Posted: 11/24/2008 12:47:13 PM EDT
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I'll be in South Carolina for a couple weeks over xmas and want to take some riding lessons. It's a major horse area, but I have no idea really what to look for or what I can expect to spend. I've only been a horses a few times and that was years ago. Google doesn't seem to be the best source of info as many stables/ranches/etc. do not seem to emphasize web sites. Any guidelines on picking an instructor? What can I accomplish in two weeks? Thoughts, comments, questions. thx |
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You can expect to pay $30/h on up for one-on-one lessons depending on the instructor. Group lessons you would have to plan ahead if you can find a place doing it. Look up boarding stables or stables and ask if they do it or can give you the contact info for someone who can. Also call up tack shops in the area. They often have cork boards with trainer contacts willing to give lessons.
If its a good instructor you might not even get on the horse for the first few hours. They will teach you grooming, checking for injuries, feed and care, how to properly tack the horse, exercising, etc. Stuff you need to know if you were going to own a horse or lease one. Also you need to figure out what riding style you are going for, western, english, etc and find a horse and instructor that teaches those styles. You might want to ask what their credentials are. If they say I've graduated with multiple degrees in animal behavior and training and been doing this X number of years and they are insured then yay. If they say I'm a dentist assistant but I've been getting lessons from a real trainer on the weekends then maybe not. The above is for people who want to seriously learn how to ride properly with good form and stuff. If you just wanna jump on a horse and ride you might look up trail riding or maybe find a good instructor and just right up tell them what you want to do. They might just jump to the chase to earn money and know that you may not be so much concerned with care and feeding of the horse and perfect riding technique. Disclaimer: I have ridden under a few different instructors. I own 1 horse and board one of my instructor's horses that is too old to give lessons on. I'm just a pleasure rider 
-Foxxz |
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As a life long rider and skilled behaviorist/instructor, my recommendation is for you to find a small place to give you western riding lessons. The western saddle is by far the most user friendly and if you are doing this for the first time and aren't sure where you want to go, it is a great place to start. Also, for survival reasons, the western saddle is by far the most useful piece of equipment a horseman will own. I ride and teach dressage, and have a western saddle, bags, packing straps and more just for that off chance that I might need to bail on civilized life in the greater DC area.
There are few people these days who offer trail riding because the insurance is prohibitively expensive (due to the unpredictability of horses especially with beginning riders) however there are still some places. If you just want the experience, I recommend this concept from some dude ranch. If you really, truly, honestly want to learn how to ride, rope, pack, and really communicate with your horse, plan on investing at least three days a week for a couple of years. It's like shooting. There is always more to learn, another upper, lower, different ammo, techniques and more to discuss, learn and argue over. Other than that, I agree with what Foxxz said! |
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You might want to ask what their credentials are. If they say I've graduated with multiple degrees in animal behavior and training and been doing this X number of years and they are insured then yay. If they say I'm a dentist assistant but I've been getting lessons from a real trainer on the weekends then maybe not. The above is for people who want to seriously learn how to ride properly with good form and stuff. -Foxxz I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this statement. Most (and I mean in excess of 98%) professional trainers (English anyway) have no degree in anything. Most people that try to get into the industry with "Equine studies" degrees and animal behavior degrees, are pretty much laughed out. Those of us who actually are out there doing it, have worked our way up from mucking stalls for a top trainer, and worked our way though a lot of crap (yea, I'm punny) to get where we are. I tried to start my career at college for an equine degree, and after one year realized the following: I can spend 4 years and $120k and still have to go out and be a working student, or I can go out and be a working student NOW, and end up as a trainer sooner than most of my peers and NOT have to spend $120k. Sorry, just wanted to correct that gross misconception. |
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I'll be in South Carolina for a couple weeks over xmas and want to take some riding lessons. It's a major horse area, but I have no idea really what to look for or what I can expect to spend. I've only been a horses a few times and that was years ago. Google doesn't seem to be the best source of info as many stables/ranches/etc. do not seem to emphasize web sites. Any guidelines on picking an instructor? What can I accomplish in two weeks? Thoughts, comments, questions. thx I own 2 horses, I guess my question to you would be what do you hope to accomplish/ what are your goals. What style riding do you want to do? If your just starting out confidence is key don't hop on board some strung out hyper breed, all its going to do is scare you. spending can very, but in general by me a lesson will run you 25/30 bucks a session which is anywhere from 1/2 hour to a full hour depending on the barn. Try finding a local tack shop they will be a good source of information. my .02 and most of all have fun! |
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You might want to ask what their credentials are. If they say I've graduated with multiple degrees in animal behavior and training and been doing this X number of years and they are insured then yay. If they say I'm a dentist assistant but I've been getting lessons from a real trainer on the weekends then maybe not. The above is for people who want to seriously learn how to ride properly with good form and stuff. -Foxxz I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this statement. Most (and I mean in excess of 98%) professional trainers (English anyway) have no degree in anything. Most people that try to get into the industry with "Equine studies" degrees and animal behavior degrees, are pretty much laughed out. Those of us who actually are out there doing it, have worked our way up from mucking stalls for a top trainer, and worked our way though a lot of crap (yea, I'm punny) to get where we are. I tried to start my career at college for an equine degree, and after one year realized the following: I can spend 4 years and $120k and still have to go out and be a working student, or I can go out and be a working student NOW, and end up as a trainer sooner than most of my peers and NOT have to spend $120k. Sorry, just wanted to correct that gross misconception. The important questions are, who they apprenticed under, who have they trained and to what level do they train. Have they been to the Olympics or other major events (can't think of the western version of the Olympics, Calgary maybe?). |
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As has been said you need to choose what discipline you want to study. Here is a link to the American Riding Instructor Association. Most of the disciplines are English but you can browse through the list and see if you find one in the area you are going to be.
Good luck. http://www.riding-instructor.com/ |
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You might want to ask what their credentials are. If they say I've graduated with multiple degrees in animal behavior and training and been doing this X number of years and they are insured then yay. If they say I'm a dentist assistant but I've been getting lessons from a real trainer on the weekends then maybe not. The above is for people who want to seriously learn how to ride properly with good form and stuff. -Foxxz I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this statement. Most (and I mean in excess of 98%) professional trainers (English anyway) have no degree in anything. Most people that try to get into the industry with "Equine studies" degrees and animal behavior degrees, are pretty much laughed out. Those of us who actually are out there doing it, have worked our way up from mucking stalls for a top trainer, and worked our way though a lot of crap (yea, I'm punny) to get where we are. I tried to start my career at college for an equine degree, and after one year realized the following: I can spend 4 years and $120k and still have to go out and be a working student, or I can go out and be a working student NOW, and end up as a trainer sooner than most of my peers and NOT have to spend $120k. Sorry, just wanted to correct that gross misconception. The important questions are, who they apprenticed under, who have they trained and to what level do they train. Have they been to the Olympics or other major events (can't think of the western version of the Olympics, Calgary maybe?). I'd agree with that. But having been to the Olympics is a bit overkill. Some of the best trainers in this country don't compete that much. I learned more from my first trainer who most pro's have never heard of than most others after her. Questions I would ask: 1. Have they trained horses up to the top levels of the sport (Grand Prix dressage in my case)? 2. How MANY horses have they trained to that level? 3. Are they capable of teaching someone that is not at that level currently (ie capable of bringing someone less experienced along)? But basically what I'm saying is, a degree in this field doesn't mean SHIT. Experience and connections will get you more places faster than a degree will. |
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You might want to ask what their credentials are. If they say I've graduated with multiple degrees in animal behavior and training and been doing this X number of years and they are insured then yay. If they say I'm a dentist assistant but I've been getting lessons from a real trainer on the weekends then maybe not. The above is for people who want to seriously learn how to ride properly with good form and stuff. -Foxxz I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this statement. Most (and I mean in excess of 98%) professional trainers (English anyway) have no degree in anything. Most people that try to get into the industry with "Equine studies" degrees and animal behavior degrees, are pretty much laughed out. Those of us who actually are out there doing it, have worked our way up from mucking stalls for a top trainer, and worked our way though a lot of crap (yea, I'm punny) to get where we are. I tried to start my career at college for an equine degree, and after one year realized the following: I can spend 4 years and $120k and still have to go out and be a working student, or I can go out and be a working student NOW, and end up as a trainer sooner than most of my peers and NOT have to spend $120k. Sorry, just wanted to correct that gross misconception. My point wasn't really that they must have formal education but more to help make the distinction between someone who knows what they are doing and someone who is trying to stay one lesson ahead of their students. I am in no way against teaching yourself a skill but there should be some sort of validation you can show for it (ie references, awards, something). -Foxxz |
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As you may have figured out, your question wasn't specific enough and when it comes to horses and horse trainers everything is subjective. My style works most of the time with most of the horses that I own and or train. But there have been times when I have had to totally change what I normally do to work with a certain horse. We and they are all individuals.
Tell us exactly what you want to learn. You want to learn the basic of riding and horse care? Maybe a 2 to 4 weeks 3+ times a week. Anything after that gets complicated. Some care and vet type information you can get from books. Isn't a subsitute for hands on but it will help. Nothing but time in the saddle and being around horses will get you better at riding them and being able to understand them. The only other thing I'll say at this point is that imo western saddles are not the way to go for trail riding. I've had a Syd Hill & Sons Austalian saddle for over 15 years and can't imagine that anything else would even come close to it for trail ridding. If you have the option, get an Aussie saddle. |
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Any guidelines on picking an instructor? What can I accomplish in two weeks? Thoughts, comments, questions. Personally, if I were going out of my home area and looking for riding instruction, I'd call two farriers and two vets in the area: "Hey, this is an off the wall question, but I'm coming down to visit for a few weeks and want some riding lessons........who would you go to if you were looking for some lessons?" (Obviously you'll need to be a little more specific as to exactly what you're looking for......) If you get any crossover in the responses, you'll know who to start with. Vets and farriers have a kind of "meta view" on the business and will be able to help you avoid the folks who are great riders but can't teach, or lack patience, as well as the folks with good credentials on paper but no horse sense. That's my $0.02, FWIW. 
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LOL. Ok..I clearly underestimated the variables and subtleties involved and do appreciate the information. I'm definitely a beginner and have had minimal exposure. What I'd like to do, for now, is develop some basic skills and and a level of comfort that would allow me to rent horses for an afternoon or weekend and ride recreationally in various places around the country. I can't say that I have an interest in competition at this point and my interest is mainly driven by practical application and that I think it's a good skill to have. However, I do enjoy various horse related events and think there is potential for more involvement. Over what period of time is this reasonable? Is it possible without owning a horse? In addition to the two weeks in SC, there is a stable a couple miles from my house that offers lessons. Time wise, I do have a fair amount of free time to put into learning. I am concerned about budget though. It seems to be an expensive interest, but I'm not sure how much is really essential. Does that help any? |
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LOL. Ok..I clearly underestimated the variables and subtleties involved and do appreciate the information. I'm definitely a beginner and have had minimal exposure. What I'd like to do, for now, is develop some basic skills and and a level of comfort that would allow me to rent horses for an afternoon or weekend and ride recreationally in various places around the country. I can't say that I have an interest in competition at this point and my interest is mainly driven by practical application and that I think it's a good skill to have. However, I do enjoy various horse related events and think there is potential for more involvement. Over what period of time is this reasonable? Is it possible without owning a horse? In addition to the two weeks in SC, there is a stable a couple miles from my house that offers lessons. Time wise, I do have a fair amount of free time to put into learning. I am concerned about budget though. It seems to be an expensive interest, but I'm not sure how much is really essential. Does that help any? Go to your local stable and ask if you could trade helping out around the barn in exchange for some lessons...Most that I have had experance probably would. not only will you save money but more important gain experance and confidence working around the horses, even if just cleaning stalls and grooming them. I think for what you want having a teacher that was in the olympics is not needed but rather just some one that knows how to ride and can show you. You don't want to become a show rider and compete in 3 day events but rather just knock around on trail horses it sounds like to me...If a person asked where they could learn to shoot don't think many people would tell them to look for an olympic shooter to teach them......Todd |