Lessons & Leasing

Instructors:

Lori Crihfield

Lori has been an avid horse person since she was eight years old. She was the head of the UNC Equine program for four years. She is now in her fifth year if operating Spring Haven Stables.

Cathy Weisbecker

Experienced in Hunt Seat/Balanced Seat Instruction. Certified Horsemanship Safety Instructor.

Cathy is a lifelong horsewoman who has enjoyed Foxhunting and has competed successfully in Hunter/Jumper shows. She enjoys teaching riders at all ages and levels.

Ashley Bell

Ashley has been riding since the age of 9 and has been instructing students for several years. She is a member of the United States Pony Club and enjoys retraining thoroughbred race horses. Ashley has experience in eventing, dressage, jumpers and foxhunting.

School Horses:

The school horses here at Spring Haven are the backbone of our program. We pride ourselves on their quality and training.

There are ten horses in our school program for all levels of English riding. To the left is Snickers, a registered Paint mare with a great temperament and training.

Dressage: (a French term meaning "training") is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse.

Hunter Jumper: is terminology used in the United States and Canada to refer to a style of riding commonly found at American horse shows. Along with Dressage, it is one of the two classic forms of English riding. The Hunter Jumper is based on the tradition of fox hunting. It is a competition that includes both flat and over fences for show hunters, which judge the horse's movement and form, and equitation classes, which judge the rider's ability both on the flat and over fences.

Cross Country: equestrian jumping is an endurance test, and is one of the three phases of the sport of eventing; it may also be a competition in its own right, known as hunter trials or simply "cross-country" - these tend to be lower level, local competitions.

The object of the endurance test is to prove the speed, endurance and jumping ability of the true cross-country horse when he is well trained and brought to the peak of condition. At the same time, it demonstrates the rider's knowledge of pace and the use of this horse across country.

Eventing: is an equestrian event which comprises dressage, cross-country and show-jumping. This event has its roots as a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding. It has two main formats, the one day event (ODE) and the three day event (3DE). It has previously been known as Militaire, Horse Trials, and Combined Training.