How do I register?
Use our Client Portal! https://amequestrian.helloclub.com/
Open the link for the client portal in your browser, create an account in the name of the rider who you are registering, and fill in all of the required details. Then contact our superstar admin Tessa to book in for your session/s!
Using the subscription service will give you discounted booking rates and reserve your weekly time slot. Subscriptions auto-bill weekly through the client portal and remove the need for you to make time to create new bookings or make payments.
Subscription classes occur in all weeks of the year with the exception of the timetabled holiday closures which you can find in the Pricing and Scheduling tab on our website.
What are the different booking options?
Private lesson:
One hour of one on one coaching. Perfect to master techniques or for riders needing a confidence boost before joining group tuition, or to refine more specific technique requiring one on one attention. Available to adults and children during the day, with the after school hours reserved for riders with their own ponies, or who are enrolled in our pony club program.
Semi Private lesson:
Shared tuition with a small group of 2-3 riders of a similar level of proficiency. Especially good for social riders, and those who are visual and auditory learners will benefit greatly by watching other riders and listening to the coaching they receive as well.
Pony Club:
Twice weekly after school group lessons for youth riders, following the curriculum of the NZ Pony Club Association. As an affiliated NZPCA Centre we can register riders as members of the NZPCA, sign off their certificate cards after classes, and put our students forward to sit NZPCA exams to gain their internationally recognised certificates.
Sessions will run from 3.30-6pm, Monday to Friday throughout the season and will see riders split into groups to cover horse care and management, theory, and a ridden session. Generally, one session per week is mounted, and the second is unmounted. Pony Club sessions are available on a subscription basis only, and riders enrolled will pay a once yearly $40 fee to NZPCA to register as members.
What do we need to wear or bring?
Riders are required to be dressed to ride safely as below. We cannot allow anyone to ride or enter the premises who is not wearing appropriate safety equipment.
Helmets:
- Must be worn by all clients while both riding and in the yard area
- Must be of current NZPCA safety standards which you can find here. Please note that these have updated recently, ensure that any new helmets you purchase will be of the new safety standard.
Footwear:
- Riding boots must be worn by all persons while riding.
- Sturdy closed toed boots or riding boots must be worn by all persons in the yard area.
- New riders are welcome to borrow helmets and riding boots for their first few sessions. We ask that all gear borrowed is to be returned tidily to the tack shed, clean and ready for the next person to use.
- All regular riders and all persons riding on a subscription membership are required to purchase their own helmet and riding boots.
Required clothing:
- A fitted shirt which covers the shoulders, such as a polo shirt, or long sleeved base layer.
- Pony Club riders are to wear the AME Polo shirt or base layer.
- Jodpurs, breeches, or riding tights.
- Long socks
- A fitted warm layer
- A waterproof layer in case of rain
New riders may ride in leggings until they acquire some suitable riding pants.
- For safety reasons we cannot allow anyone to ride in baggy t shirts, hoodies, strappy singlets, or shorts.
Other recommended optional kit:
- Riding gloves
- Chaps or gaiters for your lower leg
We also recommend bringing a water bottle, sunscreen, and sunglasses during the summer months.
What colour group is my child for Pony Club?
When you complete your child’s registration, you will be cued to select their level of riding proficiency. The option you select will automatically allocate them to a colour coded grade. If you are unsure of your child’s ability, please contact us so we can advise. If in doubt, it is always best to start lower, as it is no problem to move your child up a grade. Your coach can update your grade as you progress. The grades are described as follows:
Yellow Group
CB – (Complete Beginner) learning to walk, turn, and stop while maintaining balance
Orange Groups
W/T – All of the above, plus learning to do so in trot
WT – Competently walking and trotting independently
Blue Groups
WT/C – All of the above plus learning to do so in canter
WTC – Competently walking, trotting and cantering independently
Red Group
WTC/J – All of the above, plus learning to jump
Pink Group
WTCJ – All of the above, and competently jumping over 80cm and working on more advanced flat work
Can I stay and watch my child’s lesson?
Yes! However, we cannot permit anyone not enrolled in the session to enter the yard or arena area. You are more than welcome to watch from the picnic area. We love having parents there to support, and ask that you provide only positive feed back to your riders – let the coaches do the coaching while you all take on the roll of team cheerleaders.
What if I cant see/sign up for a holiday camp in the client portal?
There a few reasons this may occur:.
A) You may not be allocated the correct rider level to be eligible for that class. When you complete your registration, you will be cued to select your/your childs level of riding proficiency. The option you select will automatically allocate you to a colour coded grade. Yellow group riders will not be able to sign up for classes that have been assigned to Red or Blue, and vice versa. Your coach can update your grade as you progress.
B) You may be outside the age group allocated to a particular class. Pony Club classes and camps are dedicated youth sessions, and adults will not be able to sign up for those. If you are trying to book in a child for Pony Club you will need to create an account in their own name.
How do I cancel a subscription booking?
To cancel a subscription booking, you will need to contact one of our staff who can then set your subscription to end in 30 days. 30 days notice is required for cancellation of subscription bookings. Cancelling attendance to a class will not stop your subscription from auto billing you.
What if I need to book multiple family members in? Can I link our accounts?
Yes, you can! The portal has a function called ‘Circles’ which you can use to link all of your family members together, and give booking permissions to one person eg. Parent or Caregiver.
You will find the ‘Circles’ section on your Profile page inside the portal. Send an invite to each of the accounts you would like to link, the other accounts must then accept the invite to complete the process. The Circles function could also be used to share casual bookings for Semi Privates, or for shared Arena Hire.
What if I missed my lesson slot this week, will I still be charged?
Yes – Subscription bookings will auto charge weekly from the week you sign up from them. If you have been seriously injured or ill please let us know as soon as possible and we may be able to offer a catch up session at our discretion.
Catch up sessions will be offered on one weekend day per month, and must be used within 60 days of the original booking.
What if there is bad weather, will my class still run?
Yes! Unless you hear from us otherwise, classes will run as scheduled.
We endeavor to run to schedule rain or shine. In the event that weather conditions make it impossible to ride safely we will advise you of the need to postpone as soon as possible, and will be in touch to reschedule. Generally, Pony Club riders will be able to switch their mounted/unmounted sessions around that week.
Can I bring my dog to the farm?
No. Our health and safety plan requires we have a strict NO DOGS policy for lesson and arena hire clients.
Dogs pose a risk to stock, as well as riders safety. As well as to the health and happiness of the dogs who live here. Horses can spook at the presence of strange dogs, and should a dog get loose there is risk of chasing and severe injury to both horse and dog. Our dogs are inclined to jump on the doors of any cars which have barking dogs inside, which may scratch the paint. There is also a risk of heatstroke in dogs left in cars in the summer, for these reasons we ask you please do not bring dogs to farm, not even in the car.