From the article: Riding Lessons for Your Child
What is your advice for starting children off into the world of horses? How old should a child be when starting horseback riding lessons? What would you expect from an instructor teaching children? Share your tips and advice. Share Your Advice
Riding Lesson Help!!
- Do you have a horse-crazy child? Are they begging over and over again to have a lesson? Some kids just aren't satisfied with pony rides, and they want to ride by themselves. The hunt is on! You should try to find a barn close to you, but sometimes the neighborhood stable isn't the safest. Find a barn that's kid friendly, meaning the people there know how to deal with kids, and will give them a gentle quiet horse or pony, instead of a rodeo bull. After you think you have found a suitable barn, call the owner, and determine a time for an introduction lesson. At the barn, talk with the owner, meet the other riders, and the horses. When your child is assigned a horse, look at it. Does it look healthy? Or, is it skinny, or look like it isn't being taken care of? Is it friendly, and have a calm, gentle look in it's eyes? Or, is it showing it's teeth, and putting its ears flat across the back of its head? Follow the barn rules and show up on time, and be willing to help.
- —Guest Carolyn
