CE AT LITTLE COVE FARM, INC.
About CEC
Located at Little Cove Farm in St. Leonard, Calvert Equestrian is a family oriented equestrian center with a focus on horsemanship and showmanship, promoting the development of the horse and rider from the ground up, developing confidence and enthusiasm for the sport, while addressing individual needs and goals. We encourage a team spirit, hosting many events and activities to build comradery that we believe is essential to bolstering the success of our clients and program. We believe very strongly that by developing confidence in our clients and encouraging a sense of empathy for other living things, we will produce a winning combination not only in competition, but in the daily lives of our clients.
Why Us?
Our riding school offers classes for the beginner rider to the professional horsemen. Clients learn through hands on experiences, videos, demonstrations, clinics and consistent work.
Our program is designed to build a community where riders thrive and can make lifetime friends. We set goals for each of our riders and work to meet the milestones needed to reach these goals. We stress the importance of good horsemanship and building strong communication with our equine partners through an understanding of how a horse thinks and reacts and why. We promote the development of good horse management skills and care, emphasize the need for ground work and, above all, the importance of respect, which we feel are the most essential ingredients to developing a successful equestrian. `By developing confident horses and riders, anything is possible.
What We Do
We offer more than the traditional training center riding lesson where you pay, you ride, you leave. Calvert Equestrian clients are given the unique opportunity to spend quality time learning how to care for the horses and ponies before and after lessons. As a rider progresses he or she is encouraged to develop the ability to school horses properly and work with various issues successfully.
We develop an understanding of why we focus on various tasks and develop clients who can identify the needs of different mounts. Developing confidence in both our clients and horses yields a partnership that guarantees lifelong success in whatever discipline or direction our clients choose to go.
We customize each program to meet the needs of the individual and his/her horse, as not each person or horse has the same goals or development needs.
We keep the goals of our clients at the core of our mission, which is to develop equestrians who respect their horses first, facing challenges with patience and understanding.
We host many events and offer both outside and in-barn clinics, exposing riders to a broad spectrum of experience while keeping costs reasonable. By understanding, clearly, the dynamics between our clients and the horses, Calvert Equestrian manages to yield positive results and produce talented and gifted riders.
Meet Our Team
Meet Lisa Caruolo
Willowbend Farm was founded by the Johnson Family and is where Lisa (Johnson) Caruolo grew up and still calls home. Lisa began formal riding lessons when she was just under four years old, taking lessons at Clay Hill Stables with Emmy Prettyman. Lisa had a competitive nature and could be found at the local hunter jumper shows with her favorite pony Crackers or her own Horse, BJ.
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Growing up on a farm, riding, taking lessons, it wasn't until Lisa's mid 30's that she found her deep love for horses.
Lisa always wanted to have a family, be a wife and a mother. Lisa, along side her husband, Charlie, have raised 9 wonderful and accomplished young men.
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While juggling her responsibilities as a wife and mother raising nine boys into wonderful young men, she still found herself very competitive. With a high drive for excellence, Lisa competed on the National Capital Adult Equitation League for many years. During that time, she consistently won High Point Rider or Reserve High Point Rider. Around 1998, Lisa began giving lessons, developing her skills as a coach and instructor.
With a strong drive for competition, Lisa has ridden under many clinicians throughout the years. Her favorite notable clinics were with, George Morris and Joe Fargis. Lisa is currently working toward becoming a recognized R judge in the Hunter and Hunt Seat Equitation divisions through the US Hunter Jumper Association. She proudly holds a Level 4 Certification in both Western and English with Jumping, with the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA). She says her journey with the CHA was truly amazing and instrumental in her professional growth and she encourages all rising and experiened instructors to attend clinics through the CHA.
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Whether she is introducing a novice student to the world of horsemanship or working with an experienced rider to fine tune their technique, Lisa has an innate ability to communicate calmly and effectively to her students, regardless of their experience. She instills a sense of confidence which in turn helps them fulfill their dreams and achieve their personal goals. For Lisa, teaching is a passion. She not only explains how to ride correctly and effectively, she describes the Why - in length. Knowing why is vital and gives the riders a more thorough understanding for the reason behind each action. Lisa is effective and she finds great joy watching her students develop into the horseman she knows they can be.
Over 48 Years of Horse Experience!
Come join our barn family! There truly is no better place to be!