When school starts back up, so do the after-school activities. Gone are the carefree days of summer (or, truthfully, the days full of summer camps and activities and trips and so much more), but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop when those school doors swing back open. The possibilities are endless to explore your child’s interests and passions or even to cultivate new ones. For those who shy away from team sports, who love interacting with animals, or even who just want to have a new adventure, it might be time to hop in the saddle. Surrounded as it is by beautiful, sweeping fields and vast swaths of farmland, it should be no surprise that St. Augustine is home to quite the herd of horses.
All around St. Augustine, farms and stables welcome curious beginners and horse-riding experts alike to develop their equestrian skills and feel the freedom that comes from the wind in your hair. All ages and experience levels can learn something new from lessons at local stables like HaddenLoch, Meant to Be Equestrian, and Right Start Riding. The Good Beginning Riding Centre, Grace Under the Oaks, and P&L Stables also offer programs for special needs students so that everyone can benefit from the ride.
If your more advanced rider is looking to perfect a singular style, Steppingstone Farm gives hunt seat riding and English and Western dressage lessons. Dreamcatcher Stables’ 17-acre ranch features a lighted dressage arena, a hunter/jumper course, and winding wooded trails with natural jumps for advanced riders. And if your equestrian is ready to take their riding skills all the way to a show, Peak Performance offers sales, partial and full leasing of show horses, and partial leasing of recreational riding horses in addition to their all-levels riding lessons.
And that equestrian enchantment (no matter how developed) can be fully explored with a pony party or event or a unique horse-riding experience at spots like Southern Pines Equestrian Center and Grey Goose Farms.
The sport of horse riding fosters physical and psychological well being, a sense of connection and companionship, and a chance to get back into nature — and there’s no shortage of opportunities in St. Augustine. Students will get to explore skills and create bonds on their way to becoming equestrians.
