Lease Program
PonyPros has developed a program for kids who are passionate about horses. It is called the PonyPros lease program because the kids help develop young ponies for breeders (a "pony pro" is an avid young student who helps give ponies experience so they will one day be ready for less experienced riders). To be involved in the lease program, horses have to be a child's passion and primary activity with complete family support.
Students in the program lease a pony that they can play with any time. They still take lessons to keep them on track, but leasing is almost as good as owning a pony.
Part of the reason we are switching to this program is that we want the kids to be able to really bond their ponies. That's what we really want to share with others is the horse/human bond - not just how to ride. Also, the students who participated in the 4 week pilot program are already at the same level as the students who have come once a week for the last year. PonyPros lease program is basically an immersion program, so the results are much more dramatic than with once-a-week lessons. Being immersed in ponies has helped the students to learn so much faster and we've been able to take the ponies to the trails as a group, which is awesome!
The lease ponies are coming from friends who breed ponies. Because of the economy, a pony who would normally sell for $2500+ is offered on lease, which almost never happens. On the rare occasion you can find a lease, they are $350+ a month, so it is a really special opportunity. Because the breeders know us and the way we train, they are leasing ponies to my students at no financial gain to themselves, provided the ponies are ridden and photographed for marketing them for sale. A lease is $100 or $200/month depending on the pony, paid directly to the boarding facility for the pony's food and board (PonyPros does not profit from the lease at all).
We are charging $20-$28 for group lessons, $40 for private, and beginning to transition our program over from once a week students to students who really want to make horses their primary activity. We really want kids who are excited about horses to be able to be at the barn with other horse-crazy kids and to be able to ride and play with a pony who really means something to them, and vice versa.
Details on the Lease Program:
Why lease?
• Leasing a pony from a pony breeder is free
• PonyPros will help you pick a pony whose temperament matches your own
• Develop a true bond
• Have an equal partnership
• Learn to be recreation for your pony and your pony will learn to be recreation for you
• Don’t just learn how to ride – get a best friend!
• Spend more time with your pony so you improve more quickly
• Many kids leasing can accomplish in 2 months what normally takes a year with traditional riding lessons
• The faster rate of learning keeps frustration low and fun high for the rider AND the horse!
• Board for your pony
• Lessons
• Equipment
…itemized below
Board:
• Pay $100-$200/month to cover your pony’s paddock, feed, and water
• You assist with keeping your pony’s paddock clean
• Our facility has an indoor arena, outdoor arena, round pen, and horse playground, and the property has BLM trails on 2 sides
• The facility is open 7 days a week 7am-10pm
• Take at least 1 lesson per week so you have help training your pony, $20-28/lesson
• We have group lessons for middle schoolers and elementary schoolers
• Most students need about 5 private lessons and 4 self-directed sessions to prepare them to be safe in a group
• During lessons, you can drop your child off, go to Costco, and come back to pick her up
• Lessons are billed once a month
Equipment that you will need to buy…
• A helmet $40
• Boots $40
• Riding pants $30 (Optional, students can also wear old jeans. Horse dirt does not come out so we recommend that you do not wear your school jeans to the barn)
• Riding gloves $30 (We have a brand we can recommend for warm hands)
• A saddle and bridle $250
• In the winter, students wear snow pants, ski socks, and boots to stay warm
• Commit to at least 3 hours per week with your pony
• Spend time with your pony in lessons and in self-directed sessions
• Lessons are offered after school and on Saturdays
• Lessons are about 1 hour long
• Many kids come 12-18 hours a week because they love their ponies so much
• Often times parents carpool and take turns supervising the kids at the ranch
How long is the lease for?
• A pony lease is week to week
• Weather permitting, your pony can be returned to his owner at any time
• Taking a pony home is difficult in the winter so we encourage people to plan on leasing through Spring and we encourage a 1 year commitment
• The more time you spend with your pony the more skilled you will become-
o Beginner: fewer than 20 life-time hours working on horsemanship
o Novice: 21-80 hours
o Intermediate: 81-200 hours
o Advanced: 201-400 hours
o Experienced: 400+ hours
• Play at the ranch with your pony at your side and with you on his back • Have fun exploring nature around Central Oregon with your pony
• Ponies love to get out and see the world when they have a leader they can trust
• PonyPros trailers students out for lessons on occasion
• Ponies also love to learn tricks, like smiling, waving, counting, and standing on pedestals
Why do you spend so much time with the ponies on the ground?
• Did you know that horses are like puppies? They love to play face-to-face
• The ultimate challenge is playing at liberty with no halter or lead rope
• When you take off the lead rope or reins, all that is left is the truth about whether or not your pony really wants to be with you
• Playing on the ground is fun for you and your pony and makes him safer for riding
• Teach your pony to match and mirror your body language and he’ll be at your side every step of the way!
• In the interest of safety and the care of our horses, we are no longer offering regular riding lessons.
• We only work with students who lease or own their ponies.
• We believe that people get involved in horses because they love them and desire a connection.
• Riding a horse does not naturally cultivate a relationship of love on the horse’s side • We put the relationship with the horse first.
Why would a breeder lease a pony to us for free?
• The pony breeder leases you the pony for free in exchange for helping the pony gain more experience
• Breeders request that students star in photos with the pony to help find him a home
• Ponies remain for sale during the lease time. If your pony sells, we will help you find another pony to lease.
• A free-lease should be regarded as a huge privilege and a rare opportunity
• Lease ponies are valued at $2500+, so students are riding ponies whose talent, smarts, and athleticism is on par with their own
• They are the best of their breed and generally are offered on lease exclusively to PonyPros
• By leasing, students develop skills that will help them become good riders and trainers for the rest of their lives
• We want students to have appropriately sized mounts
• It is important for the child to be able to easily reach the pony’s back for saddling
• Children develop a more correct riding position when their legs are about the same length as the horse’s belly
• Kids enjoy being able to mount their pony by themselves
• Smaller ponies are safer for children on the ground
• Kids and ponies see eye to eye – a pony and a child have the best communication and relationship when the pony’s eyes are level with the child’s
• Ponies tend to match kids’ energy levels better than horses do
Can siblings or friends share a pony?
• It depends on the kids. It is hard for many kids to sit still while the other child has a turn.
• The kids have to have the same personality as we match the child’s personality to the horse’s.
• Making a match is harder if one child is naturally extroverted and the other child is more introverted.
• We invite students new to horses to do a month of lessons with one of our school ponies
• During the trial period, we will get to know your child so we can pick out a pony who matches your child’s personality
• After the one month trial, we ask students to begin the lease program
• Within about 15-20 hours, most children will be very comfortable around the horses
Who is this program for?
• For kids who are madly in love with horses and extremely dedicated
• For families who are 100% willing to support their child's horsemanship
• For parents who can commit to transporting their child to the barn and helping their child with at least one 1+ hour self-directed session
• For children for whom horses are a passion
• For kids who understand that there is way more to horses than riding and are excited to develop their horsemanship in the 4 areas - online ground skills, freestyle riding, liberty ground skills, and finesse riding