Pre-Competition

Pre-Competition is a lesson program that is designed to build foundational skills and developing age-appropriate horsemanship capabilities in young athletes.

After many years training young riders, we have come to learn that the time you spend on the ground, working with and around ponies, is just as important as the time you spend mounted.

By teaching athletes the core tenets of caring for a pony, they learn the skills they need to make this a sport they can enjoy throughout their lives. The athletes who commit to learning these skills and taking great care of their pony, will see it very quickly translate into their riding capabilities.

All our our horsemanship training is based on long-standing traditions and standards for handling horses, which means they can take these skills with them anywhere they go. Think of this as being very similar to learning appropriate table manners. There is simply a way things are done, and this way is accepted almost everywhere you go.

This means that at this level, athletes begin to take responsibility for tacking up their pony before their lesson, and then learning to put their pony away when the lesson is completed.

Athletes will learn things like:

As the children progress, we’ll also teach them how to much a stall, sweep a barn aisle, and other important and rewarding chores!

For riding, Pre-Competition does set out the objective of ultimately beginning to compete in show jumping, but for some that may not be the ultimate goal.

Regardless, focusing on this gives us a strong curriculum of skills to be developed, and also keeps athletes focused on continuous improvement and growth.

Some of the skills and exercises we’ll work on are:

We offer 2 “seasons” of Pre-Competition:

Pre-Competition lessons are scheduled Tuesday-Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons, and Sundays all day.

We try to match groups based on ability while also working to accommodate everyone’s schedules .

We set the schedule for each season 2 weeks prior to the start of the season.

Here is the price for the 2 seasons:

Pricing includes:

Spring Registration: January

Fall Registration: June

In order to ensure continuity for our athletes, when we begin registrations for the upcoming session, we give current clients first priority on the limited spots available. This means a 1-week period to claim a spot in the upcoming season.

We always do our best to accommodate prior clients, however if you decide to pause for a season and then start up again, we cannot guarantee a spot will be available at that time.

After this initial early access is closed, we open any remaining spots up to our waiting list.

To be added to the waiting list and to ensure you receive all relevant communications about the programs you’re interested in, please complete this brief application form.

Invites to register for all of our programs are sent via email. Please ensure that you provide an email that you check regularly when you complete your application, and also then be sure to add info@neverlandponies.com to your contacts so that the emails we send don’t find their way into your spam folder.

There are no makeup lessons or "rain dates" for any lessons that are missed in your session.

Our Farm is located at 4430 Montee Sainte Angelique in Saint Lazare.

Please try to arrive 5-10 minutes before the start of your lesson. Ponies are already tacked up and ready for your child to hop on.

We suggest Sandridge Saddlery, a local tack shop in our area. They have very knowledgeable and helpful staff and do offer all of our recommended brands and models of equipment listed below.

Your little rider needs their own helmet.

We suggest the Tipperary helmet. It covers the back of the head very well and does not have a dial to tighten it.

Your child will also need boots with a heel. Blundstones are great for little feet, and they can wear them anywhere, not just to ride.

Proper riding pants are required for Pre-Competition athletes.

During the summer, instead of the regular lesson programs, we encourage our Pre-Competition program participants to register for one or more weeks of summer camp.

Over the years, we have designed our camps as an integral part of the Pre-Competition program curriculum.

While the Pre-Competition program provides a recurring, structured way of engaging with the sport, the camps offer the other half of building well-rounded athletes. They get to spend more free time around the farm and the horses. They learn more about their ongoing care and participate in the regular chores that ensure the ponies stay healthy and happy. We have more time for expanding on their foundational horsemanship, on groundwork with the ponies, and developing relationships with the other athletes.

Ultimately, this immersion leads to a deeper understanding and relationship with the ponies, while also expanding the social element of the sport, which consistently translates into very positive progression when returning to the structured lessons in the Fall.

Further, this format allows for much greater flexibility for families in planning their holidays and other activities throughout the summer. It provides a day time childcare option in the absence of school, leaves weekends open, and offers the option to pick and choose which weeks you participate in.

For more information on our Summer Camps, click here:

Please use the Contact Form here. If it is urgent, for example, you can’t find the farm when coming here for the first time, please call Kelly directly at (514) 799-5422.