What Is a Horse School?

When you start searching “horse schools”, you’ll find there are many different kinds. There are different university programs for equine studies, professional riding certification, and professional horse training certification, to name a few. There are also schools that use horses for hippotherapy, in which children and adults with certain disabilities are taught to care for and ride horses as part of their therapy.

You’ll also find that there are schools in which only horseback riding is taught. These, of course, are not full-time schools, but more in the private lesson or small-group category.
Still other “horse schools” actually train your horse to do the actions you want. Whether you are barrel racing, show jumping, or wishing to compete in dressage events, there are schools for your horse and for yourself.

However, in this situation, let’s look at the kind of horse school that is, simply stated, a school for your children to attend, which also has horses.

This kind of horse school is every child’s dream come true. To think, that expect of P.E. class where you acquire hit in the face with a dodge ball, you could actually learn to ride and control a wonderful horse!

This school usually has a stable of horses available for horsemanship classes. These horses will range in temperament. For beginners, many schools will use draft horse crosses because of the steady, cheerful personalities of the breeds. These horses will be well trained in following commands, but not easily spooked or confused.

For advanced riders who are already competing, more thoroughbreds and special breeds of horses will be used. These horses are more athletic and respond well to the correct signals from the rider. The stable supervisor will know his/her horses well enough to match the horse to the rider for final safety and success.

With a high quality horse school, your child will have the chance to receive professional training in horsemanship, even moving into competitive riding. Most horse schools will also have stables available for private citizen’s horses, so if you want to send your child’s horse to school, that is possible. If your child will be riding simply for pleasure, and you want him to have his own horse, this is a good solution. Most horse schools will also allow you to “rent” horses on a per-ride basis. This way, if your child is an occasional rider, he can pay a fee per ride or per month to go horseback riding with his friends.

The benefits of a horse school are various, not the least of which is that children who have grown up around the wonderful animals don’t have to suddenly be without a horse while at boarding school. The self-control, self-discipline, and poise  needed to do well in equestrian classes are great for children, and the  cability to control such an intelligent and powerful animal certainly is good for the student’s self-confidence.