Horseback Riding Articles

Horseback riding can be both safe and fun. My first exposure to horseback riding came when my older sister started riding horses. My interest, of course, was in the fact that horseback riding appealed to girls, so when my sister went horseback riding, there were lots of girls around. And, as a teenager, I was very interested in girls! So, whenever my sister went to ride horses, I went along to see whom I might meet.

Much later in life I was fortunate enough to have a daughter, and, sure enough, she too wanted to get into horseback riding. So, being the good father I am, I started researching the subject and began looking for a horse. I wanted one which was well trained, gentle and good with small children. I soon purchased her a horse named “Little Guy”. Now, this name did not do this horse justice! He was no “little guy” being about 17 hands which works out to 5’ 8” at the withers, but he pleased my daughter and she soon was taking lessons and learning all she could about horseback riding.

As it turns out there is a lot of information out there, free for the asking. Each new piece of information sent us down yet another path, and it took a long time to separate the wheat from the chaff. At first she could not decide whether to ride “Western” or “English”, so off we went to purchase two saddles and associated paraphernalia. Now we needed a locker to store all of this stuff in.

Eventually she settled on “Western”, and we began to hear about “shows”. Next problem – how do you get a horse from the barn where you are keeping it to a show? Get a trailer, right? Well, as luck would have it, she had made a few friends and most of these trailers will carry more than one horse. So, problem solved for the time being.

Now more lessons were needed, more time to train and more time to get ready. Cowboy hat, boots, chaps and more needed to be acquired, along with a fancy dress shirt and string tie to complete the outfit. For those of you who do not know it, shows are long…!

Shows are an all day deal, and you need to be prepared with your folding chairs, lots of water, sunscreen, sunglasses and a fan to keep the flies away. But the reward is seeing your little girl with a smile bigger than Montana when she rides up with that pretty red ribbon! Ah yes, the red ribbon – but the real goal is the blue ribbon!!!

Don’t get me wrong – it is a great way to spend time with a daughter. And, there is another benefit. Remember at the start when I told you about going with my sister to meet girls? Turns out many boys today are missing the boat, and that was fine with me. I preferred my daughter spending time with her horse and learning all she could about horseback riding instead of chasing boys.

Learn more about horseback riding at Horse Riding Made Easy!

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