Clip Clop | Horseback Riding Lessons & Camps
for Youth in Calgary & Edmonton
587-892-6100
Text or Call Us
Anytime!
clipclop@clipclop.ca
Email Us!
SHAPE UP
Feel and look great with our flexible fitness programs.
Leader Assistants:
LA's assist the main Instructor, and attend each class to assure safety, confidence and provides an extra set of helping hands in tacking and grooming the horses.
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Click here to go back to the "Select Your Rider's Level" page if this level doesn't feel quite right.
CALGARY
Mondays*:
4:15 - 6:05 pm
5:05 - 6:55 pm
5:55 - 7:45 pm
*3 Lessons/month
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Tuesdays:
4:15 - 6:05 pm
5:05 - 6:55 pm
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Wednesdays:
4:15 - 6:05 pm
5:05 - 6:55 pm
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Thursdays:
4:15 - 6:05 pm
5:05 - 6:55 pm
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Saturdays:
9:05 - 10:55 am
9:55 - 11:45 am
10:45 - 12:35 pm
11:35 - 1:25 pm
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Sundays:
9:05 - 10:55 am
9:55 - 11:45 am
10:45 - 12:35 pm
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Clip Clop Levels 1, 2, & 3
Schedule
2025-26
EDMONTON
Mondays*:
6:45 - 8:35 pm
*3 Lessons/month
Tuesdays:
4:15 - 6:05 pm
5:05 - 6:55 pm
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Thursdays:
4:15 - 6:05 pm
5:05 - 6:55 pm
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Saturdays:
9:55 - 11:35 am
10:45 - 12:35 pm
11:35 - 1:25 pm
1:15-3:10 pm
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Please make sure you are looking at your city's schedule.
Horseback Riding:
CC Levels 1–3
a safe, supportive start to horsemanship
Who This Phase/Level Is For
Join this level if you have not haltered, caught, groomed, mounted/dismounted, and tacked up your own horse (even if you have ridden before) as these skills are vital in building a solid foundation in horsemanship.
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This program enables new riders to explore the fun experience of horses while learning with a peer group. The riders in this level are pretty much dependent on help for just about everything.
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Most riders enter the program here, regardless of age.
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What “Dependent” Means at Clip Clop
In the Dependent Phase, riders are learning how to learn with horses.
At this stage, riders rely heavily on the instructor and leadership team for:
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Direction (haltering, leading, grooming, tacking up, mounting, riding, etc.
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Confidence
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Safety
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Support
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Interpreting what the horse is communicating
This is intentional.
Horses are large, sensitive animals, and early success depends on feeling secure and guided. Our focus in CC Levels 1–3 is to help riders build trust—with their horse, their instructor, and themselves.
What Riders Learn in CC Levels 1–3
Riders develop skills across all areas of horsemanship, both on and off the horse.
On-Horse Learning
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Mounting, dismounting, balanced position at the walk and trot
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Steering and stopping with guidance
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Beginning body awareness and coordination
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Learning how horses respond to aids
Off-Horse Learning (Horsemanship & Horseplay)
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Safe behavior around horses and the facility
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Haltering, grooming, tacking, and untacking with assistance
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Leading horses correctly
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Understanding basic horse needs and care
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Learning the language of horses
Each rider receives a Pathway Booklet, a stamper, and guided goal-setting support.
How Progress Works in This Phase
At the first lesson of each month, riders set simple, achievable goals during Horseplay (off-horse learning time).
During weekly lessons, riders stamp off skills on their Pathway as they demonstrate them consistently and safely.
Skills may be practiced many times. Repetition is part of learning—not a sign of being “behind.”
Progress is based on:
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Consistency
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Confidence
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Safety awareness
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Readiness
Not speed.
Levels Within the Dependent Phase
The Dependent Phase includes three Levels:
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CC Level 1
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CC Level 2
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CC Level 3
Each level builds gradually in:
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Skill
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Responsibility
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Decision-making
Riders are supported every step of the way by leaders and instructors and we deliberately staff for this level of support.
Recognition & the Winner’s Circle
When a rider successfully completes CC Levels 1–3, they have completed the Dependent Phase.
This milestone is recognized through an invitation to the Winner’s Circle, celebrating the rider’s growth, commitment, and readiness to move into the next phase of independence.
Winner’s Circle is not competitive.
Cost:
4-week months: $380.00/month
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Monday Lessons: $285.00/month
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Please note: To be consistent with provincial and federal holidays, we have created a schedule for Monday/Friday riders. There will be 3 lessons per month including the months that do not have a holiday. A schedule will be sent upon registering.​
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Duration: The horsemanship session lasts 1 hour and 50 minutes (nearly 2 hours) and combines a horseback riding lesson with a 'Horseplay' session. The 'Horseplay' session focuses on off-horse activities, where riders learn essential skills such as horse husbandry, grooming, feeding, tacking up, untacking, and more.
Cold Weather: During extreme cold weather, horseback riding lessons will be replaced with pre-planned, fun and valuable horsemanship lessons in our heated facility. Bringing horses in from the cold, warming them up, and then returning them to frigid temperatures is dangerous to their health. We prioritize the well-being of our horses and use these days as an opportunity for riders to learn essential horsemanship skills that are just as important as riding! The riders rave about these sessions!
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A Note for Parents
Many parents may wonder when they see the same skill on progressive levels-
“My child already knows how to do this—why are they practicing it again?”
As children grow physically, emotionally, and cognitively, the same skill looks different at different ages. Revisiting skills with deeper understanding builds confidence and competence.
Think of it like learning to write:
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Riders don’t all mean the same thing when they say a job is “done.”
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A 6-year-old brushes the shoulders and focuses on ribbons in the mane and tail and leaves the rest of the horse and is pretty proud of themself.
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A 10-year-old cleans thoroughly where the saddle goes so they can ride faster hoping the instructor didn't notice the shavings in the tail.
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A 14-year-old understands grooming means the whole horse.
Same skill. Different levels of responsibility. And, we have to make sure each competency of skill is recognized as they progress.
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When riders repeat basics, they aren’t stuck — they’re learning what “done correctly” actually looks like as they grow.
Same skill. Different mastery.
Horse Requirements
Clip Clop provides safe, sound and reliable, child-friendly horses for this level.
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Attire (Riding Equipment)
Riders are required to purchase their own riding gear for safety, hygienic and comfort reasons.
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See “Dress Code” in the Horseback Riding Lessons Information Package sent via email upon completion of registration for complete information on cost, vendors, and items.
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The Dress Code also describes correct preparation of hair which is important because correctly prepared hair is the basis for a correctly fitting helmet.
Additionally, loose hair obscures vision and distracts the rider causing a safety concern.
What This Phase Sets Up Next
Completion of CC Levels 1–3 prepares riders for the Semi-Dependent Phase (CC Levels 4–6), where riders begin taking more responsibility and making more independent decisions in the saddle and on the ground.
Progress happens when riders are ready—not on a timeline.
A Solid Foundation is the KEY to a successful riding future, and it's Our Promise to YOU.
Our promise to you is to teach your rider a solid foundation of horsemanship; to love, ride and care for horses in a safe and professional stables.
Through horses your rider will learn about responsibility, empathy, personal power, resilience, fitness and specialized horsemanship skills as they experience our Learn to Ride and Growth Track programs.
Class Description and
Levels & Age
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Clip Clop's riding lesson curriculum is based on The Youth Horsemanship Certification which is a planned progression of horse handling, horse husbandry and riding skills, with an emphasis on SAFETY, EDUCATION and FUN. These skills combine to create a solid foundation for the young horse person.
Categorizing riders by age in the sport of riding can be tricky. Riding is an individual sport, the horses are individuals and the riders are individuals.
Each one of these individuals is characterized by their size, personality, exposure, training, and comfort level with risk. All of these - and many more- transcend age boundaries, making categorizing riders by age alone an insufficient means of assessment.
Our goal is that each rider feels confident, safe, and that they have a sense of support and belonging in our program while progressing through the levels at their own individual pace.
Levels 1, 2, & 3
Ages 5 & Up
Levels 4, 5, & 6
Ages 8 & Up
Levels 7, 8, & 9
Ages 10 & Up
Level 10
Ages 12 & Up
Level 10+
Ages 14 & Up
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The ages stated are generalized to give an idea of age vs. level and are by no means measures of comparison. There are too many factors in the sport of riding to be able to use age as a single identifier of skill or level.
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