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Onboarding

Download Step 02 Summary

STEP 02 OF 06

Get Your Website + Software Ready

Your first step was understanding where your students belong.

Now we need to make sure families can understand your program from the outside and your team can run it professionally on the inside.

We are putting this step near the beginning of onboarding for a reason.

A website rebuild, software setup, or migration can take several weeks. You do not want to reach the end of onboarding, have the riding program ready to launch, and then realize that your website still shows the old program and your administrative system is not ready.

Start the digital work now and let it continue in the background while you complete the remaining onboarding steps.

Your Website Is More Than a Logo

Becoming a UDJC Certified Riding School does not mean adding a UDJC logo to the bottom of your website and calling it done.

A new parent should be able to visit your website and understand what your riding school actually offers.

Someone who has never heard of UDJC should be able to see that there is a structured educational pathway and understand where their child may begin and where that education can eventually lead.
At the same time, a student or parent who is already familiar with UDJC should immediately recognize the levels, terminology, and pathway and understand that your school is operating the real UDJC system.

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Your website should clearly explain:

Your UDJC Certified Riding School status

  • Unicorn

  • Level B

  • Level E

  • Level A

  • That riding and horsemanship are taught together

  • That students progress through defined educational stages

  • That Badges are part of that progression

  • That your school hosts UDJC Badge Shows

  • How the Riding School pathway eventually connects to UDJC competition

  • How a new family can get started with your school

 

The website does not need to reproduce the entire UDJC manual.

It does need to make the pathway understandable.

Do Not Turn Your Entire Website Into UDJC

Your riding school is still your riding school.

If you offer Full Training, camps, birthday parties, clinics, leasing, sales, or other programs, those should remain on the website.

UDJC should become a clear and professional part of the school, not erase the rest of the business.

The goal is for a family to understand the complete operation.

For most schools, that means the website should clearly separate the major programs and give the UDJC Riding School pathway enough space to explain Unicorn, B, E, A, horsemanship, Badges, and competition.

Make Starting Easy

Do not make a new family search through five pages and then send an email asking what to do.

The website should make the first step obvious.

Depending on how your school operates, that may be:

  • Book a trial

  • Request a trial

  • Complete an inquiry form

  • Schedule an evaluation

  • Call the riding school

 

Whatever your process is, make it clear.

A parent should not need to understand the entire horse industry before they can figure out how to put their child on a pony.

Now Look Behind the Website

The public website is only the front of the operation.

Behind it, you need a system that can actually run the riding school.

You are not required to replace software that already works.

If you already have a professional system and your staff and customers are happy with it, keep it.

But take an honest look at what you are using.

A growing riding school should ideally be able to manage:

  • Parents, riders, and family accounts

  • Recurring lesson enrollments

  • Lesson schedules and available spots

  • Billing and payments

  • Attendance and absences

  • Makeups and waitlists if your school uses them

  • Trainer schedules

  • Lesson horses

  • Horse availability and workload

  • Trials and new students

  • Communication and customer records

  • Camps, clinics, birthday parties, and other programs where applicable

 

The system does not have to work exactly like another UDJC school.

It has to work for your operation.

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If You Need the Full Package: OnStride

If your website needs work and you need better riding school software, UDJC recommends contacting OnStride.

OnStride is the direction we recommend for schools looking for a complete digital setup.

The goal is to connect the public side of the riding school with the operational side behind it.

That can include:

  • A custom website for your complete riding school

  • The UDJC Riding School pathway built into the website

  • Clients and family accounts

  • Lesson scheduling

  • Recurring enrollments

  • Billing and payments

  • Trainers and staff

  • Lesson horses and records

  • Operational administration

  • Google Business Profile and local search support

 

If you are going this direction, contact OnStride early. Do not wait until the rest of onboarding is finished.

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If You Already Have a Website: Hopoti

Maybe your website is already strong.

You like the design, your customers use it, and there is no reason to rebuild it.

But you still need a better equestrian management system behind it.

In that case, UDJC recommends talking to Hopoti.

Hopoti is an equestrian specific platform focused on the backend of the riding school and rider community.

It can support areas such as:

  • Bookings and payments

  • Lessons and events

  • Clients

  • Horses

  • Trainers and staff

  • Memberships and records

  • Riding school administration

  • Rider and equestrian community features

 

The important thing is choosing the solution that fits the school you already have.

Do Not Forget Google

Your website may be the destination, but Google is often how a new family finds you.

Check your Google Business Profile.

Make sure the following are correct:

  • Riding school name

  • Website

  • Phone number

  • Location

  • Services

  • Photographs

  • Business description

  • Current information

 

If your website says one thing and Google says something completely different, families notice.

Your digital presence should feel like one professional riding school.

Your Barn Software Is Not UDJC Show Manager

This distinction is important.

Your normal riding school software manages the daily business.

That includes things such as customers, lessons, billing, attendance, horses, trainers, and schedules.

UDJC Show Manager manages the official UDJC competition side.

Later in onboarding, we will work with:

  • UDJC event entries

  • Results

  • Badges

  • Performance Levels

  • Eligibility

  • Rankings

  • Competition records

 

You may therefore use both systems. One runs the barn. The other connects your students to the official UDJC show and performance pathway.

What Good Looks Like

Imagine a completely new family finding your school tonight.

They search for riding lessons on Google.

They find your school.

The website looks professional.

They understand what you offer.

They see that you are a UDJC Certified Riding School.

They understand that a small child may begin in Unicorn, an older beginner starts in Level B, and students progress through E and A.

They can see that riding and horsemanship belong together.

They understand that there are Badges and shows ahead.

And they know exactly what to click if they want their child to start. Once they become a customer, the experience stays organized.

Lessons, payments, communication, scheduling, and records do not depend on somebody remembering a text message from three weeks ago. That is what we are trying to build.

YOUR TASK

Get your digital riding school moving

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Important: You do not have to wait for the website rebuild or software project to be completely finished before continuing onboarding. The work needs to be started, it needs an owner, and it needs a target date.

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