Shades of Oak/Elizabeth Graves LLC
14377 Poppy Drive
Spring Valley, MN 55975
(612) 201-4954
liz@lizgraves.org
Video Lessons Now Available
You can now have high level instruction in your own barn.
You will need internet access a camera and a blue tooth head set or earbuds.
The best way to go is with Pivo but face time or any
other method will work too.
Cost is $75.00 a lesson
Save 5% on a five lesson plan for $355.00
Save 10% on a ten lesson plan $675.00
Training Availability and Fees
Only clients willing to be an active participant in their horses education while in our program will be accepted. We receive many horses from out of state and Canada and understand traveling often is difficult. Long weekends once a month to combine lessons can be arranged to visit and work with your horse or horses while in training. 4 lessons free of charge are included in each 30 days training. We feel very strong for a horse to have success the owners need to learn and apply as close to the same applications used here for a horse to have continued success once they return home.
Horses under the age of 3 will be worked on the ground only, we do not advocate riding horses under the age of 3 years. Horse coming in for first time under saddle work will be accepted for no less that 60 days training commitment.
Horses will be worked within reason of their physical and mental maturity and abilities only.
We will not consider those client applicants with:
1. Abusive tendencies towards Horses and/or humans
2. Unrealistic expectations of their horse’s progress and/or abilities
It is very common for many folks to expect their horses to make them a star after they have returned home from any training situation, when in truth the work has just begun and you the owner must continue to help and support your horse, it is you that can make them that star or not. We get you and your horse started in the right direction and it must be understood is takes many years to finish a horses in their complete education and anything else is unrealistic.
It is up to the owner to bring their own skills up to what a horse needs not that the horse will teach them to be good equestrians once they return home. The horses still need you to guide, direct and support them to stay on track to maintain their education and to advance their education, or they will go backwards in what they have learned to accommodate an owner and/or riders skill level.
Fast hard methods create holes in the learning process and we do not advocate those methods, our goal to keep the horse mentally sound and physically sound. We do not use gimmicks in our training program such as weighted shoes or weighted boot, no extra or extreme strap work such as martingales, tie downs, tuning forks etc. are also not used in our program. Horses are taught to perform within their natural abilities with humane methods including longitudinal flexion applications to lateral flexion in governing the spinals curves as the base in all progressions throughout the training process.
We reserve the right to refuse any client applicant.
We accept Gaited and Non-Gaited Breeds
Training available year round
Training Categories and Fee's
Normal Conditions Training Horses
$900.00 per 30 days
Includes board, 4 lessons per month.
Does not include hoof care, wormers or additional medical care if needed.
Fee's due the first day of each new 30 days of training, not at end of training.
*Starting colts under saddle, 60 day minimum on these horses.
*Gait development or Gait Rehabilitation.
*30 day ground work program for young stock and riding horses.
*Basic to Lower advanced dressage training.
*Ground driving program
*Bosal, 2 reins through making of a full bridle horse training.
Tune Up Work
and Conditioning Program
Offered on a per 7 day fee structure of $210.00
Includes board, 4 lessons per month.
Does not include hoof care, wormers or additional needed medical care if needed.
Fee's due the first of each new 30 days of training, not at the end of training
Please help us to evaluate and advance these horses through their issues, by fully disclosing all information in relation to an individual's problems and known history.
Anyone not disclosing their horse as a rehabilitation horse and bring it in as a normal conditions horse, will be given the option of removing the horse from our facility or moving to the Fee's applicable to a rehabilitation horse.
Severely problematic un-started under saddles horses also will fall under this emotional rehabilitation program. Note: We no longer accept flippers, rearing horses or established bucking horses for rehabilitation.
Body Work
$90.00 Plus trip charge
Week long on site therapy available
Daily Board fee $25.00
Applied for extra days stay without training.
An advanced booking fee of $50.00 is required which is applied to the training fee when the horse arrives on premises. This fee is Non-Refundable.
Training, booking and lesson fees can be made by check, money order or cash to:
Elizabeth Graves
14377 Poppy Drive
Spring Valley, MN 55975
Or by credit card via pay pal account:
liz@lizgraves.org
No training reservations will be beheld without the booking fee.
We only accept in 5 training horses at any time. All horses must have current within one year negative coggins test. All basic vaccinations must be current with West Nile mandatory; rabies and Potomac horse fever vaccination are optional but recommended. Horse must be delivered in healthy condition having been on a current worming program, hoof care maintained and dental work up to date. Please do not bring wormer and vaccinations for us to administer on day of delivery.
Shades of Oak is a Strangles free Facility, no horse will be allowed on the facility within 4 months of last external symptoms and must submit clean culture results or Titer Blood test result confirming a horse is still not a carrier of strangles. We reserve the right to pull blood for testing on any questionable horses. Horses receiving strangles vaccine will not be accepted at Shades of Oak until delivery 30 days after vaccination application. All visitors’ clients and/or Professional practitioners will be required to disinfect boots and hands prior to entering stabling and arena areas and we ask that you wear freshly laundered clothing including outerwear, not exposed to other possibly contaminated horses or facilities. We apologize for this inconvenience but our responsibility is to protect the horses first and foremost. Any Owner of infected horse will assume any financial loses to Shades of Oak/ Elizabeth Graves LLC
Grain and Hay are providing in the training fee. Any special needs for special supplements or feed additives beyond this are the responsibility of the owner to provide at the owners expense.
Private Lessons Schedule and Fee's
Beginning to advanced levels and are open to all breeds and disciplines.
Fee: $100.00 per hour
We are sorry but no longer provide the use of our personal horses for lesson use. Lessons are with you and your horse.
Those wishing to stay for more than one day, stalls are available in quarantine barn for overnight stays at $20.00 per night. Non training horses will not be allowed in main training barn, indoor arena or turn out areas.
Horse owners to provide hay and grain but are available for purchase if needed. Some electrical hook-ups are possible for campers at no fee if you wish to camp overnight on the facility.
Lessons will be available year round as schedule allows for openings. No lessons will be rescheduled if canceled within 2 weeks of scheduled dates or are no shows.
$25.00 non-refundable booking fee is required to hold Lessons dates.
Everyone handling or riding a horse on the facility will be required to read and sign a liability release. The use of protective riding helmets is welcome and strongly encouraged.
