Great Oaks Equestrian LLC

10/19/2026

We had a great last horse show of the season at Rattlewood this past weekend! We took a small group of our green beans and had a blast! ❤️🐴

10/15/2026

🐴❤️ NOW ACCEPTING NEW LESSON STUDENTS! ❤️🐴

Come join us at Great Oaks Equestrian Center! 🥰

We offer lessons 7 days a week with multiple experienced trainers and a very flexible schedule to accommodate busy families! Whether you’re just starting your riding journey or looking to advance your skills, we have something for everyone! 🐎✨

We also have a few VERY nice horses and ponies available for quarter and half leases! 😍❤️

Come ride with us, make new friends, build confidence, and become part of our amazing barn family! 🫶🐴

📩 Message us today to get started! We would love to welcome you to GOE! ❤️

10/11/2026

We brought an amazing group of horses and riders down to Brave Horse for our final NEST show of the 2026 season! 🐴❤️

Our absolute favorite horse show venue never disappoints! From the beautiful facility to the wonderful atmosphere, it’s always a weekend we look forward too with our show team! 🥰

A huge thank you to Jamie and Nancy for always putting on such a fantastic show series. We are so grateful for all the hard work you put into making these weekends special! ❤️🐴

Until next season, Brave Horse! 🥹❤️

10/08/2026

We appreciate all our support!🐴❤️

🥹💌💞

10/06/2026

What a beautiful night for lessons🧡🍁🍂🐴
Our tbs were feeling fressssshh tonight!!🫣

10/05/2026

We all have had those moments when a child is itching to move up to the next division, and you want to make it happen for them. Here’s a BENCHMARK (always listen to your trainer first) of when they might be ready. The most safe thing a child can do is be prepared for the groundwork and riding they are doing and it is every professional’s job to provide a safe environment, which means your child’s competence, timing, strength, and balance is paramount to them moving up the divisions.

Your child should be able to competently jump the division they're LEAVING without stirrups.

What that means in practice: before your rider steps into Short Stirrup, they should be able to jump around a cross-rail course at home, no stirrups, and do it well enough to be competitive at a local show. Before they move up from the Children's Pony Hunters, they should be able to jump around that height and step at home, stirrups dropped, and still ride effectively.

This matters because riding without stirrups builds the exact foundation that keeps kids safe, secure, and successful as the jumps get bigger:

- Real leg strength: Not gripping, but a deep, stable, independent leg that stays put when a pony chips, drifts, or adds.

- Balance & security: The ability to stay centered and with the motion without relying on the stirrup to "catch" them.

- An independent seat: Hands that stay quiet and soft because the body isn't fighting to stay on.

- Confidence: A rider who knows they can stay on when something goes sideways rides braver and softer everywhere

- Better feel: More connection to the pony, more feel for rhythm, pace, and balance.

Without stirrups, there's nowhere to hide. It exposes exactly where a rider is leaning on their tack instead of their own body and then it builds the strength to fix it.

So what if your child can't do this yet? That's not a failure, but rather current its information. 📚 It usually means they're simply not strong enough YET to move up safely, and pushing them into a harder division before they're ready sets them up to be behind, scared, or unsafe.

The fix is simple, and it's the best kind of horsemanship: ride more, and get stronger in and out of the saddle.

- More saddle time (yes, more no-stirrup work!), fun ba****ck rides full of laugher, riding in the field over varied terrain, extra two point position at all gaits, and building to long trot and canter sets going forward
- Fitness off the horse including core, legs, cardio, many successful young riders cross-train weekly in other sports for balance, strength, and coordination
- And don't underestimate BARN WORK including mucking stalls, hauling water, carrying hay, grooming, sweeping. It builds real, functional strength AND makes better, more well-rounded horsemen, and after you take the time to get good at it, provides value to your barn.

The best riders aren't rushed up the levels — they're built up, one solid foundation at a time. Strength, balance, and experience first, division second. Your pony kid (and their future self on course) will thank you.

09/29/2026

For the first time since before COVID, we have openings in our program at Great Oaks Equestrian Center! 🩷🐴

We’re excited to welcome new riders for hunters, jumpers, and dressage!

✨ Beginner lessons: Monthly packages starting at $225 for 4 lessons.
✨ Full-service board: $1,000, including 4 lessons.(only 1-2 training board spots available…. Until we fill it with a sale horse😝)
✨ Tiny Trotters: Ages 2–7 $200 for 4, 1 hour sessions.

🏆 We have a wonderful traveling show team competing at NEST at Brave Horse in Ohio, KHJA in Kentucky, and Rattlewood hunter/jumper shows in Michigan! Our dressage riders also attend schooling and rated shows throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky.

🏡 We also host monthly schooling shows right here at GOE, provided we have enough entries to run each show. These shows are a great opportunity to gain experience at home!

For more information or to schedule a tour, please message me or our new facility manager, Sophia Latona! 😍

📲 Ashley | Owner & Head Trainer
586-242-2777

📲 Sophia | Facility Manager
586-220-5001

We’d love to welcome you to our GOE family! 🩷

09/21/2026

Another rainy show weekend🐴💙 So many great rides, ribbons and learning this weekend! 🌧️👏

We loved making memories, cheering each other on and enjoying time with our barn family. Thank you, Rattlewood, for another fantastic local show!! We love showing local! ❤️

We can’t wait to return for one more show in October! 🏆🐴

09/20/2026

We took on the Kentucky Horse Park for KHJA and KDA! 🐴💙

Despite the 90-degree temperatures and plenty of torrential downpours, we had such an amazing time! We brought a wonderful group of horses and riders to Kentucky and we couldn’t be prouder of how everyone handled the heat, rain, and long show days.

So many great rides, unforgettable memories, and lots of laughs with the best barn family. We are incredibly thankful for our horses, riders, families, and everyone who worked so hard to make this trip possible!

The Kentucky Horse Park is always such a special place, and we can’t wait to come back next year! ❤️🏆🐴