About Us
At Rising Oaks Horsemanship, we strive to make horses accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Whether you're a horse-crazy kid or an adult looking to try something new, the horses and the humans at Rising Oaks can't wait to meet you! With multiple lesson types to fit your budget and schedule, nothing is stopping you from achieving your horse dream!
My name is Melanie, and as the owner and main instructor, I am so excited to be able to share the love of horses with others. I remember what it was like to be a beginner, where all I knew about horses was that I loved them. After years of reading about horses, drawing them all the time, watching every horse movie there was, and daydreaming every spare minute, I finally got the chance to own my own horse and take lessons. However, my journey didn't stop there, and I would never be where I am today without the amazing people who helped me along the way. Now it's my honor to be able to help others in the same way.
Why choose us?
Here's what sets Rising Oaks apart from other barns:
~ Accessibility
Horses shouldn't just be for the rich and relaxed, which is why we have multiple lesson options to best fit your budget and schedule. Super busy? We offer flexible scheduling and have an arena with lights to accommodate early morning or late evening sessions. Tight budget this month? Try our mini sessions! A little bit of riding is better than no riding at all, and we are happy to have you for any length of time.
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~Love of the game
​Most riding instructors in the area do lessons as a secondary income to supplement their training or boarding program. At Rising Oaks, teaching lessons is our primary service. We take pride in being able to pass on the knowledge and skills we know to others who want to learn, and put 100% of our focus and efforts into the quality of our lessons. Even if we had all the money in the world, we'd still be doing this because there is no greater prize than enabling someone's dream to come true.
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~Patience
​We've had students come to us from other barns and tell about their previous instructors becoming easily frustrated with them or throwing out horse terms that they didn't understand and becoming upset when the student couldn't understand or struggled with the task. Most instructors have been doing this for decades, and while they might be respectable, many have lost touch with what it means to be truly a beginner. At Rising Oaks, we will never be upset or frustrated with a student for not knowing anything. It's why you're here! We remember what it was like to not know anything, and we're ready to be here for you every step of the way, explaining anything necessary in an in-depth, easily understood way. Riding horses is a process, and just because you may not be a natural rider doesn't mean you can't learn to ride! We are happy to meet you at your own pace.
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~Better value
While other barns make you catch, groom, saddle, bridle, and warm up the horse all before you get to get on, leaving you with barely 20 minutes to ride and improve skills, we do things a little differently. Learning to catch, groom, tack up, etc, are all very important skills that you will learn with us, however, we won't do it every single time. You're paying for the chance to ride, and yes, the grooming and tacking up do come as part of the job, but we also want to see you improve your riding skills as well, meaning we work on these things less often and focus on riding more so that you can truly get your money's worth.​
~All ages welcome​
We are happy to allow both adults and children to experience the joy of riding and caring for horses! There are barns that do offer lessons to all ages, but they prefer to stick to children ages 7-15 because of the learning abilities of children surpass those of most adults. Yes, adults are harder to teach; they take longer to learn things and are usually slightly out of shape physically, but that shouldn't limit anyone from riding. You're never too late to ride and learn more about horses! Will it be harder as an adult? Yes, but not impossible, and definitely encouraged! We also assist kids 6 and under, unlike most barns, and find ways to incorporate fun horseback games and simpler tasks to help make up for their shorter attention spans.
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~ Therapeutic riding
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While we aren't certified as a therapeutic riding instructor, our horses' easy-going nature, paired with patient teaching, can be amazing for those with special needs. We already have a few students who ride with us to help with anxiety, depression, speech therapy, and more!
We also love helping kids with ADHD, as horses can be an incredibly efficient way to calm their racing minds and give them a way to focus on something fun and exciting, which also requires a lot of multitasking skills to help challenge them and give their brain the stimulation it craves.
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~Location
​Located in north College Station, TX, less than 20 minutes from the campus of Texas A&M university, we are centrally located to both Bryan and College Station and an easy drive for most people. Hate going super far out of town to be able to ride anywhere? Look no further, we are very easy to get to.
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Visit our Google page to see reviews from past and current students!
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