Posted by Katie W
on 1/8/2008, 5:56 pm, in reply to "Showing horses"
69.156.124.25
Hey Ellen,
It's nice to have another enthusiastic poster on this board!
How much horse experience do you have? Your first priority would be learning everything you can about horses. Finding a good riding instructor (or coach) is essential. He or she will be able to teach you a great deal.
You can do a search on an internet search engine. Try typing in "Riding Lessons"+"your location" and see what comes up. You can also try looking in the yellow pages of your phone book under something like Horses, Equestrian, Riding Schools... at least one of those should have a listing. Word of mouth is also great. If you know of someone else who rides, and likes their coach, you could get the information from them.
Coaches generally charge per hour or half hour, depending on whether you'd like a private lesson (yourself plus the coach), a semi-private lesson (yourself, one other rider and the coach) or a group lesson (several riders plus the coach). They can be certified or uncertified by various equestrian organizations.
You should be looking for a coach with a strong knowledge of the basics, who has a good teaching manner, that has sound, well-trained horses for you to learn on. There's nothing worse than being "over-horsed" - especially during your first few lessons.
There are a few basic pieces of equipment you'll need when you start taking lessons. A helmet is very important (make sure it fits properly), and so are proper riding boots. All riding schools have their own list of equipment riders need so you can check with whoever you decide to go with. Sometimes equipment can be borrowed, or rented, from a riding school but it's always better to have your own.
Until you've got a solid foundation with horses, it's best to stick to a general discipline (english, for example) and not focus on something specific (like dressage, eventing, etc). Every rider - no matter in what discipline - must first learn the ropes. Then they can specialize. Basics are basics wherever you go: heels down, eyes up, etc..
Between lessons you can also read some horse books or magazines, browse through a few websites (Sandy's has tons of information: Here's her website) or watch some horse movies or TV shows.
Horse showing is something riders do after they've learned the basics. Most shows cater to all levels of rider, but you need to get riding experience first. Your coach will determine when you're ready to make that step. It's exciting, and well worth the effort.
I hope I've been able to give you a little information, and I hope others post here, too, with some tips. You'll find that even the most experienced riders learn new things as well - it's an ongoing process.
Take care & good luck!
Katie
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