Montanova Stables Foundation, owned and managed by Jennifer Jones, has a well-established lesson program teaching students of all ages and ability levels. Jennifer has been teaching English hunt seat in a safe and supportive environment since 1996. 

All of our students learn to groom, tack, and ride the horses. They are encouraged to achieve independence in all they do. We allow the more experienced riders to mentor and assist the novice ones. Students who express interest are allowed to help with the daily barn chores - some even progress to helping with lessons.

Other instructors are available to provide quality instruction in a variety of disciplines. With backgrounds in eventing, hunters, jumpers and dressage, instructors can tailor lessons to meet personal goals. Some of our students work towards attending local horse shows and hunter paces, while others work towards building their skills on our farm. All levels are welcomed and provided with individualized instruction.

While many of the programs at Montatova are geared toward children, adult riders are a big part of our community, too. Our adult lessons help students get back in shape after a long time out of the saddle, refine existing riding skills, discover a new joy, and/or provide time for personal renewal. Our adult riders have varying ability levels and personal goals. 

What’s in a lesson?

What is included in a riding lesson varies program to program. At MSF, we believe in offering a well–rounded experience that goes beyond just time in the saddle. Our lessons are designed to help students build confidence, responsibility, and horsemanship skills-starting from the moment they arrive at the barn. A lesson typically includes: 

• One and a half to two hours at the barn which includes grooming and tacking/untacking the horse as well as riding. 

• For beginner riders, time in the saddle  may be shorter initially as they spend more time learning to get their horse ready safely. 

• We require students to arrive at least 30 minutes before their scheduled lesson time so that they can get their horse ready to ride. Our staff will assist until they build the necessary skills to do this independently. After the ride, students are expected to care for their horse, clean their tack, and pick up after themselves. On occasion, we finish up early and require students to stay in the picnic area beside the ring until their ride arrives (weather permitting).*Students who fail to properly care for their horse or tack may lose certain privileges.*

Horsemanship lessons, which are offered during inclement weather, consist of learning essential skills in the barn and with the horses. Each student has a folder with a checklist of skills to work through. For  example, here’s Level 1 of our 3 level Horsemanship Curriculum: Level 1 Horsemanship

Lesson Packages:

Package 1 - $280/month
For any level of rider wanting one weekly lesson.
1 dedicated weekly lesson time 
1 makeup lesson per month 

Package 2 - $520/month
For any level of rider wanting 2 weekly lessons.
2 dedicated weekly lesson times 
2 makeup lessons per month 

Package Add-On: After School - $50/month
This add-on is required for any children who get off the Stone Robinson school bus at MSF for a lesson. 
Please select this add-on if you would like your child to get off the Stone Robinson school bus at MSF for their lesson. This covers the price of a snack provided by MSF when the students get off the bus, and the extra staff time to supervise children between bus drop off and their lesson starting.

Package Add-On: Hacks - $40 per hack
A hack is a ride that is not directly supervised or instructed. All hacks must be scheduled in advance so that we can have an appropriate horse available. Students must get approval from the MSF Director to purchase hacks.
This can be selected for as many hacks as you want to do per month. This can be used to cover horse use fees for drill team as well, please let us know in advance if you are using your hack add-ons for drill team.

Package Add-On: One-Time Prep - $70 per lesson
This option should only be utilized in conjunction with a package – cannot be used on its own. Please select this option if you would like an additional lesson before a show, hunter pace, or clinic. This option is to help riders prep for an off-the-farm experience.

Horse use fees will still be billed on a per-use basis. Examples of horse use includes an Erin Sweeney or Deedee Cooke lesson, a horse used in a clinic (on or off property), drill team, and certain other occasions. The horse use fee will remain at $40 and will be invoiced separately.

Package Add-On: Donate a Lesson
Montanova Stables Foundation provides opportunities for enrichment and education for students who do not have the financial means to participate otherwise.
$70 - Covers the cost of one riding lesson for a Foundation student
$125 - Covers the cost of one riding lesson and one horsemanship lesson for a Foundation student
$145 - Covers one riding lesson, one horsemanship lesson, and snack for an after school student

Package Add-On: Monthly Horsemanship Workshops
A monthly opportunity to delve deeper into your horsemanship skills! Workshops will be followed by a community dinner for participants as well as any other MSF students and family members who would like to attend. These two hour workshops will cover topics ranging from equine nutrition to saddle fitting to grooming and braiding for shows, and much more.

Held on the 1st Saturday afternoon of each month; topics for the next month to be announced at each workshop and via Slack announcements. Workshops will consist of a demonstration and discussion followed by hands on application by participants. Junior workshops are available for less experienced students.

Which package should I choose?

If you are unsure which package is right for you or your child, we are happy to help you decide. Take a look at the quick guide below and feel free to email us if you still have questions or concerns.

Package 1

• For most new students we strongly recommend starting  with this one.

• The ability to schedule one makeup lesson each month allows for travel or illness cancellations

• Works well for adult students who are juggling careers, families, relationships, and want to get their horse fix without a huge time commitment. 

Package 2 

• This package is ideal for students who want to progress quickly or plan to participate in horse shows during the season. . While we do not require students who want to go to horse shows to purchase this package, we do encourage it for riders attending more than one competition. Adding a second weekly lesson can significantly accelerate progress once a foundational level of skills has been established through weekly lessons.  

Add-Ons

• We offer several different add-on options to make personalizing your experience with MSF easy. 

• Most of our add-ons are available to be added multiple times when purchasing your package. This allows you to pay for weekly hacks by selecting 4 “Hack” add-ons when paying for one month. 

Disclaimer: Per our signed lesson policy, Montanova Stables Foundation is not responsible for missed or cancelled lessons, including those scheduled as part of a lesson package. We understand that things come up, and while we are happy to offer limited make-up opportunities, they are provided at our discretion and based on availability. Make-up lessons may not be on your usual riding day or time. Our horses require consistent rest, and we cannot always accommodate additional rides that best fits your schedule. If you believe there has been a billing error, please reach out promptly so we can address it. 

THERE WILL BE NO LESSONS THESE 3 WEEKS TO ALLOW HORSES TO HAVE A BREAK. This is to help account for the four months of the calendar year that are composed of more than 4 weeks, leading to additional workload on our horses and ponies. Packages will be billed as normal.

Christmas-New Years - Dec. 25-Jan 1
Albemarle County Public Schools Spring Break - April 6-10 2026
ACPS First Week of School - August 11-17 2025

🐴 Ready to get started?

• If you’re new to Montanova, please start by filling out our intake form and our release form.

• We’ll email you with an invite to Slack and get you scheduled for your first lesson!

  Lesson packages and add-ons may be purchased and managed via the link below. If you have questions or prefer to pay offline, just let us know.