Pine Hill is made available for open schools
several weekends during the year and otherwise by appointment. These schools provide riders
with use any of the riding facilities at Pine Hill during day light
hours. It is imperative that all riders under the age of
21 be supervised by a qualified full time adult instructor who is familiar
with the minor student's situation. The instructor must carry
liability insurance that extends their coverage to schooling at Pine
Hill. By signing the release of liability for a minor, the instructor assumes
all liability for those they are instructing and holds Pine Hill harmless
for any incident that might result from their activities while at Pine
Hill.
before tacking up your horse make sure you have properly
completed a release form and filed it in the 'box' at the
secretaries' booth at the pavilion. additional blank
forms are available there. a schedule of fees for schooling
and stabling are included in the release. please staple your payment
to the release. it is imperative that anyone mounted wear an
approved riding helmet with attached chin strap and boots with heels.
what you might expect in the way of facility at an open
school differs somewhat from what you'd see at a competition. please
make note of the following:
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there will be no emergency medical support on grounds
during an open school. for this reason it is important
that you not school alone. the best policy is to have someone on
the ground to accompany each group of riders. this individual
might best be equipped with a working cell phone that will service the
bellville area. in case of accident we are in a
'911' service area. the ground person should be familiar
with the directions to pine hill. in addition to
calling '911' it is advisable to report the situation
to the austin county sheriff at 979 865 3112 as well. |
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since you can't expect obstacles to be numbered as
during a competition, it is important that each obstacle be inspected
prior to jumping . any obstacle that is not flagged with a red
and white should not be jumped. this includes obstacles under
construction or in need of repair. also check the
galloping lanes and approaches to obstacles for high grass,
fallen braches, etc. you probably won't be the only one on
the course so be very careful when working at speed or when jumping
multiple obstacles. |
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pay particular attention to the conditions. if
it has been dry the ground will be hard and the grass slick. if
it's been wet there will be places where it will be slick or
deep. a good practice is to inspect the course on your horse as
part of your warm up routine. |
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a competition imposes a 'plan' for you. it
governs how much and what you will do with your horse. you
should have a plan for your open school as well. pay particular
attention to how much you ask of your horse and yourself. keep
track of how many obstacles you've jumped under the conditions that
exist on that particular day. don't get in a rush. take
breaks. keep your horse and yourself comfortable and fresh. |
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dangerous or abusive riding is not acceptable and will
be dealt with harshly. |