We conform our teachings to our students, rather than students conforming to a standard set program. We do this in private and semi-private (two people) lesson settings, in which no previous experience with horses is necessary. However, we do offer a few group lessons a week for our more advanced students who may desire them.
For those interested in showing, we teach most seats, english i.e., dressage, huntseat, saddleseat, western pleasure, Sidesaddle as well as driving horses and ponies. We do not offer jumping, barrel racing, or team penning. However, we do recommend to anyone interested in these activities to take a year of riding lessons prior to engaging in these sports.
Azgard Farm’s lesson program incorporates horses as partners to teach competent riding skills for all riding styles. We strive to build healthy, supportive relationships between humans and horses in order to strengthen the bond between them. It’s about metaphorical learning, using activities with horses - on the ground or in the saddle. Our goal is to promote awareness, to teach communication, trust, responsibility, accountability, partnership, and empathy. Within the philosophy of our riding program, the outward expression of these principles is a responsible, considerate equestrian who rides with grace, balance, and sensitivity.
We believe that through education, understanding and experiential opportunities, humans and horses can be positively transformed together and empowered to grow to their full potential. From day one, we hope to provide each one of our students with an indestructible foundation that will not erode in times of play or of emergency. This is knowledge that can prevent them from being a potential victim of horse related accident.
We provide QUALITY not VOLUME; by delivering indepth educational information not stuffing as many students as possible into an hour group lesson. Due to our strong belief of providing an indepth equine education in a one-on-one setting, we have yielded to having a new looking facility and are quite comfortable with "old farm charm". Our lesson program is not competition based rather competence based. We conform our teachings to our students, rather than students conforming to a standard set program. These two factors alone stand Azgard Farm well above the rest in equine education.
Our lessons are process-oriented and solution focused. We teach to think outside the box and problem solve while working toward harmonizing the rider and the horse. We have found that within the interaction between a student and a horse, the student is provided an opportunity to become more self-aware through the metaphors of how the horse relates to them, their herd, and their environment, and how they relate to the horse. We developed a program that is based on each student’s individual strengths and lesson plans are carefully matched to the needs, temperament and emotional or personal goals of the individual. We combine these with the skills of communication, awareness, technical know-how, and mental relaxation, which are the essentials for safety and required by all riding disciplines at all levels. We believe the relative and sometimes whimsical way in which we present the information makes it appealing to our students, young and old alike. Sculpting the presentation of information that works for each individual student, we first must learn and understand our student’s way of processing information, their comfort zones, what drives them. From this, we will outline our delivery of the information in a way that will be readily accepted by their brains and that they can benefit from in the following areas:
Our school horses . . . are chosen for their temperament, training and safety. We have horses suitable for beginning through advanced level riders as well as small horses for children. Occasionally our school horses are available for half- or full-lease as well as for purchase. Please note that we do not rent our horses.
WARNING
UNDER TEXAS LAW (CHAPTER 87, CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE), AN EQUINE PROFESSIONAL IS NOT LIABLE FOR AN INJURY TO OR THE DEATH OF A PARTICIPANT IN EQUINE ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM THE INHERENT RISKS OF EQUINE ACTIVITIES.