Programs at United Mustangs of America
This is a serious school. Every program is built around real horsemanship, real horses, and real time. Here is exactly what each path includes and what it costs.
What You Are Getting Into
If you want to become a true horseman — someone who understands horses, reads them, and can work through anything they face together — this school was built for you.
Horse Handling Science is how we get there. It is the study of how horses think, communicate, and learn — and how a human can develop the awareness and discernment to meet a horse where it actually is. Every session at UMA is built around this method.
Each horse in this school offers something different and important to understand about horses. They are not interchangeable props. They are individual teachers.
The discipline here is not in the style of riding. It is in mastering oneself to become the horseman the horse deserves.
Every student works directly with Monica O. Knight. Every session is a reserved 2-hour time block at the ranch. Every program includes access to Horse Handling Science United — UMA’s online learning community where students stay connected to the method, the herd, and each other between sessions.
Ranch Hours & Schedule
Open Days
Session Start Times
* Saturday 8:30am is Beach Trail Adventure only. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Choose Your Path
Every student begins with the Introductory Session. From there Monica will recommend the right program based on what she observes and what the student needs.
The First Step
Two hours. Real horses. This is where every UMA student begins — a hands-on first session to meet Monica, meet the horses, and find the right starting point together.
- 2-hour reserved session at the ranch
- Introduction to UMA and the horses
- Ranch safety and horse behavior basics
- Groundwork, handling, and possible riding
- Personal assessment and next step recommendation
- Mutual fit — student and Monica both decide
The Core Path
The foundation of UMA. Four 2-hour sessions per month with Coach Monica and the Mustangs. This is where real horsemanship is built — session by session, horse by horse.
- 4 sessions per month — each a 2-hour reserved time block
- Every session opens with 15 minutes of ranch care
- Groundwork, handling, horse care, and riding
- Access to Horse Handling Science United — UMA’s online learning community to study, connect, and continue building horsemanship knowledge between every session
- Beach Trail Adventure at Grover Beach for qualified students
The Mastery Path
Mastery takes hours. Horse Lab was built for students who are ready to put in more time — one coached session per week and one to two practice sessions on top of that, totaling 15 additional hours of practice per month.
- Everything in Basic Membership
- 15 hours of additional practice time per month
- One coached session plus one to two practice sessions per week
- More groundwork, riding, and horse handling practice toward self mastery
- Requires minimum 3 months Basic Membership and an independence assessment
- Full access to Horse Handling Science United
The Simple Difference
Every program shares the same foundation — care for the horses, respect for the community, and a commitment to real learning. What changes is the amount of time and the level of involvement.
Basic Students
Learn the UMA way. Four coached 2-hour sessions per month with real horsemanship education at every visit.
Horse Lab Students
Put in the hours toward mastery. More time with the horses is where feel, timing, and real confidence are earned.
Guardians
Help carry the UMA way. Trusted community members who serve the horses, support the program, and stay connected to the herd.
About the Guardian Program
The Guardian program is for established UMA students who are ready to contribute more to the life of the herd and the community.
Guardians are trusted community members. They know the horses personally, understand the UMA way, and have been approved for more access because they have earned it. Guardian sessions happen during scheduled ranch times only — this is a structured role, not open-ranch drop-in access.
The Guardian program exists for two reasons. First, it gives motivated students a way to stay connected and build more hours with the horses when they are working toward Horse Lab but are not quite ready. Second, it gives students who need a lighter month a way to stay in the community and keep their relationship with the horses without disappearing entirely.
Guardians help the horses have a better life and help the school run with more care, order, and community support.
To become a Guardian, a student must have completed at least three months of Basic Membership, know the horses and the UMA culture, and be approved by Monica. The $40 monthly fee covers continued access to Horse Handling Science United and ranch gate access to the horses.
Guardian is a reward for students who have already shown up, learned the way, and are ready to give back.
The Community Path
Stay connected to the herd and the community. Serve the horses. Stay in the learning network. Keep your place in the UMA family during lighter months.
- Requires 3 months Basic and Monica’s approval
- Sessions during scheduled ranch times only
- Horse care, grooming, and facility support
- Full access to Horse Handling Science United
- Ranch gate access to the horses
- Pathway toward Horse Lab readiness
How Every Session Begins
Regardless of which program a student is in, every session at UMA opens the same way — with about 15 minutes of ranch care. Students grab the wagon and manure fork and help clean corrals or assist with a small facility project.
This is part of how UMA works. The horses are not session equipment. They are living animals and everyone who benefits from them contributes to their care. During this opening time, Monica and the student also talk through the plan for the day — which horse, which skill, what the horse needs.
Those first 15 minutes teach responsibility, awareness, and what it actually means to be part of a horse community. Horsemanship is not just what happens in the saddle. It is how you show up.
Every Path Starts the Same Way.
One session. Two hours. $100. Come meet the horses and find out where your path begins.
Book Your Introductory Session10 spots currently open · Arroyo Grande, California