The following information will help you decide if our services are right for you:

Rates

Service	Price
Individual Lessons at the Nexus Center, on our school horse or bring your horse	Lessons last about one hour. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to scheduled lesson time in order to get your horse ready. Individual lessons: $50/lesson
Individual Lessons away from the Nexus Center within one hour driving distance.	Lessons last about one hour. Individual lessons: $55/lesson
Lessons away from the Nexus Center further than one hour driving distance.	Use the Nexus Center pricing plus a trip charge. This trip charge will vary depending on the distance.
Clinics (maximum of 6 riders)	Within one hour driving distance: $250/day Further than one hour driving distance: $240 + travel expenses. (contact me for details)
Horses in training	$650/month. A few select horses may be accepted into training. Horses staying with us for hoof rehab have priority. Minimum stay is 2 months.

Policies

We are 100% commited to your, and your horse's, success. We know that success comes at a price. The price is not just money but also time and energy. Becoming a good horseman (or woman!) depends on putting the time and energy into study and practice. And because horsemanship and riding is a hands on skill, which can't be taught in writing, it is necessary to get help from someone who can teach you what you need to know in person. Then you must put those lessons into practice.

Lessons last about one hour. Sometimes the lesson goes a little more than one hour and sometimes less, depending on how much the student is able to absorb. We quit when it is time to quit.

Sharon's approach is different because she puts the time into getting it right the first time. Before bringing a horse in for training it is advised that you take one or more lessons with her in order to become familiar with her approach. When you see how meticulous and detailed she is, how important the horse's frame of mind is to the process, you will understand why she will not take a horse for 30 days in order to get it going under saddle.   We will not rush a process in order to meet a deadline. The main reason is safety. The horse who is confident and relaxed with his or her work has no need to run away, rear or buck. If you are willing to put the time in up front you will have a horse who is a life long partner.

Another critical success factor is realizing that if you want your horse to respond to you then you must be the one to do the training. It is entirely unrealistic to think that you can send a horse off for training and have the problem (whatever the reason was for sending it away) resolved when it returns.   The sad but honest truth is the problem was never the horse's to start with--the one who needs to be sent off to training is you! That is why Sharon will only accept horses for training when the owner and/or primary handler commits to being part of the process and learning what is needed in order to maintain the training.

With few exceptions, horses should not be started under saddle before they are 4 years old. Some should wait until their 5th year before being expected to carry a person.   There is a lot that can be done with horses too young to ride. This includes a variety of non riding lessons such as: leading, ground driving, ponying, work in hand, and longeing. We introduce all of this in conjunction with clicker training in order to make the learning process as stress free as possible. Learning new things is hard enough as it is without adding forceful tactics to boot!

If you want to know more about Sharon's process you can read about it in her book: "Getting to Yes: Clicker Training for Improved Horsemanship." We look forward to working with both you and your horse!