Category Archives: Beginner Horse Riding Tips

Tips on what to expect, how to behave and the questions you should ask.

Learning to Ride A Horse

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I’ve seen a lot of stuff online lately that I just find scary. There are many books out there that claim to be able to teach you how to ride simply by reading them. Now, I’m not opposed to anyone reading to gain knowledge that will help them better understand some of the concepts that their instructor may being trying to teach them, however, the only way you’re going to really learn how to ride is by taking lessons from a competent riding instructor.  Many people who know nothing about horses or riding make the big mistake of buying a horse and then watching their dream of horse ownership turn into a nightmare. They usually end up with a horse that is way beyond their ability and the horse is then left in a field not being worked with and becoming even more unruly.  Learning to ride comes through “feel” and you need to be on a horse that is suitable for someone who’s just learning as well as have an experienced eye on the ground guiding you so that you know that if what you’re feeling is right or wrong. There have been some lucky people that have embarked on their horsemanship journey without the aid of a professional and everything has turned out ok. However, these scenarios are few and far between.

If you want to learn how to ride then don’t take shortcuts. Find a qualified instructor who specializes in the discipline of your choice and make your introduction to riding and horses a pleasant one.

Horse Shows – It’s About the Kids Isn’t It?

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After having recently attended a horse show in which my daughter was riding I noticed something that I hadn’t really paid much attention to before. Horse show parents.  We’ve all heard of stage moms of 5 year olds competing in beauty pageants or a dad that starts a fist fight at a little league baseball game, but it never occurred to me before that equestrian parents can be just as bad.  This is the parent who is living vicariously through their son or daughter and feels the need to make the show about themselves.  I view the horse shows as a way for my daughter to get objective feedback on her horse and her riding and of course to have fun while doing it. I’ve always emphasized good sportsmanship and that there are going to be good days and bad days.

On a hot summer day, if the show officials have made jackets optional (and it’s a small local show) then for the love of god why would you force your child to wear a jacket in steaming temperatures?  Or, if your child doesn’t do well at a particular show, how about you don’t react in an immature and pouty manner?  I’ve actually witnessed some parents throw hissy fits when their child doesn’t come in the ribbons. This negative attitude carries over to children where showing is only about the ribbons and not the experience.  Many of these children treat the horse as a machine and a means with which to garner attention with little or no thought to the welfare of the horse.  And this my friends, is how the adult horse show divas are created.  They are programmed from an early age that they are superior and how they treat others and their horses are second to the winning of a ribbon.

What they don’t realize is, that if they are competing at local shows they are not going to get anywhere to the level needed to compete in the Olympics, and yet they still present themselves as prospective Olympic riders. The rest of us are realistic and know that the local shows are fun and nothing more than another activity with which to have fun with horses.

If you are relatively new to horses and decide you want to compete, always practice good sportsmanship whether you win or lose. This will give you a reputation of a pleasant person to be around and no one will be avoiding you at the next show.

Horse Shows – Are We Having Fun Yet?

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If you are interested in competing and you are close to going to your first horse show, there’s some things you can do to minimize the stress of the day.  I think to really enjoy a horse show you sort of need to know why you want to show in the first place.  Once you know what it is that’s motivating you, you’ll be able to gear your experience toward that end. There are those that are competitive, those that use it as a social outlet and those that simply want an objective opinion of their horse or their riding.  I fall into the third category, and although I would like to win, winning is more of a reflection of how well me and my horse are doing as opposed to me being better than someone else. If you’re using a show as a social outlet, then you are spending a lot of money to socialize, but hey who am I to judge. The more serious competitor is more of an athlete and is someone who takes shows very seriously. When warming up they are hyper focused and often aren’t too talkative until after their ride.

Regardless of which category you fall into, the best way to avoid stress and friction is to make sure all equipment is in its place, clothing is clean and ready to go and you get plenty of rest and are on time. When you arrive at the show grounds, you are already going to be a bit nervous, particularly if it’s your first show. Any added stress of not having everything you need is just going to make things fall apart once you enter the ring. Being on time is critical so you don’t feel rushed and exasperated. Your horse is only going to pick up on this which again, will make things go sideways.  This can be particularly stressful if you have a trainer that gripes at you for it. Be ready and be on time.

If you suffer from show nerves, the only real way to get over it is to do it a few times.  Having performance anxiety can often lead to mistakes or tension which won’t add to the ride. If you are worried about what other people think, just bear in mind that they have all had their own mishaps at a horse show, so if you fall off or make a mistake, you’re in good company. It might not feel that way at the time, but you’ll only improve the more you do it.  The most important aspect of any horse show is to have fun and learn from what does and doesn’t go well.

Open Letter To Barn Owners or Barn Managers

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I’m in a bit of a dilemma with my current boarding situation. Although my horse receives the best possible care, the owner of the barn is an impossible bitch to deal with. She uses the boarders equipment and supplies at will and encourages her riding students to do so.  However, when my daughter not thinking went to grab the barn owner’s hoof treatment, she was screamed at in a vicious and hateful way. You can’t do anything on your own or make your own decisions about the care of your horse without being chastised and talked down to about it.  This attitude is not limited to horses or the barn.  It doesn’t matter which subject you’re talking about, she knows more about it than you and will argue vehemently when she has no personal experience or point of reference to the subject being discussed.  This has made me all but avoid the barn like the plague. I have asked my daughter how she feels about this and because she wants to ride with the kids she has made friends with, she wants to stay at the current barn. Because she is the only one currently showing, I have given in and left the horse there for now. However, I’ve got one foot out the door and I really don’t see myself boarding there much longer.  Before I speak directly to barn owners or barn managers, I do want to acknowledge the following points:

1. Rules – I understand that rules are needed to maintain safety for both the people and the horses at the barn.

2. I get that you don’t want to stay up late and babysit a horse that is suffering from colic.

3. I understand there are some crazy people in the horse world with outlandish ideas.

Now that being said, your role as a barn owner or barn manager is to take care of my horse, period. It’s what you’re getting PAID for. Don’t bitch to me about the cost of things and how doing xyz for my horse costs money. If you’re not able to care for the horse properly at the current cost of board, than raise the board. Stop hanging the amount of the board over my head.  I love my horse and am willing to pay for him to receive optimum care.

I don’t feed my horse weird shit, or perform weird voodoo magic on him. Don’t tell me I can’t give my horse an occasional treat.  Horses don’t mug for treats if you teach them not too. It’s called training. He doesn’t get the treat if he mugs for it. It’s called operant behavioral conditioning and applies to all animals. Simply put, any behavior that is rewarded is likely to be repeated and any behavior that delivers an unpleasant response is likely to be avoided. If you don’t give him the treat if he bites or mugs, he’s going to learn that it doesn’t pay off.

There are as many theories about training horses as there are horses themselves. Just because it’s not the way you do it, doesn’t mean it’s not right. I don’t want your opinion on something unless I ask for it.  Yes you have many more years horse experience than I do, but you never stop learning and I can read and research just as well as you can. I’m an adult and can make up my own mind. I’ve never participated in any activity with my horse that is any more dangerous than riding.  I do understand in some cases if you see a train wreck ready to happen, that you would need to intervene, but that has never been the case with my horse. Your petty nagging is annoying and I think after owning my horse for seven years I know how to pull his mane and apply hoof treatment without your assistance or opinion. This applies to bathing him as well. Also, if I want to follow the Parellis, Clinton Anderson, Chris Cox or any other big name clinician, that is my prerogative and I would appreciate it if you would keep your comments to yourself.  Whether I use a carrot stick, handi stick or fuck me stick to work with my horse is none of your business.  You can think it’s silly or even that I’m nuts, I’m ok with that but shut the hell up.

When it comes to my life and how I raise my daughter, mind your own business. You are not nor have ever been a parent. You teaching a few lessons to kids each week no more qualifies you to be a parent than me riding on weekends qualifies me to compete in the Olympics. When those around you are talking about things that have nothing to do with the barn or horses, again, mind your own business.  You don’t get to dictate what others say and the conversations they have. It’s a bit presumptuous of you to insist that certain terms not be used around the barn. You are not the last authority on every possible subject, and because someone chooses to do something a different way than you doesn’t make it wrong, It works for them and brow beating them and arguing with them just to get them to say you’re right is rude and obnoxious. Simply put, shut up.

The tack room is not an open tack store for you. For someone who is always complaining about money, you seem to think that your boarders have an endless supply. Encouraging your boarders and students to help themselves to what’s in the tack room is unprofessional and is outright theft. And if you insist on having this open door policy to the tack room don’t flip out when someone goes to use your stuff.

Your barn is a BUSINESS with paying clients. If you don’t enjoy working with people and their quirks, then you should have chosen a different career path. These people pay you a shitload of money each month and are at the very least entitled to be treated with respect and not sprayed with venom any time you’re in a bad mood. Provided the boarders are paying on time and abiding by the barn rules, shut up and leave them alone and stay out of their stuff.

Don’t take your personal shit out on your boarders and students. If you chose to go back to the idiot loser that screwed you over five times, I don’t want to hear about how you’re now stalking him in an effort to “get your key back”.  This lame excuse is both childish and reminiscent of high school girl drama where the world was coming to an end when your boyfriend dumped you. Grow up and go to ace hardware and buy a new lock and for god sakes don’t take him back. Do not contact him and do not respond to any contact he attempts to make with you. And please, whatever you do, when I confront you about your behavior don’t use this as an excuse for the shitty way you treat everyone.  When you revert back to your nasty behavior you won’t be able to use this excuse next month.

And lastly, I don’t want to hear what other boarders are doing or not doing with their horses. I could care less. They probably aren’t showing up much because like me, they’re sick of your shit. Trust me, as long as my horse is fed and watered he could care less whether I show up or not. He’s just has happy hanging out in the field with his horsey friends and will not implode if I don’t come out every day. Perhaps if you were more pleasant to be around my horse would receive the benefit of my presence more often.

If you recognize yourself as a barn owner in any of this, you need to make a self-assessment and determine if your attitude and actions are hurting the business. Don’t pull rules out of your ass with lame justifications for them. Post a list in the barn so that there is no confusion as to what is acceptable and what is not. This way, boarders can decide if these are rules they can live with or not and move their horse accordingly.

Beginner Horse Riding – Barn Drama

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Anyone who’s been around boarding barns or riding lesson facilities for any amount of time knows exactly what I’m talking about. The Barn Drama. There’s always a know it all, chronic whiner, holier than thou or just all around pain in the rear. Nothing sucks the fun out of being around your horse more than one of these people. They seem to thrive on the back biting frenzy that ensues once a disagreement is voiced.

Here are some general descriptions of the types of people that are typically found at most boarding barns:

The Gutsy Rider

These riders will ride anything and attempt any jump that makes others cringe at the thought.  This wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that they don’t get why no else wants to take the risks that they’re taking.  Being able to ride the craziest horse in the barn gives these harpies a sense of superiority and they love flaunting that fact to others in the barn.  These people are best ignored and avoided.

The Whiner

The whiner is someone that always has a life crisis going on and they want to make sure everyone knows about it.  The question of  ”How’s it going?” is usually met with a laundry list of aches and ailments and how their grandfather has “the gout”.  Their riding ability is at a standstill and they often lament about how they aren’t progressing.  Listen, if all you want to do is walk your horse on a leisurely trail ride, then great, but don’t NOT put some time into learning, and then question why it’s not happening.  Again, avoidance of these conversations is the best defense.

The Know It All

In my opinion, this is the absolute worst type of horse person, particularly when you’re new to riding or horse ownership.  They consistently have to offer their opinion whether asked for or not.  You can’t make a move around your horse without hearing “I wouldn’t do that, because INSERT CRAP HERE.”  Listen, there are as many methods of training, feeding, and riding as there are types of horses.  There is no one size fits all and there’s nothing more frustrating than doing something with your horse that has positive results, only to be told by the know it all that it’s wrong.  The best way to deal with these people is to thank them politely for the advice and then ignore them after that.  These types will generally start some gossip about you along the lines of  ”Did you know what so and so is doing with her horse?”. In a word, WHATEVER.  The know it all usually falls under The Gossip as well.

The Gossip

As in most other groups of people, the horse world has these types as well. The gossip seems to take particular pleasure in spreading hate and malcontent throughout the barn. Everyone else is inferior and they love telling you why.  Beware the gossip. Rest assured if they are bad mouthing other folks to you, they are bad mouthing you to other people.

The best way to enjoy your time at the barn is to keep an eye out for when the barn troublemaker is around and ride at opposite times if possible.  This can be a bit tricky if the person you are having difficulty with is the barn owner or barn manager.  If this is the case, and you otherwise like the facility where you ride, try to have an adult conversation to work things out.  If you sense that the situation won’t change, it’s best to move on so that you can continue your enjoyment of riding.  At the end of the day, mind your own business and don’t worry what others are doing with their riding.  We are all individual and by accepting what each person’s limits and ideas are, even though they might not be the same as our own, we make the barn a more enjoyable place for everyone.