Dayton, MN  (612) 387-7551       Sales - Training - Boarding


http//www.shelleypaulson.com
 

We currently have 10 lesson horses and our instructor, Cheryl Davenport, has been giving lessons for the past 10 years.  She has developed program that is based on what she feels is horsemanship. She is actively researching, and training with others to make her lesson program successful for both the student and the horse. She has worked with clinician Mark Rashid and has also studied the teachings of Tom Dorrance. Cheryl's goal as a rider is to become so connected or in tune to her horse that he  looks as natural moving under saddle as he does out in the pasture running with his herd.This is something that is hard to do since we often tap down our natural self, the part of us that is open to our environment. We hold our breath and are often just waiting for the "other shoe to drop"  we can't live in the moment and are distracted by things such as the grocery list, our schedules, what's for dinner, the test we just took, and so on. Once we are able to open up, breathe and truly be in the moment with our horse, then the connection starts to happen! Each time our students ride we ask them to work towards that connection. We can apply this feel or connection to all equine disciplines from gaming, to dressage, from trail riding to eventing. It's all about moving with the horse, feeling his footsteps, breathing with him, knowing where he is going to place his foot, knowing how his body moves and how we need to move with him to make our riding look and feel seamless and beautiful.  Our students learn riding in western saddles or bareback, depending on what we are working on. We also make sure the students learn how to be safe around the horses, basic horse anatomy, footfall, grooming, tacking up, horse management, and help them appreciate the wonder of being around such a wonderful animal.

Our lesson schedule is as follows:

Private lessons are set up on an individual basis. The cost of a private lesson is $50.00.

Our Group lesson schedule is below. The cost of a group lesson is $35.00.

Monday

  

4:00-6:00

Tuesday

10:00-12:00

4:00-6:00

Wednesday

10:00-12:00

4:00-6:00

Thursday (every other week)

  

4:00-6:00

Friday

  

4:00-6:00


We offer our group lessons in a session format.  All sessions must be paid in full before the session starts.

Our lesson session schedule is as follows:

Summer Session 1

Gaming.  June 4th-June22nd.  3 weeks

$105.00

This session will be an introduction to gaming. What is it? Can we stay soft while gaming, how? We will learn the basics of barrel racing, pole bending, and key hole race.

 

Summer Session 2

Jumping.  July 9-July 27th.  3 weeks 

$105.00

We will continue with our initial introduction to jumping, and how to jump over obstacles found on trails such as water, logs, etc.

 

Summer Session 3

Obstacle Courses.  August 6-August 24th.  3 weeks

$105.00

This session will involve several different obstacle courses.

 

Our Day Camps for the summer of 2012 are as follows:

Summer Camp 1  Horsemanship Camp.  June 25-June 29.  Monday-Friday 8:00-12:00.  $300.00
Back to the basics.  Horsemanship and how to build up trust between horse and rider.  We will teach our students how to find the horse and connect using our energy.

Summer Camp 2  Trail Riding Camp.  July 30-August 3rd.  Monday-Friday 8:00-1:00.  $400.00
The students must be at least 12  years old to attend this camp.  We will be taking the horses and students to Elm Creek Park and we will teach the students how to be safe on the trails.  We will be spending most of the time out on the trails with the horses.  The students need to pack a bag lunch each day.

Summer Camp 3  Gaming  August 27-August 31.  Monday-Friday.  8:00-12:00  $300.00
The students will learn the basics of gaming.  There will be a horse show on the last day of camp from 11:00-1:00.

Fall Session  September 10-November 2nd  8 Weeks.  $280.00
 


Meet our Lesson Horses
 

Sassy



Wow, a year has gone by and Sassy has really grown. She had a great summer and is healthy and strong. She is halter trained and she stands tied nice for grooming and getting her feet done. She is like a little sponge and seems very smart and athletic. It's hard to get a picture of her because she always comes up to the camera and fogs it up with her breath. Updated pictures soon!

 




Odyssey

Aladdin's Odyssey
This is so hard to write. Odyssey was the horse that started our lesson program and we lost him this fall to colic at the age of 24.  Every day I miss him, he was my partner and friend for 7 years. He was amazing and he did everything we asked him to do. I could always trust him to help my students and to help me. There have been many times we have all felt his love. Many of us have walked out to his pasture feeling down in the dumps and he has let us hug him and cry out our pain in his mane. He loved peppermints, warm bits, children and birds perching on his back. He hated the heat, the intense cold, but he loved the first snow fall when the temp. was around 30, then he would play all day. Odyssey had no front teeth so when he neighed he had a lisp.  I loved his neigh and sometimes at night when I am alone doing chores, I think I hear it......maybe he is still watching over us........oh I wish he was.

Trail rides were a blast with him, he could slip into his amazing canter and hold it while the other horses were trotting. He had a trot that was the most uncomfortable trot you would ever want to try to ride, but he used it to show his humans that they actually could sit a trot if they were patient and worked hard enough. It was a huge achievement to sit the Odyssey trot! Odyssey always taught my first time students and he was great at helping me determine their riding skills. He was not a "push button" horse and made his students actually ride him. He was gentle with my youngsters and had a blast with my more experienced riders. He loved showing off at the canter, he would arch his neck and lift his tail when asked to canter during a lesson.  He gave lessons up until the day he died. I still feel him here, and he still is teaching me by making me learn to trust the other horses enough to do his job. There is a hole here and I don't think it will ever be filled. We miss the "odd man" so much.........but we all are trying to remember him with smiles instead of tears, he would have wanted it that way. Goodbye Odyssey, my gentle friend and teacher. You were loved by many and we will never forget you.
 


 


Gracie

 

Gracie is a 10 year old grey quarter horse mare that stands about 15 hands high. She is quiet and sweet, and has beautiful, soft eyes and can make the funniest faces (sometimes she looks like a little white mule..). She does have some get up and go for riders that are more advanced and I can't wait to try her in some gaming shows! She rides under western tack and is great for all level of riders. Gracie is a nice level headed trail horse and takes everything in stride.  We're still learning about her likes and dislikes, but we have discovered that she enjoys having her head scratched and standing in the barn with us while we're doing chores in the morning. She's quickly become a reliable lesson horse and has picked up the students that Honey left behind when she went to Georgia.

 




Daisy Mae

 

Daisy is my daughters 9 year old pinto. She stands 14.3 hands high and is Danielle's gaming horse. We put her into the lesson program this year for the more advanced students to ride since Danielle is so busy with school and basketball and Daisy's getting pretty chunky out in the pasture! She has stepped up to the plate and is doing a wonderful job. She is very quick on her feet and only rides under western tack, or bareback. She's great for the students that are ready to try gaming and learning the patterns. She definately is a horse that likes to go! She's also a fun little trail horse and will go all day long.

 


  

Minnesota JJ (aka JJ)



I’ve added JJ to the lesson program this year. He is my personal horse, my best friend, and to me he is the most beautiful horse in the world. I bought him 7 years ago and have felt amazed that I could be partners with such a regal horse. We do everything together from trail riding to barrel racing. Unfortunately, due to his age, he can’t train with me in jumping and eventing and he is becoming bored with the little bit that I get to ride him. He has accepted the role of a lesson horse willingly and we have moved on to a new partnership. I still ride him when I need time to myself and when I get on his back I feel like I’m home. I am so proud of him and his willingness to help others learn how to ride. He is a good instructor and he will push his students when they need it, and be gentle with the ones that are just starting out. He will do anything we ask, from riding under western tack, English tack, to bareback-in fact he’s a nice horse to ride bareback because his swayed-back holds you in place.

  


Gentle Breeze

  

Gentle Breeze was bought as a surprise for me by my husband John. He named her Gentle Breeze because she had such gentle soft eyes, loaded right up in the trailer, and was very quiet on the ride home. She is the best Birthday present I have ever received.  Breeze does have amazing eyes, they are huge, soft and expressive. She is a 12 year old Arabian/Thoroughbred Cross (Anglo-Arab) and stands about 15.2HH. Under saddle she is stunning and athletic. She has been ridden English most of her life and we were told that she has dressage and jumping experience. She works great off your legs, but if you get too heavy handed with the bridle she shuts down. Breeze has become a favorite for many of my students. They say her canter is awesome and it feels like flying. She is a great teacher and helps my students learn to use their seat and legs to ride and not rely on their hands so much.

Sometimes, when she is standing in the barn she will turn and look at me, and it takes my breath away. She reminds me of the mare Roxanne, in the book "King of the Wind". She is very regal, poised and beautiful and I find her amazing and intriguing. I am so lucky to know a horse that seems to have come right out of one of my favorite books. I have been dreaming of a horse like her ever since I could read.

 
 

 Kierra



Kierra is a 16 year old 14.2 hand Arabian mare. She is another very sweet horse that loves treats and attention. Kierra has been working with the students that are ready to ride a horse with a bit of "get up and go". She has an amazing canter that the students love to ride and is a great teacher. Nothing really seems to faze her and we're also discovering that she is a great trail horse and is used by my husband when we go out on trails. In fact John has "adopted" her as his own horse.

This spring (2007) we lost Kierra. We miss her dearly and have decided to leave her up on our lesson page as a way to remember her. She was a wonderful little horse that taught several people how to ride with confidence and she also was a great companion for me. I enjoyed just hanging out with her and letting her "help" me with chores in the mornings (she liked to go into the stalls and clean up any food that was left behind). We will never forget her and her gentle ways.
 



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Davenport Stables
John & Cheryl Davenport
13351 South Diamond Lake Rd.
Dayton, MN 55327
Phone: (612) 387-7551 - (763) 421-1853 home/barn
E-mail: davenportstables@yahoo.com
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