Sarah Hyatt

Equestrian Center Director

Instructor 

Sarah is acquiring riding instructor certification and teaches riding lessons in both English and Western Disciplines including: hunter/jumpers, western pleasure, endurance, balanced/centered riding, barrel racing, and more.  Sarah works with her students one on one and in group settings teaching them safety, horsemanship, balanced riding and to have fun.  Lessons include arena time and trail time.   Sarah teaches both typically developing students and developmentally delayed students including those with Autism, Downs Syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, ADD and ADHD, physical, emotional and mental disabilities.  Sarah also works with high-risk youths that are in the foster care system.  

Lessons are approx. 1 hour long and may go over, as Sarah encourages students to end on a good note with their horses.  Sarah offers both group and private lessons to her students.  Prices for lessons with Sarah are $25/group lessons and $35 for private.  Sarah offers lesson packages where five lessons are bought for the cost of four.  The fifth lesson is usually a trail ride, a bareback lesson or a lesson of the student's choosing.  Sarah can provide references upon request.

Meet Sarah's top lesson horse, Jesse.

Jesse is a 14 year old Quarter Horse mare; she has been shown on the Hunter "A" circuit for years before being used as a brood mare.  She has a quiet temperament and is push button.  She teaches hunter/jumper,  barrel racing and western pleasure to students ages 4-70, and is a joy to work with.

About Sarah

Sarah has over 22 years of riding and horse experience.  Her love of horses began at an early age with pony rides at fairs, riding at her cousin's house, as well as trail riding at Gun Powder Stables.  Sarah began formal riding lessons around the age of 7 at Stirrup Run Stables under the instruction of Lois Geniovese, an A rated hunter and member of the MD jousting team.  Sarah continued her lessons with Lois until the age of 13 when she began riding at Stone Brooke Farms, a three day eventing barn.  There she began taking lessons in classical dressage and cross country with the Hanlin's.  While at Stone Brooke farms, Sarah was able to train her first horse, a Standardbred straight off the track named Iggy.  Sarah was involved in Pony Club and went to local shows.  Around the age of 14, Sarah was able to spend some time at a few Maryland Racing Farms, where she was taught about the racing industry and grew the desire to become a jockey (but she was too tall) and was allowed to breeze some of the horses.  Sarah moved to North Georgia when she was 16 and spent the summer learning to ride saddle seat before she began riding with Cedar Creek Farms.  At Cedar Creek she was taught how to manage horse facilities, given opportunities to break and train several horses, teach riding lessons and show hunter/jumpers and western pleasure on her 3 year old quarter horse and on clients’ horses as well.  When Sarah was 17, she found a local dressage trainer and started training  with her thoroughbred Zinnie.  During this time Sarah also acquired a Thoroughbred off the race track and began to retrain him in the art of dressage.  At the age of 18 Sarah attended Auburn University and was selected to ride on the college's equestrian team as both a hunter/jumper and western pleasure rider and participated in Halter classes.  Sarah went to intercollegiate shows placing 1st and 2nd in her classes.  Upon leaving college, Sarah began Endurance Riding and Training with her Arabian Gelding, continued with dressage training and hunter/jumper training.  In 2006-2007, Sarah schooled with Ashley Godwin of Rivermont farms, an A rated Hunter, Judge and a stunt rider for a Walt Disney Film.     

In 2008, Sarah joined the family of Heartland Ranch.  Sarah enjoys working with children and adults as well as special needs riders.  Sarah is an equestrian Special Olympics Coach in the State of GA, and works with the special needs youths of North Georgia and Chattanooga.  Sarah is currently undergoing riding instructor certification with NARHA  and still takes lessons with her instructor on a fairly regular basis.  Sarah feels that continuing education is very important to any career; she also travels to take lessons with former instructors in Maryland and Georgia and attends clinics.