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times, before mounting, the participant will work on ground control. This might include guiding their horse through obstacles or working on setting personal space boundaries with their horse. Once mounted, participants will learn how to control their horse as well as their body position on the horse to move through harder and harder exercises. Over time, the Veteran can learn to walk, trot and canter, move through obstacles while riding, practice drill team patterns and implement equine training techniques.
Veterans don’t have to have any horse experience — instructors will teach participants from the ground up, literally. For Veterans with prior horse experience, lessons provide an opportunity to enhance their skills and learning NVTRP’s wonderful herd of
horses. By coming to weekly lessons, Veterans can progress through skills and work towards their personal riding and horsemanship goals. One of our Veteran riders who has been in our program for three years is now working towards his goal of becoming an instructor.
And riding isn’t just about time spent in the saddle. To truly become skilled horsemen and women, Veterans have to master skills such as emotional regulation, calm and clear