Falling Star Ranch - Training, Lessons, Clinics, Camps. Falling Star Ranch offers horse training, riding lessons, coaching, horsemanship clinics, kids camps, camps for adults, vaulting clinics, demos and short courses, equine behaviour workshops, horse whispering demonstrations, and horse sales.

Falling Star Ranch

Contact Info

"Ask not what your horse can do for you.
Ask what you can do for your horse."

- Chris Irwin

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Welcome to the Falling Star Ranch

Training, Lessons, Clinics, Camps

Riding Lessons/Coaching

Based on Chris Irwin's Non-Resistance Training Principles

With Chris Irwin Gold Certified Trainer and Coach Birgit Stutz

Click here for Schedule of Events

Falling Star Ranch offers riding lessons and coaching in English and Western style. Birgit is a Chris Irwin Gold Certified Coach and Trainer, and all teaching and coaching is based on Chris Irwin's non-resistance training principles.

Falling Star Ranch's horsemanship and lesson program allows riders to progress at their own rate and develop well-rounded horsemanship knowledge in both riding skills (Western and/or English style) and non-riding skills such as horse care and management knowledge.

Well-trained lesson horses are availabe, but Birgit will also work with you and your horse if you chose that option. Lessons may take place at Falling Star Ranch or at a client's place.

Birgit focuses on training both horse and rider as a unit and puts a big emphasis on the horse-human relationship as a whole, not only under saddle, but also on the ground, through means of horse psychology and body language.

Are you new to horses and would like to learn how to ride?
Would you like to learn how to ride with confidence and trust in yourself and your horse?
Would you like to improve your confidence with horses both on the ground and in the saddle?
Would you like to improve your horsemanship skills?
Would you like to improve your partnership with your horse on the ground and in the saddle through trust and respect?
Would you like to know how to play horse games by horse rules?
Would you like to learn more about ground work exercises
Would you like to learn how to become a pro-active rider?
Would you like to have a happy, willing, calm, level-headed, collected, focused, supple and balanced equine partner instead of an inverted, braced, angry, sullen, high-strung horse?
Do you dream of being perfectly in tune with your horse?

Birgit can help you with all this and more, by teaching you how to become the better horse through gaining mutual trust and respect and by building the horse's and your confidence.

Birgit teaches horsemanship skills to any age, skill level or background that is neither English nor Western, it is simply HORSE.

Birgit's relaxed and friendly attitude combined with her knowledge and skills provide you with the right environment to learn how to ride, regain your confidence, improve your riding and/or develop a stronger relationship with your horse.

Let Birgit help you and your horse to create the riding experience you have been dreaming of!

All lessons include basic handling, horse care/grooming, groundwork and safety discussions. Students will also gain an understanding of horse behaviour (why horses do what they do).
Students learn how to ride with a balanced seat and learn the correct use of aids, both on the ground and in the saddle.

Specializing in customized one-on-one instruction
Birgit works with you and your horse to help you achieve your goals.
Beginners welcome
Lesson horses available
Will travel to clients

Be the better horse, by playing horse games by horse rules. - Chris Irwin

Philosophy
Priorities for Lessons and Clinics
Types of Lessons/Coaching Offered
Horsemanship Clinics
Requirements
Additional Information
Pictures of Lessons
Click here for testimonials

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Philosophy

Birgit's mission is to help riders of all disciplines and levels improve their partnerships with their horses, ride with confidence and make their riding experiences safer and more enjoyable.

Birgit's teaching emphasis is on developing and strengthen the relationship between people and their horses by developing mutual respect, trust and understanding between horse and rider. Birgit teaches people to reprogram their bodies to change innate predator behaviour and adapt it to the prey behaviour of horses, and how to confidently manage the behaviour of their horses by developing relationships built on mutual trust and respect.

Birgit's training technique is based on an understanding of horse psychology, body language, body mechanics and fundamental riding skills. Birgit believes that in order to become true leaders and to communicate clearly with the horse, riders have to learn to understand the horse's perspective, learn its language, and become truly well-balanced, both physically and mentally. Therefore, the rider has to learn how to effectively use his or her body language with consistently centred riding aids that are supple and as soft and as strong as necessary.

Birgit's students learn how to be pro-active when working with horses, be it on the ground or in the saddle, in order to prevent problems instead of reactively fixing them. Awareness, consistency, perseverance, assertiveness, focus, calm, patience, compassion, empathy, courage and the ability to multi-task are all important traits on the journey to becoming a good horseperson.

" Ask not what your horse can do for you. Ask what you can do for your horse." - Chris Irwin

"Horsemanship is an ongoing journey that requires practice, patience, perseverance, calm, compassion, empathy, assertiveness, awareness, focus, courage and the ability to be pro-active while multi-tasking to a high degree. These qualities of the rider's mind can only be communicated clearly to the horse by a rider who can effectively use his or her body language with consistently centred riding aids that are supple and as soft or as strong as necessary. The more we know, the more willingness we can get from our horses with greater ease and less resistance." - Chris Irwin

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Priorities for Lessons and Horsemanship Clinics

Safety of the horse and handler/rider
Consistency and clarity of requests
Psychological well-being of the horse
Confidence building for horse and rider

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Types of Lessons/Coaching Offered

Falling Star Ranch offers lessons and coaching in the following areas:

Basic safety, handling, grooming and beginner riding (English and Western)
Intermediate riding (English and Western)
Groundwork (in-hand leading, round penning, lungeing, long-lining)

All students must learn horsemanship. This will be fitted into the lesson.
Not all horsemanship is riding!

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Additional Information for Lessons

Falling Star Ranch offers a friendly, relaxed, family-oriented, fun atmosphere.
Riders are instructed in an encouraging, not discouraging, manner.
Students (and horses) are not pushed beyond their comfort levels or limitations.
Falling Star Ranch's equipment and tack is of good quality and kept in safe working condition.
Lessons are given year-round, with ground and/or theory sessions given occasionally during inclement weather.
Abilities and contributing factors (such as weather conditions) are all considered for every lesson.
In the wintertime and sometimes during the rainy season, lessons are given in an indoor arena in McBride. There is a fee for hauling lesson horses to the arena ($5/student if there are four or more lessons scheduled per day or $10/student if there are 2-3 lessons scheduled per day). HCBC membership is required in order to use the indoor arena. HCBC membership is highly recommended for any equine activity at Falling Star Ranch.
Well-trained lesson horses are provided. However, you are welcome to bring your own horse to lessons (check with Birgit for health requirements) and Birgit will work with you both.
Lessons can be arranged at your place as well (mileage fee will apply).

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Pictures of Lessons







	Lessons in groundwork

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Please email or call us for more information on our services.
We look forward to hearing from you!

We invite you to stop by and have a look at our horses (please phone ahead to make sure we are around). We will be happy to show them to you, and we hope that you will enjoy them as much as we do.

Birgit teaching a groundwork lesson

Birgit and her Russian Arabian gelding Machlon

Page last updated February 13, 2011

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