Horseback Riding Lessons teach our children more than just how to stay on the back of a horse. That is only a very, very small part of what riding lessons can do for your child.
An average American Saddlebred horse weighs about 1,000 pounds and average 15 to 16 hands (60 to 64 inches) tall. Your average 5 year old child is 44 inches and about 40 – 45 pounds. Big difference! Imagine the confidence that your 5 year old will develop when they have total control over that 1,000 pound horse! What an amazing confidence booster!
Horseback riding lessons teach poise, balance and coordination. Posting the trot on an English saddle is not the easiest task in the world. I am learning to do this as an adult. It takes practice and is hard work for me. Yet I see little tots, young girls and boys posting as if they were born going up and down in the saddle. Natural as can be! They aren’t afraid, they are in total control. This is a credit to their forward-thinking parents who put their children in riding lessons when they were young.
Riding lessons for English saddle has certain etiquette and manners that are expected in the arena. These are lessons that will prepare your child to excel wherever their life path may lead them. The proper manners and etiquette that are learned for the horse showing world are many of the same manners expected in certain situations in life.
The confidence that one develops in successfully riding a horse will carry through in many other areas of one’s life. If your child goes a step further and shows horses, they will gain the poise and ability to remain calm in stressful situations. We all can say that would be a great asset to have. Even further, to own and care for one’s own horse is preparing your child to be dependable and confident that they can achieve anything. Caring for an animal like a horse is a big responsibility. If a child is willing to put in the hard work required, the lessons learned will put them that much further ahead of the competition when they go out into the world on their own.
Giving your child horseback riding lessons can provide a lifetime of confidence, self assurance and poise that will serve them well during their lifetime. It is well worth the resources that you put toward the development and education of your children.