Getting More Contact with Horses - From Day One
Advice on Gaining Horse Experience for the Total Beginner
Jun 25, 2009
Finding out how to get horse contact beyond the occasional lead rein rides at a park or a pat of a pony over a fence can be hard when you don’t know much and you don’t know how to start. But there are many ways of learning more and increasing your opportunities to spend more time with these wonderful animals.
Books and Magazines are a Great Foundation
Horse crazy people get to indulge their hobby in endless lists of books and multiple monthly magazines. You can learn a lot about the theory and the fundamental rules of horse handling and care from these publications. Start at the most basic possible level, reading about how to lead, groom, feed, muck out etc. The knowledge itself is an essential foundation, but remember that once you get the opportunity you will need to practice the tasks to do them properly. To help you build on your understanding, when reading books or articles ask yourself first what you hope to find out from them. Note down your main questions and then the answers as you discover them. Keep a notebook of the most interesting things or the most important things you feel you have learned.
Watch Horses Whenever You Can
You can learn about horse behaviour and how they react in all sorts of situations by observing them. Whether you watch them in a field grazing with friends or on TV, notice their expressions, the way they act towards each other and how they respond to riders. Look out for good riding performances and performances that have gone wrong in competitions, and see if you can work out why and how this led to the mistake. Becoming more familiar with how horses behave in this way is a helpful step towards understanding and anticipating them when you get to deal with them in person.
Get in Touch with Like-Minded People
With the internet it is easier than ever to talk to people who love horses and there are multiple dedicated online internet forums. Always obey online safety rules and do not broadcast your personal details publicly or agree to meet people alone. Be honest about your lack of experience and you will get plenty of help. Pen pals can be found in many horse magazines, or you could advertise in their free classifieds for one, and this is another good way of getting a wider horsey circle. Always tell friends and family of your interest; a chance word to a friend of theirs could put you in touch with someone who can help you learn more. A network of horsey friends is a great way to find good opportunities to get hands on with horses.
Get Practical Experience in Essential Techniques
If you are lucky enough to have or find a friend who is willing to let you meet with and handle your horse, don’t just focus on getting a free ride which could soon lead to your friend avoiding you in the future! Express your interest in all aspects of horses, a desire to be helpful and ask to be taught about everyday tasks. Here is where you learn to put theoretical knowledge into practice - but don’t be horrified if most people don’t go exactly by the book! Provided their animals are happy and healthy, most owners have their own ways of doing things and it is not necessarily incorrect.
Skills that will be of most help in getting you more time with horses in the future will be catching, leading, grooming, picking out feet, tacking up and un-tacking. You will find that putting what you have learned into practice is tricky at first, so get help when you need it and persevere.
A Good Riding School is Your Friend
In the absence of a friend, a good local riding school will teach you these basics. However, you may have to pay for them. You can volunteer as a helper but as most riding schools are such busy places, few are willing to take on a totally inexperienced pair of hands. Most do not advertise horse care training, but if you call up and explain what you want to learn, many will be able to quote you a price for some one on one tuition sessions. The advantage of this is that once you learn, and as long as you have been on time for lessons and shown yourself to take the job seriously and be polite and willing, they are much more likely to take you on as a volunteer as they know that you have been taught to do things correctly.
Volunteering at riding schools is hard work but can be a lot of fun. Often slots are available at weekends and you will soon become quick and confident with all essential horse care tasks. Usually you won’t earn much money but will often get a free lesson in return for your work.
Paid lessons at a good riding school are a great way to learn to ride, being safest and most likely to help you develop correct habits. Coupled with freebie lessons you earn and increasing fitness from yard work, you may find that you improve surprisingly quickly.
At all times when you are trying to learn about horses, accept that there is a great deal that you don’t know, and be willing to listen to advice that is offered. Always take the safest possible approach, by learning how to handle horses with assistance at first and by never handling or riding an animal you don’t feel comfortable with. Remember skill comes with practice, so be patient and give yourself time.
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