Horse Stables—what to look for

[nicolewi]

I signed the girls up for a few horseback riding lessons lessons and they are absolutely loving it. My seven-year-old, especially, is just absolutely all about this right now. From the minute we got home last time, she spent the week repeatedly asking when she got to go to horseback riding again. Today, she didn’t want to leave. I think we’re really in trouble! I avoided this for a while bc $$$, but it is not uncommon to take lessons in our semi-rural area.

My older daughter has two friends who are really into horseback riding and they take lessons at two different stables, not the one we are currently using for the intro package. I was tentatively thinking maybe we would just try doing a lesson at each of those other stables to see how they all compare, before we get too far into this at any one place.

I did not grow up with horses at all. Any advice on what we should look for when we look at different stables?

[loira]

I will reply to this later when I'm home from Thanksgiving dinner. I did the hunter/jumper circuit for over 10 years. Also, congratulations and RIP your wallet. 😂

[brady2012]

I just went through this search for my daughter. We tried several out before finding the right fit. I owned horses and competed all over the country until I had kids.

Safety is obviously the biggest factor. Look for a barn that has a good number of school horses in various sizes, calm (none running off with kids in lessons). Look to see if they are well cared for - not too skinny. Ask how many kids per Lesson. My preference was for my daughter to have private lessons until she could steer independently at the trot. If that’s not possible I wouldn’t want a group lesson bigger than 3-4.

Ask about the credentials of the instructors - some sports have credentialing (like eventing certifies instructors) but many good instructors have just been teaching kids forever and they can be equally as good. Ask other parents how long their kids have been there and watch a few lessons.

My personal recommendation is to try and find a pony club riding center. Pony Club teaches horsemanship, rather than just riding. The kids learn to care for the horses, feed, vet care etc. Even if you don’t join the pony club - you will know that the lesson program is premised on horsemanship and safety first. www.ponyclub.org/ContentDocs/GeneralAdmin/RidingCenterPromo.pdf

Also, if possible find a local tack shop to fit her for a helmet. There are different shapes and sizes and it does help to try them on to get the correct fit.

Good luck! Riding shaped my life in a lot of great ways and I wouldn’t change the experience for anything.

[loira]

Everything brady2012 said.

Even if it's not Pony club affiliated, the instructors should be constantly teaching horsemanship. For beginner lessons, they should be teaching the kids to groom and tack up properly, and untack and the importance of cooling a horse down properly. <-- This is especially important if you live in a colder climate. This will mean less time riding at first, but it's part of the fundamentals of learning to ride. Definitely avoid any barns that have the horses already ready, where the kids just ride and nothing else.

Take a look at the lesson board and see how often the lesson horses are used. Horses need breaks and days off, just like people.

I personally would look for a barn with a strong competitive program. Your girls may never get that far, but it's a good indication of the quality of the trainers and the school horse program, since lots of competitive juniors come out of those programs.

If possible, see if you can get a feel for the atmosphere in the barn. Do students chat with each other? Are the parents friendly and involved? My trainer never tolerated bullying and mean gossip, but I knew lots of barns where this seemed to be the ethos, and that can take a wonderful sport and make it miserable.

[minniemouse]

Following. My dd wants to take lessons. I’m trying to decide if we should just stay at the place she did horse camp at over the summer or look into other schools.

[brady2012]

Oct 11, 2020 19:32:58 GMT -5 loira said:

If possible, see if you can get a feel for the atmosphere in the barn. Do students chat with each other? Are the parents friendly and involved? My trainer never tolerated bullying and mean gossip, but I knew lots of barns where this seemed to be the ethos, and that can take a wonderful sport and make it miserable.

This is great advice - In a sport dominated by preteen/teen girls who typically end up competing against each other it’s really important that the trainers encourage collaboration and come down hard on bullying.

[imojoebunny]

brady2012, has great advice. My kids started riding at 4, and they loved it. Their teacher's husband lost his job, and she had to go back to office work, but for 3 and 5 years, she was an amazing teacher. If you are not interested in showing, it is nice to find a teacher who is into teaching care/safety and the various ways to ride. I rode a lot as a kid, trail, dressage, hunter/jumper, small attempt at polo, and steeplechase (this is only for the the truly crazy, but it is super fun.) We are too city for my kids to ride now regularly. I haven't found someone so awesome, as their previous teacher that we can make work. I have a pretty jackass of a neck injury from my teen/early 20's years, which could be from horses, cars, or water sports. Hard to say, but I have had some pretty bad horse injuries. If you live in a place where it is possible, and not stupid expensive, then I would ask locally what is available. I never liked dressage, but loved all the other things.

[ilikedonuts]

Oct 11, 2020 20:35:09 GMT -5 brady2012 said:

Oct 11, 2020 19:32:58 GMT -5 loira said:

If possible, see if you can get a feel for the atmosphere in the barn. Do students chat with each other? Are the parents friendly and involved? My trainer never tolerated bullying and mean gossip, but I knew lots of barns where this seemed to be the ethos, and that can take a wonderful sport and make it miserable.

This is great advice - In a sport dominated by preteen/teen girls who typically end up competing against each other it’s really important that the trainers encourage collaboration and come down hard on bullying.

Yes this for sure!!

I rode/owned horses from grade school until I got married. I was an eventer and ended up showing dressage a lot too. I think you can very much get a feel for a lesson barn too by talking to the barn owner/barn manager. It was pretty easy for my mom to pick out who truly cared vs who just wanted our money and didn’t care how they got it.

My parents started me out with one lesson a week and I cleaned stalls every Saturday (and eventually taught tack lessons) to earn credit for extra lessons. It helped me appreciate it all so much more and I learned so much!

I wish my girls were into horses. My oldest did a week of summer camp 2 summers in a row and liked it, but not enough to want to pick it over swimming. My youngest was going to go to try horse camp this summer, but then covid. I miss horses 🐎

[ilikedonuts]

Also my mom was kind enough to save literally every receipt from 13+ years of riding/owning, etc. She found them a few years ago and gave them to me. 😳 Just be warned that it adds up quickly if you think your kids will be in it for the long haul.

[minzy]

My very first thing would be helmets. If you ever see a barn lax on those, run. Helmets are 100% non-negotiable. Concussions happen even with them (my sister had a few and I fell off probably 8 or 9 times over the course of my nearly decade long Pony Club “career”). I know of a few deaths within the community I rode in, because people were not wearing a helmet, and forgot for just a moment, that they were in the company of a 1200 pound animal with the mentality of a three year old.

That said, competing with USPC and having my own horses was a great way to learn responsibility, respect and compassion for animals, and how to perform before a group. I became a decent athlete as a teenager, and had a lot of fun with friends. It is something I look back on warmly.

[nicolewi]

Wow, thanks, this is really great. I did not even THINK about the snotty girls/attitude aspect, but I can totally see that being a thing.

I'm worried about both the danger factor and the $$ factor, but so far I have never seen DD2 so interested in something. Eeek!!! Maybe it will fizzle out...but for now, I am going to need to explore a few options.

Especially with her dyslexia, I'd like her to be able to find something that she really loves, where she can have success and a sense of accomplishment.

[brady2012]

Oct 13, 2020 8:45:59 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

Wow, thanks, this is really great. I did not even THINK about the snotty girls/attitude aspect, but I can totally see that being a thing.

I'm worried about both the danger factor and the $$ factor, but so far I have never seen DD2 so interested in something. Eeek!!! Maybe it will fizzle out...but for now, I am going to need to explore a few options.

Especially with her dyslexia, I'd like her to be able to find something that she really loves, where she can have success and a sense of accomplishment.

FWIW, my childhood coach was dyslexic and he rode for the US team and also designed/built jump courses.  I think he excelled at coaching because of his dyslexia.  His instructions were always descriptive and clear.

Good luck, my parents knew nothing about horses when I started begging for lessons. Fast forward 12 years to my dad driving a truck and trailer halfway across the country to drop me off at college. 

I know all sports can have a beneficial impact on children, but riding horses is in a category of its own.  It has been a life saver for DD and DS during Covid.

www.parent.com/the-surprising-way-horses-benefit-kids-emotional-and-social-skills/

[aliciabella]

I grew up with my mom owning horses and my 10 year old dd is a competitive rider. In terms of the barn the biggest indicator of a barn quality is the look of the horses. Are they clean? Is this coat shiny? Can you see their back hinds? If so, they are probably too skinny which is not a good sign. Horses should be lean but not skinny and they should be outside almost all day. If they aren't, then that isn't a good barn.

I would also be at a place with an indoor and an outdoor ring. I would also go with your dds and watch a few lessons to get a feel.

Lastly, I would ask around. The horse circuit can basically be a real housewives episode at times but people will be upfront and say, " no, don't go there, or I like this trainer better," etc. And take their advice because they are always right.

I would also spend some money on getting them their own helmets. They should get fitted for it and use that every time they ride. All the other gear, try to find used. Everything is expensive but used stuff is more affordable.


Good luck!

[freshsqueezed]

Oct 13, 2020 13:17:13 GMT -5 brady2012 said:

Oct 13, 2020 8:45:59 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

Wow, thanks, this is really great. I did not even THINK about the snotty girls/attitude aspect, but I can totally see that being a thing.

I'm worried about both the danger factor and the $$ factor, but so far I have never seen DD2 so interested in something. Eeek!!! Maybe it will fizzle out...but for now, I am going to need to explore a few options.

Especially with her dyslexia, I'd like her to be able to find something that she really loves, where she can have success and a sense of accomplishment.

FWIW, my childhood coach was dyslexic and he rode for the US team and also designed/built jump courses.  I think he excelled at coaching because of his dyslexia.  His instructions were always descriptive and clear.

Good luck, my parents knew nothing about horses when I started begging for lessons. Fast forward 12 years to my dad driving a truck and trailer halfway across the country to drop me off at college. 

I know all sports can have a beneficial impact on children, but riding horses is in a category of its own.  It has been a life saver for DD and DS during Covid.

www.parent.com/the-surprising-way-horses-benefit-kids-emotional-and-social-skills/

My son is in equine therapy and it has been great for him. Thanks for posting this article,

[aliciabella]

Oct 18, 2020 15:34:52 GMT -5 freshsqueezed said:

Oct 13, 2020 13:17:13 GMT -5 brady2012 said:

FWIW, my childhood coach was dyslexic and he rode for the US team and also designed/built jump courses.  I think he excelled at coaching because of his dyslexia.  His instructions were always descriptive and clear.

Good luck, my parents knew nothing about horses when I started begging for lessons. Fast forward 12 years to my dad driving a truck and trailer halfway across the country to drop me off at college. 

I know all sports can have a beneficial impact on children, but riding horses is in a category of its own.  It has been a life saver for DD and DS during Covid.

www.parent.com/the-surprising-way-horses-benefit-kids-emotional-and-social-skills/

My son is in equine therapy and it has been great for him. Thanks for posting this article,

Hands to God horses are the most therapeutic animals.They are truly the best.

[mrsGreeko]

My oldest rides and we literally chose our barn because the owners had sent their kids (my DD’s trainer) to our school. We did lessons and she liked it. I think early on you can just take some more lessons at the place you already are at or try out others and just see which feels right. I feel like you’ll know the right place. We loved the barn we started at so we’ve stayed.

My other 2 kids rode for awhile. My middle for like 18 months and my youngest for about 6 months. It only stuck for oldest. We now lease a horse (Who unfortunately is lame at the moment, but the barn has worked out a slightly different plan for us so we keep leasing him, but she rides another horse temporarily and also helps with his care and therapy) and she was supposed to do her first show last week, but she got exposed to stupid covid at school so she had to quarantine instead.

It’s not cheap. And when they get really into it it takes up a lot of time and even more money. But, the benefits seem to be huge.

[brady2012]

Oct 18, 2020 15:38:43 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

Oct 18, 2020 15:34:52 GMT -5 freshsqueezed said:

My son is in equine therapy and it has been great for him. Thanks for posting this article,

Hands to God horses are the most therapeutic animals.They are truly the best.

I credit pretty much everything good in my life to horses.  I learned compassion, patience, selflessness and responsibility from horses.  I always tell people that my transition to motherhood didn't feel that big because I had been responsible for a horse since I was nine years old.  But truly, having a best friend who was always there for me when I was navigating preteen and teen years was probably the most important role horses played in my life.

[trissie18]

Oct 18, 2020 14:31:39 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

I would also spend some money on getting them their own helmets. They should get fitted for it and use that every time they ride. All the other gear, try to find used. Everything is expensive but used stuff is more affordable.

100% agree with this and it is very important not to buy the cheapest helmet. You don't have to buy the most expensive but do some research before buying to find a quality helmet. One of our adult lesson students recently fell off a large pony at the trot and suffered a concussion because she didn't have a quality helmet.

I have owned, ridden, and shown horses for the last 30 years and agree with all of the advice you have gotten from pps. Not every child and instructor click so make sure your daughter(s) continue to have fun and appear to be learning at each lesson. If not, then do not feel bad trying another barn.

[TR]

Oct 20, 2020 11:53:53 GMT -5 trissie18 said:

Oct 18, 2020 14:31:39 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

I would also spend some money on getting them their own helmets. They should get fitted for it and use that every time they ride. All the other gear, try to find used. Everything is expensive but used stuff is more affordable.

100% agree with this and it is very important not to buy the cheapest helmet. You don't have to buy the most expensive but do some research before buying to find a quality helmet. One of our adult lesson students recently fell off a large pony at the trot and suffered a concussion because she didn't have a quality helmet.

So this is the opposite of what the tack shop told me when I bought a helmet. They said all helmets have to pass the same safety standards so even the least expensive ones were just as safe. Maybe some places sell helmets that haven't passed these inspections?

[loira]

Oct 20, 2020 11:57:01 GMT -5 TR said:

Oct 20, 2020 11:53:53 GMT -5 trissie18 said:

100% agree with this and it is very important not to buy the cheapest helmet. You don't have to buy the most expensive but do some research before buying to find a quality helmet. One of our adult lesson students recently fell off a large pony at the trot and suffered a concussion because she didn't have a quality helmet.

So this is the opposite of what the tack shop told me when I bought a helmet. They said all helmets have to pass the same safety standards so even the least expensive ones were just as safe. Maybe some places sell helmets that haven't passed these inspections?

I actually think the fit of the helmet is more important than the price. In Canada, they all need to meet the same safety standards. You used to be able to buy the little hunt caps (we called them brain buckets because they were useless for safety) but I don't think tack shops even sell those anymore. Anyway, just like with a bike helmet, your kid's hard hat should fit them now. Don't buy it to grow into. But if you get into showing eventually, you'll have to leave room for the hair that will need to be tucked up into it.

When I was 14, I was really miffed that my parents wouldn't let me wear the nicer looking hunt caps. Then my bulky safe helmet saved my life when my horse took a tumble on top of me. I was unconscious for several minutes and had a concussion that took months to recover from. I'm convinced that the damage would have been far worse without it.

[aliciabella]

Oct 20, 2020 11:57:01 GMT -5 TR said:

Oct 20, 2020 11:53:53 GMT -5 trissie18 said:

100% agree with this and it is very important not to buy the cheapest helmet. You don't have to buy the most expensive but do some research before buying to find a quality helmet. One of our adult lesson students recently fell off a large pony at the trot and suffered a concussion because she didn't have a quality helmet.

So this is the opposite of what the tack shop told me when I bought a helmet. They said all helmets have to pass the same safety standards so even the least expensive ones were just as safe. Maybe some places sell helmets that haven't passed these inspections?

I guess like a lot of things there is a minimum safety standard- just like a car. But, some cars are safer than others. Science has come a very long way which includes helmets. Kids should get sized for a helmet because they more often fall off a horse and their head/ brain is still growing.

I wouldn't necessarily tell an adult to get fitted for a helmet but I think it is appropriate for a child.

Again, it can be expensive, but needs to be done.

[aliciabella]

Oct 20, 2020 12:12:41 GMT -5 loira said:

Oct 20, 2020 11:57:01 GMT -5 TR said:

So this is the opposite of what the tack shop told me when I bought a helmet. They said all helmets have to pass the same safety standards so even the least expensive ones were just as safe. Maybe some places sell helmets that haven't passed these inspections?

I actually think the fit of the helmet is more important than the price. In Canada, they all need to meet the same safety standards. You used to be able to buy the little hunt caps (we called them brain buckets because they were useless for safety) but I don't think tack shops even sell those anymore. Anyway, just like with a bike helmet, your kid's hard hat should fit them now. Don't buy it to grow into. But if you get into showing eventually, you'll have to leave room for the hair that will need to be tucked up into it.

When I was 14, I was really miffed that my parents wouldn't let me wear the nicer looking hunt caps. Then my bulky safe helmet saved my life when my horse took a tumble on top of me. I was unconscious for several minutes and had a concussion that took months to recover from. I'm convinced that the damage would have been far worse without it.

Right. The fit is more appropriate than the price. But, I still recommend getting sized for a helmet. You don't need to wearing riding pants or gloves for safety but spending money on a good fitting helmet is really important.

[trissie18]

Oct 20, 2020 11:57:01 GMT -5 TR said:

Oct 20, 2020 11:53:53 GMT -5 trissie18 said:

100% agree with this and it is very important not to buy the cheapest helmet. You don't have to buy the most expensive but do some research before buying to find a quality helmet. One of our adult lesson students recently fell off a large pony at the trot and suffered a concussion because she didn't have a quality helmet.

So this is the opposite of what the tack shop told me when I bought a helmet. They said all helmets have to pass the same safety standards so even the least expensive ones were just as safe. Maybe some places sell helmets that haven't passed these inspections?

While they all have to pass a minimum safety standard test they are not all created equal. This is the same for almost every safety related item - everything passes a minimum but others go above and beyond to ensure higher safety.

[loira]

Oct 20, 2020 13:39:43 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

Oct 20, 2020 12:12:41 GMT -5 loira said:

I actually think the fit of the helmet is more important than the price. In Canada, they all need to meet the same safety standards. You used to be able to buy the little hunt caps (we called them brain buckets because they were useless for safety) but I don't think tack shops even sell those anymore. Anyway, just like with a bike helmet, your kid's hard hat should fit them now. Don't buy it to grow into. But if you get into showing eventually, you'll have to leave room for the hair that will need to be tucked up into it.

When I was 14, I was really miffed that my parents wouldn't let me wear the nicer looking hunt caps. Then my bulky safe helmet saved my life when my horse took a tumble on top of me. I was unconscious for several minutes and had a concussion that took months to recover from. I'm convinced that the damage would have been far worse without it.

Right. The fit is more appropriate than the price. But, I still recommend getting sized for a helmet. You don't need to wearing riding pants or gloves for safety but spending money on a good fitting helmet is really important.

Totally agree! Definitely don't buy one online and figure it will fit well enough. Get a proper fitting. I just meant all other things (fit and safety) being equal, don't feel like more $$ necessarily means better.