A student majoring in psychology at Florida State University, Madison Leigh Gerhard is completing her coursework en route to future graduate studies in the university’s physician's assistant program. In prior years, Madison Leigh Gerhard stayed in Colts Neck, New Jersey, where she provided horseback riding instruction at Due Process Stables.
Horseback riding lessons are quite expensive because maintaining a stable is a low-profit business. Stables tend to put a high price tag on horseback riding lessons to cope with operational expenses. Here are some suggestions on how to reduce the cost of horseback riding lessons:
1. The student can make a working student arrangement with the stable. They can come for the lessons a few hours earlier or go home a few hours later to do some chores for the stable, such as barn maintenance, grooming the horses, cleaning the stalls, and other manual tasks, in exchange for lower fees.
2. The student can arrange with other students in the stable for group or package discounts. They can split the cost of the private lessons among themselves, which would be cheaper than taking solo private lessons.
3. The student can supply their horse for the lessons by purchasing one or sharing the horse with another student, an arrangement called “half lease”.
