Horseback Riding Lessons
Orchard Hill Equestrian Center is conveniently located in Boston’s Metrowest off Route 495. Our team of professional riding instructors starts kids and adults in horseback riding lessons on quiet horses in a safe environment. As students build their skills, we offer fun group horseback riding lessons and the opportunity to lease horses and ponies.
Our trainers each have a specialty from teaching beginner riders to riders focused on dressage and eventing. Orchard Hill lesson horses range from quiet and forgiving to mid-level dressage and eventing mounts.
Riding Lesson Rates:
1 Hour Private Lesson/Evaluation – $100
1 Hour Semi-Private Lesson – $80
Contact us for more info
Lease A Horse
Many of our lesson horses are available for partial lease. Leases include a mix of lessons and practice rides. In some cases, leased horses can go off-site for competitions, hunter paces, and other activities.
We typically have a few young horses in training, and skilled riders are invited to full or partial lease these more advanced horses.
Leasing Rates:
Full lease
(6 rides /wk), off property may be extra – $1,000-1,350/mo
Half lease
(3 rides /wk), off property if allowed may be extra – $500-675/mo
Quarter lease
(2 rides /wk), – $300-450/mo
Competitions
Many of our students and boarders ride for pleasure, while others actively compete in eventing or dressage at small local shows or larger events throughout the East Coast – nearly every weekend each summer.
Competitions are fun! We are proud of the superb track record of our junior and senior eventing competitors, assisted by grooms and cheerleaders from the farm.
Each summer, we host five competitions at Orchard Hill – three small warm-up events and two larger three-phase horse trials that draw up to 100 riders each. Many of our boarders ride in the events, and others volunteer to help make them a favorite of eventing riders from all over New England.
Coaching Rates:
Coaching for off-property events- $40-60/day
South for the Winter
Our head trainer, Caroline Teich of Teich Eventing, hosts horses and their owners for a few months each winter near Ocala, FL. Keeping horses and riders fit through the winter season gives competitors an early start to the local show season.
Ocala offers outstanding competitions up to the Advanced level. We typically run our horses every other week in the balmy Florida weather.
Winter stalls at Orchard Hill Equestrian Center are often available as sublets from Florida-bound boarders.
South for the Winter Approximate Cost
Training board (daily rides, transport, and coaching for schooling and shows) approx. $1,500/mo
Transportation to/from Florida: $600-1,000 each way, depending on carrier
Horse sale and purchase services
Buying and selling horses is a challenge! It takes many years of experience to match a horse to a rider or to find the right buyer for your mount. If riding becomes your passion, it’s likely that you will need a series of horses over your riding career.
With a family of five riders, a farm with a large lesson program, numerous students moving up as they learn, and a serious competition mission, Caroline has bought and sold at least 50 horses to date. She is proud of the success she’s had creating long-lasting partnerships for her horses and students.
No one can promise you a perfect horse, but Caroline can promise that she will put her knowledge, contacts, and perseverance to work to find a new partner for you or a loving home for your horse.
Typical Costs:
Help you find a horse: 10% plus travel and transport expenses
Sell your horse for you: 10% of the sale price plus board and training fees as required
Horse training
Are you a busy person? Our trainers will keep your horse tuned up so that your rides are the best they can be.
Have you bought a green horse? Caroline specializes in starting and training young event horses. Her two most recent green-start horses have now reached the Intermediate level in eventing, one level below the top of the sport.
Training Costs:
Weekly training rides, professional trainers: $40/ride
Full training, young horses (Caroline): $1,675/month plus board
Trail Rides / Horse Rentals
We do not offer daily rentals or trail rides, but recommend Bobby’s Ranch, Westford MA or Cornerstone Ranch, Princeton MA for those interested in this service. We are not aware of any barns in Massachusetts that rent horses for riding without supervision.
Instructors
Caroline and Flagmount’s Spartan at Loch Moy International CCI** horse trials 2022
Caroline Teich
Caroline is an upper level event rider and trainer who actively competes throughout the U.S. With more than twenty-five years of riding experience, Caroline has a deep knowledge of the sport that she shares with her students. She is passionate about helping her students and clients develop their skills and build strong partnerships with their horses. Students of all levels can benefit from her positive, concise, and goal-oriented instruction.
Caroline also enjoys training young or green horses. She started and trained many of her own competition horses, including Zeus, who competed at the USEA Intermediate level, and Dondarrion, who she brought to the USEF three-star level.
You can read more about Caroline and her horses at her website, www.TeichEventing.com.
Debbie Baldelli
Debbie has been an instructor, horse trainer, and judge in the New England dressage community for more than 25 years. She is a USDF L graduate with distinction, and a USDF Certified Instructor. Debbie has shown to the FEI level.
“I believe dressage can be integrated into any equestrian discipline to enhance athletic ability and communication between horses and riders.”
Debbie teaches private and semi-private dressage lessons at various times during the week.
AnneMarie Bowen
“I love teaching students of all ages and abilities, but I especially enjoy working with beginner and advanced beginners.
I love watching a student feel the thrill of their first trot and canter steps and share their pride of winning their first ribbon. In my spare time I train and compete my young horse, MoJo”.
AnneMarie teaches lessons on Sunday mornings.
Clinicians and Guest Instructors
Niall Quirk: International Equestrian Coach
Niall Quirk is a former Irish National Dressage Grand Prix Champion who made the transition from rider to coach.
Niall works with riders up to the elite level of international competition in the USA, Europe and South Africa. He has a remarkable ability to identify opportunities for improvement in skilled riders, and to use those opportunities to build a stronger and happier partnership between horse and rider.
Niall holds bi-monthly clinics for boarders and students at Orchard Hill.