot about a horse and the way that they work. We do require that the 4-Hers work with the trainer a minimum of 3 times per week. On these days the 4-Her will also be doing a bulk of the daily care of the horse including cleaning the water bucket or tank, feeding, and cleaning the stall if applicable. The days that the 4-Her does not participate in the training session the horse will be worked by the trainer in the regular training schedule. We really encourage 4-Hers to give this program a try, even if for just a week or two. |