Lino Lakes English Riding Jumping Instructor Sustainable Dressage Lessons Blaine

$20.00 discount on first lesson for Newcomers to Sunborn Stables! Just enter your email in the boxes provided. We'll email it back to you right away.

What Children Learn -- Riding at Sunborn Stables:

Child development experts often tout the benefits of helping children experience the "BIG-M: Belonging, Independence, Generosity and Mastery." Riding does all this and more. Students get a big sense of belonging to the stable and often make life-long friends here. Most parents and students agree that riding has helped the riding student develop responsibility, compassion, empathy, self confidence, fairness, leadership, strength, self-reliance, and more.

Adults often learn:

A fascinating study of the ins and outs of horsemanship through the eyes of history! This fabulous discipline has been around since 500 B.C. and has been studied by people all over the world. Riding at Sunborn Stables positions you to go anywhere -- from Western ranch, to English countryside, Italian trails, or Spanish equestrian schools, and do well (our students have done these trips and say they were well prepared)! We'll begin where you are and take you to heights you never dreamed possible!

Sunborn teacher, Mary Gmitter Johnson, on her Prix St. Georges champion, Navello (left) and Jill Gontarek on Made You Look

Hannah Hathaway, left and LIbby Faffler middle and Sam Michaelson are some of our advanced students now teaching. Wait til you see what they have to offer!

Sunborn Stables prides itself on having high quality instruction for all levels of riders. All our teachers have at least 7 years of experience riding and training. Mary has been teaching at Sunborn Stables since 2001 (I think -- who can remember that far back?!!). Jill has been here for 6 years and Hannah has been here since she was 6 years old! Libby has been a student for about 7 years and Sam has been riding here since she was 11.

Lesson prices:

$70 for an hour private.
$38 for a half-hour private, 45 minute semi private, or hour group lesson whether taken on a school horse or your own horse. Most people take a weekly lesson and pay by the month, in advance. If you pay in advance, it costs $145 a month for any weekly lesson. This means if you are riding on Wednesday evenings, for example, and there are 5 Wednesdays in the month, you get an extra lesson. We ask for a 24 hour notice of cancelation, for a makeup to be available to you.
We invite people who do not board at our barn to trailer in for lessons and/or training on their horse/s. Prices are the same.
For additional information on our lesson/training/boarding prices, please view the contracts and/or call Julie at 651–257–9825

Read what customers are saying about Sunborn Stables:

"The number one reason for loving having my daughter at Sunborn is confidence building. Next is responsibility, determination, discipline, physical strength and building a connection with an animal while pursuing something she loves." Sue Hervig
"My favorite thing about riding at Sunborn Stables is that it's just plain FUN! I enjoy working out hard and hardly knowing I'm doing it because I'm so engrossed in the relationship with my horse." Desi Arneson
"What I like about riding lessons at Sunborn Stables is that lessons are always a challenge both physically and mentally. There is so much to learn, and we have riders at all levels so there are always great role models around to learn from." Rachel Nekowitsch
"There are so many reasons why I like Sunborn. What struck me the most was the organization and rules. Boarders are able to do their own thing but within some boundaries. It drives me nuts when people are unorganized and disrespectful of others and supplies that we share at the barn. The instructors have a passion for teaching and when I am taking a lesson they put my needs first. I am challenged in a way I never have been before and when I think I am unable to do a certain movement and then I do it, it is an accomplishment! I feel in love with the horses and the people at Sunborn. I am learning HOW TO RIDE from very experienced and talented riders." Krista Bellrichard
What I like about lessons at Sunborn is that I feel like I make some forward progress with every ride. (even when my horse is going side to side, backwards and up and down!) I'm able to attribute the large majority of my recent success with my horse to help from you and Mary. I don't feel judged because I don't have a five or six figure horse and I feel like I'm a valued part of the barn family. I feel like we have an exceptional facility and an environment that is nurturing to me as a rider and a horseman. So, in short, I love Sunborn! And I'm never leaving, you will have to kick my ass out first!!" Jennifer Glander

Taking lessons and goal-setting go together. Often students set goals of achieving something at a horse show.

Students frequently show their horses at dressage shows. Scroll down to see the picture of 2nd Level Regional Champion, 2007, Layne Sandercott, handing her walkie talkie to trainer, Julie Penshorn just before her winning ride at the Regional Finals in St. Louis, MO. In 2008 Layne rode her two other horses with much success as well.

Also, we have many students who do not show, or only show at the in-barn schooling shows.

The teachers work together to develop their abilities to "see" students' problems and capabilities. They frequently "team teach" with each other. Teachers also work with the studentsto set goals and work toward meeting them. One student may just want to develop self confidence and courage, while another wants to go to the Olympics!

Since this sport is still more art than it is science -- even after thousands of years (the first writings on dressage are from around 500 BC!) -- teachers must work hard to clearly describe the specific postural nuances necessary for success with a given horse (whose needs are always considered important). We gain a lot of information by listening to the horse as he or she tells us what you are doing wrong and right. We also listen to you! Each person has a unique physique and more or less difficulty with each thing they learn. So, we work to help you gain better spinal alignment and lateral and longitudinal balance so you and your horse can become an effective team. This postural alignment serves our students well as they take their learnings off the horse and incorporate them into their daily lives.

Sam Michaelson, student for 9 years, showing her horse Motomaji at Preliminary level in eventing.

Working Student Program

If you are signed up for a regular weekly lesson at Sunborn Stables, students ages 11 to 16 can work here to gain additional lesson credits! Work duties can include catching, grooming and tacking up horses for the trainer and also can include stall cleaning and other important duties. After working for 8 hours, a student can redeem their lesson credits for a free lesson! This is a wonderful opportunity, since most all of the time the student is supervised and is learning safe horse handling and correct horse management techniques.

Both Layne and Sam (pictured above) have been in the Working Student Program. In fact, most of our excellent students have at some point been part of this program.