Maple Rock Stables
Gowanstown On
Home to the Maple Rock Vaulters
Clinics & Work Shops
We offer a variety of clinics & workshops for all ages of equine enthusiast. Perfect for 4H and youth group activity days. We would be happy to host your group here at our farm or we can also travel to you. Please contact Heidi for pricing, date availability, travel times.
Sugar Bush Tours
The Martin family has been part of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers for over 50 years. This is a third generation (soon to be fourth) family tradition. We offer tours of the sugar shack to show how maple syrup is made, from tree to table. Can enjoy a group stroll through the sugar bush. We also offer a horse drawn wagon ride and pancake lunch (by request only). There will be fresh Royalmar Farms maple products available for purchase. Only offered during syrup season.
Ontario's Maple Weekend and Pancake Day Open house April 6th, 2024
Enjoy fresh made pancakes, 2 sausage links, ice cream and fresh maple syrup at the sugar shack! Be sure to check out the horse drawn wagon rides too. ​
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Western Performance
This full day workshop is designed for horse and rider, to help you better understand the finer points of Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Western Pleasure. This workshop is meant to give riders an overview of what is excepted by a judge in each of these classes, to prepare horse and rider for club or fall fair horse shows. I can guarantee that if you learn and understand even a small portion of the information we cover you will be one step ahead in the show ring. This is meant to be educational for you and your horse, to help you succeed in the show ring and have fun!
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Participants will also receive an information package that includes class procedures, attire, faults and penalties associated with each class, tack required, grooming tips and the a copy of the patterns we will be using.
Western Games
This full day workshop is designed for horse and rider, to help better understand the technical points of barrel racing and pole bending. ​Two of the most popular competitive western sports. They are also two of the most popular clinic request riders wish to work on. This workshop will give a better understanding to proper patterns, body position, horse conditioning, and my favourite skills and drills to help improve your runs.
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Participants will also receive an information package that includes class procedures, faults and penalties and descriptions of just some of my favourite drills we will be working on.
Trail Obstacles
This full day workshop is designed for horse and rider. We cover both the traditional western trail class as well as the fast growing cowboy obstacle courses. We have a large variety of fun and challenging course options to teach horse and rider. This is also great exposure for young horses as despook training.
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Participants will also receive an information package that includes class procedures, attire, faults and penalties associated with both classes.
Vaulting
Our Vaulting clinics can be tailored to each group in beginner and intermediate levels. This is a hands on look at what vaulting is like. We cover a little bit of everything our vaulting club has to offer. From how to fall training, safety, how to approach and mount the horse in motion, vaulting barrel training, compulsory and freestyle moves, and of course on our awesome vaulting horses.
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For more info on vaulting and Ontario competitions please check out our vaulting page
Equine fall Safety
This half day beginners workshop or full day advanced workshop teaches riders & vaulters how to protect themselves and complete emergency dismounts. A program that we started with our vaulting lessons and has developed into all our riding disciplines. As riders we know it's bound to happen at some point or another. Wether we are working with a spooky horse or just a random accident. Knowing how to fall properly will help protect you in a dangerous situation. We go over proper body control, building muscle memory and fall progressions in a fun and easy going atmosphere suitable for all ages.
Trick Riding
Trick riding is a sport that really wows the crowd at outdoor events such as rodeos. Although a very physical and challenging sport we do offer it as part of our group clinics. We start our performers with learning tricks on a stationary barrel, progressing to the horse on a lunge line, then to straight line performance. This is not a sport for the faint of heart, and dose require previous horse and riding experience.
Conformation/Judging
Competitive horse judging is a very popular youth event to our southern neighbours and has always been an interest of mine. So during our first "covid lock down" I put together this in depth course covering the AQHA guidelines of competitive youth judging. I remember as a 4H student learning about conformation, this program builds on those ideals, and takes it a few steps further to form to function. Starting with skeletal anatomy, conformation, unsoundness due to conformation flaws, hands on conformation balance and ratios, progressing to judging of performance classes including; halter, showmanship, western pleasure, equitation, and trail. This is an excellent pre showing class to better understand what a judge is looking for. Perfect for 4H groups looking for a day event.