The Horse Teacher
Your instructor will be a key part of your life as a horse owner. He or she will teach you the basics and will influence the way you interact with horses forever. You will learn your teacher’s habits, biases, strengths, and weaknesses.
You will adopt his or her best traits and will inadvertently mimic his or her worst weaknesses.
You can, and may, involve yourself with multiple instructors as you learn more about horses and riding. However, your first teacher will always have an impact on you.
Choosing the right instructor is, thus, very important.
Making a wise choice isn’t just important in that sense, though. It is also a big part of determining how enjoyable your horse ownership experience will be.
You will be spending a great deal of time with your teacher, and if you don’t match well with him or her, it can only serve to lengthen your
Click here to continue readingMoving Slowly And Make Your Decision Wisely
Once you’ve selected a stable, it will be time to start learning. That will involve spending time in the barns watching and paying close attention to how the horses are treated and what goes into the care of a horse.
It’s also an opportunity to ask questions of experts and to “pick their brains” to increase your own knowledge base.
This kind of real-world study is irreplaceable. Even the best texts on horse ownership or riding can’t give you the same feel and understanding, as will personal observation and involvement.
In addition to spending time in the barns, you will need to learn how to ride a horse. You will want to master basic techniques like walking, cantering and trotting. You will want to develop a strong sense of comfort while in the saddle.
Some experts will tell you to spend at least a year attending the stables and learning
Click here to continue readingSpeaking Up And Ask Questions Wisely
As you tour stables, don’t be nervous about making inquiries. There is no such thing as a stupid question, and even if your queries do sound as though they are coming from a real greenhorn, you can still learn a great deal about the nature of a stable and its staff by the kinds of answers you receive.
Remember, you are interviewing these stables. You want to make the best possible decision. That means you will need to understand what it done there and why.
You will also want to spend your time with instructors and stable personnel who are friendly and competent. Asking questions is a great way to establish whether those two important traits are present.
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