Kasavilla Stable is located in Dengkil. It is a new stable started operating in early 2022. A team of experienced horseman is taking care of the welfare of the horses.
As you arrived, you will see a newly built stable.
Red bricks and a clean roof with cream and black color design combination make the stable uniquely recognizable.
Upon entering, you can see the boxes are well kept, clean and tidy.
At the side, there is a paddock for training the horses and lesson for students.
The big paddock is located right next to the stable.
The wide entrance of the paddock.
The paddock is big enough for 3-4 horses riding at one go comfortably.
The rider and the horse were bonding before mounting.
The staff in Kasavilla Stable was kind enough to bring us some nasi lemak before our ride. Not to mention the nasi lemak was so tasty!
Daniel on MistyKitty on Ben
Kity and I booked for a trail ride and we mounted on our horses in the paddock.
Misty is a young and active horse. She can get a little naughty in the beginning but once she is warm up, she is so fine. It is really fun and exciting to ride with her once I took her out further into the trail.
Ben is an older horse with very steady pace. He was a little heavy in the paddock but once he was out he will carry the rider comfortably. A very good horse for riders who are getting started with trail ride.
Kasavilla Stable Trail
The trail offers a lot of greenery which is relaxing for the eyes and refreshing for the lungs.
We also got plenty of even and straight track for cantering. Super fun track!
Stopped by for photos after a long stretch of slow cantering with our riding buddies.
Totally enjoyable the Sunday morning ride. Thumb up!
We came back in slightly below 2 hour covering 18KM.
Next, a few more photos around the stable and paddock.
Peeping from behind one of the boxes in stables.
Clean and tidy interior of the stable.
Toha (right), the man who is running the stable who is also a very experienced horseman.
More Information on Kasavilla Stable
The location of Kasavilla Stable as follows. For more information, please contact Toha at 01157394989 to book your ride or visit their Instagram.
Riders Resort is an equestrian friendly mansion-style resort. It is located in Kulai, approximately 50KM from Johor Bahru.
The resort has a stable attached to it, which makes it very convenient for the guests to go for a ride within the facilities.
The main building of the resort. The main arena for riding lessonsCoach Halim giving lesson to students.
Apart from riding lessons, the resort also offers trail riding for beginners and intermediate riders.
For total beginners, the staff will lead the horses and walk the horses into the trail side by side with the riders. It is a relatively safe ride as the horses are pretty calm.
As I arrived to the resort in the afternoon, the receptionist together with the resort manager, Dennis took care of my check-in to the resort.
Dennis is your friendly host who is willing to go the extra miles to take care of your needs. Definitely A+ for his attitude in offering great hospitality to his guests.
Upon arrival, we had lunch in the cafe. The setting of the cafe is tastefully decorated to provide a cosy environment.
I booked for 2 trail rides during my 3-day stay.
Before mounting on the horse, Halim checked if we can handle the horses on our own before letting us out. The staff helped me with mounting on my horse.
We warmed up the horses in the arena before heading out.
Passing by a big field in the resort on our way out, before hitting the trail.
The trail offers a lot of greenery. Here are some views from the horse back during our trail ride.
Of course, not to forget some photos with my hairy friend in the palm oil estate.
The riders.
Posing in front of the resort main building.
More information on Riders Resort
Overall it is a very relaxing ride in Rider Resort. The trail is clear and easy to ride. The horses are calm and easy to handle. It is a very suitable place for beginners to get a taste of what trail ride is.
Please visit Rider Resort Facebook page or contact Rider Resort at 019-7105330
Cape Cavallho Equestrian Club is located in Rembau, approximately 45KM south of Seremban. The location is at the border between Negeri Sembilan and Melaka.
It’s an equestrian club that I wanted to visit for a long time because I always see the beautiful photos from their Facebook page. Thanks to the moon and stars aligned, I finally managed to dropped by for a visit last week.
This is the main arena for riding activities. The horses are prepared for our trail ride.
Janice and I booked for a trail ride. Do note that trail ride is only available during weekday.
We mounted in the arena before heading out to the trail.
We’d really love to try the trail which is 20KM, which takes around 1.5 hour to complete. The bad news is the year end flood just went away, the track is not in great condition so we were only able to ride the mini trail within the facilities.
The view along the way looking over the arena and stables.
We did attempt to get into the trail. Unfortunately, we were only able to make a small loop before we decided to turn back after assessing the condition of the trail.
Nevertheless, the ride surrounding the grazing areas are still pretty enjoyable. It’s a very refreshing experience to have a relaxing ride.
There are total of 9 large grazing areas for the horses to roam around. What else can you ask for?
Of course, we also stopped by to take some photos with the magnificent view behind us.
We saw a happy horse playing with water in the grazing paddock.
More photos along the trail.
Some individual photos with the beautiful scenery in Cape Cavallho Equestrian Club.
After our ride, we spent a lot of time chatting with the owners. We call them Aunty and Wak.
I really love the personal touch and sense of being part of the family in the club. They are so friendly and you almost feel like chatting with some long time friends. They are kind enough the share how they got started and what their vision for the equestrian club is.
Wait… did I mention Aunty cooked mee hoon goreng for us too? Also not to mention they keep asking us to help ourselves with the coffee available for us.
After visiting so many clubs over the years, this is the first time ever I felt like I must show everyone who these friendly people are.
The hospitality offered by Aunty and Wak are simply fantastic. I highly recommend people to come over to sign up for riding lessons and make friends with these folks.
More Information on Cape Cavallho Equestrian Club
The equestrian club also offers horseback archery lessons and clinics. Do drop by if you’d like to know more.
For more information, please contact aunty at +60 12-200 0012.
Pusat Ekuin Ladam Merah is located approximately 14KM away from Melaka city center. Haji Din, who is the owner also runs the operation with his staff to provide basic horse riding and horseback archery lessons.
The riding lessons are by appointment. I recommended visitors to contact Haji before visiting the equine centre.
The view of the entrance from Google Street View.
Upon entering, you will see Haji’s beautiful house and the horseback archery facilities.
This area also serves as the grazing area for horses to roam around when there is no riding activities.
The centre has a big arena for basic horse riding lessons. Students can spend time here mastering the basic riding skills before advancing to horseback archery.
Haji Din is a specialist and famous for his horseback archery. So, it will be a really good idea to come here for horseback archery practice.
The stables for the horses.
There is also a mini track behind the arena.
There is a resting area in front of the arena for riders and visitors to hang out.
Haji Din is showing us one of his horses, Mansor – a very good endurance horse.
The main area for horseback archery.
Informative boards prepared by Haji Din to understand the big picture in horse riding activities.
We spent almost 2 hours chatting with Haji Din on how he started Pusat Ekuin Ladam Merah. Haji was generous enough to share some of his life experiences in the corporate world before setting up the equine center.
Haji even served us drinks and cookies. The hospitality offered by Haji Din to Kitty and myself is simply fantastic. Overall, it was a really pleasant experience visiting the facilities.
More Information on Pusat Ekuin Ladam Merah
For more information, please contact Haji Din at +60 13-381 3311
Hang Tuah Equine Centre is located approximately 7KM away from Malacca city center. The centre is currently managed by Batrisya Stable & Riding Centre team led by Mr. Syam and Adam.
Batrisya Stable & Riding Centre has recently moved their operations from the previous location. The new location here offers an upgraded facilities for both the riders and for the horses.
There is also a bigger space for riding activities such as fun ride and riding lessons in the new location.
The sight of Hang Tuah Equine Centre with morning sunlight.
There are plenty of space in front of the riding centre for parking. Not to mention it’s such an impressive facility!
The stables that can fit a lot more horses.
There is also a mini rabbit collection in the riding centre that will entertain the rabbit lovers.
The riding centre offers funride, which is one of the favorite activities for the public.
Carts for horse carriage that are well-maintained in great conditions.
At the back of the riding centre, you can still see Batrisya’s team float for transportation purpose.
You can also see the new banner for Hang Tuah Equine Centre is up!
The full list of activities are listed as below.
Leisure Ride in Hang Tuah Equine Centre
Mr. Syam and and Adam arranged a leisure ride for Kitty and myself during our visit.
Hakim led the way while Adam escort us from behind.
We rode along the river and walked pass paddy field. Absolutely peaceful scenery.
Happy girl put a big smile on her face!
Adam was kind enough to take a lot of photos for us along the way.
We spent a lot of time enjoying the calming scenery along the river.
We stopped by to pose in front of the riding centre.
As we returned, we spent a little more time with the horses in the paddock giving them some active trot and slow cantering.
Kitty was enjoying her time petting the horses in the stables.
This is the shower and drying area for the horses.
Overall, it was an enjoyable time for Kitty and myself visiting Hang Tuah Equine Centre that is managed by Batrisya management team.
Great job for the team looking after so many horses and providing riding facilities for the public. If you are in Melaka, you should surely drop by for a visit.
For more information, please contact Mr. Syam (+60 19-756 3341) or Adam (+60 12-638 5673).
Kelab Berkuda Al Heyzum is located in Batang Kali, approximately 50km north of Kuala Lumpur. The club offers basic riding lesson and amazing trail ride adventure along the river for experienced riders.
We passed through a rubber estate before arriving to the club.
We made our trail ride appointment at 9AM, but we were few minutes early.
Wasted no time, Kitty mounted on her horse, Teja, a wonderful ex-polo that has extremely soft canter.
After about 10 minutes of warming up in the arena, we headed out to the trail!
Personally, I enjoy this trail very much as we get to appreciate the trees surrounding us along the track.
After trotting and some slow cantering for approximately 3km, we arrived to the entrance to the river.
Happy girl posing with Teja in the river.
My view on Shakor, an endurance horse in the river.
Cantering on water is definitely one of the experience every rider should try.
The river can get pretty deep at some point. Get down to swim if you like.
More happy poses with Teja!
Sudden water attack!
We spent about 30 min in the river cantering. Needless to say we were all soaked from this trail ride.
We headed back with slow canter which is a very enjoyable experience.
Here are the facilities in Kelab Berkuda Al Heyzum.
Big arena for flat work and basic riding lessons.
Stables for the horses.
Shower area for the horses.
There is a little hut for riders and staff to hang out.
A float for transporting horses.
For more information, please visit Kelab Berkuda Al Heyzum Facebook page or contact Robi (+60 18-328 1740) to make an appointment.
DSIA Equestrian and Riding Club is one of the hidden gems riding club around Putrajaya. It offers basic riding lessons for the public.
DSIA Equestrian and Riding Club also offers some amazing trail ride for those who are more experienced. They have a Rimba track (about 10KM) goes into the terrain while Lake track (about 20KM) goes into the lake area in Putrajaya.
Jac and I went for the Rimba track as we have been to Putrajaya lake many times through TEP – MM2020.
Upon arriving, our horses (Yusof and Melur) are already tacked up and waiting for us.
I led my horse, Yusof to the arena to warm up. Adjust the stirrup before mounting on him.
Jac was riding in the arena to warm up, we have few other friends joining us.
Before we head into the trail, we had to cross the highway.
We head into the trail with a lot of trotting on flat land and cantering up hill.
We also took our time to pose throughout the trail.
Of course, not forgetting some photos for myself. Thanks Amin for being a wonderful photographer and guided us to the trail.
A short clip of cantering in the trail
Another view into the trail…
Although the trail was about 10KM, we completed the trail in approximately 2 hour because we spent a lot of time resting and taking it slow and easy.
Here a record of the ride:
Overall it was a very enjoyable ride. We had fair amount of cantering going uphill and we were able to get enough rest for the riders and the horses. A fairly good ride that I will come back for sure especially with a good horse like Yusof.
One thing to take note is the entrance to DSIA Equestrian and Riding Club is a little tricky. Take a look at the video so that you don’t miss the entrance.
Here is the location to DSIA Equestrian and Riding Club:
For more information, please contact Amin at +60 11-1122 5207. Enjoy!
National Orientation Level Course in Basic Horse Care and Management Skills is a course by Majlis Ekuin Malaysia O Level.
The National Orientation (O-Level) Course syllabus was initially designed by Equestrian Australia Queensland Branch Coaching committee in 1993. Majlis Ekuin Malaysia (MEM) adopted the course in January 1995 and has localized the teaching materials to suit Malaysia conditions and needs.
As the course name suggests, it aims to provide an understanding in the care and handling of horses. The course is suitable for first time rider, horse owners and operators of riding facilities.
The objective of the course is to provide participants with practical knowledge in the requirements of horse care. More importantly, to educate the participants on how to work around a horse in a safe environment, for both the person and for the horse.
Course Outline
To break it into details, the outline of Majlis Ekuin Malaysia O Level is as follows:
General Horsemastership A – Safe handling method, knowledge of correct paddock handling procedures, yard management and care of bedding.
General Horsemastership B – Identification and measuring.
Grooming – Identify grooming equipment needed for grooming and correct application of various equipment.
Saddlery – Identification, fitting and care of horse equipment used on a horse for exercise.
Boots and Rug – Identification, application and fitting.
Feeding – Understand rules of good feeding, types of feed and methods of feeding
Foot Care – Identify correct shoeing and foot care
Horse Health – Identify signs of good health, ill health, minor wounds, ailments and lameness. Identify the need for worm control and vaccinations
Traveling – Understand preparation for and understand safe procedures
As a weekend leisure rider, I always enjoy exploring a little more than my typical trail ride and riding school routine. This course is perfect to put myself slightly beyond my comfort zone.
With a little bit of good timing, good friends coming together and the moon and stars are aligned, I managed to attend the course from 18th – 21st Oct 2021.
Day 1
On the first day, the course started at 8.30 AM. We arrived at 8.00 AM for registration.
Each participant gets a bag of study material consists of 2 books, 1 folder with informative booklets, an empty notebook and a pen.
The primary instructor for the course is Husref Malek Jeremiah, a Level-1 General Coach (SSTA).
Husref is one of the best coaches we can ask for in Malaysia. Extremely experienced, knowledgable, yet humble and delivered the course in a friendly and enjoyable manner.
After an initial round of introduction and walking through the course outline, we dived right into the course.
This course is primarily practical at approximately 70% practical and 30% theoretical.
Wasted no time, we were sent to the big paddock to bring a few horses back into the stables. The horses are pretty calm and relax. It was relatively easy to put the head collar on them.
Back to the stable, Husref gave us a briefing on the bedding and Rahizza showed us how to prepare one.
Everything that was shown to us in the morning will be the activities we will need to do over the next few days.
Back to the classroom, we were assigned with horses to take care for the remaining of the course.
I raised my hand for Nazir, a Grey horse (instead of a pony) because I wanted to give myself a bit of challenge. Oh boy, Nazir totally didn’t let me down.
I paired up with Ziyad, my reliable partner who shown a lot of love for Nazir throughout our times together.
Day 2
We started second day at 7.30 AM.
Ziyad took care of the grooming for Nazir while I did the bedding. It was certainly one of the most exhausting activities in the course for me.
Ziyad and myself posed in front of our first attempt to our stable boy job. Good job, Ziyad!
Also look at the happy boy, Nazir with a fresh bed!
As we still had some time before the classroom session begins, we took some time to roam around to pose with other lovely horses.
Back to the classroom, Husref gave us a lecture on different types of saddle for riding. Jac was asked to be the model sit on the saddle for explanation.
Next, we headed out to paddock for feeding!
The view of horses running over to get their food is totally amazing. Feeding in such a big paddock is new and totally refreshing.
Then, we went back to stables to finish up our feeding work.
After lunch, Dr. Edward Samuel, senior veterinary surgeon for MEM delivered a lecture on foot care and teeth care.
It was a rather interactive session. Apart from the lecture slides, Dr. Edward also showed us videos and discussed the diagnostic.
Day 3
Again, we repeated our morning routine by grooming Nazir, making the bed and brought Nazir out for grazing and a walk.
Husref also brought us into the feeding room to explain the feeding chart, different type of food, the rules of feeding and considerations when feeding.
In the evening, Husref showed us the usage of rug although it is not commonly used in Malaysia. Well, it never hurt to learn a little extra.
The highlight of the 3rd day will certainly be loading the human (participants) into the float.
In order to get a sense how it is like to be traveling in a float, we travel for a short distance in the float around MAEPS.
We had a taste of what is it like to have a good ride and also a bad ride.
Day 4
Guess what? It’s the assessment day!
Ziyad and I did our usual grooming and bedding. Then Husref popped over to start asking questions.
We also had to demonstrate how did we put on the bridle in front of him. Putting on the bridle is probably the trickiest part of the entire assessment that some people struggle.
After the assessment, Husref gave a debrief on what we covered in Majlis Ekuin Malaysia O Level for the last 4 days. He also explained a little more on what the next levels are after the completion of National Orientation Level Course in Basic Horse Care and Management Skills.
The Intro course and Level 1 are definitely something very appealing for people who have an interest in advancing their horsemanship or maybe go professional in the industry.
Next, certificate ceremony. We received our certificates and then headed out for a group photo.
Final Thoughts on O Level Majlis Ekuin Malaysia:
1. The syllabus covered in the course totally exceeded my expectation for the cost of RM350. The materials and duration covered can easily cost RM3000-RM5000 if such programs are by the private sector. I’m really happy to see MEM making this course affordable for the community.
2. Everyone in MEM is extremely helpful, friendly and cheerful. The entire crew could address me by my name throughout the course. The hospitality offered by MEM is beyond many private corporate training.
3. The practical part of the program is slightly overwhelming for me because stable work is not something that I do often but I’m super proud that I completed it.
4. This course is very suitable for a) stable workers who want to learn the safe and efficient ways of handling horses, b) the passionate riders who wants to know everything about horses, c) horse owners to understand what it takes to take care of horses.
5. In MEM, I saw genuine care and love for horses from the entire crew. On the first day, Husref talked about sometimes they worried if the horses slept well last night. I thought that was silly. On the forth day, the first thing when I woke up, I wonder if Nazir slept well the night before.
6. Throughout the years, I have seen stables that are managed in different conditions. The facilities in MEM is simply fantastic. Clean, organized and spacious. It definitely set a good standard to the rest of community. If I were to do my Intro course, I will come back to MEM.
More information
For more information, please contact Pn. Mimie at +60166911059 or check out Majlis Ekuin Malaysia website.
If you wonder how it is like to take a horse riding lesson, this article will give you the experience of a riding lesson at DARC, Denai Alam Riding Club.
When you arrive at DARC, you will be greeted with a big “WELCOME TO DARC” sign.
The Rider Counter is on your right side. This serves as the admin office, where you take care of your registration, payment and scheduling matters.
Get your horse card here. You will be given one horse card, which shows the horse you will be riding for the day.
Then, proceed to the stables to get your horse.
Walk straight ahead to go pass the cafe.
After exiting the cafe, walk straight ahead on this path toward the stables.
This is outside of the stables where you collect your horse. Usually, there will be some crew members waiting at this area.
When you go slightly further front, there is a table where you can check the riding schedule and which horse is scheduled for you.
Check your horse and inform one of the friendly crew members the horse you are riding.
Usually one of the crew members will help you with tacking the horse and bring the horse to you.
If you are feeling adventurous, ask for permission to go along with the crew member and tack the horse together!
Once you get your horse, proceed to the arena you are allocated in the schedule.
This path will lead you to the main arena.
Continue walking and you will arrive to the entrance to the main arena.
Walk your horse in, adjust your stirrups length, tighten your horse girth and mount on your horse.
You can use the little stair (on the left) if you need some help getting up. Remember, always mount from the left side.
Riding Lesson at DARC
Lessons are usually conducted in group of 4 to 5 students.
The following is Coach Roma coaching his students on a Sunday morning.
Coach Roma is coaching riders from a close distance.
The scenic view from the arena which I always enjoy gazing.
Coach Roma is giving instructions from far.
Riders who are able to ride independently at this level are usually Green, Blue or above.
Coach Roma is asking the second rider to close the distance with the first rider. The correct distance between riders is one horse distance.
Coach Roma is instructing the group to change leader, where the first rider goes to the back.
Riders are taking a turn at the arena corner.
It is important for the riders to ride on the track instead of taking shortcut by cutting into the arena at corners.
After every lesson, the coach will recap what has been practiced for the day, give every student feedback on what they have done well and what further improvement is needed.
The students get down from their horses, organize the stirrups before exiting the arena.
After Lesson
When you exit the arena, turn left to exit according to the signboard to avoid clashing with in-coming horse(s).
You will untack your horse under the tent.
You should leave the saddle pad, saddle cloth and saddle (including stirrups and girth) in this area for crew members to collect later.
Then, head over to the washing bay to spray your horse with water to cold down your horse.
The crew members will help you with showering and grooming the horse later.
Once you are done, you can head back to the cafe to enjoy the delicious food served there.
DARC Horse Riding Syllabus is a systematic approach designed for anyone to learn horse riding. It is an unique way of training new riders to excel in horse riding effectively. DARC Horse Riding Syllabus is divided into Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange and Red. Find out more about the syllabus here.
Level: Yellow
When you sign up for the first time, DARC will enroll you as a Yellow Rider from day one. In the beginning, you will have to go through the Beginner Introductory Session. Upon successfully completing the session, you will start your 1st riding lesson.
You will learn how to get on a horse. In the equestrian world, we refer it as to mount on a horse. Your instructor will show you how to hold the rein correctly. Also, you will learn where the correct location is to put your feet on the stirrups.
Don’t be afraid to start riding a horse at this stage. Your instructor will put you and the horse in a round pen, which is an enclosed and limited small area. The purpose is for you to get comfortable with the horse. Your instructor will also attach a lunging rope to the horse. The instructor will control the horse movement within safe speed for beginner.
In the beginning, you will learn how to find the balance while sitting on the horse. You will learn how to use your legs, waist and core strength to balance yourselves. Your instructor will guide you to put your hands on your hips or at your sides. This will help you to discover you do not need your hands to hold on to something for balancing.
To get a real sense of riding a horse, you will then learn how to ride the trot. The trot is a two beat diagonal gait where the horse’s legs work in paired diagonals. Trot is slightly faster than walking. Your instructor will guide you on when to come up and to sit down as the horse moves. Establishing your legs strength is important in this level to communicate with the horse.
Level Yellow Assessment
Each training session is around 30 minutes. It takes about ~10 sessions for you to complete Level Yellow. There is no formal assessment at this level. As your instructor sees you ride stable enough, you will be promoted to Level Green. You will then be ready to move on to the main arena.
Level: Green
Level Green is the beginning for your independent riding without the lunging rope. This is where the fun begins, yeeha~ You will start to ride in the 40m x 20m (small) arena or the 60m x 20m (large) arena.
As you have learned rising trot earlier, you need to practice and sharpen rising trot in the bigger arena. Your instructor will not be staying close to you like in the round pen earlier while you do rising trot. You will be independently steering the horse in rising trot on your own in the arena.
While rising trot takes slightly more skill than walking, the next challenge for you is sitting trot. The horse’s leg still move in paired diagonals, but you will not be rising up. You will be sitting on the saddle as you move together with the horse. This motion looks relaxing from the outside. However, you will need to engage your abdominal, back and leg muscles to follow the motion. This is slightly more challenging for beginners at the start. Do not feel discouraged if you do not get it right in the first few times. Your instructor will allocate plenty of time for you to practice sitting trot.
Level Green Assessment
In Level Green, you will learn:
Basic figures such as 20 meter circle
Turn across arena
Changing direction
Long & short diagonal
Changing rising diagonal
etc
Each training session is around 30 minutes. It takes about ~25 sessions for you to complete Level Green. Upon completion of the necessary sessions, you will book an assessment. The Chief Instructor will assess your riding skills while your instructor issues you command. You will be awarded a certificate of accomplishment for Level Green upon the Chief Instructor passed your assessment.
Level: Blue
Level Blue is where your riding skills start to get serious. While the horses in Level Yellow and Green are usually easy horses, you will be given slightly more challenging horses in Level Blue. Here, you must be able to perform riding techniques you learned in Level Green in close to perfection manner. Including the challenging sitting trot.
You will start to work with horses without the stirrups. We refer this training as cross stirrups, as the stirrups are crossed over the saddle. In other words, there is nothing for your legs to hang on to while riding. Although it might sound scary, it is actually an extremely effective exercise to improve your sitting trot. You will gain the confidence you do not need the stirrups to be able to ride steadily.
More complex figures (for example, three loop serpentine) will be introduced to you at this level. You will need to make use of what you learned previously such as changing diagonal to perform this figure. You will start to feel you have good maneuver on horse’s direction upon mastering such figures.
In mid Blue (approximately 20th-25th session), you will be introduced to canter. Canter is a controlled three-beat gait that is slightly faster than trot. The speed is around 15–25 km/h depending on which horse you are riding. This is the most common gait to ride when you need speed safely yet not exhausting the horse. You will learn how to canter in a round pen or the 20m x 40m arena for a start. Later, to the 20m x 60m arena.
Level Blue Assessment
The assessment for Level Blue will include
Sitting trot in perfection
Mastering all riding techniques in Level Green
Cantering on basic figures such as 20 meter circle
Catering on the correct lead
etc
Each training session is around 30 minutes. It takes about ~40 sessions before you should go for your assessment. Upon completion of the necessary sessions, you will book an assessment. The Chief Instructor will assess your riding skills while your instructor issues you command. You will be awarded a certificate of accomplishment for Level Blue upon the Chief Instructor passed your assessment.
Level: Orange
Level Orange is for the determined riders who want to strike for excellence in their horse riding journey. You will learn and practice with more advanced riding techniques here. Also, you will have the opportunity to test out your riding skills with different horses including the challenging ones!
You will spend a lot of time to focus on practicing the canter with your instructor. Cantering is one of the more enjoyable gaits while riding horses for many riders. You will practice sitting your canter in full seat, half seat (or light seat) and in two points. While the horse still canter the same, you have to adjust your body into different styles for riding in the canter. Each style has its purpose and you will discover them in Level Orange.
Your instructor will start to introduce basic dressage to you such as:
Flexion
Bending
Upward & downward transition
etc
The next interesting part for your riding is to work with poles. You will be doing trotting poles and cantering poles. This will prepare you for your first jump! Then, you will start jumping with horses at 20cm – 30cm in the beginning and move higher gradually. Jumping is an entirely different discipline from dressage. Some riders choose to specialize in jumping as they progress further in their equestrian journey.
At Level Orange, you learn both basic dressage and basic jumping. You will get a taste of both disciplines. You can choose either one or both to specialize in. This will depend on how much time, effort and energy you can dedicate to the sport.
Level Orange Assessment
Before going for assessment, you need to practice everything you have learned in Level Green and Blue. You need to master all previous riding techniques on different (sometimes challenging) horses assigned to you.
Riding at this level is relatively more advanced and technical. Some riders tend to fall behind if they do not practice consistently. If the rider leave the riding practices behind for too long, the rider risks being demoted to Level Blue. This will happen when the instructor notices the rider is struggling. Of course, the rider will be promoted to Level Orange again once the rider sharpen the riding skills.
Each training session is around 30 minutes. It takes about ~50 sessions before you should go for your assessment. The Chief Instructor will assess your riding skills while the another instructor issues the command to you. You will be awarded a certificate of accomplishment for Level Orange upon the Chief Instructor passed your assessment.
Level: Red
Level Red is where your horse riding skills become a pride. You will represent DARC for external competitions in jumping and dressage. In fact, you should be aiming to win games and bring back medals. Level Red is the Black belt equivalent in martial arts!
You will learn more advanced dressage techniques such as
Leg yielding
Turn on hunches
Shoulder in
Travers
etc
As a Level Red rider, you will be jumping higher at 60cm, 80cm, 1 meter and beyond.
A Level Red rider is considered a competition level rider. Sometimes, you will train by yourselves for continuous improvement on your riding skills. At this level, you have the ability to recognized what is correct and wrong while riding on your own. You need to be able to rectify your mistakes and reinforce the correct riding techniques independently.
Apart from riding, you will also need to demonstrate your excellent horsemanship. You will learn to understand horses beyond riding. You will work with horses at different levels including training young horses. Activities such as tacking up by yourselves, grooming, showering become part of your riding routine.
Red Level is a prestige level in DARC. Very few riders accomplished this level. Although there are a few hundred riders in the club, there are only 5 Red Level riders at the point of writing this.
DARC Horse Riding Syllabus
DARC Horse Riding Syllabus is designed to keep the passionate horse riders progress on track in a systematic approach. According the Mr. Sulaiman, Manager in DARC, this syllabus is a practical approach to ensure riders’ progress does not get lost when there is a change of instructor. If a rider has achieved certain competency, it is recognized and respected across in the riding club.
Mr. Joshua Teo, Chief Trainer in DARC is personally conducting DARC Horse Riding Syllabus in the riding club. Be assured that you are in good hands when you train under the experienced trainers in DARC.
More Information
For more information, please contact Mr. Sulaiman at +60 10-240 2606. Visit DARC website or visit the riding club at following location:
