Horseback riding seems to be a sport which attracts more young girls than young men, and because my family had four boys and one girl I never expected to get involved in this sport. When I was younger my older sister was very interested in horses and horseback riding, as were my four younger sisters. At first this seemed to me a nuisance; however, I soon learned as I got older that it was a great place to meet girls.

For me horseback riding was not anything I was much interested in, but I did take a few lessons and gave it a try. My excursion into this sport was short lived, however, when I experienced a horse that had total disregard for the few commands I had learned. When I was finally deposited upon the ground I reached the conclusion that this was not an activity well suited for my personality.

Fast forward quite a few years, and a cute, bouncy little baby girl arrives as a blessing in our home. How quickly time passes, and at the age of ten my daughter decides she likes horses. Because most young children change their minds every ten seconds or so, and remembering my earlier experiences with horseback riding, I chose to ignore her requests to explore horseback riding as an acceptable activity for her.

However, and uncharacteristically, the request did not go away. In fact, after providing her with some Breyer Horse toys which I thought might satisfy her interest in horseback riding I thought the desire would disappear. Wrong! It simply increased her desire to get the real thing. The good part was it made gift giving easy and simple; the hard part was finally recognizing that this interest was not going away!

Soon I was actively engaged in researching horses and horseback riding. At that time the internet had not yet been invented by Al Gore, nor fully developed, so I had to go to the library and many book stores to begin the process of evaluating what was involved in supporting my daughter’s interest in horseback riding.

Next we began to visit local horse stables, take trips to the county fair and long talks about the privilege and responsibility of owning a horse. As a first step I took her to ride the ponies at the local zoo; this only piqued her interest more. Then it was off to a riding stable to rent a horse for an hour lesson in horseback riding, which further piqued her interest. Perhaps the most difficult part for me (father) was to see my little girl next to this huge horse with a smile from ear to ear and wondering how on earth she could ever control all of that horsepower.

But, as usual, I underestimated my daughter, and it turned out she not only could control a large animal, but she absolutely loved it. By now my wife gently nudged me and told me that it was time to get serious about finding the proper horse for my daughter, and to help her realize her dream of horseback riding as a sport.

I wish the internet had been available back then as it is now because the research would have been easier and less time consuming. There are many web sites, blogs and e-books available today, and they can really help you choose the right horse, explain how to buy a horse, what is involved in maintaining a horse and the lessons necessary for properly preparing your young one for the sport of horseback riding.

Learn more about horseback riding at Horse Riding Made Easy!