Our goal is to ensure a safe ride for all of our riders and horses. Horses are limited in how much weight they may carry.  It is important to be as accurate as possible when submitting your height and weight so that an appropriate horse can be matched to each rider. Each horse is restricted in the amount of weight it may carry. The weight restriction is based on several factors, but the most important is rider’s weight. Too much weight can cause rub-sores from the saddle, strained muscles, and pinched nerves. Permanent damage such as a "sway back" or deteriorated muscle function can also occur over time.  It is important to be as accurate as possible when submitting your height and weight so that you can be matched with the appropriate horse. None of the horses currently available for horseback riding are capable of carrying a rider who weighs more than 225lbs. On any given day, it is possible that a horse will not be available for you to ride because of weight limitations (examples include: (1) the only horse capable of carrying a rider who weighs 200lbs is being monitored for injury and will not be available for riding for at least a week and (2) three riders, each weighing 185lbs, are scheduled for a riding program on the same day but only two horses are available to carry such weight.) In the event a horse is not available for you to ride on a particular day, we will try to provide you with advance notice and will provide a refund for each day a horse is unavailable for you to ride. For additional information regarding weight restrictions please contact: Alena Meacham alena.meacham@uconn.edu.

For the safety of program participants and our horses, and in order to acquire the skills attendant to successful horseback riding, participants must be able to engage in certain tasks related to grooming, tacking and riding. For example, participants must be able to safely mount and dismount a horse and must possess sufficient upper body balance, leg strength and mobility to ride ahorse unassisted for a reasonable period of time. The UConn riding program is not a certified therapeutic riding facility. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable inclusive participation, but we reserve the right to assess each individual’s capabilities to perform these tasks for their own safety and for the safety of our horses. If it is or becomes apparent that the rider is not able to meet the physical requirements of safely participating in the lesson program even with reasonable accommodations, the instructor will notify the participant that the Rider’s privileges are being terminated and that they will receive a pro rata refund. If you would like to discuss any specific concerns prior to your lesson, please contact alena.meacham@uconn.edu. If interested, the following is a list of some therapeutic riding facilities in Connecticut: High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center - 860-434-1974, Hidden Acres Therapeutic Riding Center - 203-723-0633, Manes and Motions - 860-223-2761.

Practicum lessons (including trail and excluding polo) are open to participants 11 years of age or older. Polo lessons are open to participants 13 years of age or older.

• Questions regarding forms, payments or webpage issues please email uconnhorseriding@uconn.edu
• Questions regarding registration please email horsepracticum@uconn.edu

• Alena Meacham
• Melissa Tindall
• Jennifer Sale - Polo Fundamentals
• Kylie Dalton - Advanced Polo