There is a stretch of Harrison Road in Spotsylvania County that features a bucolic setting where the fields and barns of Hazelwild Farm provide a respite from the ever-increasing traffic and brake lights on this overburdened stretch of roadway. It is not unusual to see horseback riders in the fields of Hazelwild, which has made many a rush-hour driver wonder if maybe traveling by horse would be preferable to traveling by car in that moment. And the answer to that question is just a short driveway away.
Hazelwild is one of the largest and oldest horseback riding facilities in the Fredericksburg area, offering riding lessons for ages 6 to 70 and beyond. Hazelwild offers classes and competitions for all ages and has close to 100 riders in the program along with nearly 70 horses boarded at the facility.
Potential horseback riders do not have to own a horse to take lessons at Hazelwild but there are other costs associated with learning to ride. Most lessons for beginners at Hazelwild run about $60 per hour and most students ride once a week. Having the proper equipment is very important for both the rider and the horse. Students also need a helmet and boots that fit.
Kathleen Bonner, a Foundation Instructor at Hazelwild, first rode at Hazelwild in the 1980s when she was on the Mary Washington College equestrian team. She didn’t end there. She has offered lessons at Hazelwild for 20 years.
Bonner suggested that before riders or their families commit to the costs associated with lessons, they should do their research and compare all local programs.
“When you are looking for a place for your child to take lessons, I would suggest the parent and potential rider go and watch a beginner lesson and let your child watch,” said Bonner. “See if you like that teaching style and if the riding lesson is what the child is picturing. A lot of kids think riding is easy, but it’s really a physically and mentally demanding sport. If you’re riding in the heat of the summer and your horse is not doing what you want, it can be frustrating and hard.”
And not all programs are created equal.
“Not every program is a fit for every rider, and I often have waiting lists at Hazelwild for beginning riders,” said Bonner. “There are a lot of good riding instructors in the area and facilities.”
Because riding instructors are not required to hold a specific certification, Bonner advised parents and potential riders to look carefully at an instructor’s experience and qualifications when choosing a program.
“Anyone can claim to be a riding instructor without any training since there is no certification required to be a riding instructor, so parents and potential riders should be leery of programs that do not have websites or advertise instructors with just a first name.”
Many children hold the dream of learning to ride a horse across open fields or to one day compete for ribbons and trophies on a horse that is like a part of the family. And parents can hold that dream as well. Bonner has trained a number of children and parents together through the years at Hazelwild and thinks it is a wonderful bonding experience. She has also helped much older riders fulfill lifelong dreams at Hazelwild.
“I had an 85-year-old man as a student one time,” said Bonner. “He took lessons from me for a year and a half and learned to ride. He was the cutest man and was really sweet and loved to groom and take care of the horse as much as he enjoyed riding the horse. And he never fell, which was great.”
Although most riders at Hazelwild tend to be much younger than Bonner’s former student, every student arrives with saddlebags full of dreams about riding their first horse. Fredericksburg is fortunate to have many riding programs where those dreams can be realized without having to drive to Albemarle or Middleburg. The fulfillment of those dreams can be as close as a little family farm tucked off Harrison Road that has been around for nearly 70 years.
