Looking for a place where you can ‘Saddle UP’ during your stay in Nashville’s country music capital? Are you a local resident who is looking somewhere nearby to spend some time playing and relaxing in the great outdoors? Then R&M Stables is the perfect place for you!
That’s right R&M can create an experience for you that enables you to connect with the horse, the outdoors, and each other! Our experiences invite participants to enjoy real authentic ranch adventures. Simply unplug from everyday life on our ranch and re-connect with the people who matter most. Before we get into the details on all that your experience can be, we'd like to provide some clarification up front. Although many people inquire, we do not offer trail riding services at R & M Stables. A traditional trail riding experience is a "nose to tail" ride where the individual is merely a passenger on the horse and is not actually riding the horse. Instead, we are pleased to offer a 'Western Experience' where the individual will master the basic concepts of centered riding and actually learn to work in unison with the horse they are riding. These experiences are conducted in the safety of our arena and include, but are not limited to, the following curriculum. So come spend an hour or two in our arena where you will be paired up with one of our friendly ‘cow ponies’ and be able to learn as much as you would like about the western style of riding. Most of our guests are beginner horseback riders. You will receive basic information about your individual horse and instructions on how to safely ride together as a group. We will show you by example how to communicate with your horse and help you figure this out for yourself. When you feel confident and comfortable doing all of the basic maneuvers, you will conclude your experience by riding arena patterns that will bolster your confidence, regardless of whatever point of entry you choose, should you further adventures into the equestrian world. Our packages include the following experiences:
Not a big fan of the idea of riding a horse but would like to live out your ‘on screen dreams’ of the western experience? Gather some friends and bring your own ‘happy hour’. Enjoy the ranch vibe with our beautiful horses as the backdrop while you relax on our patio outside of the covered arena. Better yet, if you plan to be out on Broadway and want to learn a few line dances or two, step come right into the stable and learn from our wrangler and cowgirl how to kick up some dust and have a boot scootin good time. Of course, our horses will be watching from the stalls so you can capture those ‘instagramable’ photos indicating that your R&M experience will remain a permanent ‘brand’ in your heart and memory for years to come. Who takes advantage of these experiences?
Looking for corporate team building or office building experiences? We create custom experiences for executives, leaders, or departments looking to enhance their ability to work together in their business. We've got something for everyone! So come on out and feel the spirit of the west at R&M Stables this season. It is, dare we say, an authentic western riding experience you can’t find anywhere else in the greater Nashville area! For more information and pricing on these custom made experiences today, please reach out to: BOOKING@RANDMEVENTS.INFO
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![]() At R&M Stables, our mission is to develop horsemanship skills ‘from the ground up.’ Our relationship with the horse begins from the ground. The better our ‘ground game’ - the better our ride will be in the saddle. I love to hear people’s comments when they arrive at our ranch. Because our check in area is the first point of contact, many will remark, “Oh, I love your corral.” What they are actually looking at is the ‘round pen.’ Each day at camp, we begin with a round pen talk, where the riders sit in the bleachers above this area. The round pen has multiple purposes for use in the way we develop our horses. It can be used when starting colts, training a difficult horse, and for developing impeccable ground manners. Round penning is a discipline where we learn to speak to our horse, and learn the horse’s language - sometimes with a lunge line attached, sometimes while tacked, and the purest form of communication, with nothing attached to our horse. Simply put, the round pen is the foundation of our horsemanship. Think of it this way: If we want to teach somebody to speak a second language, we must first know how to speak that person’s language. The same concept applies in the round pen. This language isn’t just verbal, but relies heavily on nonverbal communication through body language. While that may seem like a simple concept, it can actually be very difficult to learn, taking time, patience, and practice. At R&M Stables, we have several different horses to work with, which can really help with this skill. Learning to communicate with horses can often be extremely frustrating. While all horses speak “equineese” (my term for their language), they sometimes have their own dialect that looks and sounds different from our standard language. It is up to each horseman to figure out how to break through that language barrier. If you live in Tennessee, you know that it gets extremely hot during the summer. In fact, many of my friends have chosen to take this summer off from riding. Some only ride at night in order to avoid the direct sun and heat of the day. Others have chosen to not ride at all, simply because it’s just too hot. As summer draws to an end and the cooler temperatures of Fall call us to get back in the saddle - it might be a good time to get back in the round pen and strengthen our communication with our equine partners. Ok! Looks like we have some August Goals! ![]() Every Thursday, at the end of our camp week together, the cowpokes present a show to parents where they trot out their newly acquired skills. Each week, parents pull me aside to ask, "What type of pony is Dolly?" While ‘Dolly’ is her ranch name, her registered name is Kokovoko Octavia - a sport, Gotland mare. The Swedish Gotland, or Skogruss pony, is probably the oldest of the Scandinavian breeds. Retaining much of its primitive character, the Gotland pony once lived in the semi-wild state on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, as well as in the Lojsta forest in Sweden. In its native land, the Gotland pony is called “Russ” or forest pony. The breed has been around for centuries and is spoken of in the legends and tales of czars and Vikings, closely tied with all of Sweden’s history. The Gotland pony is on the extinct equine list, with only about 500 remaining in the USA. Once employed as a general-purpose farm pony, the Gotland, today, is used for riding purposes. These ponies are extremely athletic and especially excel at jumping and cross country events. While Dolly has done an excellent job carrying our cowpokes thru the summer season at a relaxed pace, it will be fun to see her in action during our lesson program, where she can move at her more active pace! |
AuthorRon Chlasta Archives
July 2023
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