Have you ever wanted to give your child horseback riding lessons? Perhaps your daughter or son just got a horse and wants to learn how to jump.
A new trainer in the area wants to give children 6 years old and older the chance to have affordable riding lessons. Ashley Lovegrove is new to the Sandhills, fresh from Virginia, and has opened a riding school in Southern Pines. Located on Den Road in horse country, Lovegrove has developed an IEA or Interscholastic Equestrian Association. IEA was founded on the principle that middle and high school students should be able to participate in horse shows regardless of financial status or riding level.
Ashmont Stables currently houses eight horses for classes and Lovegrove said she has room for boarding, which means you can bring your horse with you.
“We are a hunter/jumper barn offering full board, training, lessons, leasing, sales, and showing as well as an IEA team,” said Lovegrove. “I have experience with the collegiate and private industry, working with people and horses of all ages and levels.”
Lovegrove just completed her first horse show in Greensboro with some of her first students, which she was pleased with.
“It was actually really good,” said Lovegrove. “It was a good time.”
Lovegrove said she moved around growing up but went to high school and college in Virginia, where she started her business after she graduated college in 2009. Recently her significant other got a job as a riding coach at St. Andrews, and she relocated to the Sandhills.
Lovegrove said she is willing to travel within the area to teach and do training rides. She has a Facebook page for her business, which can be found by searching “Ashmont Stables.”
For more information about IEA, you can go to www.rideiea.org for details about the association. Lovegrove said, “It is a great way to get ready for college in the ring, as well as allow riders with a limited budget to be competitive without some of the expenses that go with owning your own horse.”
To speak to Lovegrove about her flexible training hours, call 540-874-5420.
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@civitasmedia.com.
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