A HORSE OF YOUR OWN.
WITHOUT HAVING TO OWN ONE
your relationship
An ALEA membership sits in the beautiful space between traditional lessons and full horse ownership.
You’ll be matched with one of our schoolmaster horses to spend your regular day or days together. Here, you will learn how to actually have a horse in your life. For us, riding is never the ultimate goal—it is just one optional facet of a much deeper partnership.
And if you don’t want to ride? You don’t have to. There is so much else to do. From liberty play and agility to the deep, meditative bond of grooming and ground communication, you will experience what it truly means to share your life with a horse.
We handle the logistics: Feed, farrier, vet care, property, equipment, and daily chores.
You handle the connection: Building a unique bond with a horse who genuinely chooses to be with you.
AUstralian liberty equestrian academy (alea).
The Australian Liberty Equestrian Academy is a sanctuary for those who seek to redefine their relationship with horses, and know that there is a more ethical way than what they may have experienced previously. Built on trust, respect, and ethical excellence, we invite a select group of individuals to experience a new era of horsemanship, where kindness is rewarded and we strive to be better than yesterday.
YOUR HORSE. YOUR DAYS.
Be matched with one of our ALEA schoolmasters and spend your regular day or days each week together.
Bring them in from the paddock. Groom them. Learn their habits, expressions, preferences and opinions. Train, ride, play at liberty or simply spend time together.
Our horses don't move from lesson to lesson or work with multiple clients in a day.
On your day, their time is yours.
ethical horsemanship
Riding is only one part of knowing how to have a horse.
Learn the things horse owners actually need to know — handling, herd etiquette, husbandry, feeding, tack care, groundwork, liberty, biomechanics, horse welfare, aftercare and how to recognise when something isn't quite right.
Your journey might include dressage, jumping, trails, liberty, tackless riding or driving.
We're not just teaching you to ride. We're teaching you to become a horse person.
supportive community
We don't want you dependent on lessons forever.
At first, we'll be there to teach, guide and support you. As you progress, you'll learn to prepare and warm up your horse, understand what they need that day and make good decisions for yourself.
The further you progress, the more autonomy you earn — with experienced support always nearby when you need it.
The goal is to become capable enough to have a horse of your own — whether you ever choose to own one or not.
HORSE OWNERSHIP. WITHOUT hassle
Feed. Farrier. Veterinary care. Bodywork. Custom-fitted tack. Property maintenance. Daily care. The 6am checks and the seven-day-a-week responsibility.
We take care of the infrastructure of horse ownership.
You get the part that's so difficult to replicate through ordinary riding lessons: one horse, consistency, responsibility, progression and a relationship that has time to become something real.
Maybe you don't need to own a horse to have a horse of your own.
THE DETAILS MATTER.
Good horsemanship is difficult to teach when everything is rushed, shared or compromised.
So we've designed ALEA differently.
SPACE TO LEARN.
Your time with your horse isn't squeezed into a 45-minute riding-school slot. There is time to bring your horse in, groom, prepare, warm up, train, cool down and care for them afterwards. And there is space to do different things.
Our facilities are being developed to give members access to dedicated areas for ridden work, liberty and groundwork, alongside trails and adventures beyond the arena.
Because sometimes you'll need an arena.
And sometimes the best thing you can do is leave it.
THEIR SADDLE. NOT THE SCHOOL SADDLE.
We don't believe in pulling the nearest saddle off the rack and putting it on whichever horse is next.
Our ridden schoolmasters have their own professionally fitted tack, selected for that individual horse.
You'll learn how their equipment fits, how to tack up correctly, how to care for it and how to recognise when something isn't right.
Because saddle fit isn't a luxury.
It's part of looking after the horse you're asking to carry you.
YOUR OWN GROOMING KIT.
When you begin with ALEA, you'll receive your own grooming kit to use with our herd.
It's a small detail.
But that's rather the point.
We want you to arrive feeling less like someone attending a lesson and more like someone coming to spend time with their horse.
Your kit. Their tack. Your regular day.
The little rituals are part of having a horse too.
ONE HORSE. ONE PERSON. ONE DAY.
Our horses don't work through a string of lessons every day.
When your horse is reserved for you, they're not then being ridden by a succession of other clients.
That gives you time without pressure — and gives them time too.
Some days you'll accomplish a lot.
Some days your horse might tell you that the plan you arrived with isn't the plan you're going to follow.
Learning to recognise the difference is part of the education.
RIDING ISN'T THE TOP OF THE LADDER.
Some of our horses have decided that their ridden careers are over.
We listen to them.
They haven't stopped being intelligent, funny, opinionated horses with enormous amounts to offer simply because they no longer want a human on their back.
They can work at liberty. Long-rein. Drive. Explore. Play. Learn new things. Build extraordinary relationships with people.
And for the right person, that might be exactly the relationship they're looking for.
A horse doesn't become less valuable because they can no longer be ridden.
Neither does your relationship with horses have to end if riding is no longer what matters most to you.
OUR HORSES GET TO BE HORSES.
Freedom. Forage. Friends. Free will.
Our schoolmasters live as part of a herd. Their workload is deliberately limited. Their individual needs determine how, when and whether they work.
We don't exercise horses through the heat of the day because somebody has booked a session.
We don't continue because the clock says there are twenty minutes left.
And we don't increase a horse's workload simply because more people would like membership.
Their wellbeing places a natural limit on ours.
That's one reason ALEA memberships will always be limited.
Your membership determines
how often you spend time with
the horse who chooses you
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FRIENDSHIP LEASE
One day each week
For someone who wants one regular horse day each week.Your horse. Your day. Every week.
$150 / session
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PARTNERSHIP LEASE
Two days each week
For someone ready to make horses a meaningful part of their weekly life.
More time together means more opportunity to learn your horse, develop your skills and build independence.
$140 / session
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CONNECTION LEASE
Three days each week
For someone looking for the closest experience to having a horse of their own.
Three regular days each week to train, ride, care, learn and simply be with your horse.
$125 / session
Your pathway determines
what you do together.
EVERY PARTNERSHIP LOOKS DIFFERENT
ridden focus
Work towards pure connection under saddle without kicking, pulling or making - the feeling is truly magic when a follows your breathwork and intention instead of shouting at them with your aids.
Begin with horse psychology, husbandry, groundwork and liberty before bringing those foundations into ridden work when horse and human are ready. Learn how to use biomechanics, emotional anchoring, psychology and so much more to support your partnership with horses.
Work through our levels pathway honouring the unique partnership and connection that you will build with the horses that chooses to go on this journey with you.
You will of course still learn all our groundwork and explore Liberty if ridden is an option for that day (potentially you are too close to threshold, or the weather, - we prioritise safety).
liberty heart
Discover how to community with a horse as if by telepathy without coercing or making honouring both your boundaries - the joy of dancing with a horse in sync is indescribable
Develop communication through body language, energy, intention and timing before progressing into increasingly sophisticated liberty and biomechanics.
Walk. Trot. Halt. Backing. Changes of direction. Patterns. Balance. Bend. Eventually canter and more advanced work.
The aim isn't simply for your horse to stay with you.
It's for them to choose to.
pony project
Small horses. Serious horsemanship.
Our pony team aren’t ready to do their cart or ridden work as they need to get back in shape. They are been there, done that super stars BUT they are rounded bellied and full of beans. So we are looking for eager humans to learn how to get them back in to shape ready to flaunt their summer bodies at the beach.
Be matched with one of our four clever ponies (two are miniature horses, one miniature pony and a Brumby pony) and develop your horsemanship while helping them build fitness through groundwork, liberty, walks, poles, obstacles, little jumps and challenges.
Continue into increasingly advanced liberty and, eventually, driving. Once fit, these ponies will be ready for ridden or cart or to continue liberty with you.
A Private Sanctuary for the Discerning Equestrian
ALEA Is Reserved for Horse Lovers Like You, Who Share Our Passion for Ethical Excellence and Unparalleled Equestrian Experiences
If you’re seeking a horsemanship journey grounded in integrity, connection, and world-class care, this is where you belong. With only a limited number of spots available each year, you’ll be part of an exclusive community that values quality, ethics, and the deep bond between horse and handler.
