Riding Lessons in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey
Riding lessons in Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County, for everyone from a first walk-trot lesson to riders competing at national level.
Lessons here are taught by Patti Zwaan, who has spent more than fifty years developing horses and riders. There is no house method. Patti learned alongside Olympic-level riders and trainers and has spent decades working out what each horse-and-rider pair in front of her actually needs — which is a different answer for a nervous adult returning after twenty years than it is for a junior chasing a championship.
01 Riders
Who we teach
- Beginners. Adults and children starting from nothing. You will learn to groom and tack up as well as ride, because a rider who cannot handle a horse on the ground is only half a horseman.
- Returning riders. People who rode as teenagers and are coming back at forty. Very common, and nothing to be sheepish about.
- Junior riders. Children and teenagers, whether they want to show or simply want to ride well.
- Horse owners. Working through a specific problem — a horse who rushes fences, a rider who has lost confidence after a fall.
- Collegiate riders. See our page for IHSA and college riders.
02 Discipline
Hunter, jumper and equitation
The program is hunter/jumper. Riders learn flatwork first and properly, then gymnastics, then courses. If your goal is the equitation ring, that is well-trodden ground here; if your goal is to hack out safely on a Sunday and never jump a fence, that is fine too and nobody will push you.
What does not change either way is the foundation: position, feel, and being able to explain to the horse what you want clearly enough that he can do it.
03 Format
How lessons work
Lessons run year-round. The 80' x 120' indoor arena means January and August are both rideable, and both arenas have Premier Equestrian footing that is groomed daily.
Private and small group lessons are both available. Groups are kept small enough that everyone is actually taught rather than watched.
04 Horses
Do I need my own horse?
No. Lesson horses are available for riders who do not own, and leasing is the natural next step for anyone who wants more time in the saddle before buying. Riders who do own are welcome to bring their own horse, whether or not they board here.
05 Getting started
Your first lesson
Wear long trousers and boots with a small heel. We can lend you a helmet for the first lesson. Arrive fifteen minutes early and someone will show you round rather than leaving you to find the arena on your own. Expect to spend part of that first hour on the ground learning to lead, groom and tack up.
06 Next step
Book a first lesson
Tell us your age, your experience and what you are hoping for, and we will be honest about whether we are the right barn for you.