Owners are encouraged to observe the ongoing training during the training sessions to fully understand how the horse is being trained. Included in the training fee is one riding lesson per 30 days (sessions) of training for the owner of the horse in training. It is highly recommended that owners take the lesson(s) before taking their horse home, and are also strongly encouraged to take additional lessons with Birgit to ensure they understand how their horse is trained in order to keep working with their horse along the same lines and to make sure that the owner understands how to correctly ask the horse what it has been taught as well as developing their own skills as a horseman/woman. Just like people, horses can develop bad habits or get lazy. It is important to continually work with a horse if the rider wants the horse to mature as a mount. Birgit is always looking for the best way to communicate with each individual horse and then share the information with its owner/rider.

If the training horse has already been started on the trails, Birgit will take the owner out on the trail riding a Falling Star Ranch horse while Birgit rides the training horse. That way the owner is able to see their horse on the trail and how Birgit rides the horse. The second step involves the owner riding his/her horse on the trail while Birgit rides a Falling Star Ranch owned horse. This is to make sure that the owner and his/her horse are “on the same page”.

Assistance by phone or email is available to Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship clients after they take their horse home in case they have any additional questions regarding their horse’s training.

• Psychological well-being of the horse
• Safety of the horse and handler/rider
• Consistency and clarity of requests
• Developing mutual respect, trust and understanding between horse and rider
• Confidence building for the horse and rider
• Owner/handler’s active participation in the process

Basic Training

Basic training includes teaching the horse ground manners and respect for and confidence and trust in people.

Basic training includes:

• Leading
• Standing tied
• Trailer-loading
• Standing still for grooming and handling
• Picking up feet
• Standing still for farrier
• Getting used to spray bottles
• Getting used to being blanketed

Other tasks can be added according to the owner’s requests.

Ground work, if properly done, will prevent or correct many problems. It is the foundation for having a horse’s trust and respect, in other words, accept and look to the handler as its leader. The goal is to have a confident, willing, well-behaved, responsive, happy, relaxed horse so it can be a willing partner to its human.

Ground work training includes:

Creating a solid foundation with a horse so that its mind, body and spirit are ready, willing and able to perform in any discipline.

Training is tailored to the individual needs of your horse and is focused on creating a happy, calm, relaxed, confident, willing, responsive, respectful, focused, balanced horse that says “yes” to whatever is asked.

Basic saddle training/colt starting includes:

If your horse has had the winter off and is feeling a little fresh…
If your horse has had time off due to an injury…
If you want your horse to be exercised into a working shape…
If you want to have your horse ready for trail riding season…
… consider sending your horse to Falling Star Ranch Academy for Foundational Horsemanship for conditioning.

Conditioning is working your horse for a couple of weeks or more to take the edge off or to get your horse into working shape as well as creating a solid work ethic so your horse is ready to go for you.

Advanced saddle training not only focuses on developing a good work ethic in the equine student, it also teaches the horse in training the finer points of being ridden (true bends, canter leads, lateral movements, smooth transitions, contact, more collected gaits, etc.). It also teaches the horse to actively move forward with a steady rhythm while staying soft, supple and athletic.

Exposing the horse to trail riding is done with an older and more experienced trail horse leading the way. Birgit usually ponies the horse in training off an experienced riding horse for the first few times, and then rides the horse in training while following an other rider on an experienced trail horse before venturing out by themselves. The horse in training will be exposed to traffic, bridges, creeks, trash cans, tractors, dogs, wildlife and anything else encountered out on the trail.

We may also do some trail training in the arena first and work with trail obstacles.

Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship offers re-schooling and tune-up training for older horses in order to make them more enjoyable and safer for their rider/handler. Birgit will help your horse become softer, more supple, and more athletic.

Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship also offers training to resolve behavioural issues in horses. Preventing problems is the ideal, but at times problems arise and often escalate, becoming dangerous and potentially habitual.

Birgit works with equine massage therapists, equine chiropractors, and veterinarians/equine dentists to rule out pain as well as dental issues as causes for behavioural issues.

The training will then start with ground work in order to properly identify the problem and what causes it. She then focuses on eliminating the root of the problem (the cause) in order to solve the problem, instead of applying a quick-fix band-aid to solve the problem. Birgit believes that if the cause isn’t eliminated, the problem will remain or reoccur.

Bad habits such as bucking, rearing, kicking, striking, bolting, biting, trailer loading problems, not standing still for mounting/saddling/fly spraying/clipping, etc. will be addressed in an assertive, but non-threatening way.

All fears and problems are dealt with in a manner that creates trust and respect and builds confidence to quickly eliminate and further prevent problems and fears from reoccurring, creating a safe, relaxed, happy, confident and willing horse.

Birgit will then also work with the owner to make sure the problem isn’t caused by the owner and doesn’t resurface as soon as the horse returns home.

• The horse in training is boarded in its own paddock or in a pen together with another training horse at Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship for the duration of the training unless otherwise agreed on by both the owner and trainer. The boarding fee is $400.00 per month (not included in training fee). If the horse needs to be boarded in an individual pen, there is an additional fee of $100 per month for a total of $500/month. Indoor board (box stall in a shedrow barn) is $600/month. Extra days of boarding will be charged to the owner on a pro rata basis. Board includes hay/pasture turnout, minerals, salt, blanketing service, putting on/taking off fly mask, fly spraying (please provide your own blanket(s), fly mask and fly spray)
• The horse in training is kept at its home and the trainer travels to the owner’s property for the training sessions. If the horse is kept at its home during the training period, a trip fee will be charged for each training session. The trip fee depends on the distance the trainer must travel. Please inquire for mileage.

• The training fee is $1200.00 for 30 days of training (30 sessions) or $60.00 per individual session (board not included in training fee).
• There will be an extra fee of $300.00 per 30 days of training (30 sessions) for horses older than 6 years old to be started under saddle or who have less than 30 rides on them.
• There will be an extra fee of $600.00 per 30 days of training (30 sessions) for stallions and horses with serious problems (such as bucking, bolting, rearing, chronic pulling back, etc.).
• The boarding fee is $400.00 per month (not included in training fee).
• If horse in training needs to be boarded in an individual pen, there is an additional fee of $100 per month for a total of $500/month.
• Indoor board (box stall in a shedrow barn) is $600/month
• Extra days of boarding will be charged to the owner on a pro rata basis.
•  A trip fee will be charged if the trainer travels to the client’s place for the training sessions. Please inquire for mileage.
• Discounts are available for multiple (three or more) horses or for horses in training for more than 90 days (to be booked and deposits paid in advance).
• Minimum of 60 days for horses to be started under saddle. Minimum of 90 days for horses older than 6 years old to be started under saddle or who have less than 30 rides on them, and for horses with serious problems (such as bucking, bolting, rearing).
• All payments must be made by cash, money order, personal cheque, certified cheque or through online banking prior to the beginning of each 30 days of training.
• Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship requires a $600 deposit (deducted from the training fee) in order to hold a spot for a training horse.
• The owner of the horse in training is responsible for all costs directly related to the training agreement, included but not limited to transportation, veterinarian bills, farrier services, and necessary special equipment.

• In advance of a training horse’s arrival, the owner of the horse in training is required to fill out and sign a waiver, medical release form, training agreement and training information form.
• If the horse in training is to be boarded at Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship, the owner of the horse is further required to fill out and sign a boarding contract.
• If the horse in training is to be boarded at Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship, a current negative Coggins-test is mandatory. The horse is also required to be up-to-date on immunizations (5-way shot) and regular deworming or have a recent fecal egg count done.
• Up-to-date dental and farrier work are highly recommended to ensure maximum benefit of the training program.
• The owner of the horse in training will provide grain and/or any other supplementary feed (except salt and minerals) as needed for the horse during its stay at Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship. Board includes hay/pasture turnout, minerals, salt, blanketing service, putting on/taking off fly mask, fly spraying (please provide your own blanket(s), fly mask and fly spray).
• The owner of the horse in training is asked to bring along the training horse’s grooming kit, halter (web halter prefered) and lead rope, as well as a bridle, bit (full-cheek snaffle bit for horses to be started under saddle or horses with behavioural issues; loose ring snaffle for refinement training) and saddle pad for the horse to be trained under saddle.
• Protective boots are recommended for all types of training.
• Blankets are recommended in the winter time and during the rainy season.
• Fly masks and fly spray are recommended in the summer time.