New Riders

New riders are scheduled as appropriate lesson spots become available. Current riders are given first priority when scheduling. If we are unable to schedule you / your rider, they will be put on a waiting list and notified when an opening becomes available.

Enrollment Steps

Review the Eligibility, Guidelines, Policies and Fees
Complete the New Rider Application Form (linked below)

Once your application has been processed you will be contacted by our registrar.

All new riders must have an assessment with a Banbury Cross riding instructor before being enrolled. When a lesson spot becomes available, you will be called to schedule this assessment.

If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail or phone

Forms and Documents

Eligibility, Guidelines, Policies and Fees

Must Have Diagnosed Disability (Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Social, etc)
Must Be Over 3 Years Old
Must Not Exceed 180 Pounds (For our horse's safety)
Must Be Able to Complete Forms (physician statement must be signed and completed by a doctor (MD, DO, PA or NP)
Must Be Able To Attend Initial Evaluation
Down Syndrome: Must Have Negative Atlantoaxial Xray

If a perspective student does not meet these safety requirements
they will not eligible to participate

2024 New Rider Application Form

Cancelations Due to Weather

To protect the well being of our riders, volunteers, horses and employees, the following guidelines will be observed with regard to canceling riding lessons:

Extreme cold – Mounted lessons: temperature below 35 with wind-chill factor - Driving lessons: temperature below 45 with wind-chill factor
Hazardous road conditions
Extreme heat – temperature above 105 with heat index factor
Severe Weather - Tornado warnings, severe thunderstorms, visible lightning or hail storms

How will you be notified? Class cancelations will be posted to Banbury Cross Website first, so please be sure that you have access to the site for the most up to date information.

Please note:

We will not cancel classes the day before, as the forecast may be wrong. Cancelation includes the unmounted lessons, unless you are advised to come.

Pop-up thunderstorms may cause a delay rather than a cancellation. If storms pop up after class has started, we will evaluate conditions before deciding how to proceed.

Health Protocols

We take the health of all riders and staff seriously. Riders, family members, volunteers, staff, and visitors are not to come to Banbury Cross if:

they feel unwell
they have knowingly been exposed to any infectious disease
they have been in close contact to someone suspected with an infectious illness and awaiting a test result / diagnosis

Should an individual be diagnosed or test positive with an infectious illness, they are not to return to Banbury Cross until:

they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressant

AND

receive guidance from their physician that it is safe to resume public activity

If, after participating at Banbury Cross, an individual tests positive with an infectious illness or discovers they were exposed to a virus, they are advised to contact Banbury Cross staff immediately to report possible exposure.

Rider Absences

If you must miss a lesson:

To avoid an unexcused absence, please email
A rider with 3 unexcused absences will be dismissed from the program.

Notifying your instructor or volunteers of an absence does NOT count as excused if you did not email Banbury Cross at the address above.

Banbury Cross Therapeutic Riding