Hello horsey MN'ers
Hoping for some good advice from people who are more experienced than me in all things equine (which will be most of you!)
I learnt to ride as a kid at school in the UK - was very lucky and went to a state school with a pony club. I then moved abroad and got the chance to learn to ride again. Of course, I have had to unlearn lots of bad habits that I didn't know were not "right" at the time, but I can now walk, trot and canter confidently. The horses I ride are Arabian and quite fizzy, v different to what I was used to in the UK. My instructor says that once I learn to canter standing up, I will be ready to start jumping. My balance is still a bit off at canter and I tend to bounce all over the place when I try to stand. I am working on that!
When I return to the UK in the next couple of years, I would love to get my own horse. I know that I will need to learn stable management and basically how the hell to look after a horse - at the moment I have no idea. At my school, most of the riders just hand the horse back at the end whereas I would love to help with cleaning tack, feeding etc, just to learn. Even if I end up with a full livery I would like to be "hands on" iykwim.
I wondered whether any of you knew of a course I could take in the UK that might help me learn? Do you think my riding school would think I was crackers if I asked to help occasionally? (Or would they just hand me a shovel?! ) Do you think I should ask my instructor if he thinks I am ready to own a horse (and if not, what I need to do to prepare)?
Thanks for reading if you have got this far
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5 replies
YoungGirlGrowingOld · 08/09/2013 19:35
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