What You'll Get
The horse and buggy was a popular method of early transportation, far surpassing the bug and buggy, which could barely move and was often destroyed by squeamish gunslingers. Saddle up with today's Groupon: for $40, you get two 30-minute riding lessons at Campbell Springs Farm in Chesterfield (an $80 value).
Campbell Springs Farm’s expansive facilities were designed to help humans and horses collaborate in jumping, hunting, and the Olympic sport of eventing. Half-hour lessons, taught by an experienced and safety-conscious staff, emphasize the english saddle and its requirement for harmony between wearer and sitter. Beginners will walk and trot a horse around a ring, and intermediates can master the canter and get a go at jumping cross rails. Riders with experience and horse sense can gallop across the farm’s scenic course, cultivate skills such as dressage and jumping for advanced competitions, or practice the tricky transition from horse-led carriage to horse-led pumpkin. Students are welcome to bring their budding Seabiscuit for a joint learning experience, or ride a trusty steed from the farm’s ample stable.
Students should arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled riding time to groom and tack up their ride (beginners will receive instructions), and be prepared to finish by clearing all evidence of the horse from the recently covered turf. Wear heeled boots and long pants, bring a helmet or borrow one from the facility, and provide your own Zorro mask.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Aug 16, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person. Limit 1 per visit. Must be 5 or older to ride; 16 and younger must be accompanied by guardian. Must wear boots, helmet, and long pants. Non-transferable. May redeem across visits. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.