Getting Ready for Horseback Riding: First Time in the Saddle

So you're ready to ride. Good for you! Of course, you will want to begin with a few lessons before you head out on the trails or into the open country.

How can you decide where and how to start?

Choose your discipline.

You may wish to browse in your local library and find a few basic books about horseback riding. Don't overlook the children's section, which may offer descriptive books with photos and diagrams. Look in the backs of several books for glossaries to explain terms you might not recognize.

Check out a few books that look promising. You will likely want to read these before your first lesson!

Do you have any idea what kind of riding you would like to do? You might choose from Western or English pleasure, trail riding, reining, barrel-racing, jumping, dressage, Saddle-seat, driving, and more.

Most often, beginning riders wind up pursuing the first discipline they learn, which is usually whatever is offered at the first barn where they happen to schedule a lesson. If they walk into a reining barn, they learn reining. If they stumble into a dressage stable, that's what they learn.

Many first-timers discover much later that they actually had many more options!

Find an appropriate barn.

You can begin by identifying several possibilities in the phone book or online. Maybe an equestrian-minded friend can offer a few helpful recommendations. Online breed and association registries usually list lesson barns and boarding stables. Many equestrian websites allow users to search for stables by region, state, breed, and other specifications.

The best plan is this: make a list of prospective lesson barns, and begin visiting them. Ask for a tour. Visit the horses that are there, and observe a few lessons, if you can. Be sure to select stables that actually offer lesson horses, as many barns do not. (In such spots, you would have to have your own horse to ride there.)

Look at the riding facility. Is the arena crowded? Does the barn have an indoor arena, and outdoor ring, or both? Are trails offered? Do participants respect safety and treat one another courteously?

Pick a riding instructor.

If you possibly can do so, try to watch a few riding instructors in action. Do they teach clearly and patiently with beginning riders? Are they careful about safety? How do they treat the horses?

Introduce yourself, and ask a few brief questions of each candidate. Compare teaching styles, lesson procedures, and prices.

Get ready to ride.

Read through a few books or magazine articles about horseback riding. Scan the internet for how-to items on horses and equestrian sports. Look at photographs of capable riders. Examine their posture and position.

Try to get a full night of sleep the night before your first lesson. Eat a good breakfast or lunch before you go. Grab a bottle of water and a healthy snack for the barn, and don't forget an apple or a big carrot to reward your first mount!

Suit up before saddling up.

You need not acquire a full equestrian wardrobe to begin taking riding lessons. Sturdy long pants or jeans and closed-toe, hard-soled shoes are essentials. (A 1" heel will protect your feet from slipping through the stirrups on the horse.)

In addition, ladies will want to wear a sturdy bra for riding, as a horse's gaits can be a bit bouncy, especially until you learn your balance and rhythm atop a horse.

Of course, you will need an approved riding helmet. Some stables will provide these for loan or rent, if you don't mind wearing someone else's hat. In some cases, a barn will allow a first-timer to wear a bicycle helmet, although it is not really designed for equestrian safety.

Show up on schedule.

Lessons are usually scheduled for 30 or 45 minutes. To maximize your time in the saddle, try to arrive at the barn a bit early for your lesson. You will probably be required to fill out some basic paperwork, including a liability release waiver.

Performing some basic calisthenics and stretches before you mount up will make you more flexible for your ride and probably prevent muscle soreness afterwards.

You may be invited to assist with the grooming and tacking up of your lesson horse. This is an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with your instructor and the horse and to gain confidence before your ride.

Enjoy your equestrian experience!

When it's your turn, your instructor will help you to mount up. He or she will adjust the horse's girth and fix the length of your stirrups.

In all likelihood, your first lesson will be a longe-line session. The instructor will control the speed and direction of the horse with a long line, which is attached to the horse's bridle. This frees you to focus on your position atop the horse.

Longe-line lessons are ideal for learning balance, rhythm, and confidence on horseback. As you take your first riding lesson, remember to take a deep breath. Hold your chin up, keep those heels down, and enjoy the ride!

Within a session or two, you will be happily riding along, piloting the horse yourself!