Riding Lessons instead of Purchasing a Horse

“Mom, I want a horse!”

“Mom, I want to barrel race.”

If this is becoming a common phrase in your home, I have good news.

No need to invest tons of money in a horse, saddle, barn, fencing, etc.

Reasons to consider riding lessons before or instead of purchasing a horse:

1) Horses consume lots of time.

“Jill really loves to ride, but I just can’t seem to find time to get her out to your place for lessons.”

I know how busy life can be, but if you don’t have time to drive out to lessons, you probably don’t have time for a horse. Horses that are stalled must be fed twice a day, the stall must be cleaned once a day, water buckets rinsed out & filled back up, & the farrier will need to visit your place about every 6 weeks.

Horses are a huge time investment.

2) Horses have a mind of their own.

Don’t expect the worst but prepare for it. We have lots of bombproof horses at our facility, but if they are stung by a bee, I can almost guarantee, they won’t stand still. Would you?

In the event of them being spooked, stung, or startled, we teach our students how to handle a startled horse. Then, it just becomes muscle memory.

3) Kids get to learn in a safe, controlled environment with other students.

Riding by yourself can be boring, & not the best idea should something go wrong. Our students start out in our arena that is safe & controlled, & then we go out on trails.

4) Parents can ask questions and become more knowledgeable through lessons.

Horsemanship=continual learning. While your child is learning how to handle a horse, we welcome questions from parents. Every sporting event has a coach. You & your child will need a coach, especially if you are new to horses.

5) Riding lessons save you money.

Have you ever looked really forward to something, only to realize, it wasn’t what you expected.

Susie comes out and realizes that horses are not her thing. However, Mom & Dad have invested in a saddle, bridle, blanket, horse, barn, fencing, horse trailer, etc.

How much money could have been saved if Susie came out for lessons a few times? Thousands.

Good riders make riding look easy.

There is so much more to riding than sitting up & holding on.

Invest in knowledge & become a better horseman/horsewoman before purchasing a horse. It will save you money & time!