Things you must know before taking riding lessons

Are you planning to start with horse riding lessons? If so, the following suggestions will provide you information on how to choose the right school, coach, what to wear and other tips that will make your initial riding period successful. Take a look.

Make a good selection of riding school

When you are searching for a riding school, you have to find the one that meets your needs and wishes. If you have a friend who is rider, you can ask him to give you recommendation of some good riding school. If you don’t know anyone who is rider, you can check the local listing of horse schools or horse stables. Make a list of the top 10 riding schools and try to visit them. It’s really important to feel the atmosphere in the school, before you pay for riding classes. Besides, you have to check what kinds of riding lessons are offered on the school’s program (just to be sure that they can teach you the riding style that you want to learn). There are many types of riding lessons you can choose from, such as: dressage, tail riding, western riding etc.

Make an effort to find a good trainer or instructor

After you have decided what kind of riding lessons you want to learn, try to find a trainer or instructor competent for that kind of riding lessons. The best way to do that is to have full information about the trainers’ history, their references and certificates. Also,if you have a chance, you can go to the school and see the riding trainers in action. Pay attention on the way they are talking to the beginners. Do you like the way they communicate with their clients? Do they teach clearly and patiently, in a way that you can understand? The answers of these questions will lead you to finding the right trainer for you.

Inform yourself about the horse’s anatomy and behavior

It’s really essential to expose yourself to content that is full with fundamental information about the horses. The more you know about the horses, the more you’ll be able to understand their behavior. So, try to read magazines or books on horse themes. If you feel bored about book reading, try to playing horse games. There are lots of educational horse games on the internet. For an example, playing the game “Body Parts” will give you all basic information about the horse anatomy. It’s fun and useful at the same time.

Find the proper equipment for riding

As the riding day comes nearer, it’s really important to have good and proper equipment for riding. One of the most important parts of the equipment is the hat. Before buying/renting this piece of equipment, you should check that hat fits perfectly on your head. Also, make sure it is not a second hand (second hand hat may look good on the outside but can be damaged on the inside). Except the hat, you should wear clothes that don’t restrict your movement. Try to wear long, stretch pants that protect your legs from rubbing against the saddle. Wearing boots with low heel will keep your foot in the right position in the stirrup.

You have to know that the riding school usually offers all the necessary equipment for the first lessons. But, as you progress with the riding lessons you must buy your own gear.

I hope these preparation steps will give you a wonderful and enjoyable first time riding experience.