Join Our Family
We are a family-owned and operated business dedicated to providing exceptional service and care for your equine family member in a tranquil, serene location with facilities less than 15 miles from the bustle of downtown Dallas. We offer both English riding lessons in the Hunter/Jumper discipline and Western Pleasure riding lessons.
All of our lessons include a portion on horse safety, grooming instruction and tacking the horse together (approx. 30 minutes). The riding portion of each lesson lasts as close to an hour as possible. For first lessons, the riding portion starts with learning to mount the horse, walking on the horse first assisted then without assistance and goes forward from there. Group lessons are available to riders who can groom and tack the horse on their own and who can also control the horse at a walk and trot under-saddle. All new hunter/jumper students must take a private lesson for assessment to determine private or group lessons going forward. Below are the details and pricing:
Riding Lessons
There are different levels of riding ability to be used as a guide for the experience that is expected for each lesson type:
Hunter/Jumper
Level 1: You have not sat on a horse before or only tried riding a few times. Beginner.
Level 2: You can ride a horse independently in all gaits and have not tried jumping.
Level 3: You have experience of jumping the occasional fence.
Level 4: You can jump a simple course.
Level 5: You can ride a course with different distances between fences
Western Pleasure
Level 1: You have not sat on a horse before or only tried riding a few times. Beginner.
Level 2: You can ride independently in all gaits in an arena.
Level 3: You can get a horse to work on the bit and perform basic movements, e.g. leg yielding.
Pricing
$100 per person one-hour private hunter/jumper lesson: Levels 1-3 (plus 30 minutes for groom/tack)
$100 per person one-hour private hunter/jumper lesson: Levels 1-5 (plus 30 minutes for groom/tack)
$85 per person one-hour group hunter/jumper lesson: Levels 2-5 (must be able to groom, tack, mount horse alone and control the horse at a walk and trot - up to 4 horses total)
$100 per person one-hour private western pleasure lesson: Levels 1-5 (plus 30 minutes for groom/tack)
$85 per person one-hour group western pleasure lesson: Levels 2-5 (must be able to groom, tack, mount horse alone and control the horse at a walk and trot - up to 4 horses total)
Venmo @Anne-Young-11, PayPal and Square with the email address rockingjstables@gmail.com are all acceptable forms of payment. Confirmed lessons may not be refunded within 24 hours prior to the lesson except due to weather. Rides cancelled within 24 hours prior to the confirmed time may not be refunded except due to weather. Please note that processing fees from credit card payments made paying via Square and PayPal will no longer be refunded as Square and PayPal no longer offer a refund for these fees. See below to schedule a riding lesson or contact us at rockingjstables@gmail.com to schedule an assessment lesson or young equestrian experience.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Where are you located? Our address is: 2802 S Country Club Rd., Garland, TX 75043. Please park by the house near the horse trailers. There is a gate near the barn road you can walk through to get to the barn. We will meet you at the barn.
- What gear should I wear for riding lessons? Riders should wear riding breeches (English lessons), jeans (western lessons) or yoga pants and riding boots or close toed shoes (preferable with a low heel). Otherwise, please dress comfortably for the weather. We have helmets to wear during the lesson and helmets are mandatory. For long term riding we recommend purchasing a riding helmet that is ASTM, SEI or Snell certified, riding breeches (English lessons) or jeans (western lessons/trail rides), riding boots (paddock or tall) or western boots and riding gloves.
- Why do you need to know so much about me to ride a horse? We need to know the rider’s height, weight and riding experience level. A horse can only safely carry 20-25% of his/her weight so we have a maximum weight limit of 200 lbs. We will ask you to step on the scale if your weight is close to our maximum to ensure safety for both you and our horses. We want to make sure we match you with the right horse, and a saddle that fits you.
- What happens if it rains, the arena is too wet to ride safely, or there is a wind advisory forecast? If the weather forecast calls for storms, if the arena is slick and very wet or if it's extremely windy we will let you know the day before (or as soon as possible). We offer non-riding lessons on rainy/wet days to allow students to learn about the many other aspects of horses and horse care such as ground work, horse nutrition, equine first aid, boarding options, caring for tack, horse breeds, etc.
- What is Rocking J's cancellation policy? We require a 24 hour notice for a full refund of the lesson/trail ride rate. If a lesson/trail ride is cancelled within the 24 hour period of a lesson/trail ride or if a rider doesn't show up for a lesson/trail ride then the full rate is charged.
- Why should I not sign up for a group lesson on the website without first contacting Rocking J Stables? A private lesson or assessment lesson is required prior to a student being able to sign up for a group lesson to assess the rider's skills. To qualify for group lessons, the student must be able to catch, groom and tack the horse on their own as well as mount the horse and control the horse at a walk and trot off the lunge line.
- What age can my child begin riding lessons? We recommend waiting until a student is 7 years old to begin regular riding lessons. This is to allow the student's strength, attention span and cognitive ability to develop to make for a safer riding experience.
- Do you allow tandem riders? We do not allow tandem riders to help ensure the safety of both the riders and the horses.
- What happens if I am injured during a lesson? We will help assess the severity of the injury and contact a medical professional at your request or in the event you are unresponsive. We ask each rider to provide insurance information on our liability release form should it be needed. Under the Equine Activity Liability Act, each participant who engages in an equine activity expressly assumes the risks of engaging in and legal responsibility for injury, loss, or damage to person or property resulting from the risk of equine activities.
- What is the difference between the Hunter and Jumper riding disciplines? Both disciplines are judged in a horse show but the scoring is subjective in hunter classes where riders and horses receive points based on rider ability, horse ability, and style. The scoring in the jumpers is objective, with riders competing for time, jumping faults (competitors are penalized for refusing jumps or knocking down jumps) or a combination of the two.
- What is the focus of the Western Pleasure riding discipline? This riding discipline measures the condition, conformation, fluidity and regularity of the paces. The horses are presented in all three gaits on both reins. In a show, riders must be properly dressed (western boots, riding helmet and a long-sleeved shirt buttoned to the neck) and the horses correctly tacked. If the rein is too tight or too loose, the horses head carriage too high or too low, then the combination are penalised.
- Is tipping expected/required? While never required, tips for instructors are always greatly appreciated.
