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LEARN MORE ABOUT

Rainbow Level

LEARN MORE ABOUT

Rainbow Level

Rainbow Level is a special introductory level for very young children, aged 4 through 7, who are not yet able to ride and care for a pony independently.

We suggest starting your youngest students with Rainbow Level because it contains simple objectives and shorter, age-appropriate lessons, with a strong focus on safety.

Rainbow Level students ride on the leadline, or with a “Ground Buddy” walking close by, to ensure their safety and control. They may require help with tasks such as leading and grooming, as well as the simple reading and writing required to complete the Level.

See learning objectives for RAINBOW LEVEL - English riding
See learning objectives for RAINBOW LEVEL - Western riding

Scroll down to learn more about teaching Rainbow Level lessons.

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What you can teach in Rainbow Level?

Rainbowhm

Teaching horse safety and riding skills to young children is a challenge!

  • Young children have limited reading and study skills.
  • They also tend to have a short attention span and are easily distracted.
  • They may be fearful or anxious, or conversely, may have little understanding of safety risks.
  • Body awareness and fine-motor skills are not yet well developed and make multi-tasking difficult (e.g., using hands and legs at the same time).
  • Complex concepts and skills are also difficult for them to understand, let alone remember.
  • Young children mature at different rates, so you have to carefully tailor your approach for each individual child.

To teach Rainbow students you need simplified lesson plans with age-appropriate teaching tools

Rainbow Level is designed to briefly introduce both mounted Horsemanship and unmounted HorseSense topics.

The Rainbow Level Coloring Book is the “textbook” for this Level, with line drawings suitable for coloring, and simplified concepts that will be repeated and mastered in Red and Yellow Levels.

Help students track their progress using the Rainbow Level Progress Booklets and/or Horse of a Different Color certificates.

LEVELS TOPICS include unmounted safety, grooming, ground handling, horse ID, equine behavior, pony parts, tack, mounted safety, flatwork skills, jumping skills, and stable management.

Your goal here is to provide a safe introduction to horses and riding — safety is everything with this age group

  • You want to teach them the basics without overfacing them physically, cognitively, or emotionally.
  • You want tools to keep them engaged until they are mature enough to ride independently and ready for Red Level lessons.
  • And you hope to turn a young child's curiosity about horses into a life-long passion.

See the benefits of teaching very young riders — and learn if Rainbow Level is appropriate for your particular lesson program — in this Boss Mares post: Why Rainbow Level

Ready to start teaching Rainbow Level?

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RAINBOW LEVEL HORSEMANSHIP OBJECTIVES

INTRODUCTORY MOUNTED AND unMOUNTED CURRICULUM

Overview of Rainbow Horsemanship: The optional Rainbow Level is a special introductory level just for very young riders, aged 4 through 7, who are not yet able to ride and care for a pony independently. Rainbow Level riders should always practice their skills with the supervision and assistance of an instructor!

Rainbow Level introduces a simplified version of both the unmounted HorseSense and the mounted Horsemanship concepts. Rainbow Level riders ride on the leadline, or with a “Ground Buddy” walking close by, to ensure their safety and control. They may require help with tasks such as leading and grooming, as well as the simple reading and writing required to complete the Level.

  • I take regular lessons - at least once a month - with a knowledgeable instructor.
  • I always wear boots and an ASTM-SEI approved helmet when I am working around horses. I can put on my helmet myself and show you how it fits correctly.
  • I can tell you how to dress safely for riding.
  • I can show you how to correctly approach a pony, and how to move around a pony safely - including walking around behind.
  • I can tell you why you have to groom a pony and pick out his feet before every ride.
  • I can help my instructor or an older, more experienced rider prepare for a ride. I help with the grooming, cleaning hooves, and putting on the saddle and bridle. When I am a little bit bigger, I will be able to tack up a pony without any help.
  • I can show you the basic parts of a saddle and bridle, such as the bit, reins, stirrups and girth.
  • I can lead a pony safely, both with a halter and lead rope and with the bridle reins.
  • I can help to do a safety check on my tack and pony before I ride. I can pull down the stirrups, put the reins over my pony’s head, and help check the girth.
  • I can mount and dismount correctly and safely. Even if I have to use the mounting block, or have my instructor give me a leg up, I know it is important to get on and off a pony carefully.
  • I can demonstrate a basic balanced position while my pony is walking and standing still. I know that a bad position is dangerous for me and uncomfortable for my pony, so I always work hard to keep my eyes up, heels down, and “building blocks” in place!
  • I can pick up the reins and hold them correctly, at a suitable length.
  • I can perform basic stretches and warm-up exercises at the walk, on the leadline. (This means someone is holding onto my pony to help me steer him.)
  • I can go Around the World.
  • I can demonstrate how I use my aids (my seat, legs, hands and voice) to ask my pony to walk, halt, and turn.
  • I can walk once all the way around the arena without a leadline.
  • I can ride in a balanced two-point position at the halt and the walk.
  • I can walk my pony over ground poles, showing a good jumping position, keeping my eyes up and riding straight over the middle of each pole.
  • I can ride the trot on the leadline. I can ride both a sitting trot and a posting trot, holding on to the saddle if necessary. I can keep up a steady rhythm at the posting trot, so it is comfortable for both me and my pony.
  • I can tell you why it is important to cool out my pony after hard work, and help take care of him after a ride.
  • I can name at least ten parts of the pony, and at least three grooming tools.
  • I can feed a treat to a quiet pony safely. I know why it can be dangerous to feed a pony too many treats, and always ask permission.
  • I have filled out the “My Pony” worksheet with the name, color, markings, height, and breed of the pony I usually ride. It is okay if my instructor or another experienced horseperson helps me to find this information and write it down.
  • I have helped an experienced horseperson clean out a stall. I know why it is important to clean out a pony’s stall and water buckets every day.

RAINBOW LEVEL OBJECTIVES - WESTERN

INTRODUCTORY MOUNTED AND unMOUNTED CURRICULUM

Overview of Rainbow Horsemanship: The optional Rainbow Level is a special introductory level just for very young riders, aged 4 through 7, who are not yet able to ride and care for a pony independently. Rainbow Level riders should always practice their skills with the supervision and assistance of an instructor!

Rainbow Level introduces a simplified version of both the unmounted HorseSense and the mounted Horsemanship concepts. Rainbow Level riders ride on the leadline, or with a “Ground Buddy” walking close by, to ensure their safety and control. They may require help with tasks such as leading and grooming, as well as the simple reading and writing required to complete the Level.

  • I take regular lessons - at least once a month - with a knowledgeable instructor.
  • I always wear boots and an ASTM-SEI approved helmet when I am working around horses. I can put on my helmet myself and show you how it fits correctly.
  • I can tell you how to dress safely for riding.
  • I can show you how to correctly approach a pony, and how to move around a pony safely - including walking around behind.
  • I can tell you why you have to groom a pony and pick out his feet before every ride.
  • I can help my instructor or an older, more experienced rider prepare for a ride. I help with the grooming, cleaning hooves, and putting on the saddle and bridle. When I am a little bit bigger, I will be able to tack up a pony without any help.
  • I can show you the basic parts of a saddle and bridle, such as the bit, reins, stirrups and cinch.
  • I can lead a pony safely, both with a halter and lead rope and with the bridle reins.
  • I can help to do a safety check on my tack and pony before I ride. I can pull down the stirrups, put the reins over my pony’s head, and help check the cinch.
  • I can mount and dismount correctly and safely. Even if I have to use the mounting block, or have my instructor give me a leg up, I know it is important to get on and off a pony carefully.
  • I can demonstrate a basic balanced position while my pony is walking and standing still. I know that a bad position is dangerous for me and uncomfortable for my pony, so I always work hard to keep my eyes up, heels down, and “building blocks” in place!
  • I can pick up the reins with both hands and hold them correctly, at a suitable length.
  • I can show you how to hold the reins in one hand.
  • I can perform basic stretches and warm-up exercises at the walk, on the leadline. (This means someone is holding onto my pony to help me steer him.)
  • I can demonstrate how I use my aids (my seat, legs, hands and voice) to ask my pony to walk, halt, and turn.
  • I can walk once all the way around the arena without a leadline.
  • I can stand up in my stirrups at the halt and the walk, without using my hands to balance.
  • I can walk my pony over ground poles, keeping my eyes up and riding straight over the middle of each pole.
  • I can ride the jog on the leadline, holding onto the saddle if necessary.
  • I can tell you why it is important to cool out my pony after hard work, and help take care of him after a ride.
  • I can name at least ten parts of the pony, and at least three grooming tools.
  • I can feed a treat to a quiet pony safely. I know why it can be dangerous to feed a pony too many treats, and always ask permission.
  • I have filled out the “My Pony” worksheet with the name, color, markings, height, and breed of the pony I usually ride. It is okay if my instructor or another experienced horseperson helps me to find this information and write it down.
  • I have helped an experienced horseperson clean out a stall. I know why it is important to clean out a pony’s stall and water buckets every day.
Information_1.png

We’ve been blessed with many talented photographers over the years: students who voluntarily stood in sweltering/ freezing arenas, capturing lifelong memories of lessons, camps and shows. We’re grateful to all of them!

One former student, Delaney Witbrod, is now a professional photographer with a gift for animal portraits – see more of her fine work here. We’re also grateful for photos of Western riding donated by LLPro instructors – particularly Bit of Pleasure Horse School and Joyful Hearts Photography!

You’ll find illustrations throughout our online courses and printed materials graciously donated by our friend Rhonda Hagy. Evan Surrusco contributes additional illustrations and handles most of our photo processing. Contact us for information about their work.

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