Likely annoying ‘newbie’ questions <<sorry>>

[PinkyU]

We took our 9 and 6 year old’s riding for the first time today and (of course) they have both absolutely been bitten by the bug.

We would like to start weekly lessons (with a view to increasing if they become very serious about it), but I have literally zero experience with riding and would like to make sure we follow any etiquette, unwritten rules. Are aware of any common newbie mistakes to avoid. And welcome any tips for fostering a love of riding in our already impassioned lo’s.

Following! I have a beginner riding lesson (for my adult self 😬) coming up soon and may be interested in getting DS riding when he’s older if he’s keen. We have at least 5 yards within a 10 minute walk of our house (live rurally) so seems an inevitability.

Hi. Last year my DS8 started lessons after years of asking. We have no experience of horses at all but he loves it and is doing really well. I have no idea of the 'etiquette' around the whole thing and was worried about people being judgey of my non-horsey status! But so far our yard have been lovely and helpful. Recommended where to go for boots and hat and I've just been clear I know nothing but have asked questions and chatted to other parents who clearly know more. I've treated like all the other activities my children do - and tried to watch and learn. Mind I too have been bitten by the bug and plan on having lessons myself this spring / summer as per my other post. Will be interested to see what others say too.

@Thatsnotmyotter oooh let us know how they go I've posted about learning at 45 so really keen to know what it is like to learn as an adult.

So glad to hear they enjoyed themselves. There isn't much 'secret' etiquette IMO, different stables will have their own ways of doing things so the best thing is to ask someone if you are unsure (also for recommendations on buying them their own kit etc). Don't worry about not being horsey yourself, at a riding school most parents are in the same boat and there's plenty of time for you to learn if when they want to get their own pony!

The valuable things you could encourage in them (alongside general good manners and listening to the teacher etc) are rules all good horsemen and women should follow: 1) safety first ie learn the safety rules and make it a habit to follow them, even where they seem inconvenient or pointless and 2) put the horse first, so when you come in from a ride tired/thirsty/wet/cold remember the horse is too, so look after them first. Never take your frustrations out on a horse and even when you are enjoying yourself e.g. on a long ride or at a competition, don't get carried away and push your horse too far... Your DC are just starting so the school may not have taught them much horsecare yet but nothing annoys me more than seeing kids get off after their rode and just running off leaving the parent or a groom to sort the pony. As a minimum they should be patting the pony to say thank you, making it comfortable by loosening the girth etc and making sure they get a drink of water...

Any questions do feel free to ask here!

The only thing ‘unwritten etiquette’ thing that immediately comes to mind is to be aware that if you surprise a horse that’s being ridden in a lesson (eg by suddenly appearing in the doorway of an indoor school) you can make it jump and that is potentially dangerous and can lead to you being yelled at and/or people falling off (I have definitely inadvertently been guilty of this in the past. ) It depends a bit on the layout of where you ride - there’s a bit of a blind corner where I am where you can’t see what’s going on until you’re round it.

Cleanliness and tidyness are important in a yard because they are safety issues. A fork abandoned at the wrong place can cause a serious accident if there is loose horse. A pile of poo trodden into the arena ruins the surface. Always pick up after your horse and keep things tidy and out of the way. Some yards expect you to pick hooves before taking the horse out of the stable.

If you have to tie a horse up always use a head collar, safety ring and quick release knot.

Ask for permission from those using the arena before you open the gate to go in.

Don’t take the companion horse and leave one horse alone in the fields with no other horses.

Do not feed the horses unless you have permission from the owner.

I presume you won’t be that hands on, but no sudden movements or noises, don’t ever run around horses, don’t feed them without permission

Ask before touching a new horse/pony for the 1st time. Some don't like it and may try and bite. Always approach from the horses/pony shoulder, and let them have a look at you!

Ask the yard owners recommendation for hat boots gloves and go to that place and buy those things. Be extremely polite and respectful at all times e.g. teach your dcs to.hold doors for adults.

I have owned horses for 30 years and am still judged Just be open minded and willing to learn. Also never say that you think your dcs are good riders

I would add that when you are approaching the riding school watch out for horses on the road and always pass wide and slow as well as following any signals given by the ride leader.

Horses are prey animals and can be easily spooked (scared). It's best to avoid flapping clothing (so coats should be done up etc) and things like putting umbrellas up on the yard, especially if people are on horseback.

Remember the yard is in essence a working farm, there may be sharp tools or machinery around sometimes.

Also do ask the riding school for their view on giving the horses treats before you do so. Many don't allow treats over doors as this can encourage biting.

Finally, the riding school will tailor the ponies your children ride to their ability. Often the safer ponies can be a bit slow and harder to get going, but the ones that may seem "easier" are often not as sensible and can react to things a beginner rider will do inadvertently.

Riding is a great hobby for kids and can be hugely benificial for mental and physical health. The riding school will want to support you, so don't be afraid to ask any questions.

I think - teach respect, empathy and kindness for the ponies - they have personalities and feelings and bad days, and are probably bored to tears trotting round the school (maybe don't tell them that last bit, but you know what I mean!). Ensure you're DDs are good listeners and are respectful to the instructors.

Teach them to be careful of the ponies' mouths - I was never taught this as a child and didn't give it any thought, but their mouths are so sensitive, so your children should aim to be gentle and not flap their arms and hands around too much, and not pull.

Hope they continue to love it!

Some good advice already but I would re-iterate the things that could make people wince a little are: feeding ponies without checking, parents taking kids round to the stables to stroke all the ponies without checking if this is ok, kids running and jumping around, and bad parking (i.e. bad for the routes used by riding school, rather than bad in general).

Teach your children to be sensible arou d ponies.

2 of my dds ride (4 and 7) and are constantly told that being ar the yard is a privilege not a right and if they start acting silly and putting themselves or horses in danger they will not be allowed back. Riding school horses are generally well behaved but are still big animals that can cause you damage if you spook them.

Don't feed horses without asking first.

If you are not horsey i would find a yard that is a pony club affiliated centre and does pony club badges.

Im horsey but its great for the girls to learn about everything around horses not just how to ride them. So they learn pony behaviour, poisinous plants, fire safety etc