Lessons

Birgit teaching
  • Are you new to horses and would like to learn how to ride?
  • Would you like to improve your horsemanship skills, both on the ground and in the saddle?
  • Would you like to learn how to ride with confidence and trust in yourself and your horse?
  • Would you like to improve your partnership with your horse on the ground and in the saddle through mutual confidence, trust and respect?
  • Would you like to learn more about various ground work exercises?
  • Would you like to learn how to become a pro-active rider?
  • Would you like to have a happy, willing, calm, relaxed, focused, supple and balanced equine partner?
  • Do you dream of being perfectly in tune with your horse?

Birgit’s mission is to help riders of all disciplines and of all levels improve their partnership with their horses, ride with confidence and make their riding experiences safer and more enjoyable.

Birgit’s teaching emphasis is on developing and strengthening the relationship between people and their horses by developing confidence, mutual respect, trust and understanding between horse and rider. Birgit teaches her students to reprogram their bodies to change innate predator behaviour and adapt it to the prey behaviour of horses, as well as how to confidently manage the behaviour of their horses by developing relationships built on confidence and mutual trust and respect.

Birgit’s training technique is based on an understanding of equine body language, psychology, and biomechanics, as well as fundamental riding skills based on classical dressage. Birgit believes that in order to become true leaders and to communicate clearly with the horse, riders have to learn to understand the horse’s perspective, learn its language, and become truly well-balanced, both physically and mentally. Therefore, the rider has to learn how to effectively use his or her body language with consistently centred riding aids that are supple and as soft and as strong as necessary.

Birgit’s students learn how to be pro-active when working with horses, be it on the ground or in the saddle, in order to prevent problems instead of reactively fixing them. Awareness, consistency, perseverance, assertiveness, focus, calm, patience, compassion, empathy, courage and the ability to multi-task are all important traits on the journey to becoming a good horse person.

Ask not what your horse can do for you. Ask what you can do for your horse. Chris Irwin

Horsemanship is an ongoing journey that requires practice, patience, perseverance, calm, compassion, empathy, assertiveness, awareness, focus, courage and the ability to be pro-active while multi-tasking to a high degree. These qualities of the rider’s mind can only be communicated clearly to the horse by a rider who can effectively use his or her body language with consistently centred riding aids that are supple and as soft or as strong as necessary. The more we know, the more willingness we can get from our horses with greater ease and less resistance. Chris Irwin

  • Safety of the horse and handler/rider
  • Consistency and clarity of requests
  • Psychological well-being of the horse
  • Confidence building for horse and rider

Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship offers lessons and coaching in the following areas:

  • Basic safety, handling, grooming and beginner riding (English and Western)
  • Intermediate riding (English and Western)
  • Advanced riding (English and Western)
  • Ground work (in-hand leading, round penning, lungeing, long-lining/ground driving, double lungeing)

All students must learn horsemanship. This will be fitted into the lesson.
Not all horsemanship is riding!

Our horses are not the usual type of lesson horses. They are well trained and responsive and are ridden by experienced riders on a regular basis to ensure their ongoing training and suitability for lessons.
Through careful training, the horses are allowed to keep their own personalities and stay sensitive and responsive, giving you immediate feedback, instead of being shut-down and dull and just putting up with whatever the rider asks them to do. Birgit believes strongly that every horse is an individual and that the secret to unlocking its full potential is reached by putting the needs of the horse ahead of the handler/rider in every context. By doing so she has many times produced amazing changes in horses and as a result in their humans too.
Our horses are all kept in groups outdoors year-round, and through their natural keeping they are very alert and sensitive. They are wonderful teachers!

*** Due to the limitations of our horses at this time we cannot exceed a weight of maximum 180 lbs. per rider.

  • Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship offers a friendly, relaxed, fun atmosphere.
  • Riders are instructed in an encouraging manner.
  • Students (and horses) are not pushed beyond their comfort levels or limitations.
  • Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship’s equipment and tack is of good quality and kept in safe working condition.
  • Lessons are given year-round (Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship has an indoor riding arena), however, lessons may be cancelled due to heavy rain, strong winds, extreme heat or cold. Other times ground and/or theory sessions will be given during inclement weather.
  • Abilities and contributing factors (such as weather conditions) are all considered for every lesson.
  • Well-trained lesson horses are provided. However, you are welcome to bring your own horse to lessons (check with Birgit for health requirements) and Birgit will work with you both. *** Due to the limitations of our horses at this time we cannot exceed a weight of maximum 180 lbs. per rider.
  • Lessons can be arranged at your place as well (time permitting). Mileage fee will apply.
Riding lesson

Birgit Stutz, an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified Trainer, and one of the top certified Irwin Insights trainers, can help you with all this and more!

Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship offers riding lessons and coaching in English and Western style as well as horsemanship/groundwork lessons. All teaching and coaching is based on Chris Irwin’s non-resistance training principles, in combination with Centered Riding principles and understanding of biomechanics.

Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship’s lesson programs is suitable for riders of any age, skill level or background and allows students to progress at their own rate and develop well-rounded horsemanship skills both on the ground and in the saddle.

Well-trained, quality lesson horses for all level of riders are available, but Birgit will also work with you and your own horse if you prefer.

Birgit focuses on training both horse and rider as a unit and puts a big emphasis on the horse-human relationship as a whole, not only under saddle, but also on the ground, through means of equine body language and psychology.

Birgit’s friendly attitude combined with her passion for coaching, her extensive knowledge and skills, as well as her attention to detail provide you with the perfect environment to learn how to ride, build or regain your confidence, improve your riding, and develop a stronger relationship with your horse.

“Are you in need of fine tuning your skills or just starting out? There is no better place to get whatever level of lessons you need than at Falling Star Ranch.  The owner Birgit Stutz is a wonderful coach and mentor. Birgit is so talented and is capable of explaining clearly to the complete beginner as well as coaching even the highest level of equestrians. Birgit works with every type of rider and horse and is remarkably skilled and friendly. I have been taking lessons and clinics over the last several years and Birgit has a special knack for helping everything to fall in line and make sense. If you want a boost in any direction I highly recommend Falling Star Ranch.” – Mellany Ford, Dunster, B.C.

Let Birgit help you create the riding experience you
have been dreaming of!

Take your horsemanship to a level far beyond your expectations!

Call Birgit at 1-250-968-6801 or email for more information.