My 11-year-old daughter and I have been taking lessons with Janet at Kira's Dream Horses since it…read moreopened last June. We were previously taking lessons at a different barn and had the pleasure of having a make-up lesson with Janet, and I appreciated her style of teaching both riding and horsemanship - I'd never had an instructor who would grab a horse and jump on mid-lesson to demonstrate a skill. She had my daughter executing a reining spin at the end of our first lesson! My daughter found her confidence and joy while riding and leasing Lucky, one of Janet's lesson horses, and was heartbroken when she left the program with Janet, so we followed them both to KDH. As a healthcare professional who works with children and adolescents, I can confidently recommend KDH for any level of rider who is interested in learning more about riding or horsemanship. Janet is a patient, persistent, professional educator who values safety and fun for both horses and riders and provides a positive environment for her students to learn and grow.
I would specifically like to encourage adults who would like to return to riding horses after a lengthy period away to consider KDH. I was an enthusiastic, but unskilled rider as a child. I have always loved horses, but never had formal lessons. I am ridiculously uncoordinated, and more than a little anxious. While my love for horses was put on the back burner once I became an adult, it never completely faded. As I arrived at a place in my life where buying a horse of my own became a possibility, I wasn't sure how to proceed. How do you go try out a horse when you haven't been on a horse in 25 years? How do you try a horse without a saddle of your own? Which should come first, the saddle or the horse? What about a trailer? What do you feed a horse and how do you find a good vet and skilled ferrier? These were all questions that I never had to consider when riding as a child.
I seriously considered just jumping in -- picking a horse from a Craig's list ad and figuring it all out myself. I knew that I should take some lessons and ease back into horse ownership in a safe, responsible way, but the thought of being the only adult in a lesson full of little kids was mortifying. I pored over all the reviews I could find for lesson barns in the East Valley, but none seemed to cater to adult re-riders who weren't interested in competition. Luckily, my daughter and I were able to find a program that worked, and were able to eventually connect with Janet.
I am so glad that I didn't jump into horse ownership on my own. After 18 months of lessoning and learning, I realize what a disaster that would have been for both me and any horse I would have bought without knowing how to handle, communicate with, care for and (least of all) ride. Since I started spending time around horses again, I have met quite a few adult re-riders who have struggled with confidence in riding or handling their horses who would have benefitted greatly from professional guidance, advice and time re-building their confidence in the saddle before buying a horse.
KDH is a great place for adults as well as kids. People of all ages and experience levels come together in a friendly, non-competitive, encouraging environment to share their love of horses. While I feared being the only adult in a lesson full of kids, I have been pleasantly surprised with all the support that I get from riders of all ages and from fellow parents at the KDH barn. There is no drama, no competition and no negativity. My daughter loves it as much as I do, and my husband has even started coming to watch lessons because the atmosphere and people at the barn are so enjoyable.
Finally, I must say a few words about Janet's great lesson horses. A great instructor can't be effective without safe, reliable, well-trained and well-cared-for horses. KDH has a variety of horses for people of any ability. Her horses truly love being lesson horses - they meet you at the stall door and love being groomed and tacked to get ready for lessons. They are in great health, fed well, shod regularly, and receive regular vet care, massage and chiropractic treatments. Janet has an intuitive ability to match a rider with the horse that can teach them what they need to learn. It is a great feeling to master riding one horse, and then be able to move on to learn from another. She has several retired reiners (and if you haven't ridden a reining horse, you should!), retired ropers, English horses and general all-around good mounts. She has several horses that are appropriate for anxious or fearful riders, and who treat even the tiniest students with care and respect. Janet selects her horses with temperament and safety in mind, and I always feel that my daughter and I are safe when handling them.
