Elsa Gunnison Appleton Riding Hall

Our spacious fully heated riding facility offers a well dragged 240'x100' arena where jumps are always available and set. We have mirrors on the side wall and end of the arena. The stables have 50 10'x12' rubber matted stalls. Our barn has two feed rooms, two large tack rooms, a blanket room, and two locker rooms for the convenience of our riders. There is also a large wash stall with hot and cold running water for bathing all year round.

 

Boarding and Turnout:

St. Lawrence stables offers full board for $550 a month. This includes stall cleaning, ample bedded with shavings, automatic waterers, feeding. Turnout for a small price ($6 a day). The grounds offer 30 acres of grass turnout.

 

Hours of Operation:

St. Lawrence stables operate seven days a week, open to team members, boarders, riding program participants, and community members.

 

Vet and Farrier Services:

The stables are fortunate enough to have two qualified farriers visit the barn weekly. Also available is a specialty therapeutic farrier that works once a month. At any given time there are three area vets on call. Cornell University Veterinary Hospital is also accessible in case of surgical emergencies.

 

Shipping and Trailering:

St. Lawrence provides its horses with a six horse custom tractor trailer for shipping around the northeast. Many two horse trailers owned by staff members are also made available for nominal fees. Other options include professional shipping companies, which are used for the horses traveling to Florida, and local transportation.

Outdoor Riding Opportunities:

 

The riding hall also offers outdoor riding in our large hunt field equipped with a cross country course. During the Spring and Fall is a grass riding ring set with a full jump course. Also available are scenic trails on campus and in the surrounding acreage.

 

Lessons and Clinics:

Available to all St. Lawrence students, the lesson program offers two hour long group lessons per week on school horses for $550 each semester. Also available are private lessons for $40 an hour. St. Lawrence is also fortunate to host at least two clinics per year. Students and staff welcome top equitation, hunter/jumper, and dressage professionals from around the country. These clinics are available to all enrolled in the riding program at St. Lawrence and to any boarders.

 

Personnel:

The St. Lawrence University Stables includes three full time instructors (Mary Drueding, head coach and program director, Cate Wagner, assistant coach, and Jennifer Pletcher, assistant coach and community program coordinator). The stables also employ a full time knowledgeable barn staff which includes our stables manager, Liz McCormick '06 , and six other stable hands.

 

Work:

Part time work and job positions are available to St. Lawrence University students as well as members from the outside community. Such work includes barn maintenance, cleaning, feeding, turnout, and horse care.

 

Horse Shows:

Riders are given the chance to participate in a variety of showing opportunities during the school year. Many students take part in various top A rated hunter/jumper shows. During the winter months of January and February, students participate in the beginning weeks of the HITS Ocala show circuit in Ocala, Florida. Many student boarders bring their own horses and other students are provided horses through the university to show in Florida. Other shows include Syracuse PHA, Saratoga, the New York State Fair, and the equitation finals around the northeast including the Massachusetts medal, the Ariat medal, the Marshall & Sterling adult medal, and the New England equitation finals.

St. Lawrence also runs a show series throughout the spring, summer, and fall. During the school year, these shows are available to all riders either on their own horses or on school horses in which they can compete with other local community members.