Twelve weeks ago, our instructors were meeting with parents and volunteers to develop goals for our students. Now, as the final few days of the 2017 Spring term trickle by, we can reflect on all the memories made – the fun times and the lessons learned – over the past 3 months. Though it was a bit hectic at times due to stormy weather, school breaks, and other miscellaneous obstacles, we managed to overcome all those to have an awesome term.
An average Spring week could expect to see up to 100 hours of lessons! For Saddle Up, our weekly individual riding lesson program, we had 72 hours of lessons scheduled per week. For unmounted group and individual lessons, which are under our Horse Play program, we had up to 22.5 hours of lessons scheduled per week. And our Take the Reins program for veterans and their families racked up 4.5 hours of lessons each week. In between those 100 hours, we held meetings, planned for lessons, wrote grant applications, adjusted ever-changing schedules, mucked stalls, and completed the countless other chores that go into the daily upkeep of a barn full of horses, bunnies, goats, and cats.
Though the Spring term ends this Sunday, we’re already gearing up for Summer. The bulk of Summer camps and lessons start June 12, so next week should be lighter and allow for time to iron out all the fine details for the Summer. Of course, any Summertime fine-tuning will come after we’ve completed all the preparation needed for the Take the Reins run, which will be held at Veteran’s Park in Hoover on Saturday, June 10th.
It’ll be tough to follow up such a great Spring, but we’re excited to dive on in to Summer with all the fun camps we have planned. Thank you all for being a part of the Red Barn family this past term, and we look forward to seeing you all back out here this Summer!
-Connor