WELCOME TO WOODLOCH! Our staff, owners, & boarding community wish to welcome you as our guest to Woodloch Stable! We are a full-service equine facility offering Boarding, English & Western Training, Lessons (Group, Private, or Semi-Private), Camps, & Clinics. We pride ourselves on teaching our clients from start to finish on topics of safety, horse care & health, riding, & horsemanship in a safe, modern, & clean environment. We can offer help in scouting, placing, leasing, or purchasing appropriate horses. Get to know a bit more about our Woodloch Family!
MEET THE RAMBERG FAMILY! Dan & Elaine Ramberg started Woodloch as a boarding facility in 1977 & expanded it into a legendary boarding & educational program. They wanted to provide horseback riding & training in a safe, affordable environment. Dan is famous for his three-horse Roman Riding act that he performed nationwide starting at age 16. Since then, Dan has been a pioneer for educating horses & riders with humane & effective training methods, & was honored with the prestigious Minnesota Horse Council s Horseperson of the Year award in 2000. He has also served on the Boards & held offices in the Minnesota Quarter Horse Association, Western Saddle Clubs Association, & Dead Broke Saddle Club. Dan has been instrumental in helping develop legislation that allows the equine industry to thrive in Minnesota. Elaine is known for her beautiful singing voice, & is a member of the City of Lakes Chorus. Dan & Elaine live on-site & participate in the day-to-day operations of the farm. Bill & Ingvill Ramberg, Dan & Elaine s son & daughter-in-law, are also accomplished riders & trainers, having ridden & trained with renowned programs & clinicians like Lyons Legacy, Becky Holder, Ralph Hill, Jonathan Holling, & many more. Bill grew up with horses, & has an incredible ability to teach the principles of safe & consistent communication to both horses & riders. He is also famous for making our home-grown hay! Ingvill helps with boarding, coordinates the Tiny Tots pony lesson program for young children, & is an accomplished three-day eventer. She is a 2014 regional eventing champion, & competed at the 2014 American Eventing Championships in Tyler, TX! Bill & Ingvill have 3 children: Marcus, Nikolas, & Maia.
MEET OUR TRAINERS! KIM HILLER English Trainer/Instructor Kim Hiller is Woodloch s English riding trainer & instructor, specializing in dressage, jumping, & eventing. She has over 25 years of teaching experience, blending her traditional foundation with a strong emphasis on continuing education, creativity, & fresh ideas. Kim began riding as a child in Germany & has continued to build her career in Minnesota. She has had the opportunity to work & train with such noted riders as Max von Bleucher, Hilda Gurney, Paul Belasik, Jim Graham, Becky Holder, & Ralph Hill. Believing that the horse is a reflection of the rider, Kim emphasizes rider position & body awareness. Her goal is to help students recognize what they are communicating to their horses. PAUL AUSTIN Western Trainer/Instructor Paul Austin is Woodloch s Western trainer, specializing in colt starting & educating the competition or trail horse. Paul has experience working & riding on ranches in Wyoming & Arizona, & apprenticed under Bill Ramberg & Mel Harms-Grossman at Woodloch Stable. He has also ridden with Josh Lyons. He has experience working with horses from a variety of backgrounds, including ranch horse, trail, pleasure, games, reining, & Western dressage. Paul teaches horses to be calm, consistent, responsive, & safe for their riders, & teaches his riders to confidently & safely handle their horses.
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS! MAGGIE KNOWLES Maggie Knowles teaches & rides in Western & English disciplines. Maggie has ridden horses since she was 10 years old, and graduated from the University of Minnesota (Crookston) with a Bachelors degree in Equine Science. While she was at UMC, she was a member of the Women's Varsity Hunt Seat and Western Equestrian team for 2 years. She first began instructing at YMCA Camp Warren summer camp in Eveleth, MN, where she was in charge of their horse program for 4 summers. She has also spent 2 summers as a trail guide in Jordan, MN. Maggie enjoys teaching students the fundamentals of safe, effective, and confident horsemanship. NIKKI MALLICK Nikki Mallick teaches group & private lessons for all ages & levels. She began riding at Woodloch as a child, & is a graduate of our lesson & summer camp programs. She enjoys training & trail riding, & owns a Paint named Maxi & a Quarter Horse named Shorty. Nikki has years of experience riding & showing in WSCA pleasure & games, has taught Woodloch s summer camps, & teaches her students using Dan Ramberg s philosophy of training. Nikki specializes in teaching confident, safe, & versatile riding skills in arenas & on trails. MELISSA DANIELSON Melissa Danielson has been a long-time instructor at Woodloch, with many years of experience showing horses in Western & English pleasure. She is a Special Olympics Certified Coach, & teaches Woodloch s special needs lessons on Thursday nights.
MEET OUR LESSON STAFF! BARB CHARPENTIER & MARY ZUHN Barb Charpentier & Mary Zuhn have been central figures in Woodloch s tack shop & lesson office for many years. They check in lesson students, answer questions, give barn tours to prospective clients, & help clients choose tack & attire. Both Barb & Mary have horses of their own, & participate in many activities like showing, attending clinics, & trail riding. Stop in the lesson office to say hi! LESSON HELPERS ASHLEY GABRIELE MOLLY TATUM TALLEY GRACE KATIE JAY LEE Woodloch s Lesson Helpers serve as customer service representatives & apprentice instructors in our lesson program. They assist & supervise our students in preparation for each lesson. Each of our lesson helpers has gone through the lesson program & participates in training clinics in order to provide you with competent & friendly lesson assistance.
MEET OUR BARN CREW! NANCY GENEVA CANDI ALEJANDRO SAM AVA GABRIELE MOLLY D MOLLY L ERIKA GRACE The Barn Crew is responsible for day-to-day care of boarding & school horses. They monitor health, feed, provide medical treatments, as well as keep the barn tidy! In the summer, many Barn Crew members help with field work & putting up our famous home-grown hay for the winter. Since 1990, Nancy Curren & Geneva Crabtree have coordinated the chore crew & oversee the health of our horses. Woodloch couldn t run without our Barn Crew we love having our hard-working, friendly, & knowledgeable women (& men!) taking such wonderful care of our horses!
Year-Round Group Lesson Schedule: (subject to change) MONDAY (Instructors: Maggie Knowles, Bill Ramberg) 4:00pm Kids Beginner/Intermediate 5:00pm Kids Beginner/Intermediate 6:00pm All Ages Beginner/Intermediate 7:00pm Teen/Adult Advanced Training FRIDAY (Instructors: Paul Austin) 4:00pm Kids Beginner/Intermediate 5:00pm Kids/Teen Beginner/Intermediate 6:00pm Kids/Teen Intermediate/Advanced 7:00pm Teen/Adult Advanced Training TUESDAY (Instructor: Bill Ramberg) 6:00pm Teen/Adult Advanced Training SATURDAY (Instructor: Maggie Knowles) 9:00am Teen/Adult Intermediate/Advanced 10:00am Kids Beginner/Intermediate THURSDAY (Instructors: Nikki Mallick, Melissa Danielson) 11:00am All Ages Beginner/Intermediate 4:00pm Kids Beginner/Intermediate 5:00pm Special Needs Lesson 6:00pm Kids/Teen Intermediate/Advanced 7:00pm Teen/Adult All Levels Important Lesson Notes: Please register & schedule lessons in advance, at the tack shop office or by phone at (651)429-1303. All lessons are pre-paid (cash or check) with signed liability waiver on file. Lesson hours may change seasonally as necessary. When you check in at the tack shop prior to the lesson, it is your responsibility to sign up for the next week or note that you will not be attending the following week. We encourage students to stay in a consistent time slot to assist with planning. If it is necessary to cancel a lesson, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance. If you do not cancel at least 3 hours in advance of the lesson, you will be charged for the lesson. We limit the size of our lessons, & your time slot is yours until you change it. If only 1 student is signed up in a time slot, we may request that person to move to another time. If only 1 person shows up for a lesson, it will be used as a ½ hour private lesson. SAFETY is our primary concern for all involved in the lesson program. Horses are large, powerful animals & even well-trained horses can be unpredictable. Therefore, it is responsible to be aware at all times & learn safety practices. Please ask questions! Riding lessons require full concentration of the student. We believe it is important to start with a good foundation of basic skills & acquire the experience & ability to use those skills before moving to the next level. We continue to move forward with exercises & activities that enhance the learning process as the student is ready. We have a variety of lesson horses to help you build your riding foundation & advance your skill level. Each lesson horse is unique, offering new learning challenges to our students.
2016 LESSON PRICES Hourly Group Lessons, Package of 4 Consecutive Weeks $150.00 Hourly Group Lesson, Per Session $40.00 Private Lesson (Hourly)* $70.00 Private Lesson (45 Mins)* $55.00 Private Lesson (30 Mins)* $40.00 Semi-Private Lesson (2 to 3 Riders, Hourly)* $50.00 per Rider *Please note that any individually-scheduled lesson (I.e. not part of our regularly-scheduled group lessons) is classified as a Private or Semi-Private lesson. Private & Semi-Private lessons must be scheduled directly with the instructor & are subject to availability. TINY TOTS LESSONS Private Lessons are now available for young children ages 3-6! If you re looking for something more structured than just a pony ride, Woodloch s Tiny Tots lessons are a fun & inexpensive way to introduce kids to horses. Your child will work one-on-one with our instructor to learn basic grooming, leading, & riding skills on appropriately-sized ponies. Tiny Tots Lesson (age 6 & under 40 Mins)* $40.00 *Tiny Tots lessons must be scheduled directly with Ingvill via email: ingvill@woodlochstable.com **Birthday Parties, Pony Camps, Hay/Sleigh Rides, Scout Troop Events, & Corporate Team-Building Events are also available! Please email Ingvill for pricing & availability.** More Important Lesson Notes: Lessons are available on a year-round basis. We have 2 indoor arenas to use during inclement weather. During nice weather, we often use the outdoor arena as well as trails to enhance learning. The decision to cancel lessons due to weather is made by 1:00pm daily. If the weather is 0 or below, lessons will be canceled. If lessons are canceled, we will call the number listed on the lesson card. Please call if you have questions about status of lessons. Dogs are not allowed in barns. If you must bring your pet, it must be controlled at all times, either in a vehicle, kennel, or on a leash & may not enter the barn. Do not bring strollers into the aisles of the barn. We have a lounge in the tack shop that you are welcome to use while waiting for your child or family. Students are expected to take an active part in keeping the portion of the barn they use tidy. Please clean up after your assigned horse. Supplies (bucket, broom, rakes, & forks) are provided. The first lesson for the NEW student is primarily a ground lesson. They will become familiar with the facility, equipment, catching & tying the horse, safety, grooming, & tacking the horse. We treat all new students like they are first-time students so that we don t leave out important information. We encourage group lessons. It is advantageous to learn from others in a lesson, & teaches horse handling skills that may not be present in a private setting. We suggest asking about private or semi-private lessons to work on problem areas or to have more practice time for a specific or advanced skill.
BENEFITS OF RIDING Horseback riding is a fun, healthy, lifelong sport to be enjoyed alone or with a group, as a team or family activity. Caring for & riding horses teaches life skills such as patience, responsibility, perseverance, selfdiscipline, good sportsmanship, & self esteem. It is also a positive outlet for a person s time, interest, & energy. We hope that everyone enjoys our program & learns new skills. Thanks for allowing us to share the world of horses with you! SAFETY Whenever people & horses are together, safety must come first. No one wants to get hurt or see an animal hurt. The best way to be safe around horses is to become an educated horse person & follow safety practices AT ALL TIMES! A horse is a big, powerful animal with a mind of its own. Even the most gentle & well-trained horse thinks & acts like an animal, not like a machine or person. Any animal can surprise you. Most accidents happen when people are not thinking or are careless about safety practices. Like any other sport, riding is as safe as you make it. We believe every rider should start with a good foundation of basic skills & knowledge before advancing. However, some riders get in trouble because they want to try more advanced skills before their basic skills are solid. Trying to advance without mastering the basics can be dangerous, unfair to the horse, & no fun at all. If you take time to learn as much as possible, you will enjoy horseback riding much more. ARENA & BARN SAFETY Be aware & respectful of the Barn Crew & boarding horses being moved during chore time. Please move &/or stay out of their path. Practice safety! These are privately-owned horses. Do not pet or feed them unless the owner has given permission to do so. Dogs are not allowed in the barn, with the exception of those that live at the stable. Please do not play with or pet the cats & dogs at the barn. Please follow the directions of the instructor at all times. They have your safety in mind. ASK QUESTIONS if you do not understand something! While leading or riding the horse, maintain a safe distance between horses. Always pass other horses to the inside of the arena, never along the rail. If meeting a horse (oncoming traffic) going the opposite direction along the rail, pass left shoulder to left shoulder. Return any item you use to where you found it, leaving it ready for the next student to use. Correctly put tack away when finished using it. Clean up after your horse in the aisles. Help us keep our barn clean & our horses healthy!
HORSE TACK At Woodloch, we pride ourselves on teaching complete horsemanship to our lesson students. Our lesson helpers & instructors are available to assist you in tacking your horse. We know that this is a skill that is developed with time, strength, & aptitude of the horseperson. Some riders are too small to effectively saddle or bridle the horse, however they are capable of learning the process. Here are some helpful pictures to learn the language of tacking the horse: Parts of an English Saddle Parts of an English Bridle
PARTS OF THE HORSE Visit our website for more information: www.woodlochstable.com THANK YOU FOR MAKING WOODLOCH STABLE PART OF YOUR EQUESTRIAN EDUCATION!