Anyone ride horses?

Thank you Becky for the response!! You have listed some great ideas!!

I guess I was under the assumption that if you pay for lessons that they would teach you everything, not just the riding part. Although, looking back, I did mention just learning to ride, but would definately want her to learn everything that she could do according to her age/ability at the time (as I think all of that would highly interest her as well, well maybe not the cleaning out the stalls part..LOL). She has done very well so far in helping me take care of all of our animals and if we were to ever get a horse, that wouldn't be an exception. But that is why LONG before I would get a horse of our own, I would volunteer/take lessons in learning how to completely take care of them/understand them, and she would go with me. But thank you for mentioning that, when I look further into lessons for her, I will make sure that they go into basics as well!!

Unfortunately, from briefly glancing at the website for our local 4H (which is a great idea that I didn't think about, thank you again Becky), they don't mention horses, just some of the smaller animals and cows. I'll have to contact them sometime and ask them exactly what they do. And the pony clubs around here seem more competition oriented, could be a possibility much later on though.

I will have to get her a lead rope. She has a ton of larger play horses that she likes to find string/small ropes and tie "halters" (I think that is the term) around their heads and in comparison to what you see on tv and in horse care books, she does pretty good. Then she'll attach a dog leash to it and tie the dog leash to something so the horses wont "run away". She is too funny!! I think though the lead rope will make her day though!!

My wife has on average 30+ horses! Ok we don't own a single one but she manages a horse farm/riding school. Aside from the every day farm management my wife is primarily a trainer but does fill in and teach a class here and there. She's one of the lucky ones who gets work on her life long hobby every day!

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Originally Posted by TekWarren

She's one of the lucky ones who gets work on her life long hobby every day!

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Good for her!! ... There is nothing better! ;) :sweeet:

-adam

It is a great idea to find a local stable and let your kids learn the ropes. I did this; we had family friends who had several horses. I believe that the basics are way more important than actual riding. Things like husbandry; how and what to feed and water; grooming.. and foot care is one topic in itself that many owners and riders overlook. I myself am learning more about their feet everyday; trimming, the need for or against shoeing, diseases, etc. There is sooo much to learn besides riding!
Learning the ropes, and about horse care in general, would help them differentiate between the horsey "ideal" and reality. Reality holds a lot of surprises that are not in the storybooks; mucking stalls, repelling flies, deworming; I could go on!

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Originally Posted by BallPythonsRule

I'm scared of horses... they're pretty... but oh my, do they hate me... lol :rolleyes:

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Aw; did you have a bad experience with one or something? Granted, some horses are dangerous around anyone.. and most could be dangerous around someone who is not knowledgible about how to behave around horses. But even Emma, our skittish mare, is fine around most people. I just tell them not to make sudden noises or movements or to shoot guns while we are working with them.. some horses really have a knee-jerk response to being spooked, like Emma. I just keep her on a lead around strangers and let them pet her and she is not bad. Cuesta is like a friendly old dog but yet, you can't let your guard down because they are unpredictable like any animal, only bigger than many..
Maybe you were just around the wrong horses? Or no one told you how to act and move around them.. you have to have total confidence and be a leader without being overly scary or predatory. And standing right in front of, or right behind, a horse is never advisable; they could either kick out or move abruptly and that could hurt you..
One thing about lead ropes! Never loop them around your hand or wrist. A sudden yank from the horse could tighten it around and yo could either get hurt from that, or even dragged if the rope knots or attaches to you and the horse bolts!
I was a horse-crazed kid. I loved it when people bought me anything horse-related. I had halters and leadropes hung all around my house. Not much has really changed; I store tack indoors and it makes great decor :D

I was a kid who always wanted a horse and finally decided that "someday" had come about 5 years ago. I have had a few horses since then and recently found my passion in carriage driving, especially CDEs (a carriage version of Cross Country event). I don't have any horses now but will get a pony one of these days and start driving again. I found that my body is much better with driving a horse than riding one now that I'm older :sunny:

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Aw; did you have a bad experience with one or something? Granted, some horses are dangerous around anyone.. and most could be dangerous around someone who is not knowledgible about how to behave around horses. But even Emma, our skittish mare, is fine around most people. I just tell them not to make sudden noises or movements or to shoot guns while we are working with them.. some horses really have a knee-jerk response to being spooked, like Emma. I just keep her on a lead around strangers and let them pet her and she is not bad. Cuesta is like a friendly old dog but yet, you can't let your guard down because they are unpredictable like any animal, only bigger than many..
Maybe you were just around the wrong horses? Or no one told you how to act and move around them.. you have to have total confidence and be a leader without being overly scary or predatory. And standing right in front of, or right behind, a horse is never advisable; they could either kick out or move abruptly and that could hurt you..
One thing about lead ropes! Never loop them around your hand or wrist. A sudden yank from the horse could tighten it around and yo could either get hurt from that, or even dragged if the rope knots or attaches to you and the horse bolts!
I was a horse-crazed kid. I loved it when people bought me anything horse-related. I had halters and leadropes hung all around my house. Not much has really changed; I store tack indoors and it makes great decor :D

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I was with my dad, I was like 5, and I was picking up an apple in a fenced area where the horses roam, and the horse came up to me and bit my shoulder... it was really bad, I had a huge scar, it was bleeding and I had to get stiches.. and worst of all the horse ruined my tweetie shirt! lol
I respect horses, I know I was at the wrong place at the wrong time but I just rather not go near them.. :)

I've got a breeding stock quarter horse (both of his parents were paints, but he didn't color enough to be considered a paint) that is about 9 now I guess. I believe he's registered with the APHA. My mom and uncle have 3 or 4 others that he is kept with. Well, I guess, was kept with. I'm going to school in OK and the horses are all down in AR :( He was recently moved to my other aunts house so he could be worked with more. When I was about 15ish I was breaking him in, and got thrown, landed funny, and was on crutches for about a month. While I was on crutches, the horses were moved to AR (we were still in OK at the time) so I haven't really been able to really ride since then. My mom and aunt are working with him again now, but it's been a long time since he's been worked with, and he's pretty set in his ways :P Lil brat. I can't wait until I can eventually have a place where I can have him up here with me. ^_^

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Originally Posted by BallPythonsRule

I was with my dad, I was like 5, and I was picking up an apple in a fenced area where the horses roam, and the horse came up to me and bit my shoulder... it was really bad, I had a huge scar, it was bleeding and I had to get stiches.. and worst of all the horse ruined my tweetie shirt! lol
I respect horses, I know I was at the wrong place at the wrong time but I just rather not go near them.. :)

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Yikes; I have never been bitten but that had to hurt. The horse was disrespecting you and probably just seeing you as what you were; a smaller, inferior creature compared to itself, that it could bite. They bite either out of aggression (ears pricked back) or confusion; many horses are used-to eating treats out of a person's hand, and this can lead to accidental biting when they think someone has a treat in their hand but does not.
I would never let a 5 y/o kid be out in a pasture with horses at liberty though! Not to disrespect your father, but it seems like an unsafe situation from the beginning! I don't think that the horse disliked you; rather, it either wanted to snack on your shirt, or was trying to put you in line like it would another horse..
People use different methods to keep horses from repetitively biting. A good whack to the nose is used by some, though this could contribute to a horse becoming head-shy; but in a dangerous situation, it is great. Others grab the nostril and pinch for the same effect. Light tapping or whacking does no good and can actually make nipping into a game, like tapping a dog's nose when it is mouthing at you. Then there are some horses that mouth you while you grooom them; they will mutually groom one another in the pasture and they are trying to groom you!

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

I would never let a 5 y/o kid be out in a pasture with horses at liberty though! Not to disrespect your father, but it seems like an unsafe situation from the beginning! I don't think that the horse disliked you; rather, it either wanted to snack on your shirt, or was trying to put you in line like it would another horse..

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You can disrespect my father all you want.. :) lol
I only saw him 3 times in my life and even with that I knew he was a jerk from the beginning... Not to talk about my personal life...

Yeah, it was bad. My friend told my that the horse might have though I was grass... my shirt was green... but I dunno..