Horse back riding and horse shows

Horse Back Riding

Now firmly committed to the horse back riding sport, my daughter and I embarked on an interesting, winding road which she is still traveling today. Having researched as much information as possible before getting involved with horses, we have now advanced from the exploration, trial and research arena into ownership.

Owning a horse has no comparison to owning anything else. Its not like a car you can simply park in the garage and forget, not like a dog or cat which can become a home companion for you, but rather a large project which consumes a great deal of time and financial resources. The sport of horse back riding is a major undertaking, not to be taken lightly or by the faint of heart.

My wife and I raised four boys and one girl, so trust me when I tell you boys graze through the refrigerator. When we went to the grocery store we always need two carts, and we had to go at least once a week. Milk, meat and bread disappeared as if by magic, and when friends visited soda, pizza and snacks vanished into thin air! But a horse is a different matter. In order to compete in horse back riding you must invest in riding lessons, horse training and be prepared to devote a lot of time to the sport.

When you are involved in horse back riding as a sport, you normally are not lucky enough to have the land upon which to house and graze the animal, so you are consigned to finding the proper stable to keep this animal. Finding the proper place is a research project all of its own, and the best one usually is not very close. That’s a drag because you want your daughter to be involved in caring for this huge animal per our previous agreement.

Again, there is a lot of great information available today about horse back riding on the internet from blogs, websites and e-books to help you understand the difficulties and solutions as you move from horse admirer to horse ownership. Once you own the horse, then you learn there are yet more decisions to be made.

Will your daughter ride English or Western? Will she ride for pleasure, or compete for ribbons and standings? How far and wide are you willing to travel to accomplish these goals? Can you commit to the long hours required while you attend a two-day horses how in which your daughter might ride in 5-6 events? Is horse back riding a safe sport?

One thing you quickly learn is to accumulate those items which will make the interminable hours pass peacefully and pleasantly. Great canvas fold-up chairs with beverage holders are essential, as are a portable radio, sunglasses, bug spray, large hats and lots of water. And prepare for after that long, hot, dusty, dirty show to see black dirt roll off your body when you finally get into that warm shower after watching your precious daughter horse back ride.

Lest you think I am complaining I’m not. It is a tremendous thrill to see this little girl make a large horse respond to every command, and when the judge walks down the line of horses and tells your child she has managed to finish in the top three, your chest is about to burst with pride. As the collection of ribbons begins to take on the color of blue, you know that your daughter is becoming quite adept at horse back riding and learning the valuable lesson of accomplishment.

In our case both English and Western horse back riding competitions were competed in, but over time it became clear that Western was winning her heart. Soon cowboy boots and hats were stock dress, and interestingly enough boys seem to like Western riding. Perhaps it is the desire in every little boy to be a cowboy. In any case, my daughter had settled quite firmly into the sport of horse back riding.

Horseback Riding Horse Purchase

Horseback Riding

Once we had purchased a horse for my daughter we began searching for a boarding stable for the horse. The cost is somewhat similar to the cost of putting your kid into an apartment at college. My first impression was that there is a wide range of accommodations available for horses. Some of the stables are very nice, well kept, have indoor arenas attached for the horseback riding lessons, and lots of grazing space. Others are dumps, with little in the way of facilities but a lot cheaper.

Our experience was that there are some stables which are run more as a hobby, usually located at someones home. Others are first class, located on a large piece of land, and with excellent facilities including indoor and outdoor riding arenas, tack rooms, waiting rooms, areas to park and store trailers, large grazing fields and more. Being somewhat cheap, my first choice was with a stable run by a well intentioned young woman whose husband was in the army and gone quite a bit. After all, the main goal was horseback riding, right?

There were only a few horses stabled there, but the facility was nice enough. However, after a short time the horse began acting up. Every time my daughter went to take a horseback riding lesson he was skittish, and did not seemed pleased. My daughter told me she thought something was not quite right, but we did not know what. We had also contracted with the stable owner to do some additional training of the horse when my daughter was not taking horseback riding lessons.

Well, one evening we showed up unannounced and found the trainer in the arena with the horse on a long lead, using a whip and really whacking the horse in frustration. As it turns out the stable owner had little, if any, experience in training horses, and got quite upset when the horse would not follow instructions. Another lesson learned about the proper training of a horse for horseback riding skills.

We took more time looking for the next stable, and finding a riding instructor and trainer who had a lot of horseback riding experience, great reputations and were willing to work with my daughter and her horse. This second stable was, of course, somewhat more expensive, but what a difference it made! The owner, riding instructor, trainer, ferrier and barn manager took a lot of time to talk with us, explain everything to us, and set us up with a great situation.

Within a very short time the horse was happy, my daughter was happy, and most of my problems went away. My daughter began to learn how to properly ride her horse through her horseback riding lessons, I learned how to help, and best of all they gave my daughter a job cleaning out stalls. While the boarding expenses, riding lessons and training costs were higher, everyone was a lot happier and I learned a lesson about being too cheap.

As it turned out my daughter could not decide whether she wanted to ride English or Western, so we needed additional tack until she could decide. A few more bucks and once again the world was right for my daughter and her sport of horseback riding.

Horseback Riding Can Be Fun And Safe

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding can be both safe and fun. My first exposure to horseback riding came when my older sister started riding horses. My interest, of course, was in the fact that horseback riding appealed to girls, so when my sister went horseback riding, there were lots of girls around. And, as a teenager, I was very interested in girls! So, whenever my sister went to ride horses, I went along to see whom I might meet.

Much later in life I was fortunate enough to have a daughter, and, sure enough, she too wanted to get into horseback riding. So, being the good father I am, I started researching the subject and began looking for a horse. I wanted one which was well trained, gentle and good with small children. I soon purchased her a horse named “Little Guy”. Now, this name did not do this horse justice! He was no “little guy” being about 17 hands which works out to 5’ 8” at the withers, but he pleased my daughter and she soon was taking lessons and learning all she could about horseback riding.

As it turns out there is a lot of information out there, free for the asking. Each new piece of information sent us down yet another path, and it took a long time to separate the wheat from the chaff. At first she could not decide whether to ride “Western” or “English”, so off we went to purchase two saddles and associated paraphernalia. Now we needed a locker to store all of this stuff in.

Eventually she settled on “Western”, and we began to hear about “shows”. Next problem – how do you get a horse from the barn where you are keeping it to a show? Get a trailer, right? Well, as luck would have it, she had made a few friends and most of these trailers will carry more than one horse. So, problem solved for the time being.

Now more lessons were needed, more time to train and more time to get ready. Cowboy hat, boots, chaps and more needed to be acquired, along with a fancy dress shirt and string tie to complete the outfit. For those of you who do not know it, shows are long…!

Shows are an all day deal, and you need to be prepared with your folding chairs, lots of water, sunscreen, sunglasses and a fan to keep the flies away. But the reward is seeing your little girl with a smile bigger than Montana when she rides up with that pretty red ribbon! Ah yes, the red ribbon – but the real goal is the blue ribbon!!!

Don’t get me wrong – it is a great way to spend time with a daughter. And, there is another benefit. Remember at the start when I told you about going with my sister to meet girls? Turns out many boys today are missing the boat, and that was fine with me. I preferred my daughter spending time with her horse and learning all she could about horseback riding instead of chasing boys.

Horseback Riding

First Steps To Learn About Horseback Riding

Horseback Riding

You have been thinking about finding an activity which would provide you with the fun, exercise and companionship you feel you need, and you have decided on horseback riding. You want to get going right away but don’t know where to start. Within a reasonable distance from home there are a number of riding stables, but you are not sure who to talk to and what to do first.

There are a few things you need to consider before starting your new hobby. First and foremost you need to do some research, starting with the following:

• Explore the internet by typing in “horseback riding” in a search engine
• On Google you will find that there are 2,789,000 web sites with something about horseback riding on them
• Start looking at the first line of each result to find out what the website is about
• Narrow your search if you can not find what you are looking for right away
• Look for a local riding instructor in your phone book
• Go to a county fair or horse show and ask around
• If you have a friend who is already involved in horseback riding get a recommendation
• Stop at a local boarding stable and ask anyone working there
• Look for reviews of books and ebooks on horseback riding

Once you find an instructor you need to check and see if the instructor is safe and competent. Ask if the instructor holds any accreditation certificates, and if so, find out what they are. Many excellent instructors will not have any accreditation but with some simple research you can find out if they are what you are looking for. For example find out:

• Do all the students wear safety equipment like helmets when taking horseback riding lessons
• Are the classes large and out of control, or small with a lot of instructor attention
• Does the instructor communicate with the students in a respectable and controlled manner
• Ask the students their opinion of the instructor
• Is the arena well kept, all exits closed to prevent runaway horses
• Are all of the students at the same relative level so that the instructor can address individual needs

Then, when you finally decide to select an instructor, do not be afraid to interview them. Find out what their experience, philosophy and temperament are like and make sure that they ask you questions. The prospective horseback riding instructor should want to know what your level of experience is, what your expectations are and how certain you are in your desire to learn horseback riding.

If you are not satisfied with the answers, or just do not feel comfortable with the instructor, keep looking. There are a lot of excellent instructors available, so pick wisely so that you will enjoy your horseback riding experience.

Horse Riding

Welcome to my horse riding blog. Here you will learn all you need to know about horse riding. I plan to write articles on how to buy a horse, how to train a horse, how to learn how to ride a horse, as well as articles on various horses such as Arabians and Quarter Horses.

In addition I plan to review e-books on these subjects to help you find , buy and enjoy the perfect horse for you and your family. You will learn everything you need to know here about horse riding.