Payment
We require payment in advance at the beginning of the month. Lessons are $30. Try to plan trips around your scheduled lesson time, as to not miss. We have many who wish to participate and this holds your spot. If we have a pre-arranged miss, we can prorate that month; though we cannot provide a “make-up” lesson. Non-payment will result in dismissal from services.
Cancellation Policy
We understand that sometimes things come up that are beyond our control, and we will gladly work with you as much as possible to ensure that your payment is put to good use. With that being said, we require a 24 hour cancellation notice. As a nonprofit, Dream Catcher TRC relies on volunteers to help with the many tasks involved in lessons. Therefore, notice of cancellation well in advance of class is most respectful to our volunteers’ time.
**If you have a time that you know you will be gone and can leave notification of your upcoming absence before hand, a simple note of the participants: name, phone number and dates they will be missing, left in the drop box or a phone call to Morgan is preferred.
If a lesson is cancelled less than 24 hours before ride time, or you fail to show up, we will charge $20 of the lesson. If this happens a second time, we will charge you the full amount, and a third, we will have to remove your student from the current lesson schedule and moved to the wait list.
If given the occurance of a "no-call, no-show" you will be charged the full $30 of lesson on the first occurance, and then face termination of services on the second occurance.
**Participants are not permitted to take part in classes if they have: nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea within the past 24 hours. • Severe persistent coughing or a severe cold. • An oral temperature of 100 degrees or higher. Temperature should be stable for 24 hours before attending class. • A contagious or exposed skin rash. • Red, watery, burning eyes with either white or yellow drainage. • A communicable disease such as head lice, strep throat, chickenpox, etc.
**Please let us know as soon as possible if the participant is sick.
Medical: If a participant misses 2 or more lessons during the pre-paid month due to medical issues, s/he will be reimbursed if a doctor’s note is provided stating the participant’s inability to participate for medical reasons. If an extended illness or medical condition occurs, the participant’s lesson day/time will be reserved without payment for a period of 1 month. After that time, the participant must be put on the wait list to return. A doctor’s release is required for the participant to return to lessons following a medical leave.
**Please notify us of recent exposure to or diagnosis of Covid-19
Tardiness
We request that you arrive with your student by the scheduled ride time, and let us know if you are running late, so that we may be aware of the situation. If you are to arrive 15 minutes (or more) late, we will cancel the ride. Payment policy is the same as a no-show or late cancellation, (50% the first time, 100% the second time).
Attire
**No sandals, slip-ons or Crocs. Shoes with clunky-soled shoes or shoes with fat tongues like Skaters do not move easily into and out of the stirrup and are therefore unsafe for riding. Long pants are required. Boots with a heel are preferred but not required.
*In cooler months layers work great as it is generally cooler at our facility than in town. Dress for the weather. Gloves with individual fingers are helpful on cold days.
All participants must wear approved ASTM-SEI safety helmets while working with or near the horses. This includes both ground and mounted work. Helmets are provided, but if participants wish to purchase their own helmet, said helmet must meet the ASTM-SEI standards and be properly fitted.
Weather
Sometimes we have weather changes that prevent us from riding, when we have extreme heat (95+) or extreme cold (35 or less) we will cancel classes, we will do our best to schedule around the temperature and offer alternative ride times.
As we have an outdoor arena, if we see thunder and lightning approaching or heavy rain, or strong wind, we will cancel with no penalties to you. If we are experiencing light rain or weather we will most likely ride unless your student will not handle those weather changes- we will do our best to try for the option for a make-up, or no penalty cancelation.
*Often times the weather may be nice in town, but out at the barn (at the base of the Blue Mountains), the weather can be unpredictable. Usually this involves extreme wind. We do our best to stay ahead of the changing weather and catch you before you make it out to the barn, as we know how disappointing it can be to show up and not be able to ride.
Safety Rules
Safety for our participants, volunteers, horses, staff and visitors are of the utmost concern. Dream Catcher horses are trained to work with many distractions; however they are still animals with a strong flight instinct. Working around horses is a risk activity. We work hard to minimize environmental factors and work horses through distraction. You can help too by following these rules at all times:
● No Smoking anywhere on the property. ● Pull into barn yard slowly- to respect other participants, and horses. ● No pets allowed on the premises. Please leave dogs at home. ● All minors must be supervised. No running, pushing, yelling, climbing the rails, stairs or ramp. ● Picture taking must be cleared with the instructor. ● Non-participants must remain out of the stalls, and by green bench. ● No weapons allowed on the property. ● No alcohol or illegal substances allowed on the property. ● In-ability to follow directions, or inappropriate behavior which leads to safety risks for other participants, staff and horses, will lead to an immediate dismissal of services/ or permission to be on the property.
Visitors
Visitors are always welcome during business hours in the observation area of the facility. Children must be supervised at all times. If visitors would like more information about Dream Catcher or a tour of the facility, please arrange this with the Morgan Matteson in advance. Participants are responsible for their guests. Visitors are not permitted in with the horses. All persons entering the barn area must follow the barn rules. We understand that you are curious about what we are doing, and would like to learn more about the horses and the process, but please be respectful of the students and their lesson time. It is distracting to participants, and the instructor, causing delays in the lesson and schedule.
Thank you for your understanding and agreement with our policies and procedures! It is our aim to keep everyone safe, and to have a good time while with us!