give your child AND yourself the gift of connection - with a miniature horse of your own every week this term

Not Just Pony Rides

  • Magical first steps into the horse world

    At the Australian Liberty Equestrian Academy, your child will do so much more than sit in a saddle. They’ll build a real. lasting bond with a miniature horse - learning empathy, confidence, and responsibility along the way.

    Perfect for children who:

    - Light up around animals

    - Thrive with doing something with their parent learning together

    - Need a calm, confidence-building space

    - Really really really want a pony

    - Are ready to build independence around horses with you

    FOR YOU - please note that our groups are full this term - we can either do drop off or include you in the session - select your option when booking in:

    - learn how to handle a horse safely

    - learn all the before care, tacking up and after care

    - learn about the nututrition of small ponies and how to avoid laminitis etc as prevention is better than managing

    - learn how to keep your child safe around horses

    schedule an assessment

  • Each week you both will:

    - Catch “your” miniature horse in the paddock

    - One of our mini team will choose to be “your” horse at your assessment

    - Groom and care for your pony

    - Practice groundwork and riding all supervised and taught by our qualified coach

    - Enjoy one-on-one connection and real responsibility

    - Learn to understand body language, boundaries and empathy

    - cover horse care, horse behaviour and stable management

    The same horse every week. A bond like no other.

    FAQs

  • Why parents love our Program

    - Not just riding - real life skills. Our approach teaches emotional intelligence, patience, kindness and self-confidence.

    - A taste of horse ownership (without the commitment for you): Kids care for and connect with their horse with you, just like they would if it were truly your own.

    - Ethical horsemanship from day one. No pulling, kicking or forcing. Our horses are incredibly well trained - and they get a say too.

    - Safe, supportive environment: with experienced and qualified educators guiding every session, you and your child are always nurtured and encouraged.

    - Our groups are full this term however we do have a few 1on1 available.

    - learn through playing games with the horses and your child so that every step is exceedingly fun

    - put away your phone and be immersed in the experience - don’t worry, we will take pictures for you to show family when you get home.

    book in today

a program that grows with them

building trust, independence and a love for horses from the very first step..

very limited availability

We keep our sessions short and fun at this age so as to keep everyone safe and support your child to be the best little horse person that they can be so that they get the attention they deserve. Miniature horses. Big impact. Please note that group sessions are now full. If you’d like to book in 1on1, we have a couple of weekly sessions available. 1on1 are $185/week and $50 for parent to be involved as well.

Ready to see your child light up? Book in your assessment today.

this isn’t just a horse riding program.

It’s a Childhood memory in the making.

The Australian Liberty Equestrian Academy. Where little hands meet big hearts - and magical bonds are born.

 FAQs

  • 4 - 7 years and under 28kg - we do have Penny that could take a slightly larger child but we do want to keep to this age group so as to share similar experiences - message use if you have a child that needs Penny.

  • Absolutely, as long as the adult has full permission to attend every week with the little rider, we don’t mind what your relationship is :)

  • No. So as to not overwhelm the horses and children, we are keeping these sessions to just teams of 3: 1 horse, 1 adult and 1 child.

  • Not at all! This is the perfect introduction, even for total beginners.

  • Enclosed shoes (riding boots if possible though we do have boots to borrow HOWEVER please wear closed in shoes to come onto the property BOTH of you for your safety), comfy long sleeved shirts, long comfy pants (that stretch in order to get on the horse), water, sun hat and bug spray as we are outside. We have helmets that you can borrow for the ride.

  • We have undercover areas that allow sessions to continue in most weather conditions. We will only cancel if conditions are unsafe. Please wear gumboots and a waterproof jacket if rain is forecast.

  • We do not offer reschedules or refunds. Each horse is only worked once per day, and when you reserve a spot, that horse is reserved exclusively for you. Missed sessions cannot be transferred or refunded. Unlike other establishments, our horses follow a balanced work-life schedule to ensure their well-being. Cancelled sessions affect both our horses and our small business. Thank you for your understanding and for planning your sessions in advance. IF we have a dangerous weather event then we will contact you to reschedule to keep everyone safe.

  • We will always have activities for you to do. Alternatively, another horse may step forward to work with you—an experience that mirrors the unpredictability of horse ownership.

  • Weight limits for riders, especially in activities like horse riding, are enforced primarily for safety and the well-being of both the rider and the animal. Heavier riders can place excessive strain on the horse, potentially leading to injury or discomfort. 

    Here's a more detailed explanation:

    • Horse Strain:

      A rider's weight can significantly impact a horse's ability to perform tasks. Excessive weight can lead to fatigue, muscle strain, and potentially injuries like lameness or sprains. 

    • Rider Safety:

      An unhappy horse will tell it’s rider and could be dangerous increasing the potential for falls or losing control if the horse becomes unbalanced or spooked. 

    • Matching Rider and Mount:

      Weight limits help ensure that riders are matched with horses that are physically capable of carrying their weight safely and comfortably. A horse that is not strong enough or comfortable with its rider can become stressed or injured. 

  • No. As we increase our skills every week, we do need the same parent every week. However if you have 2 children and both want to take part then we could match up teams. Towards the end of the term, if each parent has gathered enough skills then we could swap so that you get to support a different sibling and their horse and keep the experience fair.

Your weekly breakdown

  • Assessment

    This is a meet and greet and to see IRL what we do here. We will meet the horses with availability and see who chooses you both. Please note only 1 ONE parent and 1 ONE child per horse so if you want to bring 2 parents and 2 children then we would do 2 bookings for 2 horses :) no support teams at the assessment or at sessions - don’t worry we will take pictures and videos for you to take home to family. This is to not overwhelm the horses or your child - we need everyone immersed and to be mindful around horses in order to keep everyone safe.

  • ✓ WEEK 1

    You’ll learn how to stay safe around horses, catch them, put on their halter, lead them with energy, groom them, how to tack up, safety around horses, how to read your horse and start building a connection as you, the parent, are going to be the emotional anchor for both the child and the horse through this course. There will be no riding this week but as you connect with the horse, we will practice with the children getting on a fake horse so that they are ready next week.

  • ✓ WEEK 2

    Catch your horse again, groom them, tack up and practice leading with energy. Then, dive into friendly games, learn about respecting boundaries, and understand how horses communicate with calming signals. Learn how to use rhythmic pressure for yields. You’ll also learn how to develop a relaxed, cooperative relationship with your horse by creating a safe space where there’s clear communication, movement, connection, positive reinforcement, emotional control, balance, and empathy. Everything going well, we will assist the children to hop on and have a really big cuddle with the horse - remember the horse only remembers how they felt in the interaction and our goal is to set both child and horse up for success every single interaction.

  • ✓ WEEK 3

    Review and practice everything you’ve learned up until now. You’ll discover this week how to create an environment where your horse feels safe and knows what to expect, with clear communication, positive reinforcement, stress-relief techniques, empowerment, trust, patience, and ways to keep your horse both mentally and physically relaxed.

    We will be getting the children to feel comfortable in the saddle today with a lot of fun games and easy challenges. We will also practice falling/jumping off our horses safely so that this isn’t ever an unexpected part of riding for them.

  • ✓ WEEK 4

    Time to level up! You’ll practice everything from last weeks and then dive into setting boundaries through intention and energy. You’ll learn how to create a dialogue of pressure and release with minimal cues, all while building respect and clear communication. This week focuses on mental and emotional training tools to help you and your horse stay cool and collected. We will be practising as a team how to get the horse to walk and stop without pulling and without kicking and using breathwork to keep a positive and calm environment. Should these go well, we will start balancing exercises for our little riders.

  • ✓ WEEK 5

    This week we will do everything we have learnt so far and include more balancing exercises for our little riders, whilst the parents support the horse to stay on task and safe for their little rider AND keeping it fun for both.

  • ✓ WEEK 6

    As we continue our little riders continue to learn how to balance correctly on a horse with your support and listening to your little horse, we start to introduce obstacles so as to support the child to learn how to balance the unexpected as horses can be unpredicatable as they are prey animals and as riders and handlers we need to be ready on how to handle such events.

  • ✓ WEEK 7 - 10

    Each week, we will now be practising our balance and when safe introducing trot (if the balance is there) with different games so that every week is different BUT the catching, grooming, tacking up, groundwork and after care remains the same. See both of your confidences grow every week as the routine sets in and you celebrate each small win every week.

real connection starts here