IRiders Full Name*, am contracting with Sun State Riding Academy (SSRA) for horseback riding lessons. In consideration for the use today, and on all future dates of the property, facilities, horses and instruction of the Instructor, the Student hereby expressly agrees to the following:
 
TUITION: 
At Sun State Riding Academy, our tuition program is designed to provide a seamless and hassle-free experience for our riders. Tuition is automatically debited on the first of each month, streamlining the payment process and ensuring efficiency for both our riders and our administrative team. It's important to note that tuition is non-refundable, emphasizing the commitment to securing your reserved spot and maintaining consistent access to our exceptional instructors and state-of-the-art facilities.

Enrollment in our auto-debit program is required to secure monthly rates, and these fees are non-refundable. In the event of a declined card, a $100 fee will be charged to cover administrative costs. For those who are unable to utilize auto-debit, a non-refundable prepayment for the month must be settled by the 25th of the preceding month to avoid incurring a $75 late fee. This structure ensures the smooth operation of our program and allows us to maintain the high standard of instruction and facilities our riders deserve.

INTRODUCTORY OR INDIVIDUAL LESSONS
Starting at $75/private one-hour individual lesson. Pricing varies depending on instructor/level of rider. Please talk with an instructor for more information on introductory/evaluation assessments.
Monthly Tuition: Own your horse/Full lease
Horsemanship lessons $200
Hunter/Jumper/Dressage $260
Monthly Tuition: Use Barn/Lesson Horses
Horsemanship lessons $225. Under the age of 5
Horsemanship lessons $275. Ages 6 and up
Hunter/Jumper/Dressage $325
 
LESSONS/CANCELLATION POLICY/ATTENDANCE/MAKEUP/NO SHOW/LATE:
All lesson time includes grooming, tacking, hands-on riding instruction (max 45 minutes), cooling out, untacking, and putting away horse. All riders ride once a week in a designated time slot.

Lessons are 60 minutes long with up to 45 minutes of riding instruction, unless otherwise discussed. Students must be appropriately dressed for riding and the weather. All Students will wear full-length pants, boots with a heel i.e. paddock boots, cowboy boots, tall riding boots (no flat soled shoes will be permitted for mounted lessons). If student shows up in improper attire it will automatically turn into a unmounted lesson.SSRA requires all Students to wear an ASTM/SEI/MIPS-approved helmets. A helmet will be provided for the initial 8 lessons or introductory period. Following this period, riders are required to purchase their own helmets.

Monthly lessons will include a minimum of 1 unmounted Horsesense lesson out of every 4 lessons (3 riding Horsemanship lessons and 1 unmounted Horsesense lesson), to be used at the instructor’s discretion.

PROGRAM CANCELLATION POLICY:
To reduce any confusion, here’s clarification on our cancellation/break policy:

To cancel or pause your Riding Lesson Program subscription, please provide written notice at least 30 days before the last day of the month prior to your desired break. We require advanced notice to ensure we can keep our wonderful lesson horses happy and healthy. For example, if you would like to pause or cancel your subscription for the month of August, you would need to notify us in writing no later than July 1st. Please note, we may not be able to guarantee your original time slot or instructor upon your return.

In the event of an emergency, please send us an email to request special consideration. Pausing tuition in these instances will be considered on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of SSRA. Please note, we may not be able to guarantee a weekly time slot or instructor upon your desired return. If you would like to ensure we have space for you to return, you may choose to pay a non-refundable holding fee of $150 to secure your space.

Please submit your cancellation requests via email to sunstateridingacademy@gmail.com. Alternatively, we will also accept cancellation requests sent via text message to your instructor.

ATTENDANCE/MAKEUP LESSONS/NO SHOWS/LATE ARRIVAL:
We kindly request a 24-hour notice for any rider unable to attend a scheduled lesson. Each rider enrolled in our program is entitled to one makeup lesson per month. It's important to note that this makeup lesson occurs on the last Saturday of each month from 1-3 pm, and is conducted in a group setting. Additionally, the makeup lesson is unmounted, focusing on various aspects of theory, horse care, and equestrian knowledge. Riders are automatically enrolled for this makeup session, ensuring that missed lessons can be adequately compensated for within the month. Please be aware that riders do not have the option to select an alternative day for their makeup lesson; it is scheduled uniformly for all participants on the specified date. This structure ensures consistency and fairness across our program while providing riders with valuable learning opportunities even in the event of missed sessions.

Missed Lesson without 24-Hour Notice: Riders who fail to attend a scheduled lesson without providing a 24-hour notice will forfeit their makeup lesson entitlement.

Excessive No-Shows or Late Cancels: Riders risk losing their designated riding time slot if they miss more than two consecutive lessons without proper notice.

Cancellation due to instructor conflict: If SSRA must cancel a scheduled lesson due to instructor availability, we will provide you with a makeup lesson at a later date, coordinated with the instructor. Please note that you have a one-month coordination period to schedule your lesson.

Inclement Weather Day Policy: In the event of inclement weather, if rain or snow prevents riding, we'll host a group unmounted lesson focused on horsemanship academics, followed by a related game or activity on scheduled riding day. Our group lesson will be conducted from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM, this ensures a consistent learning experience. If you opt to not show for the lesson, you will be automatically enrolled into the makeup session on the last Saturday of the month. Please bear in mind that we operate year-round and sometimes forego the monthly unmounted lesson during favorable weather conditions. Supporting our program through both mounted and unmounted lessons is what allows us to maintain our lesson horses, who have year-round expenses, rain or shine.

Late Arrival Policy:If a rider is over 20 minutes late for a scheduled lesson, there will not be sufficient time for grooming, tacking up, and the lesson itself. In such cases, the rider forfeits that day's lessons.
 
CONDUCT POLICY FOR STUDENTS AND THEIR GUESTS DURING LESSONS:
               The following conduct will not be tolerated:
-Arguing with the Riding Instructor-Disrespect to the Riding Instructor
-Abuse or mistreatment of a horse or other SSRA animal
-Disruption or interference with another Student’s lesson
-Unsafe conduct that puts the Student or another person’s safety in danger
-Disrespectful behavior toward others, including inappropriate actions or language-Intentional violation of SSRA's General Rules. (see General Rules below)

GENERAL RULES:
Only the Student and his/her Riding Instructor are allowed to be in the arena, lesson areas or round pen during the lesson. Guests are invited to watch the lesson from the seating areas outside the lesson arenas. You are welcome to bring a lawn chair to sit on.

Coaching or instruction from anyone other than the Riding Instructor will not be allowed. A Student can only take direction from one person at a time. Please let us do our job.

No loud noises during the lesson. This includes loud talking, laughing, calling to the Student, slamming car doors, horns, fast driving, etc. Horses do startle from unexpected noises and we want to keep our Students and Riding Instructors safe.

Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times. If you know your dog does not do well in new environments or with large animals, please do not bring your dog to SSRA. If it is determined that your dog is a disruption, you will be asked to bring the dog home.

Park in designated parking areas only. Do not park across the bridge near the farmstand.

Do not enter any pastures without a SSRA representative with you, or instruction from an SSRA representative.

Smoking anywhere on SSRA property is prohibited.

Do not bring alcoholic beverages onto SSRA property.

Respect other people’s property. Please don’t touch SSRA boarders’ horses and tack without permission from the owner of respective horse/tack.
 
I, the undersigned, have read and understand the above contract, which I agree to abide by in total, and I have kept a copy of this contract. I further understand that if any of SSRA policies or rules are not followed that SSRA has the right to cancel this contract in full without any refund of money.