Here at Waterford Stables in Valrico, Florida, we are committed to training people to ride, but also to care for the whole horse. We do not just train people to ride: we also train them to care for their horse, bathe it, feed it ... and even teach them what to do when it is sick.
We specialize in beginner to intermediate riders, both children and adults. We teach Western Pleasure, English Equitation, Speed (Barrels, Pole Bending, Keyhole, etc.), Trail, Saddleseat, Showmanship, Round Penning and even Lead Line.
We have a number of horses for various different levels of riders.
Whiskey is a registered Spotted Saddle Horse. She is the type of horse that anyone can ride and she will go exactly the speed that she thinks you can handle. She is the horse that we start everyone out on. She rides Western and Saddle Seat. Shannon has been doing wonderfully with Whiskey and we are looking forward to a very successful show season!
Princess is a 6-year-old registered Paint mare. She is very sweet and laid back. She is used for Western Pleasure and English Pleasure. Alexander has been working to finish her and they are doing very well. She is also used for lessons currently. Watch for Alexander and Princess at the 4-H shows and the Florida State Fair this year!
Mandi is one of two horses on loan to use from Ms. Jaimie. Mandi was at one time 4th in the World at the Paint World Show in Western Horsemanship. She is now used for Western and English riding lessons. She is a very laid back, easy going horse. She is a wonderful addition to our farm and we thank Jaimie very much for loaning her to us! Look for Mandi and Rachel D. at the 4-H Shows this year!
QT is the other horse on loan to us from Ms. Jaimie! He has been a wonderful addition. QT was at one time a "Reining Extraordinaire". But now he enjoys getting love from all the kids. We use QT in Western lessons. Look for both Rachel B. and Marissa as they continue to show QT in 4-H!
Disney is a 4-year-old registered Quarter Horse. We think he should be the poster child for the great horses that can come from the PMU industry! He is now being used in our lesson program for the teens who know a bit about riding. Disney is known for being the big goof-ball around the farm - the one who LOVES to play! He is being trained as Alexander's next show horse.
Clark is the most recent addition to our family. He is a 20-year-old registered Quarter Horse. He is now getting back in to shape after being on "vacation" for a while. He is looking forward to going to the horse shows with Tara, who is now leasing him!
"Dax" (Ada Silver) is a foundation bred registered Quarter Horse. Congratulations to Dax and Premenitions Tramp on the birth of their baby girl, 2/2/08. Her registered name (pending) will be Whada Premenition ... her barn name is Delilah. She is such a wonderful filly. She is very correct and we look forward to showing her in the halter futurity classes in the fall (provided we still own her by then!). That being said, Delilah is for sale for $6500.
Cocoa is the resident mini on the farm. He is great for teaching people how to show showmanship and halter, as well as giving riding lessons to the littlest riders. He is a great lead line horse! He also drives!
Scooby is a 13-year-old Welsh/Shetland mix. He is currently used for our youngest students. He rides English and Western. He is an all-around good sport who never has the "pony" attitude.
Waterford Stables welcome Daphne!! She is a grade POA pony. We got her from a wonderful caring family who just didn't have time for her any more. She had very little muscle tone due to the lack of work. But now that she has been giving lessons almost every day, she is picking up tone very quickly! Look for Daphne soon at a horse show near you ... and hopefully at all the 4-H shows in the fall!!!
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TIME TO SIGN UP FOR CAMPS!!
Summer Camp:
June 9-13 (filled)
June 16-20 (filled)
June 23-27 (filled)
July 14-18 (filled)
July 21-25 (filled)
A little more info about camp ...
Camp starts each day at 8:00 a.m. (Kids can be dropped off any time after 7:00 a.m.). We will start the day by feeding the horses, learning a lot about proper horse nutrition, grooming and yes - cleaning stalls. We will conclude the morning with a formal riding lesson, each day focusing on a different discipline (English, Western, Trail, Speed, and "free choice day"). In the afternoon, the kids will have a formal "book type" lesson on different items including tack, conformation, colors, etc. Then they will conclude the afternoon with games on horseback. These are usually done bareback (no saddle), but only by those who are comfortable with this. Camp is limited to 7 students. We do have a couple youth who help as our assistants. The formal day ends at 4:00, but the kids can be picked up as late as 6:00 for no extra fees.
Watch for our school year camps for those odd days that the kids are out of school! We will also have Winter Break camp as well!
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A little about us ....
Western, Hunt Seat & Saddle Seat Instruction: Kate Waterford has been riding for most of her life. She grew up around horses on a large cattle ranch in Western Washington State. In doing so, she brought her love of horses to her family. Now Camille (19) and Alexander (16) show their horses and love working with students. Camille and Alexander both assist in the lesson program (when Camille is home from college, that is). Alexander competes in Showmanship, Halter and Western on Princess and Disney and has plans to be a horse trainer after high school. Albert, the dad of this family, calls himself the "Ranch Hand". Although he only rides on the occasional trail ride, he is a huge help when it comes to hauling the horses or doing the manual labor on the farm ... like building our wonderful new barn! We couldn't do what we do without his help! Kate and Albert both are now working on learning as much as they can about Natural Horsemanship training. With this background, Kate teaches Western Pleasure, Hunt Seat, Trail, Saddle Seat, Speed and In-Hand events (showmanship, round penning, etc.). Kate has also been the leader of the Boots & Bridles 4-H club for the past 7 years and has learned a great deal through her involvement with 4-H. She continues to learn and takes lessons herself from a World Champion horse trainer.
Rates and Contact Info
Lessons: $35 per hour group rate. ($17 for half an hour lesson group rate).
Private Lessons: $25 per half an hour (must be scheduled well in advance).
Leases:
Partial lease: $275 which includes: 4 lessons a month and 2 hours free ride time each week. (This is a savings of $145 a month which it would cost if you just bought each hour individually).
**NOTE: it is recommended that if a student becomes seriously interested in showing horses that they at least obtain a partial lease OR take 3 lessons per week.**
Show leasing:
- Use of horse for the day, $40. Please understand that you may be sharing a horse with someone who shows in a different division than you. You will each pay $340 If you show two horses, you will still only pay $40. This also includes use of my tack.
- Transportation: the transportation fee is $1.50 cents a mile round trip. (Sorry - this has gone up due to the cost of diesel these days. Yikes!)
- Coaching fees: if you come with me from my stable, this is required. It is $40 a day. This includes me helping tack the horse up and get it ready for classes, making sure you are signed up for the correct classes, making sure you get in the gate at the right time, helping you understand the patterns, as well as being there in case of an emergency. This is something that is required of my insurance company. This is a per person fee, not per horse and not split. This is also a per day fee so please factor that into your budget if the show is a two day show. Also, if the show is out of town, you will be responsible for my hotel and meals. And no, we do not coach people who are not our students. This is too difficult as we do not know how you ride with your instructor.
- Grooming fees: General grooming is $30. If you want to come out the day before the show and get your horse prepped, you are more than welcome and you will not be charged the grooming fees. The preparations will include bathing, clipping and sheeting/hooding. There are other fees associated with showing that you may be subject to.
Please see Kate for more details and a list of all associated show fees.
PLEASE NOTE: These leases are intended for Waterford Stables students only. We do not lease horses to non-students.
You will need to have boots and a helmet. We do have some helmets to borrow if you are not sure riding is what you want to pursue. However, we do suggest that you buy your own helmet if you continue with riding lessons. Boots can be any style, but must have a heal. No tennis shoes. For more information, please contact us at 813-220-6056 or e-mail us.
WE NOW HAVE T-SHIRTS AND SWEATSHIRTS AVAILABLE TO ORDER! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!!
Calendar of upcoming events:
(These are just some events that are availabe. The items in green are the ones that we are planning to haul to. Be sure to reserve your spot on the trailer if you would like to attend any of those events!)
July:
10 - 12: State 4-H Horse Show - Florida State Fairgrounds
August:
9 - Open Horse Show at Dover Oaks Stables
September:
13 - 14: APHA/PtHA show in Ocala
