Sooo....Horseback Riding?

[Aliceinwonderland]

I've never ridden a horse. It seems silly that I haven't, considering I live in the middle of Cowboy-land, but I haven't.

I'd like to try it out - not on a trail ride in the mountains level, but on a technical learn to ride/tack level.

I'm afraid it's going to be one of those stupidly expensive things - is there a way to ride inexpensively? Should I go for Western or Dressage or something else? Does anyone have any experience with this? We're contemplating buying a house and one of the criteria we are thinking about is making sure it's zone for horses. We don't actually want to get a horse but that'll help us make sure that we can keep some small livestock around, have a good garden, and still live close to the city. And maybe, someday, when the cycling doors start to close because of age and time, I can move towards something like horseback riding. I just want to know if I actually like doing it...
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[pony j]

EEeeeee!

I have much to say about this (as a former horse person who wants to get back into it), but I am on my way to bed. More tomorrow!
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[town hall]

I learned to ride as a kid, and have only ridden very sporadically since I left home, primarily because it's really expensive (YMMV on this as I'm in a different country). In any case, the only way you're going to know if you like it is to try!

Whether you go for Western or English style depends on your ultimate goal, I suppose. It sounds like you want to do competitions etc, rather than just ride for pleasure; is that right? If so, maybe think about what kind of comp appeals to you. Or you could have a lesson or two in both and see which feels better to you.
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[pony j]

Okay, I'm back.

I grew up with horses in my life because my mom had grown up with horses in her life and it was just always something we did. I have done the gamut: 4H, western pleasure, english hunter-jumper, reining, dressage, trail riding, natural horsemanship, etc. I mostly rode Quarter Horses and Paints, but I also rode Morgans in college and that was totally different and a bunch of fun.

There are lots of kinds of horse breeds and lots of kinds of riding and all will have an affect on the experience. You could try to take lessons at various different stables to see what you like best, but that could actually take a while. Can I ask some clarifying questions about what you are hoping to get from horseback riding? Then I might be able to point you in a more specific direction. If you don't know the answers yet, that's okay too... These are just dimensions of horseback riding to consider.

* Where are your interests on the spiritedness scale? On one end of the scale you have horses that people describe as bomb-proof, as in you could literally set off a bomb next to them and they wouldn't flinch. They are great horses if you want something unflappable that you can take into all kinds of situations, but for some people they are too "dull" or not responsive enough to cues. On the other end of the scale you have hot horses. Ones with a lot of "get-up-and-go". They can be super responsive and full of fun energy, but for some people they are scary and too much of a handful. On a scale of 1-10 in spiritedness, I personally like a 4.

* How technical do you envision yourself being? In other words, are you looking for something with an aspect of technical mastery? Does the ideal of working with a horse to develop its skills and refinement (for example, the way it carries its head) appealing? Or are you looking for more of just pleasure riding? Or perhaps even just the aspect of non-verbal communication with a big and very cool animal?

* When you say you don't want trail riding in the mountains, can you talk a little more about that? Is it that you don't want the one-time experience of renting a horse for the day, you don't like the idea of riding a horse in a more nature-y setting, you are looking for something a little more refined/technique-driven, or something else?

Dang, this is getting long and I need to run to work. I'll start there and see what you have to say!
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[Aliceinwonderland]

Wow, Pony j! What a comprehensive post!

Where are your interests on the spiritedness scale? I think that I'd like a calmer horse, at least to start with. I'm interested in just getting to know the sport and figuring out how to ride. I haven't really been around large animals - even large dogs can be difficult for me to handle when they jump up on me - so I think a calm horse to start with would be a good idea. I'm pretty good at the whole adventure thing but I know my limitations and the limitations of animals and I don't want to get into a situation where I'm a very (IE: no experience) inexperienced rider on a horse that needs a more experienced rider. I'd rather be safe than sorry!

How technical do you envision yourself being? I understand that a good foundation for just about anything is important - you need to learn your basic math in order to really enjoy calc...I guess I would like to learn good basic skills that would help me out with riding.
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Well, duh, but that's no reason to abandon ship. Work and fix it

Blog: http://elizalives.blogspot.com

[cake]

Another former horse person here- I rode and showed hunter/jumpers from elementary-early high school. Riding is one of those sports that can really be as involved as you want it to be; it can completely take over your life or it can be a fun activity once a week. And there are so many different disciplines, there's really something for everyone. And yes, it is stupid expensive; if you get into it you might be able to act as a "working student" and groom horses/muck stalls/school horses in exchange for lessons down the line.

As a starting point, I'd probably look up some barns in your area and start emailing or calling instructors and ask if you can come out and take a look at their facilities. From there you can get a feel for how casual they are vs. competitive, what they teach/what their specialties are etc. I also think the personality of the instructor is really important, as is how they treat their horses. I saw some shady stuff as a kid (funny how people think kids aren't paying attention...) and the horse world definitely has its dark side.

Have fun, though! Riding is so much fun. And a surprisingly good workout!
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[IrmaVep]

I've ridden only a few times, but always enjoyed it. I grew up from 9-18 in a rural village, and we had horses over the fence from our garden (including a Police horse, because our neighbour was a mounted policeman). We also leased our paddock to a racehorse owner for a while, but I wasn't allowed near those horses (spiritedness off the scale for being around children).

I live near the edge of suburbia now, there's farmland about 2 miles away, and there is a pony club on the river bank just along from our house. It always makes me smile when I wake up and hear the neighing!

MrVep and I went riding on our honeymoon, but it was in Australia where the horses could get startled by snakes, so I wasn't particularly relaxed. We want to go on some more rides, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Aside from that, I have nothing practical to add.

[pony j]

Hi aliceinwonderland!

I was just wondering... Did you ever pursue anything with the horseback riding stuff?

I've been looking around and I just now (eeee!) emailed a stables that is literally down the street from my house to see if they have any horses for lease. I am a little nervous about the commitment of having a horse to ride a few days a week but also kind of excited. Fingers crossed — there are lots of other stables in my area, but this one is *maybe* a quarter mile away which would be incredible.

Anyways, if you are still interested in looking into horse stuff, I have two good links for you:

http://www.dreamhorse.com - you can look for horses for lease here (I know the term lease sounds funny but it's kind of like a contract to ride a horse that belongs to and is cared for by someone else)
http://www.newhorse.com/ - has a lot of good horse resources including a pretty comprehensive listing of stables and riding lessons
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[SlipperyShade]

I took 2 equestrian classes at university - it was a good and (afaik from taking riding lessons later on) comparatively cheap way of getting some basic instruction. The first course talked about basic horse types/maintenance/breeding/feeding/care in a classroom setting and half the course was in the barn learning things hands on, then the second course was riding, which was obvs on the ag land every week. While it is probably basic and obvious to those with more horse experience, it was nice to get a "this is a horse. this is why it behaves like this" preface before riding, even though I'd ridden before and had a little bit of experience. It made me much more confident.

That said, I had no idea you could lease horses. I plan on looking into riding again now that I've moved, because how can you NOT ride horses in this country? It's so romantic. I get the biggest kick out of riding though, it's one of the biggest adrenaline rushes that I've found. You should totally do it, alice!
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