Jump to the bottom for Schedule & Sign-Up Link.
What is a Pony Pals Class?
Our lessons for kids aged 3-7 years old offer a low-cost but safe introduction to ponies, riding lessons, and equestrian activities. This program is pay-by-class with no long-term commitment; come when you can!
Pony Pals Philosophy
We know kids in this age group tend to have wandering focus and short attention spans. Your child’s safety and our pony’s sanity are our main concerns in our lessons, so we keep the class structure simple.
- Time for grooming the pony (trying the different brushes and combs). This offers time for some peer interaction, and real-time delivery of safety rules from instructors.
- A group effort in getting the riding equipment on the pony, repeating the names of items and the tasks at each class meeting. If there is a new student in a class they are never behind.
- Riding time! Each child gets 3 laps around the indoor arena to practice that day’s lesson activity (usually easy balance awareness exercises, or a game).
- While each child has their ride on the pony, the other children will have time to socialize while doing an easy group activity (a coloring page, practice time on our riding simulator, “Stickley”, or helping with the larger group activity out in the arena). Kids can also take this time to sit with their adult if they want to.
- Group participation to take the equipment off the pony and put things away.
- Time to groom the pony again after the ride, chat with friends, and express their gratitude to the pony for shared time.
A few times a year, there are special or seasonal classes like “paint-a-pony”, “pony jewelry box”, a larger craft project, or a group game involving the pony (see our farm photo gallery by clicking here ). These classes may have limited or no riding.
KIDS’ PONY PALS – PROGRAM & CLASS TIME
The Pony Pals class structure depends on parents to play a supportive role (for kids’ general behavior and general safety) while at the farm. Kids may also appreciate their guardian walking with them the first dozen times on the pony, and we welcome that!
Number of Students – Pony Pals classes are open to 1-4 kids, depending on the number of instructors available for each lesson.
Class length is:
- 4 students / 2 instructors = 1 hour
- 3 students / 2 instructors = 45 minutes
- 3 students / 1 instructors = 1 hour
- 2 students / 1 instructor = 50 minutes
- 1 student / 1 instructor = 40 minutes
KIDS’ PONY PALS – ENROLLMENT & PRICING
Enrolling – Class sign-up is fully automated on our main farm website. The legal guardian of each student must sign a “release of liability waiver” before students can participate.
Price – $22.00 per student, per class session. Signing up for class is automated on our website, with payment processing done through PayPal (you do not need a PayPal account, you can use a debit or credit card).
Booking a class is available 10 days in the future, and registration closes 2 days before the class.
! ! FAQ / Student Information / Dress Code & HELMET Page ! !
Current Pony Pals Schedule (Updated SPRING 2025) :
If you can’t make one of these classes, please contact us!
We are open to starting classes or adjusting the schedule so your child can join the fun!
Click HERE for fully automated sign-up for Pony Pals classes on the main Starting Point Equestrian website.