Enrollment for Fall 2026 Horsemanship Academy is Open!
With lesson options in Grimes and Indianola, Iowa
Make a Connection with Horses, People, and Nature
The goal of our Horsemanship Academy is to improve lives through teaching the beauty of horsemanship in the Western riding tradition. Students ages 8+ can expect to learn about all things horse care and psychology, groundwork, horse showing and rodeo event principles, and spend generous amounts of time in the saddle during your weekly riding lessons.
Lessons are structured in small groups of riders of similar levels and are one hour and 15 minutes long. Enrollment includes access to weekly riding lessons on a consistent day and time. Students work through 4 structured Western riding curriculum levels, following the CHA Western standards, with an emphasis on barrel racing and pole bending. See a sample of our academy curriculum HERE:
Prizes for progressing through our riding curriculum levels, group get-togethers, and a year-end horse show are are all included in your monthly rate!
To further advance learning, monthly events and equestrian clubs are hosted by Copper Moon to currently enrolled students to help advance their equine experience outside of a lesson setting.
With a spacious and dust free indoor arenas, outdoor arenas, acres of fields and gravel roads, students will experience a variety of riding terrains with no weather cancellations, with locations options in both Grimes and Indinaola, Iowa.
Our Riding lessons are structured for ages 8+ with different groups options for adult riders.
Pony Preschool Sessions
Seasonal sessions are offered for horse crazy kids ages 4-7 years old.
Pony Preschool is a parent assisted program that blends riding and scholastic learning using fun mounted games and activities.
Students can expect to learn about horse safety, riding skills like correct posture, steering, and stopping, and build confidence to eventually steer their horse independently. Our curriculum follows the CHA Level 1 structure used for our regular Riding Lesson Academy.
Contact Kali Collins with any questions and to begin your enrollment process . Just click the button below:
2026 Year End Show: on site at Godspeed Equine, Saturday December 19, 9:00-12:00 with a potluck to follow
2027 Off Site Showing- at Yale Saddle Club.
Saturday evenings, April-September, dates TBD.
2026 Show Schedule
Kali Collins is a riding instructor with over 10 year's professional experience teaching equine enthusiasts around the Des Moines metro. Following her exit from the rodeo world, she spent over three years studying the methods of Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman, and had the unique opportunity of being a working student of Kip Fladland. Kali is passionate about developing healthy horse-human partnerships, often using her relationship with Jesus as illustration in developing our relationship between horses and humans.
Although she is well-versed in several riding disciplines, her passion for barrel racing is matched only by her devotion to good horsemanship. If you're a beginner who wants to start out on the right hoof, or a seasoned vet looking to improve your communication under saddle, get in contact with us today!