Horse Rider


Picking a Horse Back Riding Instructor

While there are prodigies in many sports, they are rare. Simply put, most people must learn their skills over a period of time. During this time period, an individual must rely on positive and negative feedback from a qualified coach who can properly mold and shape a talented horse back rider. Now, this does not mean that an individual who takes up the sport of horse back riding needs to pursue a professional career in the sport. On the contrary, most people who enjoy horse back riding do so for fun and hobby and do not seek to complicate their venture with competitive pursuits. Regardless, however, if one is looking to enjoy the sport professionally or as a hobbyist, it is important that the individual properly learns how to ride a horse from the very beginning. This is critical not only as a means of learning how to ride a horse properly, but also as a means of learning to ride a horse in a safe manner. After all, it is critical to maintain a high level of safety at all times or the activity ceases to be enjoyable.

Horse Back Riding Instruction

In order to learn horse back riding, you will need to follow the lessons of a qualified instructor. Now, the operative word here is qualified. An instructor who is not very good at instructing will not be of much help to the student. As such, it becomes important to select the proper instructor. Oftentimes, people will select an instructor because the instructor is not too far of a drive from the student’s residence or that the potential student was enamored with the advertising of the instructor. Honestly, there is nothing untrue about the possibility that the best qualified horse back riding instructor lives nearby and has a great ad campaign. However, it would be wise to conduct a little extra due diligence in order to ensure whether or not the horse back riding instructor is the one for you.

In order to ascertain if the horse back riding instructor is a quality instructor, it is important to examine the number of years the person has been in business. If the instructor has been in business a long time, it would infer that the quality of the instruction has allows the instructor to stay in business. (Of course, there are exceptions) Also, it is important to meet with the instructor and explain your reasons for wanting to learn the sport. This way, both you and the instructor will see if you are compatible with one another. If so, then you will make a good team and that will benefit all parties involved.

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Horse Riding Camps In Equine Literature
March 25, 2008, 2:38 pm
Filed under: Sport | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

In the real world, horse riding camps are for the really rich.  They are an unaffordable luxury unavailable to most horse loving kids.  I was one of those kids.  My family could never afford any kind of summer camp.  I was lucky enough to get lessons once a week.  But I did go to horse riding camps through books and magazines.  The best fiction books about young horse crazy girls at horse riding camp were a great comfort to me.  The best ones also helped me learn more about horses.

Young Adult Series

One of the most lucrative, popular and easy to find forms of literature is the series aimed for young adults (an age bracket from 10-16).  These series consist of the same young, plucky kids who go from one wacky situation to another.  Sooner or later, they wind up at horse riding camps good and bad.  If you are looking for accurate information about horses and riding, steer clear of young adult series that do not focus on horses.  Young adult series are often ghostwritten and churned out by a myriad of writers with varying levels of equine knowledge.

However, those young adult series featuring horses or horse-loving kids tend to strive for accuracy in order to keep their readers coming back for the latest book.  Two of the young adult series that featured books set in horse riding camps include the Linda Craig series and The Saddle Club.  The former series is more fabulous – Linda and her mind-reading palomino solve mysteries wherever they go.  The Saddle Club, on the other hand, involves four girls who get into more realistic adventures at horse riding camps that readers can more identify with.

A Horse For XYZ

A standout book set in a horse riding camp is A Horse for XYZ, by Louise Morei (Scholastic, 1977).  In it, a young girl dodges the bus home to sneak a ride on the mystery horse that no one was allowed to ride.  She rides into a lot of trouble.  She and the horse are alone against the elements, and a ring of horse thieves.  Sounds like a tired plot, even for the 1970’s, but what makes the book so special is the horse.  This character is three-dimensional; dangerous, unpredictable and enchanting.  Unlike many of the four footed characters in “horse books”, the author took the time to include real horse behavior and facts in a book designed for all children, horse-crazy or not.

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If You Care About Your Horse, Riding In A Barn Is Right Out
December 26, 2007, 2:28 pm
Filed under: Sport | Tags: , , , , , , ,

If you love horses, you will be called “horse mad” in England and “horse crazy” in America.  Perhaps you do have to be a little crackers to devote so much time and energy to the worship of the horse, but don’t be tempted to do downright stupid things.  At first, these things will seem like timesavers.  They aren’t.  They are dangerous for you and your horse.  Riding in a barn, walking under your horses belly and saddling your horse up untied are the top three temptations.

No Riding Zone

Horse riding in a barn at first seems like a good idea.  The weather may be crappy.  Or you may be waiting for the horse tied in front of you to get going and you want to be sure the saddle is adjusted right (and you can only discover that in the saddle).  So you or your friends say, “Hey, why not now get on the horse?  Riding in a barn is still the same as riding anywhere else, isn’t it?”

Get rid of this notion at once.  Horse riding is done outside or in an enclosed ring for many reasons.  Horses are notoriously spooky.  If you are horse riding in a barn and the horse spooks, you will go crashing into the walls, the ceiling or metal tools.  If your horse is still tied and slips when you are on his back, the horse will fall on you because you will not have any room to get off.

Go Around

Right up there with horse riding in a barn is walking underneath your horse’s belly.  This also at first seems like a timesaver.  Why walk all the way around the horse to groom him or tack him up when you can take a shortcut right under the belly?  The reasons NOT to do this are the same as for not horse riding in a barn.  If your horse spooks, you have no room to get out of the way.  Don’t risk it.

Tie First, Saddle Second

This happened to me.  As a kid, I did all of these, even horse riding in a barn and I’m surprised I wasn’t killed.  I was trying to get my schooling horse ready for class.  I was all ready to lead him out to the aisle to get tacked up when suddenly the aisle filled up with a previous class coming in to get their tack taken off and be put away.  There was no room in the aisle.  So brilliant me tacked Chugalug up in his stall.  Chuggy’s stall did not include a tie ring, so he was free to dance the cha cha or have a roll while I was trying to tack him up.  And he did.

More topics:

Horse Riding Techniques Can Save Both Horse And Rider From Coming To Harm
Horse Riding Trails Takes One Back To Nature
Riding A Horse Serves Many Purposes
Some Easy-To-Follow Horse Riding Tips To Ensure Safe And Enjoyable Riding
You Better Know The Rules For Riding A Horse On The Road



A Horse Riding School Is A Place To Start
October 31, 2007, 4:05 pm
Filed under: Sport | Tags: , , , ,

There is a horse riding school for almost everyone.  People who have only seen horses in pictures can find a horse riding school that will teach them from the very basics.  Other people who have already acquired some horse back riding skills will be able to find a horse riding school that will help them acquire very sophisticated horse back riding skills.  There are horse riding schools located all over the world so those who want to add some adventure to their lives will be able to find an exotic setting with a horse riding school.

Almost anyone can learn to ride a horse at almost any age.  Horses seem to be such powerful creatures, but experts at a good horse riding school can help those who have never been on a horse before.  These horse riding schools will teach people from the very first step.  The experts at these schools will teach the students how to take the horse from the stable.  They will teach them how to put a bridle in the formidable set of teeth that usually come with any horse.  They will make sure that they know how to place the saddle on securely so they will not fall off before they even get on the back of their horse.

Horse Riding Schools Offer Specialized Lessons

Those who have never had experience on a horse will probably have to learn which side of the horse is the right one from which to mount the horse.  They will soon learn that you cannot get on either side or you will soon be facing backwards.  The experts at a good horse riding school will help these people use the bridle and their legs to guide the horse and make it move.  They will help the student advance from a walk to a trot and eventually a full scale gallop.  The students will probably feel very confident after a few weeks of enrollment at a horse riding school.

There are many horse riding schools that teach advanced skills for those with experience riding horses.  Some of these schools will teach students the specialized skills necessary for jumping on a horse.   Careful instruction in these skills is absolutely necessary for anyone who wants to make a horse jump over a creek or a barrier.  Some people have suffered severe injuries when jumping horses so anyone interested in jumping on a horse should insist on the best instruction possible.  Some schools offer specialized instruction in other types of riding such as dressage.




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