Yarramba - trail riding in the Snowy Mountains region

Lessons

Our aim at Yarramba is to produce happy, confident riders who can understand and enjoy horses.

Both Mark and Rosemary have a lifetime of experience teaching pupils of all ages, nationalities and ability, specialising in advanced dressage and horsemanship skills as well as teaching children, nervous beginners and those returning to riding after a break.

Lessons are tailored to suit the individual rider and their aims or interests, for example:

Basic riding skills, including developing balance and a good seat at the walk, sitting and rising trots, and the canter
Advanced riding skills, including working on rein control, lateral control, flying changes and rollbacks
Advanced dressage
Western riding and reining
Groundwork and ‘natural horsemanship’ exercises
‘Join Up’
Lunging
Trail/bush riding skills and practice

Lesson/Bush Riding Combos

Many clients enjoy combining an hour or two of lesson time with two hours of riding out in the bush.

This is a great way to:

Refresh or learn new riding skills in our arena with one-to-one tuition
Practice riding skills out in a bush setting
Continue receiving riding and horsemanship tuition out on the trail
Have some riding time to relax on horseback outside of formal lessons
Enjoy the stunning scenery and a break from the stress of daily life

If you have attend a riding school in Canberra, Jindabyne or Sydney, this can be a great way to complement your regular lessons and enjoy a break from the city at the same time.

Costs

We offer great value, with one-to-one tuition costing only $50 for the first hour, and each subsequent hour only $35... Riders can combine lesson time with trail riding. Prices for riding lessons and trail rides are the same scale.

Cost per person for individual (one-to-one) lessons/trail rides:

One hour: $50
Two hours: $85
Three hours: $120
Four hours: $155
Full day (six hours): $210

For friends or couples wishing to share lesson and trail riding time, we offer a discount, with the first hour being charged at $45 per person, and each subsequent hour only $30 per person:

Cost per person for shared lessons/trail rides:

One hour: $45
Two hours: $75
Three hours: $105
Four hours: $135
Full day (six hours): $180

Payment Details: 50% deposit is required to confirm booking…
Please Note: Deposits are not refundable however if a cancellation is necessary, it should be made at least 2 days prior to the date of the trail ride; (or 7 days prior to the date on public holidays). Deposit is then transferable for a period of 6 months for a rescheduled trail ride.

If transferring cash via net-bank, please enter your name so that your deposit can be identified. After transfer please send email to inform us of your deposit. We will send return email confirming the transaction… For bank details please phone (02) 6453 7204 or email: info@yarramba.com.au

Riding lessons for Children

We lead the field in giving safe, sympathetic and supportive instruction to small children. Our two schoolmaster Shetland ponies are “bombproof” and willing workers. Over the years many children, some not yet four years old, have started being led, then ridden on a short lunge hanging onto the horn of the saddle at the walk and then a slow trot. As confidence grows, they learn to post (do a rising trot), and relinquish their hold on the saddle. When balance and confidence are established at this level, they can start using the reins and become riders.

There is generally a lot of giggling as they learn time-honoured tricks like “around the world” (which has them sitting forwards, then sideways, then backwards on their mount); dismounting by slipping off over the tail; and Greg’s speciality is to lie down on command, get into a sitting position for a child to mount him, then standing up – always to smiles all round.

Case Studies

Judy Weber

At the age of forty, I had a husband and four children, was a happy housewife, but needed a challenge. I decided to try horse riding and Mark was recommended to me by a friend.

Previous to this I had no horse riding experience except once or twice as a child. Horses, even ponies were big, frightening, wild animals but fascinating. It soon became the hour in the week that I looked forward to. There was so much to learn, so many skills I had to develop. I realised I was not a very coordinated person; this was something I had to develop.

Also I had to learn to be assertive. In fact what was interesting was that a lot of the skills I learnt from Mark for horse riding were things I needed to learn to make me develop as a person. I learnt to face my fears. A number of times I turned up there feeling a bit fearful and start by saying "I'm not going to canter today", and before the hour was over he had conned me into having a wonderful canter each way in the arena.

At the time I had no intention of owning a horse. I was horrified at the thought of putting my fingers in a horse's mouth as a necessary part of bridling. Indeed I was a very timid person but as I gained confidence, Mark would push me a little further beyond my comfort zone and thus what was scary yesterday became bearable today, and normal in the future.

I often said I was a slow learner and was not very confident with technical scientific things like computers, but here I was faced with learning all sorts of technical, mechanical things to do with horses' gaits. I had to learn timing. If things were going to work with a horse I had to sit in a certain way, apply certain pressures with my reins and coordinate them with leg pressure and possibly this dangerous thing, a dressage whip. All this developed with repetition and encouragement. But it was fun! I lived for my time with the horse and, bit by bit, a terrible thing happened: I felt this overwhelming desire to make permanent the relationship with Storm Boy, the buckskin gelding I rode.

Eight years after I started as a total beginner, I have been a horse owner for three years. I keep my horse on a friend's paddock. I sometime do "join up" with him in the yard. I circle him at the walk, trot, and canter in the flat areas and I ride him out through the bush with friends and sometimes on my own. If I haven't ridden him for a week I sometimes feel more confident if I lunge him first.

There is still more I would like to learn but I am basically very confident with my horse, and if Mark hadn't encouraged me to learn more and pushed me that little beyond my "comfort zone" I probably would never have felt confident to own a horse and manage him all on my own.

Helaine

At the age of 41 I had owned and ridden horses for eight years. I had never had a lesson - I was self taught. The horses that I had were basically 'old crocs'...other people’s hand-me-downs. I was searching for a new horse, one that was reasonably young and sound and had no vices. I was following up an ad for a six year old Holsteiner thoroughbred-cross gelding. It was at the place of Mark Layton where it had been for a couple of months. Mark had broken it in and trained it. In the half an hour that he demonstrated this horse I was left dazzled. In the round yard at liberty he demonstrated what he called 'join up'. Getting the horse to walk, trot and canter at given signals and change direction with total obedience and then come to him in the middle and follow him as he walked around. He then proceeded to walk around the horse cracking a stockwhip and flapping a piece of blue plastic tarp, still with no halter while the horse stood there as relaxed as if he was grooming it with a dandy brush.

He then proceeded to saddle it and put a halter on, and quickly demonstrated a few things that I had never heard or thought of. He not only got it to walk backwards and forwards and sideways, but talked about controlling different parts of the horse individually and proceeded to get it to keep its front feet in the one spot while its back feet walked a circle in either direction around them. He used a lot of jargon that I was not familiar with: turns on the forehand, turns on the hindquarters, pirouettes, roll backs, flexion and side passes. These were things I didn't know about, I just wanted a horse I could ride. Next thing he put the bridle on, mounted and with the same calm control had the 16hh warmblood moving around the arena with great ease at the walk, trot and canter and doing some of the other maneouvres he had done on the ground, turns on the forehand, hindquarters and sidepasses. I could see it was a very impressive, calm and responsive horse.

Next thing it was my turn to try the horse. I felt sort of secure and safe in his big western saddle but the question soon on my mind was who was on trial, me or the horse. Mark was quickly trying to instruct me to change the way I rode. "Stop leaning forward", "sit back", "stop snatching at the reins", and so on. My attempt at a canter was not good. The last time I had ridden my horse at home I had come off at the canter, so in apprehension and full of adrenaline I gathered up the reins and got a short tight hold on them and despite Mark telling me to lean back and give him a little more rein I crouched forward gripping and clinging, shouted "canter" and kicked him and wondered why I got a few pig roots. Mark got back on again and had him floating around majestically.

My husband Peter and I were both very impressed with the horse. Peter and Mark both suggested that I should come out the following weekend for some tuition. I had a series of intensive lessons, both groundwork and ridden exercises on his school horses and then would have a not too ambitious ride on 'Mick' the warmblood. In fact I came for something like three weekends a month for three months. There was so much I had to learn about lungeing, groundwork, body language as well as in ridden work, and so much I had to unlearn. Halfway through the day on the third weekend things seemed to be going a lot better and cautiously I said to Mark, "I am going good this time", to which he said " Yes, I think we have finished most of our demolition work". He would complain about my "snatchy hands" - I had to learn to sit back and move my hands with slow deliberate, calculated co-ordinated movement, but I did make progress.

I bought the horse and kept asking Mark when he thought I was ready to take him home. His answer was, "When I could demonstrate good control in the arena and when I could trot and canter him for five kilometres (or more), walk him home and trot and canter past home in the opposite direction without trouble.” He also strongly recommended that before I took him home I should have constructed a safely fenced working area. He didn't care if it was a round yard or an arena, but he specified a reasonably level area, safely fenced, big enough to comfortably canter, where I could warm the horse up.

After all I work five days a week and although I am able to ride in the summer mid-week and can juggle my hours, basically the horse would have the week off a lot of the year. Also Mark pointed out there will be weekends where you go away and it may rain all weekend. You must have the skills and the setup to work the horse on the lunge and then in the arena before going out in the open.

It is now a year since I first went to look at the grey horse and met Mark Layton.


Specialists in training, teaching, trail riding & horsemanship
Home About Us Our Horses Trail Riding Lessons Training Wwoofers Location Contact Us Links	Lessons Our aim at Yarramba is to produce happy, confident riders who can understand and enjoy horses. Both Mark and Rosemary have a lifetime of experience teaching pupils of all ages, nationalities and ability, specialising in advanced dressage and horsemanship skills as well as teaching children, nervous beginners and those returning to riding after a break. Lessons are tailored to suit the individual rider and their aims or interests, for example: Basic riding skills, including developing balance and a good seat at the walk, sitting and rising trots, and the canter Advanced riding skills, including working on rein control, lateral control, flying changes and rollbacks Advanced dressage Western riding and reining Groundwork and ‘natural horsemanship’ exercises ‘Join Up’ Lunging Trail/bush riding skills and practice Lesson/Bush Riding Combos Many clients enjoy combining an hour or two of lesson time with two hours of riding out in the bush. This is a great way to: Refresh or learn new riding skills in our arena with one-to-one tuition Practice riding skills out in a bush setting Continue receiving riding and horsemanship tuition out on the trail Have some riding time to relax on horseback outside of formal lessons Enjoy the stunning scenery and a break from the stress of daily life If you have attend a riding school in Canberra, Jindabyne or Sydney, this can be a great way to complement your regular lessons and enjoy a break from the city at the same time. Costs We offer great value, with one-to-one tuition costing only $50 for the first hour, and each subsequent hour only $35... Riders can combine lesson time with trail riding. Prices for riding lessons and trail rides are the same scale. Cost per person for individual (one-to-one) lessons/trail rides: One hour: $50 Two hours: $85 Three hours: $120 Four hours: $155 Full day (six hours): $210 For friends or couples wishing to share lesson and trail riding time, we offer a discount, with the first hour being charged at $45 per person, and each subsequent hour only $30 per person: Cost per person for shared lessons/trail rides: One hour: $45 Two hours: $75 Three hours: $105 Four hours: $135 Full day (six hours): $180 Payment Details: 50% deposit is required to confirm booking… Please Note: Deposits are not refundable however if a cancellation is necessary, it should be made at least 2 days prior to the date of the trail ride; (or 7 days prior to the date on public holidays). Deposit is then transferable for a period of 6 months for a rescheduled trail ride. If transferring cash via net-bank, please enter your name so that your deposit can be identified. After transfer please send email to inform us of your deposit. We will send return email confirming the transaction… For bank details please phone (02) 6453 7204 or email: info@yarramba.com.au Riding lessons for Children We lead the field in giving safe, sympathetic and supportive instruction to small children. Our two schoolmaster Shetland ponies are “bombproof” and willing workers. Over the years many children, some not yet four years old, have started being led, then ridden on a short lunge hanging onto the horn of the saddle at the walk and then a slow trot. As confidence grows, they learn to post (do a rising trot), and relinquish their hold on the saddle. When balance and confidence are established at this level, they can start using the reins and become riders. There is generally a lot of giggling as they learn time-honoured tricks like “around the world” (which has them sitting forwards, then sideways, then backwards on their mount); dismounting by slipping off over the tail; and Greg’s speciality is to lie down on command, get into a sitting position for a child to mount him, then standing up – always to smiles all round. Case Studies Judy Weber At the age of forty, I had a husband and four children, was a happy housewife, but needed a challenge. I decided to try horse riding and Mark was recommended to me by a friend. Previous to this I had no horse riding experience except once or twice as a child. Horses, even ponies were big, frightening, wild animals but fascinating. It soon became the hour in the week that I looked forward to. There was so much to learn, so many skills I had to develop. I realised I was not a very coordinated person; this was something I had to develop. Also I had to learn to be assertive. In fact what was interesting was that a lot of the skills I learnt from Mark for horse riding were things I needed to learn to make me develop as a person. I learnt to face my fears. A number of times I turned up there feeling a bit fearful and start by saying "I'm not going to canter today", and before the hour was over he had conned me into having a wonderful canter each way in the arena. At the time I had no intention of owning a horse. I was horrified at the thought of putting my fingers in a horse's mouth as a necessary part of bridling. Indeed I was a very timid person but as I gained confidence, Mark would push me a little further beyond my comfort zone and thus what was scary yesterday became bearable today, and normal in the future. I often said I was a slow learner and was not very confident with technical scientific things like computers, but here I was faced with learning all sorts of technical, mechanical things to do with horses' gaits. I had to learn timing. If things were going to work with a horse I had to sit in a certain way, apply certain pressures with my reins and coordinate them with leg pressure and possibly this dangerous thing, a dressage whip. All this developed with repetition and encouragement. But it was fun! I lived for my time with the horse and, bit by bit, a terrible thing happened: I felt this overwhelming desire to make permanent the relationship with Storm Boy, the buckskin gelding I rode. Eight years after I started as a total beginner, I have been a horse owner for three years. I keep my horse on a friend's paddock. I sometime do "join up" with him in the yard. I circle him at the walk, trot, and canter in the flat areas and I ride him out through the bush with friends and sometimes on my own. If I haven't ridden him for a week I sometimes feel more confident if I lunge him first. There is still more I would like to learn but I am basically very confident with my horse, and if Mark hadn't encouraged me to learn more and pushed me that little beyond my "comfort zone" I probably would never have felt confident to own a horse and manage him all on my own. Helaine At the age of 41 I had owned and ridden horses for eight years. I had never had a lesson - I was self taught. The horses that I had were basically 'old crocs'...other people’s hand-me-downs. I was searching for a new horse, one that was reasonably young and sound and had no vices. I was following up an ad for a six year old Holsteiner thoroughbred-cross gelding. It was at the place of Mark Layton where it had been for a couple of months. Mark had broken it in and trained it. In the half an hour that he demonstrated this horse I was left dazzled. In the round yard at liberty he demonstrated what he called 'join up'. Getting the horse to walk, trot and canter at given signals and change direction with total obedience and then come to him in the middle and follow him as he walked around. He then proceeded to walk around the horse cracking a stockwhip and flapping a piece of blue plastic tarp, still with no halter while the horse stood there as relaxed as if he was grooming it with a dandy brush. He then proceeded to saddle it and put a halter on, and quickly demonstrated a few things that I had never heard or thought of. He not only got it to walk backwards and forwards and sideways, but talked about controlling different parts of the horse individually and proceeded to get it to keep its front feet in the one spot while its back feet walked a circle in either direction around them. He used a lot of jargon that I was not familiar with: turns on the forehand, turns on the hindquarters, pirouettes, roll backs, flexion and side passes. These were things I didn't know about, I just wanted a horse I could ride. Next thing he put the bridle on, mounted and with the same calm control had the 16hh warmblood moving around the arena with great ease at the walk, trot and canter and doing some of the other maneouvres he had done on the ground, turns on the forehand, hindquarters and sidepasses. I could see it was a very impressive, calm and responsive horse. Next thing it was my turn to try the horse. I felt sort of secure and safe in his big western saddle but the question soon on my mind was who was on trial, me or the horse. Mark was quickly trying to instruct me to change the way I rode. "Stop leaning forward", "sit back", "stop snatching at the reins", and so on. My attempt at a canter was not good. The last time I had ridden my horse at home I had come off at the canter, so in apprehension and full of adrenaline I gathered up the reins and got a short tight hold on them and despite Mark telling me to lean back and give him a little more rein I crouched forward gripping and clinging, shouted "canter" and kicked him and wondered why I got a few pig roots. Mark got back on again and had him floating around majestically. My husband Peter and I were both very impressed with the horse. Peter and Mark both suggested that I should come out the following weekend for some tuition. I had a series of intensive lessons, both groundwork and ridden exercises on his school horses and then would have a not too ambitious ride on 'Mick' the warmblood. In fact I came for something like three weekends a month for three months. There was so much I had to learn about lungeing, groundwork, body language as well as in ridden work, and so much I had to unlearn. Halfway through the day on the third weekend things seemed to be going a lot better and cautiously I said to Mark, "I am going good this time", to which he said " Yes, I think we have finished most of our demolition work". He would complain about my "snatchy hands" - I had to learn to sit back and move my hands with slow deliberate, calculated co-ordinated movement, but I did make progress. I bought the horse and kept asking Mark when he thought I was ready to take him home. His answer was, "When I could demonstrate good control in the arena and when I could trot and canter him for five kilometres (or more), walk him home and trot and canter past home in the opposite direction without trouble.” He also strongly recommended that before I took him home I should have constructed a safely fenced working area. He didn't care if it was a round yard or an arena, but he specified a reasonably level area, safely fenced, big enough to comfortably canter, where I could warm the horse up. After all I work five days a week and although I am able to ride in the summer mid-week and can juggle my hours, basically the horse would have the week off a lot of the year. Also Mark pointed out there will be weekends where you go away and it may rain all weekend. You must have the skills and the setup to work the horse on the lunge and then in the arena before going out in the open. It is now a year since I first went to look at the grey horse and met Mark Layton.
© Yarramba, 1760 Dry Plains Road, Cooma NSW 2630, Australia, +61 2 6453 7204, info@yarramba.com.au