Lesson Programs
riders find most useful; and the balanced seat dressage riders prefer. There is even more good news. A steadily growing number of specialists teach their more seasoned riders side saddle, reining, cutting, over-fences expertise and driving. Specialists’ résumés and stated goals may differ, but the common denominator is a passionate, single-minded objective: to give their pupils a positive equine experience,
and to foster healthy relationships between them and the Arabian horses they ride. Some lesson programs reach outward to attract non-horse people. Other programs reach inward to touch the minds, hearts and souls of everyone they encounter, and some programs seem to be a happy confluence of both. Thirty years ago, Liz Hulka-Vena and her husband, Michael, invested in residential property in the Chicago suburbs that had once been the Hulka family’s farm. The couple developed the property, setting aside 10 acres to
build Arabian Knights Farm. The horsemanship program Liz launched there 15 years later flourished, and today the Arabian Knights lesson program has six instructors. Each of them brings the lesson program a different specialty and approach. “We offer private riding lessons and horsemanship programs for people of all ages who have no horse experience,” says Hulka-Vena. “My parents had Arabian
horses, so I grew up with them. Arabians have always been my favorite breed.” “We also have an academy program for more advanced riders who want to compete at local shows,” says Judy Gosewisch, the farm’s promotional and marketing director. “Our horsemanship program is multi-faceted. We have beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, with two weeks of instruction for riders at each level, with classes three days a week.” Because Arabian Knights Farm is landlocked by the village’s public parks system, requests
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