Peridot Equestrian Center reserves the right to remove immediately or refuse entry to anyone who violates any of these rules without recourse. By accessing our property, you agree to these terms as a binding contract between yourself and Peridot Equestrian Center LLC.  These terms to not in any way create an employment agreement.  These terms do not in any way void or change the terms in the Peridot Boarding Agreement. They are intended to supplement and be incorporated into the Boarding Agreement, and do not supplant or effect the enforceability of those terms.

Practicing safe riding principles and good barn etiquette can mean many years of happy, healthy riding enjoyment for you and your horse. Have fun and stay safe! 


Conduct
1.  Help us make the farm a fun, friendly, supportive environment for all!  Be nice to others, both people and horses, no exceptions.  Treat other staff, boarders, management, farm owners and their family, and guests (including their horses and property) with the same kindness and respect with which you would like to be treated, while on the farm, at shows or clinics and on social media.  Peridot Equestrian Center is at all times to remain a friendly place suitable for the entire family of the other boarders and clients. No rude, belligerent, malicious, lewd, vulgar, profane or otherwise objectionable conduct or language will be tolerated. The conduct of everyone on the farm will at all times be dignified and civil.  Creating drama, gossip, and bad mouthing the farm, farm owners, staff, trainers, clients, etc… is a violation of these rules and are grounds for being asked to leave. Failure to comply with the entirety of this key rule will result in your being asked to leave Peridot Equestrian Center without notice.

2. No smoking or drug use on Peridot Equestrian Center property - inside or outside any of the buildings or structures. Smoking or drug use can result in immediate dismissal of staff or clients being asked to leave Peridot Equestrian Center.  No drinking of alcohol during work hours for staff, with the exception of barn celebrations. Minors shall not be given alcohol to drink while on the property.  Violation of this provision is grounds for immediate termination for staff or immediate 30-day notice for trainers or clients.

3. All riders and handlers must sign a Peridot Equestrian Center Liability Release Waiver before handling or mounting any horse or pony on farm property.  Trainers are responsible for maintaining their own liability insurance and naming Peridot as an additional insured on that policy. Trainers are also responsible for securing signed releases before allowing any of their clients to come on the property, handle or ride a horse. Everyone must also sign the Supplemental Release re COVID-19/Coronavirus, and must follow our safety protocols.  Trainers and Clients are responsible for having their guests sign releases immediately upon arriving on the premises - and releases are to be signed electronically.  Text your visitor’s name, cell phone number and email address to Jessica or Helene and we will send them the links to the releases to be signed electronically. It can be done in less than 5 minutes on their phone.

4. Don’t use or borrow things that aren’t yours unless you have permission from the owner of the item(s).  This includes farm owner’s property, like chairs, tables or tools.

5. If you move something, please put it back.  If you open it, close it (doors, gates, etc.).  If you turn it on (water, lights, heaters, etc), turn it off.  If something breaks or needs attention, please let our Facilities Manager know immediately.  

6. If someone does something clearly wrong AND it is a safety issue/hazard let Jessica know immediately.  Please don’t confront the person unless a horse or human is in immediate danger.  Texting her is the fastest way to get her immediate attention. Make sure you have her number saved on your phone.

7. NO dogs or other non-horse pets on the property without advance prior approval from the Farm owners.  Please see below for more detail on the rules regarding dogs on the property.

8. If you don’t do it at home....don’t do it at the Peridot. Please use common sense and courtesy at all times.

9. We subscribe to and incorporate by reference the USEF Safe Sport rules to prevent bullying or abuse of minors. All adults at Peridot must participate in the USEF Safe Sport training. We are committed to the safety and protection of all youth riders and guests who visit or use our facility.  For more info, see https://www.usef.org/compete/resources-forms/rules-regulations/safe-sport - Anyone found to be bullying, harassing or assaulting another person at Peridot will be grounds for immediate removal without notice and will be barred from returning to Peridot. We hold ourselves and everyone in the Peridot family  to a high standard of team work, mutual respect and preserving the safety and fun of our sport for everyone involved.  If you feel you are being treated with disrespect, are being bullied or harassed or are feeling threatened in any way, contact Jessica Mathews immediately.


Safety
1. Ride or handle horses at your own risk.  The Undersigned acknowledges that handling horses and horseback riding are classified as a rugged adventure, recreational sport activity. As a result, risk conditions and dangers are inherent, meaning an integral part of horse and animal activities, regardless of safety measures that can be taken. Inherent risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

• Regardless of their past training, horses will behave in ways that may result in injury or death to persons or property around the animal; 


• Horses can react unpredictability to sounds, sudden movement, unfamiliar objects, other animals, and different surface conditions; 


• Horses can react differently to one another while being handled or ridden, including because of the negligent manner in which the rider or handler is handling the horse; 


• Depending upon the environment, horses can become frightened, provoked, stop short, spin around, change directions, rear, and/or run.

• You acknowledge that these are some of the risks involved, and agree to assume those risks and relieve Peridot of any and all liability.


2. All clients, trainers, grooms, staff, riders and guests must sign a Peridot Equestrian Center Liability Release Waiver before handling or mounting any horse or pony on farm property.  The links to the release forms are here:

​

Liability Release for Clients, Visitors, Trainers and Staff:
https://app.hellosign.com/s/JEkYITwu

COVID-19 release:
https://app.hellosign.com/s/8OxdwS2s
 

3. It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to supervise and attend their children at all times when on the farm.  Do not leave children unattended at any time. This is a working horse farm and the safety of your children is your sole responsibility.

4. All Boarders, Trainers, Instructors, Students and Staff are required to wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet when mounted on a horse for pleasure and instruction.    

5.  Appropriate, closed-toe footwear is highly recommended for everyone near the horses or stable.  Long pants and riding boots with a heel must be worn for riding or handling horses, and helmets are strongly encouraged. Minors handling horses must wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet whenever handling or riding a horse at Peridot.

6. Keep horses on a lead at all times when out of the stall or pasture.  

7. Please do not leave horses unattended in any area including riding arena, treadmill, Vitafloor, wash racks or cross-ties.

8. Do not tie horses to any stall, sliding stall door or fence. Only tie horses to cross-ties.

9. When riding around the property, watch out for groundhog holes and other marked and unmarked obstacles.  If you find animal holes that should be marked, please let the Facilities Manager know via text.

 
10. The speed limit on the property is 5 MPH for the safety of horses, riders, dogs and children. That includes tractors, gators and other utility vehicles.


Use of Facilities  

1. Barn hours are from 7 am until 7 pm daily.  We will work with you for early shows, horse arrival or departure, or horse illnesses, but please give Jessica advanced or immediate notice if you have any reason to be on farm property outside of these hours.

2. Driveway gates must remain closed at all times, except when directed by the Farm owners or manager (for deliveries or events, for example). You will be given a gate code to use to access the property.  Please do not ever share the gate codes with anyone, including guests or non-clients. If you have someone coming to the farm in a separate vehicle, have them text Jessica and she will arrange to let them in when they arrive. Safety of the owners and their family members, the horses and staff is of utmost importance, and sharing of gate codes can make the property less secure. We monitor use of gate codes through a camera and digital system. DO not ever prop open or force open the gates for any reason. If you need the gates opened, text Jessica and she can open them remotely, even when she is out of town.

3. Parking for boarders, clients and guests is in the gravel area between the Hill Barn and Guest House and grass paddocks.  We have limited space for trailer parking on a first-come-first-served basis and at an additional fee.  Any client wishing to park their trailer at Peridot should contact Jessica, who can determine if there is space and where the trailer should be parked. From time to time, Jessica or staff might request that you move your trailer, and you agree to do so on short notice when asked.  Parking above and next to the Hill Barn and Hay Barn is reserved for Peridot staff, and loading and unloading only.  Please do not park in a way that will block the ability of large trucks and trailers to turn down into the parking area from the hill driveway above (don’t park too close to the hill driveway on the Arena side of the parking area).

4. Clinics, lessons and special events will be offered at Peridot several times a year. These events will have precedence in facility and horse usage. We will keep you informed of these activities with as much advanced notice as possible.  As a client, you have an open invitation to attend and watch any of these events (some will require an entrance fee), and will be given the opportunity to apply to ride in some of them too.  Typically, the only clinics not open for auditors and observers are USEF developing and elite clinics.

5. If you give someone else permission to visit/handle/ride your horse when you are not on the farm, please let your trainer and Jessica Mathews know ahead of time. These visitors MUST sign a Peridot Equestrian Center Liability Release Waiver and must agree to and sign these rules before they arrive on the farm, and before they may handle or ride any horse.  

6. We may offer limited access to our arena and facilities to outside guests.  Only boarding clients in training with one of our trainers have the right to use the facilities at any time within business hours. Haul-in clients cannot haul in to just ride at Peridot - they can only haul in to take a lesson with one of our resident trainers or visiting clinician. Guests trailering horses to Peridot Equestrian Center for lessons with one of our trainers or to attend a clinic must make prior arrangements with Peridot Equestrian Center and must provide proof of current negative Coggins, and all vaccinations required of boarder’s horses (Tetanus, Rabies, West Nile, Eastern/Western Encephalitis, Influenza (Flu), Rhinopneumonitis (Herpes), Strangles) BEFORE their horses may visit the property.  Haul-in horses may not enter empty stalls without advance approval from farm owners or management and without signing the Overnight Haul-in Agreement, and haul-in horses may not be left unattended.  Haul-in horses can use cross-ties and wash racks if available, but trainers, owners and boarding clients have priority use of those facilities.  Owners of haul-in horses must sign a Peridot Equestrian Center Liability Release, and must comply with all applicable barn rules including cleaning up after their horse.  The haul-in fee is $35 per horse, per day and must be paid in advance.  Payment should be made via Jessica’s Venmo, when possible. Management reserves the right to grant or refuse access to our facilities at our sole discretion.

7. Boarders’ and guests’ dogs may be allowed at Peridot Equestrian Center by management discretion only and only with advance approval. Unless given advance approval to be off leash, dogs must be leashed, under control and quiet, and up-to-date on all vaccinations. Dogs are not allowed in the pastures, paddocks, round pen, Eurocizer or arena for any reason.  Owners must clean up after their dogs.  Dogs which pose a nuisance or danger to horses or people, or whose owners do not follow these rules will be asked to leave.

8. Please turn off the lights in the arena, and turn off the stereo and close the cabinet if you are the last person in there.

9. The property is under 24-hour, 7 day a week video surveillance. By accessing the property, you agree to being videoed, including having your conversations and actions recorded.

Horse Care
1. Please provide your horse with a breakaway halter.  Stalled horses must have their halter, with a lead rope attached, hanging on the front of the stall at all times when they are in their stall (in case of emergency).  

2. Don’t feed treats to any horse that you do not own unless you have permission from the owner.

3. Horses that board here are fed hay four times daily.  To request a hay change, please discuss it with your trainer and have your trainer communicate any changes to management and staff. Also, please put a note any changes in hay on the green board on that stall.  Please do not help yourself to extra hay or shavings - this includes grooms and trainers.  Only Peridot staff are allowed to allocate hay and shavings (and trainers manage the feed/grain and supplements for client horse(s)).

4. If you are riding at feed time, we will leave your horse’s hay in their stall.  If your horse is in turn out during feed time, their hay for that meal time will go in their turn out. Do not grab additional hay to put in their stall after that. The horse will get fed their normal hay at the next feed time.  If you wish to pay for additional hay flakes, notify Jessica or Helene - do not help yourself.

5. Turn out will be handled by the trainers and Peridot staff.  Haul in horses are not entitled to turnout. Only full-time boarding clients may use the grass turnouts. Clients may not turn your horse out yourself.  Horses may only be turned out in their pre-approved paddocks.  Horses may not be moved to a different paddock at any time without the notification and permission of the farm owners.  If you feel there is a need for change, please discuss this with your trainer. If you are a trainer, please clear any paddock changes with the Jessica.


Facility Maintenance
1. Peridot provides one tack box per horse in the front/main aisle of the Hill Barn for extra storage. The tack box is owned by Peridot and will remain in front of the stall and on the farm, unless otherwise directed by the management.  Please keep the area in front of your stall neat, and your tack and gear put away in either your box or the tack room.  Do not leave items on top of the tack boxes, as they will scratch, and we want to keep the barn tidy. Personal items found in cross-ties, wash stalls, riding arenas or paddocks will be placed in “lost and found.”  
2. The tack room includes one saddle rack, one bridle rack for each horse.  There are lockers in the Office in the Hill Barn for client use to store boots and helmets, and in the breezeway of the Orchard Barn.  They do not lock, so please do not leave valuables in them.  If you choose to leave valuables in them, you do so at your own risk.  Please do not leave your personal items lying around the Office, tack rooms, cross ties or anywhere in the barns. Please bring a trunk to keep your personal items in if your horse is stalled in the Orchard Barn (place your trunk in the Orchard Barn tack room or in the aisle by that horse’s stall. For the Hill barn, use the trunk outside your horse’s stall and the lockers in the office), even while you are here riding. It will get very messy and disorganized if clients, staff or trainers leave their items laying around every day.  Please do not dump items on the cabinets, chairs, desks or bench in the Office or Orchard Barn.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation on this.

3. There are four cross-ties in the Hill Barn, and three in the Orchard Barn.  The cross tie closest to the Office is dedicated to Peridot-owned horses. There are also cross ties in the two wash racks and two drying racks up near the Hill Barn, and two wash racks at the Orchard Barn. The cross ties in the Farrier Bay are also available for use when not being used by a farrier or vet.  Please clean up thoroughly after your horse, including sweeping up hair and dirt, shoveling (hosing and scrubbing, if necessary) manure from the mats and barn aisle.  

4. The barn aisle and wash rack areas are to be kept free of grooming tools, equipment, hair, dirt, hay and manure. PLEASE clean up after yourself and your horse.  There are trash containers, shovels, brooms and muck buckets available for the disposal of manure, shedded hair, hoof cleanings and general refuse in the aisle, wash stalls, outdoor arena and outdoor grounds. There are tons of plastic bins to hold grooming items.
Please also recycle paper, plastic, aluminum and glass products whenever possible. We have provided recycling bins around the property.

5. Trainers must keep the cross ties, tack rooms, feed/supplement area and feed barn clean and organized. Do not clutter up any of the tack rooms or the Office with extra tack or equipment. We do not provide extra storage for trainers or clients free of charge. If there is an item you would like to have here because you use it currently in your business, contact Jessica to discuss whether we have room and where it would be stored. We do not guarantee unlimited storage for trainers or clients, and reserve the right to ask you to remove items from the property when there is no room or when things are not kept clean and organized.

6.  Please do not waste water; turn off water after use and use buckets whenever possible. Please coil hoses with no kinks when you are done using them.  

7. Any damage done to the barn, stalls or other facilities by you or your horse or client horse will be repaired at the your or your client’s expense. If you are a boarder, we will draw on your deposit to cover those costs.  If we need to withdraw funds from your deposit, you will need to replenish your deposit immediately.  If you are a haul-in client, we will invoice you for the repair costs and payment is due upon receipt.

Horses that crib or chew wood are required to wear a cribbing strap or muzzle at the owner's expense. If you know your horse is a cribber or chewer, you must notify us before the horse moves into Peridot.

8. Please notify management of any necessary repairs, maintenance, problems, or needed supplies so that repairs may be made or problems remedied as soon as possible.  If you notice that your horse is chewing the wood in their stall or in their turn out, it is your responsibility to make that stop immediately, and if you can’t get the horse to stop chewing the paddock posts or rails, that horse must not be put in the turn outs. Clients will be responsible for paying for any damage done by their horses, so it is in your best interests to put a stop to it before it gets to be a very expensive issue.

9.  When cleaning out your trailer, please place all manure and soiled bedding in the large manure dumpster next to the Hay Barn.  Please do not leave muck buckets of manure inside the horse barn or around the property. 

Arena Etiquette
1. The Arena and round pen are solely for the purpose of riding – DO NOT use either for turnouts.   Free running and/or free lunging are NOT allowed in the arena. Lunging is appropriate in the round pen or in the dirt arena next door.

2. Lessons being conducted by our trainers have priority and right of way in the arena and round pen.  Riders not in the lesson may be asked to “pull over” and wait in a safe area while students are being taught by a trainer.  If there is ever a question of control and safety, the trainer has the right to ask riders use only a designated portion of the arena or to leave the arena until the lesson is finished.  

3. When riding during a lesson, ride at the level of the lesson (ie. no galloping or jumping during a walk/trot beginner lesson) unless you have specific permission from the trainer giving the lesson to do otherwise.  

4. Always ride in control and be courteous of other riders around you.  Remember to look out for less experienced riders.  Please follow the attached “Rules of the Ring” from Dressage Today at all times.

5. Ask before taking down or moving equipment like ground poles, recreational jumps or cavalettis.  Put them back as you found them when you are done.  

6. Clean up after your horse when you have finished riding—put away all gear and remove all manure from the arena.

Stall reservation procedure

(1) Stalls are first-come-first-serve based first on the type of horse and type of stay (in this order: a) existing client’s additional long-term horse; b) new client’s long-term horse, b) sale horse, c) temporary horse staying for two months or more, and then d) short term temporary horse staying under two months) and second on our stall reservation policy below.

(2) For the stall reservation policy: If we have (or will have soon) an opening and a client wants to bring their horse here, the way they get guaranteed a stall on a specific date within the next 30 days is by signing the boarding paperwork and paying the 1st month board as a non-refundable deposit, which will reserve them a spot at the farm for that specific date. No stalls will be reserved, promised or guaranteed until this is done. No client is required to do this - they do not have to sign or pay anything before they arrive. We can keep a list of clients/horses who want stalls on specific dates, but there is no guarantee that there will be room for them until they sign and pay the first month. This will secure their stall for the specific move-in date within the next 30 days. If they choose not to do this, that is totally fine, but then there is a chance they will not have a spot here at the time they wanted to move in. That is a risk they will be taking by waiting. NOTE: If a client does reserve a stall under this procedure, this does not reserve a specific stall for their horse. It reserves a spot in one of the barns that is to-be-determined by the farm owners at the time of move-in based on availability.

(3) We can reserve stalls up to 30 days in advance if the above policy is followed, but to reserve a stall for any longer than 30 days, we cannot guarantee availability without the stall being paid for.  In other words, if someone wants to reserve a stall for longer than 30-days into the future, they will have to again pay full board for each subsequent month to continue to hold the stall, even if they are not using the stall. That is fair since once someone “dibs” an available slot, we are taking that slot out of rotation on that scheduled move-in date and we end up losing money if they don’t arrive as scheduled because we were not able to offer even for a short time it to another client. But please note the order of priority outlined in this revised policy. Long-term existing client or new client horses always get priority in Hill Barn and Orchard Barn stalls.

So, for example, if a temporary client is planning to come on Nov 22nd for six weeks, but then one of the trainers gets a new full-time client with 5 horses that wants to move in by Nov 1st, the new full-time horses get priority for any available stalls.  It makes sense that we would not pass on longer term clients just because a short-term horse had dibs on a stall 45 days from now for only a six week stay. To help prevent that issue, temporary horses will be assigned to pasture stalls by default. But no one will be promised a spot on the farm without signing the boarding agreement and paying the 1st month’s board.

(4) Confirmed move-in/out dates are required regardless of how long the horse will be staying with us, and billing will begin on that scheduled date regardless of when the horse actually arrives. We have had a lot of clients with moving/shifting dates this year that could have prevented us from being able to use a stall because we were in limbo about their arrival or departure. So the fair way to handle that is for billing to start based on the date the client says the horse will arrive. If it turns out the horse doesn’t arrive for another 5 days after that planned move-in date, for example, the client will still owe board from the date they originally committed to. It is like an apartment - you can move in later than the 1st of the month, but you will still owe rent from the 1st. We are more flexible than that because we don’t force people to do everything from the 1st of the month, but we need to be able to plan on when horses are coming and going so we can plan for operating costs and revenue, and so we can be able to tell our trainers and other clients when spots are available. It leaves us at a loss financially when a client changes their mind at the last minute when we already held the stall for them. So once a client commits to a specific date, they owe board starting on that date until they actually vacate the stall. And as always, 30 days notice is always required for all horses except for short-term temporary horses.

(5) Just a friendly reminder that we don't have trainer-assigned stalls - meaning just because a client horse is in a specific stall, it doesn’t mean that trainer has “dibs” on that specific stall forever. Once notice is given for the horse in that stall, that stall is then available for us to assign to another trainer’s client.  TRAINERS: If you would like to guarantee that you have a specific stall always available to you and your clients’ horses (e.g. if you prefer a specific larger stall for your client horses), you can do that by actually becoming the client of Peridot and we can bill you directly for that stall each month instead of billing a client. That means that you would then have dibs on that specific stall and you can use it however you like. Once it is yours, you can have a stream of temporary clients come in and out of that stall, or you can rotate sales horses through, or fill it with a full-time, long-term client horse. You would then bill the board to your clients for that stall for their use of your stall.

(6) If you don’t want to pay for a specific stall, then the policy is (and has been) that once notice is given on a stall, it is available for us to assign to the next boarder who is wanting to move in regardless of who their trainer is. In other words, a trainer’s client’s horse vacates a stall, the trainer can’t hold the stall for another client horse that may or may not be coming in the near future. There may be situations where the stall remains vacant if we are not full, but it is still up for grabs by any trainer’s client

To summarize, priority to a Hill Barn or Orchard Barn stall will go (subject to the first-come-first-serve policy above):
- First to an existing Peridot client adding an additional horse to the farm;
- Second to a new full-time client horse who is moving in for the long term (no anticipated departure);
- Third to a new sale horse;
- Fourth to a temporary horse here for a minimum of 2 months;
- Fifth to a temporary horse here for under 2 months.

Note: If for some reason there is a temporary/short term horse in a stall in the Hill Barn or the Orchard Barn and a horse that takes priority in the list above needs a stall (because we are full, for example), the temporary horse will get bumped to a pasture stall.

NOTE: Our default will be to put temporary horses in the pasture stalls to hold the more permanent stalls open for longer term clients.

TRAINERS: When you have a client coming that needs a stall, please group text Jessica and Helene with the contact info and move-in details so we can get the paperwork out to the client. We are happy to talk to you about desired stall assignments, but Jessica and Helene have to maintain discretion to assign stalls based on these policies, so please don’t assume any particular stall is one your client can use.