March
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Which do you like more? Horse riding lessons, or your own horse?
Okay, I am trying to see if I should save up for a horse, or just do lessons. I want to know which you think would be better. I am a beginner level jumper, and can walk, trot, and canter. Of coarse, I would still take lessons if I got my own horse, but it would make me wait longer. So… Should I take lessons right now, but only ride for an hour or two, or save up for my own horse, being able to ride when ever, but wait a lot longer? Thanks! And please, honest answers! Thanks!
My family has a good relationship with the owner of the stables, and would probably board for free if I let them use the hoorse in lessons, or muck out stalls.
Oh, and if I was not clear, I do already take lessons, but I want to know which is BETTER. I am already doing lessons.
Do you have a well paying, full time job? If not, you are never realistically going to be able to afford your own horse without help. It would make more sense to take lessons until you have a reliable source of income.
An option you can consider is leasing a horse. You would be able to ride almost whenever you want without the expense of ownership.
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I would definitely save up for a horse instead of riding lessons as long as you can afford to pay for veterinary, farrier, and feed expenses. It sounds like you don’t have enough money to care for a horse though. Another option would be to lease a horse. I hope this helps!!
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March 3rd, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Do you have a well paying, full time job? If not, you are never realistically going to be able to afford your own horse without help. It would make more sense to take lessons until you have a reliable source of income.
An option you can consider is leasing a horse. You would be able to ride almost whenever you want without the expense of ownership.
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March 3rd, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Answer is clear here. You must, must, MUST take lessons before you get a horse! So many times have I seen riders that have never taken lessons screw with there horses heads. If you want to have fun riding, save up for lessons, take them for a year or so, then maybe, if your instructor thinks you are ready, get a horse, but STILL keeep with the lessons. (this is all just guessing you have never taken lessons before)
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March 3rd, 2010 at 10:08 pm
I think if you got your own horse you and the horse could train together! i love having my own horse it the best!
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March 3rd, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Oh, ok. If you continue taking lessons with your own horse, I would say get your own horse. BUT make sure you are experianced enough!! Just because you can walk/trot/canter doesn’t mean you can own a horse. Just means you can walk/trot/canter.
While saving up for a horse, try to get the lessons. So you know that you really want this.
Good Luck!
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March 3rd, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Lessons! I always feel that it’s better to go with lessons when you have the choice. I’m sure you’ll have several people on here telling you to ride on your own so that you can figure things out your own way, and "bond" with your horse, but here’s why I would say take lessons instead of ride on your own:
1. It’s very, very difficult to evaluate yourself when you’re riding- I’ve been riding eight+ years, and I still need my trainer to tell me to pull my shoulders back, or put my hand forward, etc… Just because when you’re concentrating on your horse, you can’t also concentrate on exactly where your body is. It takes a long, long time to get that good. But if you have someone on the ground to help you out, it suddenly becomes a lot easier.
2. You can ALWAYS learn more with a trainer. Sure, you might be riding on your own and encounter a problem that you don’t know how to fix, then you work your way through it. But what you might not know is that the way you fixed it will cause problems further down the road. Whereas, if you had a trainer to help you, they could tell you that correcting your horse that way will, for example, make him start rearing. Then they can tell you how to fix the problem without causing other problems.
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March 3rd, 2010 at 11:22 pm
I’m fortunate enough to have grown up on a farm, where my parents had horses. But if you ask me, take lessons first, then save up all your money to buy a horse. Beware though, owning a horse is a lot of work, and can be quite expensive.
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March 3rd, 2010 at 11:40 pm
well ideally you want your own horse to take lessons on
you learn somthing new once a week and practice on your horse al week long
you should still be part of a barn or get lessons
my neighbor a 45 year old woman has 3 horses and she still takes weekly lessons!
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March 3rd, 2010 at 11:54 pm
I think that you should get your own horse, just not right away. I’m actually getting a horse in about a year, and until then I’m going to be taking lessons. I have no idea if I’ll continue lessons when I get a horse, since it’s sort of far away. But yeah, you should definitely take lessons and make sure you’re prepared for all the costs and responsibilities of owning your own horse. Also, just because you’re taking lessons doesn’t mean you can’t start saving for a horse because then, if you don’t actually get one, you at least have some extra money(:
And like somebody else said, leasing a horse is always an option and you could look into that.
Hope I helped!
~Emily
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March 4th, 2010 at 12:26 am
Well at the level you are at now, I would start saving for a horse… you will learn so much faster doing that then only riding for an hour in a lesson. However, remember that its the upkeep of the horse that is more expensive than the initial purchase, so if you think it will be a struggle to afford board, farrier and vet bills, then I would continue just doing lessons. Another option for you would be a half or full lease, which means you get to ride more often without having to actually buy the horse.
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March 4th, 2010 at 1:07 am
The best thing is both, unless you are able to afford lessons four times per week.
Riding lessons are a must, but so is practising what you are being taught. So… if you can afford to own a horse and have one lesson a week, and then ride the horse four more days a week, you will advance at a much better rate.
If it really is a case of ‘I can have lessons, OR a horse, but not both’, then stay with the lessons.
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March 4th, 2010 at 1:39 am
Take lessons and when you get to be able to handle them well and to train, buy cheap green ones and have the thrill of training and selling. for a profit!!.
I have never taken lessons and have trained for most of my adult life, I have never not had a horse in training once in a while 4 of them.
To me its the adrendelan rush for the hunt, the train and the sale. I never sell a horse to beginers because I have them all started well with the basics, collected loap, sidepasses, take leads on cue, backing, and handelilng with light leg pressure and being soft in the bridle. I always do some mountain riding with them and they are trailer trained.
I have parents bring kids or themselves here to look at a horse, when I tell them I will only show them to experienced riders, have them tell me they have had years of lessons and know nothing.
So if you are taking lessons at a place where it takes you a year to learn to canter or Eng cannot keep on the correct diaognal. Find some place where they have good well trained horses where you can learn and not just occupy space on them.
When I hear people say they have been taking lessons for 2 years and havent galloped, Wow! that is insane, thay are paying just to ride.
When I was giving lessons, my horses were all well trained and would move into a nice slow quiet canter at a kiss or a cluck, would sidepass at a touch and would back from a change of weitht in the pockets or just lifting the reins. You can learn faster if you can feel what a well trained one feels like and know how to ask them to do it.
If you really enjoy just riding and are good at it and do not have to be in the show ring, try buying a nice green gentle young one train it, sell it and know you have made a horse good for someone..
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Get the rush from lookin and buyin. Just picked up a real nice gentle, registered, paint 4 yr old geld who has 600 worth of training and paid 150 to have him cut for 300 dollars. The folks who had put him in traiing were afraid of him. He is not mean, they just have never handled a fresh gelding.