Oh good! You’re going to take lessons. You’re likely to find yourself with a rewarding, lifelong passion. I know horsewomen who ride in their 90’s. They may need an extra step or two on their mounting blocks, but they gallop across fields with the wind in their faces and smiles on their lips!
Hello Again had good things to look for to find a safe lesson barn. Beyond that, I will add that beginner riders should always, always wear helmets when mounted (I think all riders should, but I’m aware that’s a big debate). If a barn disparages your choice to wear a helmet, find another.
Also, check out several barns and see whose instruction style you prefer. Some instructors are drill sergeants while others have a softer approach. Choose what you like best. See if you can observe lessons in progress to get a feel for how that instructor and barn do things.
Take a look at both English and Western barns. You can trail ride in either discipline, so look around and see which style appeals more to you. They’re both great fun!
I’m glad that you’ve reconsidered buying a horse at this point.
I absolutely agree with starting out by doing riding lessons, and then if you still like it, look at LEASING a horse.
Most stables that offer riding lessons have horses that you can lease, or will know someone who wants to lease their horse.
It will give you more of a taste of owning a horse, except it will be cheaper, less time consuming, and if you end up deciding it’s not for you it’s a lot better than trying to get rid of a horse.
(It’s worth noting that many horses end up getting shipped to slaughterhouses because there are more unwanted horses than people that want them for pets, sadly )
Six should be good. Six is the minimum age at the barn where I ride, unless the parents are into horses.
The justification for that limit is that kids younger than six don’t have the strength, attention span or body control to make much progress (though there are exceptions). The parents of younger kids often get frustrated because they don’t see their child making much progress after all the money they sink into lessons (even if the kids are having a blast).
They do make exceptions for kids whose parents are into horses because those parents are more likely to understand that the child is progressing as quickly as they can do safely, and they also notice the smaller improvements made by younger children.
Try a couple of places (if there are options in your area) … they vary SO much with the quality of horses and instruction … and finding a good riding instructor is like find any sort of personal coach, you’ll enjoy working with some and not others. It’s worth driving a longer distance if you find the right place.
You should be able to get your skills up to a fairly high level if you have regular lessons - and find a place that will allow you to be involved in the actual care of the horses. I was incredibly lucky that my first riding school offered an option to have theory lessons as well. Finding out about feeding and injury care is much easier when the horse is not yours. It will also give you an idea of the time commitment that would be involved if you actually bought a horse for yourself.
I keep wanting to give so many of these posts a thumbs up… so much great advice being given out!
To answer this question, I began riding lessons when I was 6 so… sign him up!
Stink Fish Pot, I am so glad you are going into this sensibly. Horses are without a doubt the most rewarding thing in my life. I sincerely hope you start taking lessons and become so hooked that your life will never again be complete without a horse in it.
I seem to remember hearing about someone wanting to bury their horse in his field, only no one could drive the digging equipment to the property.
You have just taken your first steps into a much larger universe!
Keep asking questions, we’re here to help!
Age isn’t the main ‘question’, how long of an attention span does he have? Lessons usually start at 30 mins. Is you son capable of sitting on a pony for that long and paying attention to what he’s doing? I ask because I’ve seen many a small child fall off a pony because they got bored, or distracted by something shiny and whoops! Sitting on a pony isn’t like sitting on a chair, the pony is going to move, some kids instinctively grab onto the pony’s mane, others instinctively try to grab something else, like the person leading the pony. Also is he given to screaming or yelling when he’s playing? Screaming and yelling while sitting on a pony isn’t a good idea (seen that one as well). Also how nervous is he? A pony may not be much more than a really big dog to an adult, but to a small child they are massive, they smell, and they make noises. I’ve seen parents bring kids to the yard I ride at and the child take fright and start crying and roaring.
You might try The Chronicle Of The Horse forums for contacts for lessons etc in your area, plus it’s a pretty good resource for most things horse-y. You can certainly get your fill of horse-related reading. Chronicle Forums
Of course, as it’s a message board, the usual caveats apply. There are nut jobs there as well as good sane and knowledgable people. But if you post a question like “considering starting lessons at Xx barn, anyone know of them?” you’ll know pretty quickly if there’s a not so good rep attached.
If you want to get cracking on your horse knowledge, there’s no better place to start than the Pony Club D Manual. This is the beginner’s horsemanship book for the United States Pony Club. The levels go D-C-B-A with sublevels – and having your “A” rating is like being an Eagle Scout, it represents a level of accomplishment that few are able to achieve by their late teens. USPC is huge on horse & rider safety. While there may be other ways of going about things, you will be as safe as it is possible to be following Pony Club methods and principles.
The book is geared towards children BUT it is not a kiddie book, it is jam packed with solid information and explanations.
You can also do a part time lease. It means you can’t ride the horse every day, but that might work. My daughter’s first horse (a failed race horse) was one she leased first and then bought.
As for lessons, start with basic horsemanship but you can then go on to other things, like hunter jumper or dressage or Western. What happened to us is that my daughter started with lessons, went to hunter jumper, and some low level shows, leased and then bought a horse, and then changed barns to a higher class one who went to better shows - which involved us buying a more expensive horse. But she really loved it - she rode in college as part of a team, and even rode in Germany.
Definitely interview a few coaches to get one that works for you. Getting on a horse is easy, being a good rider is hard.
BTW, I’m not sure about now but after the crash there was a glut of horse, so much so that people who could no longer feed them were having a hard time even giving them away. Have prices recovered?
+1 to all the good advice being given out. The advice to visit and interview several stables and their associated personnel is good. Most horse people are great, but hang around very long and you will hear horror stories about the bad ones. Trust your common sense. If a professional is insisting on something but your gut tells you that it’s unsafe or cruel to the horse, do some research and get a second opinion.
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