New riders
Make three choices at the bottom of the page and we will suggest a programme that suits you.
Fees
Fees are provided on inquiry. This covers trial rides, the 10-lesson pass (Thoroughbred or Warmblood), monthly membership, horse owner (livery) membership and photo sessions. Cancellation and refund rules are on the Fees page.
See the Fees page10-lesson pass
| 10 lessons, 45 minutes | Thoroughbred | Warmblood |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | On inquiry | On inquiry |
| Weekends | On inquiry | On inquiry |
You pay for 10 lessons in advance and one is used each time you ride. It costs less per lesson than single lessons, so it is the most popular option for regular riders. If your schedule changes often, the pass suits you; if you can come on fixed days, monthly membership is a better fit.
The pass is valid for 3 months and can be extended by 3 months if needed. Same-day cancellations use one lesson.
If you cancel the pass early, the remaining lessons are refunded under the statutory rules. See the refund rules
Check before you buy
- Validity period and whether it can be extended
- Whether it can be paused for travel or injury
- Conditions for using a weekday pass at weekends
- How late you can cancel without losing a lesson
- Whether family members can share it
How to book
Send an inquiry
Fill in the inquiry form with your preferred date and each rider's height, weight and experience.
Confirmation
We assign a horse, a coach and a time, then contact you to confirm. Please quote your reference number when you get in touch.
Your visit
Arrive 15 minutes early to fill in the registration form and get fitted for a helmet. Wear long trousers and shoes with a small heel.
How long until I feel comfortable?
More
It varies a lot with fitness, experience and how often you ride. The guideline periods for each level of the KRA Riding Proficiency Certification are below.
The first few rides focus on keeping your balance on the horse. Next you learn to move off, stop and change direction on your own. After about 10 to 20 rides, rising trot, where you rise and sit in time with the trot, starts to feel natural. Canter begins once your trot is steady and your coach decides you are ready. Riding once a week, most people can walk, trot and canter on their own within six months to a year.
Learning each step properly before moving on is faster in the end than rushing.
- 4–6 months
- Level 7. Riding basics, caring for and leading a horse
- 6 months–1 year
- Level 6. Walk, trot and canter
- 1–2 years
- Level 5. Guiding the horse to a jump and jumping
- 2–3 years
- Level 4. Controlling speed and direction freely
- 3 years or more
- From Level 3: dressage, show jumping and eventing
Riding Proficiency Certification
More
The Korea Racing Authority (KRA) certifies riding ability from Level 7 to Level 1. It assesses knowledge of horses, care skills such as grooming and tacking up, and actual riding ability. Up to Level 4 the course is the same for everyone; from Level 3 it splits by discipline.
Assessment items and riding tests for each level, plus a Level 7 preparation checklist, are on the certification page.
Gaits and basic terms
A horse's gaits differ in speed and in the rhythm of the footfalls. Lessons start with the slowest gait and move up in order.
Walk and gallop: Eadweard Muybridge sequential photographs (1878–1887, public domain). Trot and canter: Waugsberg, CC BY 2.5. Full credits
- Walk
- The horse's normal walking pace. Each foot lands in turn in a 4-beat rhythm, covering about 110 m per minute. It is the most stable gait, so every lesson starts and ends with it.
- pyeongbo
- Trot
- A 2-beat gait in which diagonal pairs of legs land together. At about 220 m per minute it is roughly twice as fast as walk, with an upward bounce at each stride.
- sokbo
- Rising trot
- A way of riding the trot where you rise for one beat and sit for the next, in time with the bounce. It is easier on both horse and rider, so it is the first thing you learn at trot.
- gyeongsokbo
- Canter
- A light 3-beat gait covering about 320 m per minute. The rhythm rocks smoothly forward and back, and many riders find it more comfortable than trot.
- gubo
16 more terms
- Sitting trot
- Staying seated in the saddle at trot and absorbing the bounce with your back and pelvis. It is harder than rising trot and is used a lot in dressage.
- jwasokbo
- Gallop
- The fastest gait, 4-beat, at 520 m or more per minute. It is the gait seen in racing and is rarely used in ordinary lessons.
- seupbo
- Diagonal
- In rising trot, rising as the horse's outside foreleg moves forward. It helps the horse balance on curves. When you change direction, sit for one extra beat to change diagonal.
- daegak matchugi
- Lead
- The foreleg that reaches further forward at canter. Turning right, the right foreleg should lead; turning left, the left foreleg, so the horse keeps its balance.
- lideu
- Track
- The outer track that follows the arena fence. When riders go the same way, the horse in the faster gait uses the track.
- jejeok
- Transition
- Changing gait at a set point. Halt to walk to trot to canter is an upward transition; the reverse is a downward transition.
- ihaeng
- Immobility
- Standing still in a correct position after a halt.
- budong
- Rein back
- Stepping backwards with diagonal legs moving together. It puts strain on the horse's back, so only a few steps are asked at a time.
- hutoe
- Jumping position
- Lifting your seat slightly out of the saddle and leaning forward to take weight off the horse's back, used over jumps. A less forward version is called half seat.
- jeongyeong jase
- Opening rein, indirect rein
- The opening rein moves the hand on the side you want to go out to the side to open the way. The indirect rein brings the opposite hand towards the neck to help the turn.
- yeoneun goppi, datneun goppi
- Tacking up, grooming
- Tacking up is putting on the saddle and bridle. Grooming is cleaning the horse with brushes, a hoof pick and so on.
- jangan, sujang
- Aids
- The signals a rider gives the horse. The basics are the legs, the hands on the reins, and weight and seat; voice and whip support them.
- bujo
- Half-halt
- A short signal that gathers the horse's attention without stopping. It is used to slow down or prepare for the next movement.
- banjeongji
- Lunge line
- A long line the coach uses to work the horse in a circle from the centre of the arena. Lessons on this line are called lunge lessons. More
- jomasak
- Dressage
- A discipline judged on how accurately and harmoniously a set sequence of figures and gait changes is ridden. It is an Olympic sport.
- majang masul
- Show jumping
- A discipline in which riders jump a dozen or so fences in the arena in a set order. Knocking down a fence or a refusal costs penalties.
- jangaemul
Which horses will I ride?
Most of the club's lesson horses are Thoroughbreds, retired racehorses. They are tall and can look big at first, but they have been retrained as riding horses. Warmbloods, larger European riding horses, have a long stride that suits dressage practice. You can choose the breed when you buy a pass, and the coach assigns a horse based on your height, weight and experience.
Meet the 19 club horses- Thoroughbred
- Retired racehorses, regular lessons
- Warmblood
- European riding horses, dressage
Find your programme
Choose the rider, experience and goal, and we will suggest a programme.