Giddy-Up! BCRA Monthly Newsletter - April 2022
Happy April!
Welcome to the second month of our Giddy-Up Newsletter!
Thank you all for your continuous love of our school horses and for being active participants in the Equestrian Community and Barn Life here at the BCRA. March was a great month that saw many clover hunters scouring the grounds. Don’t forget to turn those clovers in by Sunday, April 6th, so they can be tallied up, and then stay tuned for the winners to be announced!
Here are this month's fun updates:
Our Hop N' Trot Game Day will be on April 9th from 2-3 PM. There are just a couple of spots left; you can sign up on the bulletin board next to the clubhouse.
Cerulean Farms is hosting an Egg Hunt, also on Saturday, April 9th, starting at 11:30 AM. Lots of fun to be had all over the barn - we are ALL invited!
Summer Camp is coming and registration is open! You can sign up on our website (www.bellcanyonequestriancenter.com/2022camps), and you should have already received our flyer in your email or text. There are also flyers hanging on the bulletin board by the BCRA clubroom. Weeks are filling up fast, so secure your spot now!
Celebrate your BCRA student's next birthday at the BCEC with a Birthday Camp: www.bellcanyonequestriancenter.com/birthdays
And now for more information regarding Enrollment in the new BCRA program:
Enrollment Begins for The New Bell Canyon Riding Academy Curriculum: We look forward to our upcoming parent meetings to launch our new curriculum and program this weekend: Saturday, April 2, 2pm-3pm or Sunday, April 3 2pm-3pm at the BCEC. If you can’t attend either session, please click here to watch the recorded of the Zoom session from this morning.
Riding Academy Tuition Based Structure, Effective May 1st: In line with our new Academy and curriculum, we are moving to a tuition based payment structure beginning May 1st. As of April 1st, we will no longer be offering the lesson packages; however, we will continue to honor the same price per lesson through the month. If your package extends through May, we will work with you to prorate those lessons with the new tuition model. There will be an "a la carte" option for anyone who chooses not to enroll in the Academy.
Curriculum Summary: Lessons will continue as normal; however, achievement based lesson plans will now be integrated in an overall lesson arc for each student to follow in order to meet personal or program goals and help set a path for their future as riders at our academy.
We will have skill building clinics and game days along with evaluation days to check in on each student’s progress. Horsemanship, Flatwork, and Coursework will be a big part of this integration as well as scheduling said clinics, game days, achievements and evaluations.
Students will be able to earn badges within their level so as to move on to greater levels. These badges will be awarded for significant achievements throughout the lesson arc, enabling students to improve at appropriate paces, and climb to greater goals and rewards.
Additionally, we will use monthly themes to keep lesson plans and growth on track and encourage students to practice something new and exciting, even challenging each month. This will be a monthly opportunity for all students to strengthen a particular skill set essential to their future as riders through each lesson of each month. Some monthly themes might be physical challenges, like balance and strength, while others might be mental, like focus and trust, and will be meant to inspire an active conversation on these subjects and how they pertain to the students personal goals and riding.
This month’s theme is Growth. We encourage families to ask these questions and have active conversations about them both together and with trainers. How have you grown as a student? Where are you excited to grow this coming month or with the new program rolling out?
This month our Program Manager will be observing each rider enrolled in the Academy during their normal lesson times to begin evaluating their current levels for placement in the program.
Thank you so much for being such awesome parents and supporting your young riders here at the Bell Canyon Riding Academy and Equestrian Center Community! We appreciate you!
Dakota Hokanson
BCRA Head Trainer & BCEC Liason