Riding the 1st time! Any advice?

[lovechick]

This is soo exiting, I volunteer at this equestrian center, and now I'm taking lessons there also, yesterday was my 1st time ever to ride on a horse, and I loved it!!!:D It was the best experience ever, I absolutely love horses!:agree: It was kinda scary at first, legs shaking.. ha ha:blush: But then 10 minutes into it I felt like I was born in the saddle!:cheer2: It was so cool!
Anywayz my question is should I take any precations as a begginer rider? The instructor is really nice and she explains pretty much everything, but is there something else I should know?

Thanx for all the info!!!:musicman: :queen: :p

[Shemmyboy]

Learn how to fall of and do an emergency dismount. don't use stirrups yet and ask your instructor if you really have to use reigns yet. what bridle do you use? does it have a bit? if it has a bit and the techer says you have to use reigns than be soft on the horse's mouth. lunging is just about the best thing now.
good luck!
Shemmyboy (I'm actually a girl, if you're wondering. My pony's a boy.)

[lovechick]

thanks for reply, i've been riding for about 2 months now, its great!!! Yes I use the bridle with a shaffle bit, the horse responds ok, well the one I ride is lazy one, but I tried riding this other one, and when I was doing small jump, he wouldnt go, so I kicked him a bit, but since he's so sensitive, he jumped way up high, and I almost lost my control, lol.... but it was fun, then we went bareback riding, its hard, especially when I try to do little trot...lol... Ok gotta go bye!!:D

[Shemmyboy]

COOL!!!!!:agree: :D

[Nevertoomany]

The best way to ride is bareback.

You get a good feel for your horse and learn to sit properly and balance.

I start all my students off bareback .

And learning how to fall off is VERY important. For starters you won't be afraid when you DO come off -- and you will -- we all do . And if you are prepared you are less likely to get hurt.

I start to giggle when my gelding trots because it is so strong there is NO WAY to stay on bareback. He knows this so he will start out slowly and the get stronger till I am laughing so hard I start to fall. Then he comes back down to a walk till I get myself together.

I am going to get hurt doing this one of these days as the fall is longer than it used to be and i'm a lot older than I used to be. LOL

But riding my mare bareback is like sitting on a sofa and she takes it as a personal insult if you come off!

[lovechick]

I am so freaked about falling of the horse, I immidietly see myself all bruised, going to the hospital, I dunno why, I guess you could get serriously hurt if you do extreme things, not me...

lol, the 1st time i did bareback, this horse I rode is kinda bony, and his spine is kinda sticking out(nothing is wrong with him) but this lady said"oh youre gonna love it, his back is very wide" and I'm like "right" so I get on, and its soooo uncomfortable, I'm like(in my head) "Lady are you kidding?" but it was ok, I still like to ride him...:angel2:

[Nevertoomany]

In my youth -- before children and grands --
we used to ride this horse with the BONIEST back. Always ended up with a sore tush<G>

If you are afraid to come off you need to fall off.

Really ... you are more likely to be hurt if you are afaid because you will tense up.
Falling off is a part of riding. I could entertain you for hours with all the times i have come off --

Over a jump -- being videoed -- and being watched by the ENTIRE US Equestrian team.
They applauded my nose dive-- I wanted to dig a hole and die!!!! Fortunately they are now all too old to remember this <G>

Coming off a horse ( while showing off ) in front of a group of beginner riders and a a LOT of spectators.

You know what they say -- the larger the audience the stupider the fall!!!!

MOST horse accidents are the riders fautl but you can minimize the damage by learning how to come off in different situations .

I became VERY GOOD at diving between the fence rails when I learned to ride by Gelding. My mare used to bolt so fast i'd be left standing on the gound without even knowing she had left me!

I once single handedly paid for the barn party!!!! ( You pay $1 for every time you come off and $5 if you do it at a show)

So kiddo -- learn how to fall and you won't be afraid!

[PyscoFalcon]

It's actually quite funny when your horse stops at a jump but you continue right over it.

I've also had a horse drop it's shoulder putting me in a big puddle too. Horse just looked at me as if to say "what you doing down there"

[Nevertoomany]

Exactly PyscoFalcon!

And you KNOW they are laughing at you!

My mare always gets this pained look on her face as if she is soooooooo embarrased by your lack of skill <G>
And yet she just DUMPED you ( preferaable in the largest mud or manure puddle she can find!

My mare is a "dirty " jumper -- she can run out on a bounce fance AFTER she has taken off.

You learn to have a really really good seat on her<G>

[horseluver12]

Hi,

Well, no, not really any advice. Just watch what you're doing, and pay attention to your instructor, and the horse your riding.:angel6:

Good luck with your riding and have fun!

Thanks, Lisa

[lovechick]

Thanks guys, i love riding its a lot of fun, cant wait to get my own horse.. Bytheway does anybody know what is the average price for a horse? Are geldings more expensive than stallions? And I was reading a horse book and it says to shoe and trim horses hooves every month, if the horse is only ridden on soft ground and sometimes one hard, do u just trim their hooves or shoe them too? Also I wanted to ask if 1 acre of land is enough for 1 horse to keep there, cause we 1 acre and I'm not sure if its big enough.

Ok thats it, thanks a lot again..:angel2:

[The animal gurl]

Well I see a lot of cheap horses. But you can buy two yearlings for $400 because they aren't trained but a trained winning show horse can go up to $40,000. Or if you buy from a special breeder they can cost up to 200,000 if they have winning show lines. But if you were to adopt there is a chance of them being spooky or have vices. So there really isn't a normal/average price for a horse it is pretty much the quality. Hope I was some help.


Gianna:agree:

[The animal gurl]

I don't live in NC but my Aunt does and she owns a horse farm so I can get a lot of auction places if you do decide to get a horse.


Gianna

[The animal gurl]

Oh, and stallions tend to be more then geldings but not all the time. And yes you should shoe and trim your horses hooves every month even if its on soft ground. I am not sure if an acre is enough so I can't answer that question.



Gianna:D :agree:

[lovechick]

Thanks a lot, I dont think I'll get a horse soon, maybe not even until I get out of college(like in 5-6 years), so theres plenty of time for me to do more research... :angel2:

[MagnoliaFly]

Unless you plan on breeding dont get a stallion. Being a beginner you wont be able to handle the power of a stallion. Get a gelding or a mare that is well trained for a beginner and is bomb proof.
An acre of land probably wont be enough. You need to have turn out paddocks that can be rotated to allow the grass to grow back and an area to ride your horse every day to give him/her excercise. You'll probably end up boarding. Get 6-7 years under saddle and competing, learning training techniques, grooming, going to horse auctions and getting other horse experience before thinking of buying.

[SacredWarGirl23]

When I started riding I rode bareback. I found that if you ride bareback you have a less chance of getting hurt because your foot will not get hung up. Your instuctor would be able to teach you how to ride bareback. Also it helps you become a better rider because you will get used to hanging on with your legs. I also train horses bareback, but that's just the way I learned to ride. Once you become more experienced you could go to a western saddle. In my opinions it's easier to ride western than english, but I have never liked english riding.
Also I would say that for your first horse get a gelding. Most of the time they are easier to handle than stallions and mares can be pretty tempermental exspecially when they go in to heat. And stallions are just so powerful. I own one and he is very hard to handle. He's alot of horse!
Hope this helped!
~Haley~

[The animal gurl]

Yeah I agree with Haley(just I love English) and when you ride bare back it helps yuo learn how to get your balance. Or you can ride with a saddle and fold over the stirrups. Actually that is quite hard when you want to trot and canter with no sturrups! But ALL OF HORSE BACK RIDING IS FUN!!!!!!!-[SIZE=1]except when you fall which will happen[SIZE=3] Hope you have fun riding!

[Shemmyboy]

Ok guys, what's your fav horse color???Mine's Strawberry roan and blood bay.:agree:

[horseluver12]

Hi,

I don't really have a favorite horse color, I like them all! But I would have to say that Blacks and Chesnuts look quite stunning in the Dressage ring!:D As for the jumpers, I would have to say: Dapple Greys, and bays! I just like all the colors!

Lisa

[The animal gurl]

I love the color dun!!!! I think it is soooo pretty! Yup! But in the show or jumping I would have to say either jet black or a real solid color!






*~Gianna~*:D :agree:

[Shemmyboy]

my pony's dunskin.(dun and buckskin, I don't know what it is):agree: :D

[lovechick]

Are horses that are dun, are beige with black mane and tail?

[Shemmyboy]

It varys, which makes it even harder to tell. LOL I think it varies frombiege to golden i don't know. Try looking in a horse book.