Stormy Hill 2 Day Introduction tot Horses en Horse Riding in the Midlands, KZN

This mini break is for beginners or novice riders. It allows you to get used to horses and begin riding at a pace suited to yourselves allowing you to gain confidence in a relaxed atmosphere. You will stay at Stormy Hill Country Cottage. This is a self-catering cottage overlooking one of the horse paddocks. It can sleep up to seven people.

Day 1: Arrival at Stormy Hill in the afternoon letting you settle into the self-catering cottage. An introduction to the horses at afternoon feed time.

Day 2: The program starts around 9:00 am. It includes finding out about the horses' different personalities while they are in their stables; brushing the horses and general handling. I then take a horse into the training ring and demonstrate some ground work. That involves me on the ground with the horse going round using my body language to control the situation. You would then be invited in to try this for yourselves with my guidance. I would then put you on a horse for a lead round the ring and if you are confident to take you up the field a short way. You will then be shown how to take the bridle and saddle off and finally we give the horses some apples or carrots and let them out into the fields to graze. This program will take up most of the morning. Approximately three hours. You are then free to enjoy the afternoon at your leisure. Maybe see some of the Midlands Meander or just take a stroll on the property. This enables you to be around horses in a relaxed environment and to discover the power of body language and your own thought processes in controlling a situation. This is a fun day with some learning and confidence building thrown in.

Day 3: Going out for an outride. After grooming and tacking up our horses we ride in the training ring to reacquaint ourselves with the techniques learnt yesterday, then we set off for our trail ride. This is tailored for your individual needs and goes at the pace that I think fit for the riders. It normally encompasses going up and down hills and crossing a stream or two. This usually takes approximately two hours. You may be asked to dismount and lead your horses depending on the ground conditions in different sections (Some areas tend to get a bit slippery at times). Using the skills acquired yesterday we then take the bridle and saddle off and finally we give the horses some apples or carrots and let them out into the fields to graze. This program will take up most of the morning. Approximately three and a half hours.This is a relaxed ride in open countryside. There is some beautiful scenery and the dogs usually follow along.You will then be able to check out of the cottage at your leisure.

Included in this break: Accommodation, horse activities and riding.

Not included in this break: Meals and extra activities.