M C Equestrian Centre - Cochrane

I started riding here in 2014 with my younger sister in the lesson program. We LOVED riding with Tracy (the instructor at the time) and we progresses from poles on the ground classes to jumping 2'9', all while learning the "from the ground up". We competed in the Novice Shows with two other barns (also lesson students) and loved every minute of it. I moved up to ride with Kim in early 2016 at age 11 and half leased a lesson pony and showed him at RMSJ. It was the experience of a lifetime. Kim has always taught me to be respectful to my mount. I am still showing and looking forward to the 2019 show season, my sister rides casually but her passion is now downhill ski racing. The lesson program has many types of horses, as there are many types of people, and you get the fun if trying them all. The fact you can "make up" a missed lesson is awesome. Sometimes you may be having a difficult lesson and more times is spent on you, sometimes it is one of your barn mates. Everyone is a family at MC and we all cheer for each other. My sister came for many years to give her first horse Scooter treats after he was put out to retirement pasture. He always knickered when he saw her. Come check it out! I spend as much time there as I can, no time for malls. :-)

Amazing barn run by a great family team. Kim is just so passionate about her horses and passing on that horsemanship knowledge to her clients. An awesome lesson program too!

I cannot say enough about my experience at MC Equestrian Centre. I started riding in the lesson horse program nearly seven years ago with no prior horse experience for anyone in my family. All of the staff are very capable and the instruction is nothing short of excellent. Not to mention, the facility is absolutely beautiful with the greatest horses who have taught me so much over the years. I've since moved on to ride with the barn owner, Kim, and lease some of her horses. Kim is an incredible riding coach and an extremely hardworking individual. She has assisted me in achieving every goal I've had in and out of the saddle. Whether it's extra riding practice or a part-time job, Kim has made it possible for me. Her dedication and kindness is perpetuated throughout the entire barn, creating an amazing environment to work, learn and spend time in. I am so grateful for my time at MC Equestrian Centre and couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.

Concerned about instruction time and customer service: Our nine year old daughter began introductory lessons at MC Equestrian in September and had four instructors during this short time. Every time a new instructor started, they needed time to get comfortable with the students which delayed their progress. Most concerning we found the instruction (especially time spent per student) to be extremely variable making for an inconsistent experience. The amount of riders in her class has changed significantly weekly. Sometimes there are only two students; sometimes there is 6 (we were told it can be up to 10 students per class). During a one-hour class, the amount of actual riding and instruction time per student is quite small during those larger class sizes. For example, at her last class there were six total students. For much of the class her current instructor (Jordan) had them perform a circuit which would last under 2 minutes of actual riding with a minute or so of discussion. Only one rider can do the circuit at a time meaning each rider literally just sat on their horse for up to 15-20 minutes until it was their turn again. Then they would ride for less than 2 minutes and then sit again for another 15-20 minutes. This pattern repeated at least three times so that each rider only had about 6 – 8 minutes of actual riding time in 40 – 50 minutes of class time. To her credit Jordan did a good job keeping the class organized and moving but there is simply too much time doing nothing. However it was Jordan’s shockingly poor “bed-side” manner that really turned us off and ultimately caused us to quit. A few weeks ago we realized there was another class were there were only two riders and asked Jordan if we could move our daughter to that group. She replied saying that if we don’t like the class size we should pay for private lessons. Later on the phone, she used a very condescending tone and said she did not like us complaining about the class sizes. We didn’t realize that asking a simple question to be moved to a smaller class is a complaint. When we tried to explain, Jordan really escalated the situation and became quite accusatory. At this point we contacted the owner, Kim, who simply defended Jordan’s comments (Kim later admitted she has known Jordan since she was a toddler so there are loyalties there that are not typical of a manager-employee relationship). My husband who is from an Alberta farming family himself was appalled at the complete lack of service or concern for a client. He was taught, both at home and at business school, that the customer is always right. At minimum you listen to a client. You don’t make a simple issue into a bigger one. In this tough economy we cannot believe a ranch would act in this manner and so have decided to spend our money elsewhere. Another observation: Jordan showed a pattern of blaming a horse for poor performance. On one occasion we observed a very young rider, clearly with a lack of experience having trouble controlling a horse going over a small jump. She caused the horse to go too fast and after the horse landed the jump the rider bounced right off and fell into the dirt. The rider definitely favoured her arm and cried a little but was not seriously hurt. Jordan barely reacted but certainly scolded the horse saying it was acting like “a turkey”. Then Jordan had another more experienced rider come in and ride this horse around the arena about 2 -3x. Apparently Jordan concluded it needed more warming up although this was already 45 mins into the class. All the other riders sat around doing nothing while this transpired. On less serious incidents we have heard Jordan blame various horses for other issues when they are mostly due to inexperienced riders making poor or lack luster decisions. Yes, horses absolutely have personalities but then don’t put an inexperienced rider on a “turkey”.

Before joining the MC family I had limited experience with horses and riding in general. I was embraced with love and kindness from everyone. At barns I had been a part of in the past I felt as though I was looked down upon because I didn't own or lease my own horse. But at MC everyone is treated equally. I have been riding in the MC lesson program for about 4 years now and have loved every minute of it. When I came to MC I could barely even trot over poles, now I have participated in novice shows and am able to jump full courses. I have had the privilege of riding many different horses, because of MC offering many opportunities to grow and learn as a rider. With amazing lesson horses of all kinds, no matter your level there will be a horse for you. I definitely recommend lessons here. A great place to learn, make new friends and grow as an equestrian.

Hello, my name is Shawna and I am the current lesson horse instructor at MC Equestrian Centre. I have four, of my own, horses at this facility and have never had anything but excellent care for them. The lesson horses that I teach with are under my care and have always had Kim, the owners full support to do whatever is needed for the best care of these horses. These horses are well loved and appreciated for all of their hard work and patients with the students. Knowing Kim for many years through the industry, this is one of the best facility's I have ever ridden at. The lesson program that I run gives our clients wonderful value and quality for the cost. Included is the use of horse, equipment, the facility and the care of the facility, and last but not least a wonderful and amazing instructor. Our price list clearly states class size is 5 to 6 and clients are more than welcome to do private lessons if they prefer. Please feel free to contact Kim or myself if you have any questions or would even like to come and visit the facility. We are happy to have you come out and take a look.

Daughter rode at MC for about 2 years. After 5 different instructors in less then 2 years, we decided to change barns where they have long instructors who stick around. Every time a new instructor was hired, they started my daughter back at beginning so she could never get ahead. We had to put her in private lessons just so she could get ride time. Normal class lessons they have too many riders so the students wait in line most of the lesson. Lots of lame horses when my daughter rode there and they put down 3 horses that we know of in the time. School horses don't get a break, they are rode one after another many times. Nice looking facility but way better options than MC.

MC is a wonderful barn for riders of all ages and horse experience. The barn is like my 2nd home, I have met some of my very best friends here as well as many lovely people and employees. I have been riding here for a good few years now and I have had nothing but good experiences. Sure we have had a few different coaches but they have all brought different things to the barn but its just a matter of finding the right one. Our current coach (Jordan) does a wonderful job at communicating with the riders and parents. I have had a great time learning from her and spending time with her as she is a very kind and fun person with plenty of horse and jumping experience. Jordan does a great job at keeping our lessons moving and coaching people at the level and skill they need no matter how many different ability types are in a lesson. The owner does a great job at getting to know all her clients and how they ride. MC has a great selection of horses for all sorts of riders. Everyone at the barn does a great job of taking care of the horses. As well as learning how to ride you also learn many valuable horse care skills. When riding at mc you don't have to have to own your own horse to attend novice rider horse shows, these are super fun to go to and learn from. Overall I love mc and everyone there 10/10 from me!