Animal Welfare

1. Respect the Animals: Handle all animals with care and respect their space.
2. Close Gates and Doors: Always close gates and doors behind you to ensure animals stay safe.
3. Leave Donkey's Stall Alone: Do not close the big stall door on donkey's stall. He has trauma that is triggered by confined spaces.
4. No Dogs or Cats: No outside dogs or cats. They'll be fed to the donkey. Exceptions may be made with owner's permission.

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Visitor Etiquette

1. Clean Up After Yourself: Always clean up any messes you make to keep the barn tidy. This includes stalls.
2. Put it Back Where-It-Was, As-It-Was: Only use barn equipment as intended and put it back in its place after use. I'm also OCD, so everything has a place and a way in which it is placed. If you find this intimidating, don't touch stuff.
3. Wear Proper Safety Equipment: Use sturdy, closed-toe shoes to protect your feet. Use of a helmet is mandatory when riding or working with horses.
4. No Running: To prevent accidents, always walk instead of running in the barn.
5. No Yelling or Screaming: Keep noise levels down to avoid startling the animals.
6. No Alexa: Do not use the Alexa device in the barn to adjust current music, sound, or run routines without the owner's permission.
7. No Unattended Children: Children must be supervised while in the barn. If you are riding in a clinic, do not bring your children unless you also bring someone to supervise them. Any children left unattended will be given way too much caffeine, sugar, taught to swear like a sailor, and learn WAY too much about "that thing under the gelding".

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Barn Etiquette

1. Grooming Stall: When you are done tacking or untacking your horse, please move them from the grooming stall to make it available to others. This is especially important during clinics. Clean up any mess your horse may have made. Do not leave your tack or belongs in the grooming stall when you are not using it.
2. Ask Permission Before Using Stalls: Before placing your horse in a stall, please confirm with the barn owner you are using the correct stall.

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Arena Etiquette

1. Clean Hooves Before Entering: This helps keep our footing free of organic material that would negatively impact it.
2. Clean Sand from Stirrup Irons Before Leaving: There is a hoof brush on the wall by the mounting block. Please use this to remove any sand from your stirrups, boots, or other equipment that would end up in the grooming stall. This makes it easier to keep a tidier barn and keeps the footing in the arena where it belongs.
3. Remove Manure: Please remove manure from the arena. There is a muck bucket and apple picker in the corner of the arena or just outside in the barn area. Outside horse manure must be placed on manure pile for biosecurity purposes.
4. Rider Right-of-Way: During clinics, the rider in the lesson has priority. You should make every effort to yield to the lesson rider and not interrupt their lesson. Best practice is to pass each other with left-shoulder to left-shoulder; same as we do in our cars on the roads.

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Clinic Rider Etiquette

In addition to Arena Etiquette, riders during clinics are also expected to:

1. Maintain Control of Your Horse: Always keep your horse under control and be aware of your surroundings. If you are working on behavior issues with your horse, please communicate these to the barn owner ahead of the clinic to see if accomodations can be made to maintain safety for everyone - people and horses.
2. Clinic Ride Times: Arrive on time for your lesson. When your lesson is finished, please promptly leave the arena to allow for the next lesson and the person warming up.
3. Warm-up: Warm-ups may be started 10 mins before your ride time. If you need more warm-up time, please coordinate with the barn owner to plan this into the schedule.
4. Lungeing: Lungeing in the arena is permitted during the warm-up period providing it does not interefere with the lesson. Please lunge at the far end of the arena and keep your horse off the outside track. If the exercise pattern during the lesson is not conducive to lungeing, you must wait to lunge or pause your lungeing.
5. Cooling Down: Cool-downs may be done up to 10 mins after your lesson has ended. If more cool-down time is needed, please work with the barn owner to identify where you may hand-walk your horse.
6. Ride in Designated Areas Only: Only ride your horse in the indoor arena. Outside riders are not permitted to use trails or grassy areas for riding their horse.

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Clinic Observer Etiquette

Why do we say observer instead of auditor? We want to reinforce the focus of the lesson time during a clinic is on the instructor and the rider.

1. No Socializing During Lessons: Please refrain from socializing during lessons. The focus is on maximizing the educational opportunity for everyone.
2. Respect the Instructor and Rider: Pay close attention to the instructor and avoid interrupting during teaching moments.
3. Arrive On Time: Ensure you arrive at the clinic on time to avoid disruptions. If your arrive while a lesson is in-progress, please wait in the main doorway till there is a walk break before entering and either taking or setting-up your seat.
4. Ask Questions Appropriately: Save any questions for designated Q&A sessions or appropriate breaks. You may ask quick questions when there are pauses during the lesson.
5. Turn Off Mobile Phones: Set mobile phones to silent mode to prevent distractions.
6. Stay in Designated Areas: Remain in the areas designated for auditors to avoid interfering with the clinic.

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Photography and Social Media

1. Outside Professional Photographers: Are welcome with barn owner's permission. We do not honor non-compete agreements for photographers. We also expect professional photographers to be welcoming and supportive of amateur photographers.
2. Respect Privacy: Please ask for permission before taking any photos of people.
3. Share Photos with Us: If you take photos, we'd love to see them! Please share any pictures you take with us.
4. Permission for Social Media: Before sharing photos of the barn on social media, please ask for permission from the barn owner. Before sharing photos of clinic participants on social media, please ask for their permission.
5. Tagging and Credits: If you post pictures online, kindly tag us and give proper credits for the location.
6. No Flash Photography: Refrain from using flash photography as it can startle animals.
7. Animal Welfare: Ensure that the animals are comfortable and not disturbed by the photography.
8. Respecting Others: Be mindful of other visitors and avoid disrupting their experience.
9. No Sharing Physical Address: Please do not share our physical address on social media. Telephone and email contacts are acceptable.