The Summer Horsemanship School Program is a fun and educational opportunity to strengthen the foundation of horsemanship and develop advanced riding skills of youth and adults alike!
Hosting a Summer Horsemanship School is possible for any group including, but not limited to, youth, 4-H, and horse clubs in the state of Texas. These clinics are designed to deliver relevant and helpful information to all levels and ages of horseman. Participants will gain valuable riding and horse management knowledge. You can choose to host either a two-day or three-day clinic. Simply pick your most ideal dates in the month of June and we’ll provide the clinicians to conduct your clinic! With registration, a packet of information will be sent to you in early spring to outline details of hosting a summer horsemanship school.
Summer Horsemanship School Contact:
Chelsie Huseman at [email protected]
Hosting a Successful TAMU Summer Horsemanship School
Provided by the Host Group/Club/Association/County before the event:
- Advertisement and marketing to secure adequate participation numbers: It is recommended that each school does not exceed 30 participants. If it appears your school will be significantly larger than this, let us know and we will help identify some alternatives, like hosting two schools back to back.
- Registration of participants: Mounted participants should be able to safely handle their horse, saddle and unsaddle, etc. If participants are too young or inexperienced, they can dilute the time instructors need to spend withparticipants who know how to ride. Pee-wee or sub-junior members should each be accompanied by an adult. If you have several younger participants who want to attend, consider a special separate group for Pee-wees, taught by an adult leader.
- Management of finances related to school organization and implementation:
- Payment of designated fees for TAMU Summer Horsemanship Schools
- Facility procurement: Keep in mind that facility capacity may also be a limiting factor to the number of participants a school can handle
- Collection of registration fees for participants, if warranted
- Obtainment of sponsorships/donations, if desired
- Insurance: We encourage hosts of a Summer Horsemanship School to identify the risks associated with this activity and determine if your current insurance program is sufficient to address these risks. If not, coverage procurement should be considered for this event and a discussion with your insurance agent may be needed.
Provided by the Host Group/Club/Association/County during the event:
- Adult leader in charge each day
- Several adult leaders or parents present to assist with moving obstacles, adjusting equipment, working arena ground, helping young riders
- Arena ground worked in show or rodeo condition, water and electricity turned on
- Arena P.A. system with a wireless microphone system is suggested, but not required
- Refreshments for 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. breaks (ice, water, lemonade, cokes, cookies, etc.)
- Equipment: 3 barrels, 10 or more cones (pylons), 6 or more logs or cavaletti poles
- Stalls or pens (preferably with shelter and close to arena) for instructors’ horses
- Provide lunch for instructors so that they can continue to teach and interact with participants during the lunch hour
Provided by the TAMU Summer Horsemanship School Program:
- Each horsemanship school is led by highly qualified Texas A&M student instructors who bring a wealth of expertise to their teaching. These instructors have undergone rigorous training and possess experience in a diverse array of disciplines and pedagogical techniques, ensuring an educational experience that is both comprehensive and adaptable to individual learning styles. Instructors will be prepared in numerous disciplines from which hosts can choose to have a focus on including:
- Stock Horse (Trail, Pleasure, Horsemanship, Showmanship, Reining)
- Judged Western Division (Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Western Riding, Trail)
- Speed Events (Barrels, Poles, Stake Race)
- Hunter/Jumper (Hunter Under Saddle, Hunt Seat Eq., Hunt Seat Versatility, Hunter Hack, Open Jumping)
- General Horsemanship
- Payment for all instructor related travel expenses including hotel, mileage, and per diem. Includes travel for one horse for each instructor to teach from horseback
- Consultation for hosts on implementation and marketing a fun and exciting school
- Support and resources for obtaining sponsorship and community involvement in the school
- Advertising of school on the state extension level to include, but not limited to, TAMU Department of Animal Science website, Facebook page Texas Horse and Texas 4-H
- Access to formal assessment of program outcomes for each individual school
Summer Horsemanship Student Instructor Opportunity
Are you a student interested in an opportunity to lead one of the Summer Horsemanship School Programs? The annual Summer Horsemanship School Program provides Texas A&M students the opportunity to develop horsemanship and teaching skills under the direction of AgriLife Extension and Animal Science faculty during the spring and then implement those skills in teaching the two and three-day horsemanship schools across the state of Texas in the summer.