Academy Policies
With available grant funding more limited this year, we rely heavily on the tuition from our Academy classes to provide much-needed financial support for the horses in our rescue program. We keep our class sizes small, to provide our students with the best learning environment, and we keep our group tuition rates low, to allow access to a broad range of students. However, this means that if too many students drop the class or have excessive absences, it seriously impairs our ability to provide for the program horses. In order to ensure that we are able to meet our minimum funding needs, certain requirements and limitations apply to our Academy classes.
Pre-Registration and Deposit
Students must pre-register, prior to attending their first class. When pre-registering for a class, a $150 non-refundable deposit is required. This deposit prepays tuition for the first two classes.Tuition for all classes after the first week must be paid a week in advance: a student attending her first class does not need to bring money at that time, as week #2 is prepaid at the time of registration, but must bring $75 to the second class, to prepay for week #3, etc.
Late Payments
In the event a student forgets to bring a payment when coming to class, we will accept late payments online through PayPal up until 48 hours before their next class. However, we do charge an additional late fee of $5 to process these payments.
Add/Drop Deadlines
Students may be allowed to add the class after the beginning of the term, however, individual makeup classes must be taken prior to attending. Students who wish to drop the class are responsible for contacting the instructor to inform her that they intend to drop the course.If a student has a prepaid tuition balance and must drop the class, she may choose to apply her account balance to individual riding lessons, purchase massages for her own horse or as a gift for a friend, or donate the funds to the non-profit and receive a receipt for her taxes. No refunds will be issued.
Missed Classes
With our condensed course format, regular attendance is critical. Classes build upon each other, and missing a class makes it more difficult to fully absorb the information at the following class. We understand that occasionally prior commitments must take precedence, but ask that you inform us as early in the term as possible of any classes that you must miss, and schedule your makeup class prior to the class following the one you have missed.Absences without advance notice cause disruption to fellow students and the instructor, as lesson plans may be impacted. Unless at least 24 hours notice is given prior to missing a class, the student will be charged for the missed class, and we will require a non-refundable $150 payment at the next class to pay for the current week's class and bring the student's account back to prepaid for the following week. Additionally, a makeup class session, at $75, must be scheduled and completed prior to attending the next class.
Course Completion
In order to receive a certificate of completion for a term-length class, and be able to proceed to the next class in the series, the student must attend attend all 6 classes in the term, or have taken all required makeup classes. Students are responsible for contacting the instructor to schedule any makeup classes necessary to receive their certificate, prior to the beginning of the next term. Makeup classes are one-hour intensive learning sessions. Cost is $75 per student, per hour.
Telephone and Email Consultations
We are happy to help you outside of class with questions relating to your horse, or with other questions specific to your situation. Students enrolled in our group classes, or taking private lessons, receive one free consultation (up to half an hour) per month. Additional consultations are available at our standard rate of $30 per half-hour consult, pre-paid, with a half-hour minimum.Telephone consultations should be scheduled in advance. Email consultations may consist of an initial email and follow-up email to clarify answers received, but for complex or multi-question emails, if instructor time exceeds half an hour, standard pre-payment in additional half-hour increments will apply.
Inadequate Enrollment
Should enrollment in a class fall permanently below five students, we reserve the right to adapt the class to a different meeting format in order to best make use of both instructor and student learning time, or to merge the class with another weekly class in the area.