Horse program FAQs & policies

Proper footwear is essential for working with and riding horses to prioritize safety. Participants must wear sturdy boots or shoes that protect feet from being stepped on and prevent slipping through stirrups during a fall. Appropriate footwear is required to participate in our horse programs.

Please ensure your child has horse-safe footwear, which includes a structured boot or shoe with a hard toe. Footwear should protect toes, which can be tested by pressing down on the toe with your thumb. Before purchasing new boots, check if your child already owns suitable options. If not, let us know—we have a limited number of boots available for borrowing. 

Examples of acceptable footwear include:

• Boots designed for riding such as paddock boots, ropers, or cowboy boots
• Shoe or boot with smooth sole (no significant treads) and a square 1″ – 1.5″ heel

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Unsafe Footwear

Footwear that is unsafe to wear around horses includes (but is not limited to):

• Flip Flops
• Sandals
• Open-toed shoes
• Sneakers
• Canvas shoes (example: Toms)
• Clogs
• Garden shoes (example: Crocs)
• Hiking/snow boots
• Work boots (example: Craftsman, Caterpillar)

Students wearing inappropriate or unsafe footwear will be unable to participate in our horse programs.

The Riding and Horsemanship classes require that all participants wear a correctly fitted ASTM-SEI riding helmet while on horseback or when interacting with a horse that is not securely contained. Sienna Ranch provides ASTM-SEI riding helmets for students to use. 

If you have your own helmet and would like to use it at the Ranch, please bring it with you on the first day of the program to be inspected. Please note that riders with long hair should be prepared to wear it pulled back in a low ponytail while riding.

We find that the most comfortable riding pants are stretchy pants/leggings or “jeggings.” Students should avoid loose pants that can wrinkle, twist, and bunch up along the inside of the leg or around the knee. Capris, shorts, and jeans are also unsuitable for riding because, like loose-fitting pants, they can lead to rubs, blisters, or leather burns.

Horse Camp: Our riding camps typically spend 30-40 minutes at a time on horseback, so most long pants will be okay for the camps. 

Private Lessons: More time is spent on horseback so you might want to invest in thicker riding pants.

A fitted, weather-appropriate shirt is fine. Looser shirts must be tucked in to avoid catching on the saddle or other equipment. Jackets are recommended in cooler months as they are easier to layer than pullover sweatshirts.

Long hair should be tied back in a low ponytail to avoid getting caught on tack or interfering with the rider’s vision. Hair should be free of barrettes and clips. No jewelry other than post / stud earrings.

Students wishing to continue with ongoing lessons may be interested in riding pants with leather knee pads (leggings can be a bit slippery) and/or half chaps as well as riding gloves and their own helmet & paddock boots.

If you want to purchase your own equipment:

Dover Saddlery: 444 Center Street, Moraga CA

Concord Feed Pet & Livestock Supply: 228 Hookston Road, Pleasant Hill, CA

Arney’s Crow Canyon Saddlery: 10730 Crow Canyon Road, Castro Valley, CA

Used* items can sometimes be found online at Bay Area Equestrian Network http://www.bayequest.info

*note that riding helmets should never be purchased secondhand due to their unknown impact status.

Sienna Ranch aims to provide a space for students to interact independently in our programs without parents, as such we do not allow parents to watch riding lessons. All lessons are one- to- one lessons so if you have multiple siblings who want to participate in lessons you will need to sign up for more lesson slots. It is one lesson per child. We will not be allowing any double siblings in one lesson going forward.

Sienna Ranch is not a certified adaptive or therapeutic riding center. If you have a neurodiverse child and are wondering if our riding program would be a good fit please feel free to reach out to [email protected].