Riding Responsibly
Things you should know before hopping on a horse
Raise your hand if you ever asked your parents for a pony when you were little. Paige MacDonald, 10, of Port Williams, is no different. Her love of horses began by watching the CBC TV series Heartland and seeing how horses could be helped.
Paige’s mom, Julie MacDonald, took her to see a neighbor’s horse where she met another horse who needed love.
“She cried all the way home and couldn’t get this horse out of her head,” said MacDonald.
After getting permission from the owner, Paige spent a few days a week for three months going to the barn just to brush and love this horse, knowing she could never ride it but helping it anyway.
You can imagine Paige’s delight and surprise last year when she found out her parents had saved up so she could attend a March Break horse camp. Now, a year later, Paige has saved her birthday money and will be starting lessons later this month.
There are many horse stables in the Valley offering lessons. Many are listed on the Valley Family Fun website. MacDonald recommends asking other parents for recommendations.
Jean Cavanagh from the Dykeland Equestrian Centre in Grand Pre says when families choose a stable, they should do research, such as schedule an appointment and observe lessons and drop in unannounced to examine the stable’s environment and see how staff interacts with clients.
Cavanagh says ask lots of questions. What equipment is needed? What style of riding is taught? What levels are taught and to what age groups? How do group lessons work?
Rebecca Johnson, whose family has operated Willowbank Farm in Port Williams since 1961, says to check the safety standards at the stable. Are all mounted persons (adults and children) wearing approved helmets and proper footwear? What are the instructor’s credentials and do they have up to date first aid and liability insurance?
If your child is a new rider, there is groundwork to be done before actual riding happens.
“Parents and children are sometimes surprised that their child will have to learn to lead, groom and tack up the horse before they can ride,” says Johnson.
Prepare your child with the fact that they will have to learn about horses first and may only get to ride a short while the first few lessons.
Johnson says as an instructor, it is important to observe the child in the barn setting to assess their confidence level and their ability to take instruction. The instructor and child need to develop a relationship of trust.
This is why, according to Johnson, it is best to start children on riding lessons when they are school age. She says at this age children are used to taking directions from other adults, which is an important safety measure.
“Horses, and animals in general, teach us many skills beyond what may be obvious to most people,” says Cavanagh.
These valuable life lessons and skills can be carried through to other parts of their day-to-day activities and life in general, she says.
According to Cavanagh, riders learn patience, communication, teamwork, and understanding of how things need to work together to accomplish a goal, values and respect for other living things.
Johnson agrees. She says riding horses is more than just the physical experience of getting on and going through the motions. Horses are not machines, so horse and rider have to develop a relationship based on trust and understanding.
“It is an excellent way for children, under careful instruction, to learn to slow down and wait for acceptance and then uphold that trust through care and affection for the horse,” says Johnson.
Besides giving your child an excellent learning experience, it’s great for the parents, too.
“I also had a dream as a child to take lessons,” says MacDonald, “and now I can live vicariously through my daughter or Paige!”