Courses & Lessons
We give courses and lessons with individual coaching only. More experienced riders can have lessons in groups of maximum four riders.
Language of instruction: English, Indonesian or Dutch
Minimum age: 8 years
Maximum weight: 85 kg.
Riders can borrow the obligatory safety helmet, and chaps are also available. You can buy all riding gear in Havana Tack Shop.
Our horses go barefoot and we ride with a bitless bridle or sidepull.
Lessons
At Havana Horses you will receive individual coaching.
All lessons at Havana Horses start with taking your horse out of the field, haltering and leading, groundwork, and grooming your horse.
You develop your 'horse sense' and acquire natural horsemanship skills by doing groundwork. As we ride we focus on relaxation of the body. You learn to ride the four gaits: walk, trot (sitting and rising), canter and gallop. We teach classical dressage - the horse is in self carriage with the poll as its highest point. Learn jumping on a loose rein! We introduce you to riding without a saddle, with a barebackpad, and without reins. To improve your confidence and balance we play with barriers & games!
Intensive Courses
By following a course at Havana Horses you will experience the importance of relaxation of mind and body when you want to interact with a horse. You will forget the fuzz and buzz of your daily life and will focus only on yourself and your horse.
We have Intensive Courses of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days (5 hours a day). The basic goal of our courses is to help you to develop your horse sense, that is, the quality of being in tune with a horse’s nature. To develop your horse sense you should know two things: first, horses have very well-developed senses themselves, and second, horses are prey animals and behave as such.
How to Handle a Horse: 1 day / 5 lessons-Course
In this course you learn how to interact with your horse in a respectful manner. You learn the basics of handling, grooming and groundwork. You will experience that a horse responds to your body language and mirrors your own behavior.
- How to take your horse out of the field; a horse’s behavior in its herd, safety. Haltering and leading a horse; leadership.
- How to become the horse’s leader, gain mutual understanding and respect. Demonstration of groundwork, body language.
- Grooming, health, nutrition and hoof care. Check your horse’s physical condition, hooves and general state of mind.
- With groundwork you play games with your horse from the ground, use body language and develop your leadership. You learn how to lead and halt, yield for pressure, follow the lead, stay and come, indicate the way and put your horse on a circle, flexing the neck and lower the head.
Communicating with your Horse: 2 days / 10 lessons-Course
In this course you learn how to communicate with your horse from the ground with groundwork and freestyle training, and how to communicate with your horse when riding bareback. Find your balance and experience how you can really work together with your horse.
- Introductions, a horse’s behavior in its herd, horse psychology, safety.
- Taking a horse out of the field, haltering and leading a horse, leadership
- Introduction and demonstration of ground work and freestyle training.
- Practicing groundwork in the arena: play games with your horse as lead and halt, yield for pressure, follow the lead, stay and come, indicate the way and put your horse on a circle, flexing the neck and lower the head.
- Practicing freestyle training: you learn how to work your horse loose from the ground with the lead rope and by using your body language: leading, driving, change direction, halt, join up and touching.
- Riding bareback, with feeling and intuition. Experience how you can really work together with your horse.
- Practicing groundwork and riding bareback or with bareback pad, playing games to improve your balance.
- Practicing freestyle training and riding bareback or with bareback pad, playing games and barriers to strengthen your bond with your horse.
Natural Horsemanship: 3 days / 15 lessons-Course
To become a horsewoman or horseman you need to learn a wide range of knowledge and skills. In this course you learn the elementary basics of natural horse care; natural horse keeping; groundwork and body language; and natural riding:
- Introductions, a horse’s behavior in its herd, horse psychology, safety.
- Taking a horse out of the field, haltering and leading a horse, leadership, and handling.
- Grooming, health, nutrition and hoof care.
- Information about natural hoof care, riding without bit and natural horsemanship methods.
- Introduction and demonstration of ground work and freestyle training.
- Practicing groundwork in the arena: play games with your horse as lead and halt, yield for pressure, follow the lead, stay and come, indicate the way and put your horse on a circle, flexing the neck and lower the head.
- Practicing freestyle training: you learn how to work your horse loose from the ground with the lead rope and by using your body language: leading, driving, changing direction, halt, join up and touching.
- Tacking up, mounting and dismounting. You learn about different kinds of tack and ways of mounting. Practice your basic riding positions, and dismounting.
- Riding (without bit) on bareback with intuition and leadership. Experience how you can really work together with your horse.
- Riding with bareback pad, playing games to improve your balance.
- Haltering, leading, grooming, groundwork, tacking up, riding with intuition and leadership.
- Haltering, leading, grooming, groundwork, tacking up, riding; playing games and barriers to strengthen your bond with your horse.
3-Days Course Natural Hoof Care
Havana Horses offers a Course Natural Hoof Care, for horse owners, grooms and farriers. After following this course at Havana Horses you feel practiced and confident enough to trim the hoofs of your own horse! Have a look at the page Natural Hoof Care for more information.