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RIDING LESSON HOW-TOs

Have you always wanted to learn to ride a horse? Horseback riding is fun, and it offers excellent exercise.

Before you begin your horseback riding lessons, you will want to select a super stable. You can probably find several local equestrian facilities in the phone book or online.

DISCIPLINE MATTERS

Do you have any idea what kind of horseback 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 other equestrian disciplines.

Most often, beginning horseback riders wind up pursuing the first equestrian discipline they attempt, which is usually a factor of the first horse barn where they happen to schedule a horseback riding lesson.

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

CHOOSE A RIDING INSTRUCTOR

If you have the opportunity and time to do so, try to watch a few horseback riding instructors in action. Do they teach clearly and patiently with beginning equestrians? Are the equestrian trainers careful about horseback riding safety? How do they treat the horses?

Are the horses well groomed and maintained? Are saddles, bridles and other tack items neat and clean?

Introduce yourself, and ask a few brief questions.

Compare equestrian trainers' teaching styles, horseback riding lesson procedures, and prices. Look at the horseback riding facility carefully, and consider the overall condition of the school horses.

GETTING READY TO RIDE

Read basic books or magazine articles about horseback riding. Scan the internet for how-to features on horses and equestrian sports. Look at pictures of capable horseback riders. Examine their posture and position in the saddle.

Be sure to get a full night of sleep the night before your first horseback riding lesson. Eat a good breakfast or lunch before you go to the stables. 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!

SUITING UP FOR HORSEBACK RIDING

You do not need a full equestrian wardrobe to take horseback riding lessons. Sturdy

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