Privately situated in Keswick, Virginia.  
The Pony Café Equestrian Center, offers Sales,  Boarding, Training, Lessons and Summer Camp.  

Set in the outskirts of Charlottesville, Virginia, The Pony Cafe offers a ten stall center isle show barn with seven turnout paddocks, heated wash stall and a tack room that opens to a glorious studio office. Built in 1992 and the birthplace of "The Pace Program of Musical Horsemanship"; we offer a unique riding and training program that utilizes music, for classic hunt seat equitation with a basis in dressage. Our horses and ponies love their work as well as our riders. Welcome to The Pony Cafe! 

What's it all about?
“After extensive research it’s been discovered that not only do kids love learning music, but horses have a much greater capacity to learn than ever expected and musical riding gives both rider and horse a positive edge. 
“This is not about simply playing music while taking a riding lesson. Each instructor must know how to use this method to gain the optimum results. It takes training.  Horses naturally respond to music, and will learn to move more rhythmically, without feeling awkward when transitioning from one gait to another. Part of riding is learning the importance of the cadence, or smooth rhythmic changes throughout the ride. It is better for the horse and rider, and it promotes a healthier partnership. It’s fun, and comes very easily to children of all ages. Especially great for young horses, this helps a timid rider, a fearful horse or an inexperienced horse or pony acclimate easily, relax and accomplish movement in a much more natural way, without external interferences diverting attention.
 While working specific muscle groups during training, the musical team moves from one exercise to the other without as much tension, and the absence of tension enables an increase in correct development from the start. As horses move into the show ring, they have developed their natural tendencies to move rhythmically. Rider and horse now have a strong rhythmic bond, and smooth relaxed movement that will help withstand the “horse show jitters” making a great picture for the most critical judge. Their music has now become second nature to them.

After a pony/horse is trained, the test is to be ridden without tack to music. This involves flat work and over fences. Have fun watching our video; our first group of young stock, please click on the links to see videos. Videos of Camp and Lesson activities are shown on those prospective pages, and will be posted shortly...