The Adult Beginner Course is designed for riders with little to no riding experience. For riders wishing to join Lancers and who can already walk, trot, and canter unaided, please see our Adult Membership page. The Adult Beginner Course is a 12 week program which teaches the basics of horsemanship, riding, and being a Lancer. Adults of all ages will learn groom, tack up, ride and take care of the horse and stables. Once complete, riders will have the option to join our adult membership. Lessons are taught by NCCP and Equine Canada certified instructors. For individuals with riding experience and can walk, trot, and canter independently, see our Adult Membership page.

Due to capacity, this program will not run in 2024.

More than Just Riding Skills

Our Course teaches not only the basics of horse riding but also the basics of horsemanship. As Course participants, you will learn how to properly groom a horse, pick out a stall, clean tack, and maintain a clean a barn! Riders arrive a half hour prior to their lesson to get their mount groomed and tacked up for their lesson. Lessons will be one hour long. This hour can be mounted or unmounted depending on the Instructor’s lesson plan. After their lesson, riders are responsible for making sure their horse is put away properly, tack cleaned and the aisle is swept clean. Each group is also assigned a chore to complete. This can be cleaning a water bucket, cleaning a common space, picking out a stall, feeding hay or any other chore that may need to be done that day!

Upon Completion

At the end of the 12 week course, you will have over 24 hours of horse experience. Riders will be able to properly take care of their horse and equipment as well as able to ride at the walk and trot and the early stages of cantering. Once the course has been completed, participants will have the option to become members of the Halifax Lancers and will not have to rejoin the waitlist. We look forward to welcoming you to our Lancer community!

Program Highlights

$600 for twelve week course (tax included)

One lesson/week
Teaches riding, horsemanship, and basic horse care skills
Option to enter Adult Membership upon completion
Equine Canada and NCCP qualified instructors
First Aid certified and skilled barn monitors

Enrollment

When scheduling and capacity permit, the Adult Beginner Course runs a maximum of once a year, often in September. Enrollment is limited to eight riders per course and is on a first come, first served basis. Due to the popularity and strong reputation of the Lancer Adult Beginner Course, there is a waitlist. As best practice, once registration opens, we move down the waitlist and offer spaces to individuals in order. If you have not yet been contacted, there has not been space yet for you to register. The next adult beginner course will run when space becomes available in our schedule and we will contact individuals at the top of our waitlist to register.

Due to capacity, this program will not run in 2024.

Join the Adult Beginner Course Waitlist

Name *

First Name

Last Name

Email Address *

Phone Number *

Rider's year of birth *

The adult beginner course is for individuals aged 16 +

Halifax Lancers is committed to fostering an environment of belonging where all people can enjoy the amazing benefits of interacting with horses while feeling respected, valued, safe, and welcome. The following questions are being asked to help us better understand the ethnicity, gender identification, or disability of the future riders on our waitlist. Halifax Lancers wants to foster an environment of belonging for all people and we are committed to making our membership reflective of those on our waitlist and of the population of Halifax. *

Ethnicity

Asian/South Asian

Middle Eastern/Arabic

Latino or Hispanic

Indigenous/Mi’kmaq

African

Black

White

Other

Prefer not to answer

Are you newly immigrated (0-3 years) to Canada? *

Yes

Prefer not to answer

Rider's pronouns: *

Her/She

Him/He

They/Them

Other

Prefer Not to Answer

Ableism: *

Sensory impairment (vision or hearing)

Physical impairment (e.g. multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, epilepsy)

Other

Prefer not to answer

Not applicable

Previous riding experience

If none, that's OK!

What attracts you to Lancers?

I understand that Lancers has high demand and limited capacity so it may be a number of years before there is a space for me to register for the Adult Beginner Course. *

Yes

I understand that I gain riding experience at another facility while waiting for a space at Lancers, I should notify the Lancer office to update my child’s file (please email office@halifaxlancers.com). *

Yes, I understand

I understand that Lancers usually contacts individuals on the waitlist once or twice a year. If I have not heard from Lancers, it means there is not yet a space for me to register. I also understand that I am always welcome to contact Lancers to ensure that I am still on the waitlist.

Yes, I understand

Thank you for joining the waitlist for Adult Beginner Course at Lancers! We will contact you when a space becomes available for you to register. Please feel free to keep in touch with us via office@halifaxlancers.com and notify us if you gain approximately 12 hours of lesson experience, and can walk, trot, and canter.

Equipment Requirements

ASTM approved helmets are required. Boots with a hard sole and a half-inch heel as well as a comfortable pair of long pants are required for comfort and safety. Lancers provides grooming kits for each horse.

Halifax Lancers 1690 Bell Road Halifax, NS, B3H 2Z3 Canada 902-423-6723 office@halifaxlancers.com

Land Acknowledgement

Halifax Lancers' programming takes place in Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people. The territory is covered by the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which Mi'kmaq and Maliseet People first signed with the British crown in 1725.

We are eternally grateful that we are able to live in this place and work with horses, powerful and majestic animals who inspire us and teach us to care about others, think less about ourselves, and respect and cherish nature.

We are all Treaty people. To learn more about Treaty Education in Nova Scotia, please visit: https://novascotia.ca/treaty-education/

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