Sky Haven Equestrian Centre

Sky Haven Equestrian Centre Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Sky Haven Equestrian Centre, Horse Riding School, 184 Ski Hill Rd, Bethany, ON.

Sky Haven Equestrian Centre is a unique facility offering natural horsemanship, riding lessons and training in addition to experiential tourism events and retreats, and workshops!

A beautiful fall ride—and two destinations to choose from. 🍂🚲Guests staying at Sky Haven Equestrian Centre this weekend ...
09/15/2026

A beautiful fall ride—and two destinations to choose from. 🍂🚲

Guests staying at Sky Haven Equestrian Centre this weekend set out along Ski Hill Road and made their way to Omemee, where they joined the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail.

From Omemee, cyclists can choose:

🍁 Ride approximately 7 km east to Doube’s Trestle Bridge—an extraordinary historic railway bridge high above Buttermilk Valley.

Originally constructed in 1883 as a 1,500-foot wooden trestle, it helped complete the missing railway connection between Peterborough and Lindsay. Today, the surviving steel bridge carries walkers and cyclists across the valley, with wonderful views over the surrounding countryside.

Or:

🍁 Head approximately 17.5 km west toward Lindsay, following the trail through farmland, natural areas and quiet Kawartha countryside.

The trail is broad, relatively flat and surfaced with hard-packed crushed limestone. It is particularly suitable for hybrid, gravel and touring bicycles—and ATVs and dirt bikes are not permitted.

Choose a destination, choose your distance, and turn back whenever you’re ready.

Sky Haven makes a lovely base for a fall cycling getaway, with spacious private accommodations, peaceful country surroundings and plenty to enjoy when you return.

We have availability during the last week of September and on selected dates in October—just as the fall colours arrive.

📍 Sky Haven Retreat & Equestrian Centre
Bethany, Kawartha Lakes
Approximately 90 minutes from much of Toronto and easily reached from Highway 407.
Also on Ski Hill Road: Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden



We have one weekend in September and one in October available. DM me for more info, availability and prices.

09/13/2026

🐴
Looking forward to upcoming Come Home to Horses retreats
Sept 18-20 Fully Booked-Thank you!
Oct 2-4 Still some spaces left

Have you been missing horses?Maybe you rode years ago and still think about it.Maybe horses were part of another chapter...
09/10/2026

Have you been missing horses?

Maybe you rode years ago and still think about it.

Maybe horses were part of another chapter of your life.

Or maybe you’ve always wanted the chance to spend real time with them.

We’ve been hearing from so many women who feel this way — including women who aren’t sure they’re ready to ride again.

You don’t have to be.

Come Home to Horses is a small women’s retreat at Sky Haven in Bethany, Ontario, with different ways to spend meaningful time with horses.

Our next retreat is October 2–4, with both riding and horse-connection places available.

You don’t need to come with a friend.
You don’t need to be an experienced rider.
And you don’t have to ride to belong here.

If you’ve been missing horses, we’d love to hear from you.

Send us a message or visit the Come Home to Horses page through the link in our bio.

09/06/2026

Thinking about riding lessons -- or simply getting horses back into your life? What is right for you?

Here are some of the things worth thinking about:

1. What do you want horses to become in your life?
Are you looking for a weekly recreational activity? Competition and horse showing? Eventually leasing or owning? Or are you more interested in connection though groundwork, grooming, learning horse behaviour and simply spending meaningful time around horses?

2. What kind of riding interests you?
English or Western? Dressage, hunter, jumper, trail riding, or general recreational riding? A program that covers as much of the fundamentals as possible will prepare you for a wide range of future opportunities.
Erica at Sky Haven has a background in high-level dressage competition, including competing at the Young Riders level. Dressage is essentially the gymnastic training of the horse.
She has also studied natural horsemanship with Monty Roberts in California. Her experience is valuable for riders who are interested in developing strong fundamentals to support a variety of disciplines.

3. How do you want to learn?
Private, semi-private and group lessons all have advantages. Just as important is the instructor’s teaching style.
At Sky Haven, lessons are private which allows Erica to adapt to each individual rider. She places a strong emphasis on helping riders understand why things are happening and encourages questions. She believes it's important that riders understand what the horse is communicating as well as where your hands, legs and body should be.

4. How much do you want to learn about the horse — outside of riding?
Some programs focus on putting riders in the saddle. Others include more groundwork, grooming, leading, tacking, horse behaviour and stable skills.
Neither approach is wrong, but it is worth knowing what you want.
At Sky Haven, new riders begin with a Horse Experience Session so they start learning about the horse on the ground as well as in the saddle. Erica’s training in Monty Roberts’ natural horsemanship methods also informs the way she approaches communication, groundwork and the relationship between horse and human. Learning to notice the horse’s body language and respond thoughtfully can become an important part of becoming a confident, capable and safe rider.

5. Who will be teaching you, and how do they approach safety and progression?
Qualifications and certification are worth asking about, but so are experience, judgment and communication.

6. What kind of barn community feels right?
This part is easy to overlook.
Some barns are highly social. Some revolve around competition. Some have mainly children and teens. Others have a strong adult community. Some riders want barn friends, shows and a busy social life; others want a quieter, more individual experience.
You are choosing an instructor and a riding program — but to some extent, you are also choosing a horse community.

Sky Haven is a quiet barn with primarily private lessons. We focus on building a strong foundation for horse experiences at all levels, with a view to developing skills that will support horsemanship, recreational riding, competition and eventual horse ownership.

There are many good ways to be involved with horses.
The goal is not simply to find a riding barn.
It is to find the kind of program, horses, teaching and community that fit what you hope horses will become in your life.

09/02/2026

Have you been missing horses? 🐎
Maybe you rode years ago and still think about it. Maybe horses were part of another happier chapter of your life. Or maybe you’ve always wanted the chance to spend real time with them.

Come Home to Horses is a small women’s retreat at Sky Haven in Bethany Ontario. Out next retreat is October 2-4, 2026 with both riding and horse connection places available. You don’t have to be experienced. You don’t have to come with anyone. And you don’t have to ride to belong here. If this has been tugging at you, send me a message or visit our website and the Come Home to Horses page for more information. Links in bio.

Have you been missing horses?Maybe you rode years ago and still think about it.Maybe horses were part of another chapter...
09/02/2026

Have you been missing horses?

Maybe you rode years ago and still think about it.

Maybe horses were part of another chapter of your life.

Or maybe you’ve always wanted the chance to spend real time with them — without needing to already be a rider.

Come Home to Horses is a small women’s retreat at Sky Haven Equestrian Centre in Bethany, Ontario.

Our next retreat is October 2–4, with both riding and horse-connection places available.

Two nights away. A very small group. Time around the horses. Optional yoga. Good energy, quiet spaces and room to simply enjoy being here.

You don’t have to be experienced. You don’t have to come with anyone. And you don’t have to ride to belong here.

If this has been tugging at you, send me a message or have a look at the Come Home to Horses page:

https://skyhavenstables.ca/come-home-to-horses/

08/23/2026

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your horse is not ride

Address

184 Ski Hill Rd
Bethany, ON
L0A1A0

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 7pm
Tuesday 8am - 7pm
Wednesday 8am - 7pm
Thursday 8am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 7pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 5pm

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