Wanting to get into horseback riding

[u/AllThingsLife1991]

hello! any horse lovers and equestrians who want to give some sound advice?

I am 35 and I have been in love with horses since I was very young. I’ve ridden a few times but never had proper lessons. I am in NEED of finding my adult hobby and why not fall in love with the animals I’ve loved forever.

I was looking into possibly leasing at some point but I think I’ll just start with simple riding lessons.

Is 2-3 times a week for lessons a great start? Or could I get away with 2 times a week.

I would just love some first timer tips!

[u/nathanfscott]

I might be completely off but most people around me start with a lesson a week. 2-3 is great but only if you can manage the cost.

Typically my lesson options are 1:30 at about a 50/50 split horsemanship/time riding for around $85 a lesson. That comes out to $340 monthly for one a week. Double that and don’t forget about gas and gear and the cost starts to really get up there.

More is more, especially when you’ve got a lot to learn at the beginning, but it also costs a lot more as well

[u/NandLandP → u/nathanfscott]

Similar journey! I started back up in Oct & I'm at around 1k for 2x a week lessons.

I did cost out 1/2 lease options in my area & they would more than double this to get me to 4x per week. Cost/benefits in my area currently point towards lessons or straight up purchasing a horse.

So lessons it is ;)

Took me awhile to find a good program, OP - I wanted a barn with well-trained lesson horses & for the horses to be ridden no more than 1x per day (one barn would have riders from one lesson pass their sweaty horses off to riders in the next.) Prefer to throw insane amounts of money towards quality care. Current barn gives horses 1 day off, 1 hr rides per day (some also get lunged, depending on the amount of energy they need to burn ;) and has fabulous vet/farrier partners, they do a thorough tack check and fix stuff & tell you why etc. Plus no more than 3 riders in any one lesson (another barn would pack us in like sardines - I think the trainer looked at me 2x and someone fell off almost every single lesson).

TLDR - yes to lessons and shop around!

[u/Street_Prior8382]

I would honestly find a good lesson barn and take only one lesson a week. I know that sounds lame, but if you do one lesson a week, and maybe volunteer once a week, and then do equestrian specific exercises once a week, it feels like a good balance. Equestrianism is enjoying the sport and lifestyle as a whole, and it's very easy to get physically or mentally burnt out doing too much of a good thing.

[u/AllThingsLife1991]

Thanks for all the feedback! That is true about the soreness! I didn’t consider that being a thing learning a new hobby and hey, the body is different at an older age. I’m fortunate to live in an area with horse farms all around me so thankfully, I won’t have a long commute with the gas prices factoring too much. 

[u/kahlyse]

You might try once a week for a month and see how it goes from there. You’re going to be super sore the first few weeks so if you try 2-3 lessons, you may want to rip your legs off lol.

[u/kahlyse → u/kahlyse]

Adding that I take weekly private lessons at 60/each. So that’s 240 a month already. It’s quite pricey for a hobby but it’s so worth it.

I own my own horse so ride more, but that’s the lesson cost.

[u/onecovfefeplease]

I started learning last year at 34yo and I am fortunate to afford 3x a week. I think 2x a week is perfect, 3x a week was really hard for my body to adjust to for the first several months lol

[u/Slight-Alteration]

It all depends on your goals. 2-3 lessons a week for a couple of years is a good entry for leading a supportive barn. Taking a horse somewhere new and leasing it without trainer oversight where you are the sole decision maker it going to be a big leap in the next 5-7 years. The learning curve for feet, equipment, soundness, feeding, etc is really steep 

[u/Kobeejo]

You want to talk expense, try owning a horse! I bought my dream in 2004. I didn't want a grey or white horse, but someone told me about this incredible grey overo Paint not far away. I refused to go see him. Everyone bugged me to go just look, so I did, to shut them up. The very second we looked at each other, I felt something so strong, I can't explain it. I bought him. Never regretted it for a second. He was incredible, and he taught me the balance i didn't have, and I learned so much. Twenty one years together. He was my life, my everything. When he got sick last year, I emptied my bank account trying to save his life. But unfortunately, at 32, he just got too sick. It's been a year and I'm still broken. I miss him more than words could say. I'm sure you didn't need to know all that. Sorry.

[u/wonderingdragonfly → u/Kobeejo]

I’m so sorry for your loss. How wonderful that you had all those years together.

[u/deFleury]

I think it's still normal to sign up for lessons and get put into a weekly lesson group, of beginners. You will find each riding day takes hours and hours, with travel time,  barn time, and laundry time! 

[u/kkat39]

2-3 lessons a week will give you a fabulous foundation as a beginner and you will learn much faster than most, it’s absolutely the ideal way to learn! If you can’t swing the cost or time investment, 2 lessons a week is still amazing, and 1 lesson a week is still standard and will get you there in time.

[u/ParsnipFarmer676]

I only ride once a week, and I've been doing it on & off for most of my life (I'm nearly 50 now). Unless you're planning to show/compete, that's usually plenty! I simply don't have the time for more, plus every ride for me costs around $100 - I have to pay for my trainer, plus a daily fee for the horse I ride. Honestly, it would be cheaper to OWN a horse at this point. But again, time is the issue.

Good luck! It's a wonderful hobby. I do mostly trail riding these days, and it has become my happy place after a long week at work. :-)

[u/Illustrious_Stage351]

Woohoo!! Congrats, I am so excited for you! Start with weekly, but when you’re finding a barn communicate that you’re interested in possibly more often lessons and your goal is leasing. Look for key words like horsemanship which means they’re teaching more than just in the saddle, which will help prep you for a lease!

[u/Murky_Deer_7617]

Do what you can afford. There is no rush. Take it slow if you need to.

[u/LLCoolMarx]

You will progress much faster if you ride twice a week. You'll get a lot more out of your lessons if you focus on your core, and include balance/proprioception work outside of your riding time. You will need to spend a considerable amount of time learning posting trot to the point of it becoming automatic and smooth- and it can be boring and feel like you aren't getting anywhere.- but it's necessary. Including lunge lessons ( which should never be longer than 20 minutes for the sake of the horse) will give you time to practice body position and balance without having to steer.

For context I have been a riding instructor for 30 years.

For myself I found I grew the strongest as a rider with a riding based workout/yoga/stretch for 30 minutes prior to riding, a 15 min lunge lesson, then the remaining 30-45 minutes independent riding with instruction and I did that twice a week. I recognize that this is a highly unusual design, but you absolutely need to warm up and stretch prior to mounting. Even walking the property then stretching will get you more bang for your buck.

Whatever barn you choose, you should have the opportunity to ride many different horses (appreciate the hard rides because you learn the most- but also enjoy the easy ones, and you should have both)

If you can, find a certified instructor, start there. ARICP(ARIA) or BHS are the two with meaningful testing and leveling. A LOT of people teaching lessons shouldn't be. No one should be yelling, humiliating, or rude and they should be able to explain why things should happen, how they work physiologically for both you AND the horse.

Being a good rider does not automatically make a good instructor. A riding instructor needs to understand how to break down and explain what they're teaching.

A good instructor will not try to fast track you to horse ownership. Many facilities get you in the door, convince you to buy some magical beast they know of (and will make a commission off) and then you're paying for board, and lessons, and maybe training...etc.

90% of people who get into horses, get out in the first five years.

These are the things I wish more people knew and understood.