Frequently Asked Questions

United Mustangs of America is a horse handling science school and community based in Arroyo Grande, California on the Central Coast. We teach students how to understand, handle, care for, and partner with horses — from the ground up.

Our program is built around the foundational work of Monte Foreman and rooted in a method called Horse Handling Science. We work with a small number of students at a time, on purpose. Every student gets real attention and every horse gets real respect.

Horse Handling Science is the study of how horses actually think, communicate, and learn. It is the foundation of everything we teach at UMA.

Rather than teaching students to perform in a specific discipline, Horse Handling Science gives you the tools to understand any horse in any situation — on the ground, in the saddle, at home, on the trail. When you understand how a horse thinks, everything changes. You become someone a horse chooses to be with.

UMA operates in Arroyo Grande, California on the Central Coast. The exact ranch address is shared privately with confirmed students after booking — it is not published publicly to protect the horses, the property, and our scheduled sessions.

Monica O. Knight is the founder of United Mustangs of America and a horse handling science coach with decades of hands-on experience. She competed in the Extreme Mustang Makeover multiple times, placing in the top ten finals each time, and three of those horses are now in her school.

Her teaching is rooted in the work of Monte Foreman and informed by Evidence-Based Horsemanship, Enlightened Horsemanship, and thousands of miles of trail riding on the Central Coast with her Mustang Juno. She is currently writing a book about Monte Foreman’s horse handling science and the path that brought her here.

Read her full story here.

Every student begins with the UMA Introductory Session — a 2-hour hands-on first session for $100. You meet Monica, you meet the horses, and together you figure out the right starting point and next step.

Book your Introductory Session here.

The UMA Introductory Session is a 2-hour hands-on first session for new students. When you arrive, Monica will talk with you about your goals, your experience, and what you are hoping to find at UMA.

Depending on the student, the session may include an introduction to the horses and ranch environment, basic safety, reading horse behavior, groundwork and handling, horse care and grooming, and possibly riding if appropriate.

At the end of the session, Monica will recommend the right next step. This is a mutual fit process — you are deciding if UMA is right for you, and Monica is deciding if UMA is the right environment for the student.

Please note: UMA has a 170 lb rider weight limit. Our horses are mustangs — smaller-framed than stock lesson horses — and we take their soundness seriously. This is a horse welfare standard, not a judgment call. If you have questions before booking, just reach out.

Book your Introductory Session here →

If it is a good fit, Monica will recommend the appropriate membership path — Core Membership at $440 per month or Horse Lab at $880 per month. If Monica feels a different starting point or program would serve the student better, she will say that honestly.

Students are not automatically enrolled after the Introductory Session. Acceptance into the program is a deliberate decision made by both the student and Monica.

UMA accepts students ages 9 and up. Adults are equally welcome — UMA has students of all ages and backgrounds. The program is designed for anyone who is ready to learn, follow safety instructions, and show up consistently.

Completely fine. Many of our students start with zero experience and that is actually a great place to begin — there are no habits to unlearn and no shortcuts to untangle. Monica will meet you exactly where you are.

What matters is curiosity, willingness to learn, and showing up. The horses will take care of the rest.

Core Membership — $440/month includes four lessons per month plus full access to the HHSU online student network. This is the foundation of UMA — the path every student walks to build real horsemanship skills.

Horse Lab — $880/month includes everything in Core plus up to 15 additional weekly hours of hands-on horse time at the ranch. Horse Lab is for students who are ready for deeper, more immersive involvement with the horses and the program — more time, more responsibility, more growth.

Monica will recommend which path is right for you after your Introductory Session.

Both Core Membership and Horse Lab include four lessons per month. You can schedule those four sessions at whatever interval works for your week — weekly, every few days, or clustered closer together — as long as all four happen within the calendar month. Consistency is important — horses learn through repetition and so do students. Monica works with a small number of students intentionally so that each lesson is meaningful and each student gets real coaching attention.

Yes — beach trail rides at Pismo Beach and the Oceano Dunes are part of the UMA experience, and they are something students genuinely look forward to.

Beach rides are available exclusively to current UMA members who have developed the handling and riding skills to ride safely and confidently in an open environment. They are not available as a standalone service or to the general public.

When a student is ready for a beach ride, Monica will let them know. It is one of the most memorable parts of being a UMA student.

Yes. UMA has a herd of Mustangs that students learn on. Three of them are Extreme Mustang Makeover horses that Monica gentled, trained, and competed with herself — placing in the top ten finals each time. These are not backyard horses. They are experienced partners who know how to teach.

Equipment is also available to borrow for students who are just getting started.

Yes — and we love to work with student-horse pairs. Horse Handling Science is not breed-specific or discipline-specific. It works with all horses, regardless of background, training history, or what you currently do with them. Whether you have a green horse, a seasoned trail horse, or something in between, the same principles apply.

Bringing your own horse means the work you do here goes home with you. That is one of the most powerful parts of the program — your horse gets better alongside you, and the partnership you build carries into everything you do together outside of UMA.

Wear: Closed-toe boots or sturdy closed-toe shoes. Jeans or riding pants. Weather-appropriate clothing that allows safe movement. Nothing loose or dangling.

Bring: Water, sun protection, and an ASTM/SEI certified riding helmet if you have one. If you do not have a helmet yet, Monica will help you figure out what to get — helmets are required for any riding.

Come prepared for a real ranch environment — dirt, animals, uneven ground, and normal horse-life conditions.

A private lesson in SLO County typically runs $45 to $140 for one hour. A UMA session is $110 — but it is two hours, one-on-one, and includes real horse care, groundwork, riding, and coaching time that builds on itself every visit. That works out to $55 per hour, at or below the going rate for a single-hour lesson anywhere in the county.

The bigger difference is what happens inside that time. At most barns, tacking up takes the first 15–20 minutes, the riding window gets rushed, and there is another rider waiting when you are done. At UMA, the two-hour session is designed so nothing gets rushed — you learn to care for the horse, you build your skills on the ground and in the saddle, and your progress carries forward each week because the horse and the coach both know you.

If you want to see the full side-by-side of every option we know of in the county — prices, session lengths, and what is included — we put it all in one place: What Horse Lessons Really Cost in SLO County →

HHSU — Horse Handling Science United — is UMA’s private online learning network and the hub for everything in the program. It is where students are onboarded, where the curriculum lives, where scheduling happens, where Monica posts updates and assignments, and where the student community connects between sessions.

Think of it as the ranch’s digital corral. The lessons happen in person, but HHSU is where the work continues, where students stay connected to each other and to Monica, and where the bigger picture of horsemanship starts to take shape.

Every student starts in the UMA Trailhead — a required 9-step orientation that introduces the program, the horses, the ranch culture, and the expectations before your first lesson ever happens. It is not busywork. It is the foundation.

From there, members have access to the UMA Student Center — the main community hub for announcements, scheduling, coach updates, and connection. The lesson calendar lives here. This is also where students post homework proof before each session and where Monica responds with the plan for the next ride.

The Horseman’s Skill Tree is the curriculum library — organized by branch, from horse behavior and groundwork to riding, equipment, and stewardship. It grows with you as you progress through the program.

Horse Lab members have their own dedicated space, and Guardians have access to the Corral Collective, where herd care, Guardian session coordination, and the deeper responsibilities of the program are organized.

It is required. HHSU is not an add-on — it is how UMA runs. Scheduling, communication, homework, updates, and the curriculum all live there. Students who are not active in HHSU are not able to schedule sessions.

The minimum expectation is a weekly login to check in, stay current on announcements, and submit homework proof at least 24 hours before each scheduled lesson. Monica coaches from what she sees in HHSU — your proof tells her where you are, and she builds the next session from there.

HHSU runs on the Mighty Networks platform, which has a mobile app. Most students check it like they would any other community app — a few minutes a day keeps you in rhythm with the program.

Parents of youth students are encouraged to access their student’s HHSU account alongside them — checking in weekly, reviewing assignments, and helping their student stay current before lessons. This is especially useful for younger students who are still building the habit of independent follow-through.

HHSU is the primary communication channel for the program. Monica does not send separate reminder texts or emails for routine scheduling and updates. If something changes day-of, the message goes through HHSU first.

Guardian is the next layer of UMA — available to students who have proven they know the horses, understand the UMA way, and are ready to contribute more than they take. It is not purchased or applied for like a program. It opens after three consecutive months of Core Membership, when Monica determines a student is genuinely ready for real responsibility.

Guardians show up during scheduled ranch times to assist with horse care, grooming, and facility support. It is a structured role with real expectations — not open drop-in access. Guardian sessions happen alongside active lesson blocks, which means Guardians are working within a running program, not arriving independently.

For active Core Membership students, Guardian access is included — no extra charge. It is simply the next responsibility that opens when you are ready for it.

For students who need to step back from regular lessons, Guardian is available at $99/month. It keeps their relationship with the horses and the community intact, maintains their access to HHSU, and holds their place in the UMA family while life rebalances — with a clear path back to Core Membership when they are ready to return.

Guardian is earned, not applied for. Monica will let a student know when they are ready. The markers are consistency, reliability, sound horsemanship judgment, and a track record of showing up the UMA way. Students who are ready will typically already know it — because their relationship with the horses and the program will already reflect it.

The minimum eligibility is three consecutive months of active Core Membership. What happens inside those months matters far more than the number.

Sessions are held at the ranch in Arroyo Grande, California. The exact address is shared privately with confirmed students after booking. When you arrive, park by the white and green sheds next to the horse corrals.

Yes. UMA lessons are available through Heartland Charter School. The enrollment process is slightly different for Heartland families — please read the instructions on the Heartland page before booking so we can get you started smoothly.

Heartland enrollment instructions →

UMA is a school and community, not a trail ride service. We do not offer tourist rides or drop-in lessons to the general public.

Every student begins with the $100 Introductory Session and progresses through the program from there. This structure exists because real horsemanship takes time, consistency, and the right foundation — and that is exactly what we are here to build.

Start with the UMA Introductory Session. Complete the intake form, sign the required waivers, and pay the $100 session fee. You will then receive a link to choose your session date and time, and a confirmation with the ranch address and arrival instructions.

Book your Introductory Session here →