Riding Myth Busters
A lot of beginner riders and non-riders think they understand horses, or that it's easy to ride a horse because you simply just "sit on it" and they move.
There's a lot of myths out there in the horseback riding world, either about riding or about the animal in general.
It's important to be able to bust these myths so people don't get the wrong impression of riding.
Check-In
Life has been good, but very busy.
Not only are my hours increasing this upcoming week at work, but I added on a course to complete a pre-requisite for my Vet School applications.
I haven't been in school since 2022, so my brain is still trying to get used to learning for quizzes, exams and good grades.
But nevertheless, I'm still alive and that's a win!
My Thursday lesson was fun. I got to ride a horse I had never ridden before, so it was a challenging ride (in a good way).
I ended up canceling my Saturday lesson this week due to having a horrible case of hay-fever. My heart was not happy about having to skip a riding lesson, but the rest of my body said no.
And that's OK. I felt like I'd be putting myself in a dangerous situation if I would've sucked it up and rode.
I'm ready for a good ride next week!
Myth Busting Horseback Riding Myths
There are plenty of horseback riding myths out there. Some of them come from riders, but most come from people who don't ride or those who are just starting out.
It's not inherently a bad thing if you think a certain myth is true. I even had myths in my head that I believed when I started riding. But we shouldn't just assume they're true until we test it.
Here are 13 common myths that I see from non-riders and beginner riders.
Only people with money can ride.
Riding is expensive, I'm not going to lie. It's not a cheap hobby like water color painting or going to the gym. Lessons cost money. But there's ways in which you can save to the best of your ability.
One thing to note is that you don't have to own a horse to ride. You can always join a barn with lesson horses. And, if you're starting out, riding lesson horses is your safest option anyway.
As far as lessons go, you can always see if your barn has a bundle where you can pay a fee for a number of lessons rather than pay for each individual lesson. Some barns may not have this option, though.
You can also ask if you can trade a lesson fee for labor. Barns usually always need an extra hand to keep it running smoothly, so you can always talk to your barn manager about volunteer opportunities to help lower the cost of your lessons.
If my friend rides a horse, that means I can come visit the barn and take care of the horse as well.
Yeah... no.
Even if your friend's horse is friendlier, horses are still unpredictable and wild animals. And at a barn, you might run into a horse that's not so nice.
Take Gunnar, who was at my barn, for example. Gunnar kicked when he was being tacked up. The riders at the barn knew to stay away from him when he was getting his saddle on. But a random person who walked into the barn might've not known that and could've gotten hurt if they approached him.
At my barn, we have a waiver for guests so they know the dangers of being around horses. Barns also trust the rider to educate their guest on the horses' temperaments.
The rule of thumb to follow is to ask for an invite. Don't just invite yourself.
You're hurting the horse if you kick or use a crop.
This is a yes and no answer.
The answer is no if you're using these methods sparingly, or if it's a love tap or a nudge to get them going. Horses respond to different commands. Some of them are verbal and some of them might be more physical. So it depends on the horse too, and it's important to know which type of command they respond the best to.
The answer is yes if you're intentionally trying to hurt the horse or if you excessively use these methods. A crop won't hurt every once in a while, but you don't want to make a habit out of it. Excessively using a crop could result in the loss of trust between you and your horse.
You're making the horses do things they don't want to do when you ride them.
Again, this is a yes and no answer.
The answer is no when it's riding at a lesson barn or taking them on a trail ride. Horses are designed to go through the four gaits and jump. So in lessons, we're not asking them to do extreme things that they don't know how to do.
However, the answer could be yes when the benefit of it switches to us. Using horses for carriage rides and even the horse racing industry are both grey areas in the riding community. We're doing these things for our own good — for pleasure or for money. We sometimes aren't putting the horses first in these situations.
Horses are scary and riding is scary.
It can be scary. Getting on a large animal and trusting them is scary.
But horses are actually prey animals. They won't always think you're a predator and attack you. They will run away if they're scared of you.
Think about this. Dogs will bark, bite and scratch when they feel threatened. That's their first defensive instinct because they're predators.
Horses are the opposite. They take the flight option in the fight or flight response. When they're spooked, they run away from the danger, using physical defense as a last resort for survival.
But because horses are prey animals, they need more time to accept you as a part of their pack. They're not looking for an alpha or someone to obey. They're looking for a companion or someone who will protect them so they can offer that protection in return.
This is why horses can sense our emotions so well. They use subtle body language, posture and inner emotions to sense our vibe.
And once you understand their behaviors as prey animals, they're not so scary.
You have to be thin or lean to ride.
Unfortunately, the riding community brings out the worst in people when it comes to weight and riding. Some riders will resort to fat-shaming, and that's not cool.
You don't have to be thin or lean. I'm petite, and I'm a healthy body weight for my size. Other people's healthy is going to be different than my healthy.
Horses are also strong animals. Think about what they had to carry in the past during wars and the days when cars weren't a mode of transportation.
You do have to have good body control, though. Strengthening your core and your leg muscles before riding will do you wonders, no matter what your size is.
Don't let the snobby gatekeepers in the community deter you from trying something new.
Horseback riding is for kids and females.
Anyone and everyone can ride. My dad took a lesson and he's itching to take another one when the weather cools.
There's mostly adults in my Thursday evening lessons, and there's a male in my Saturday morning lesson.
Yes, most riders at a barn might be kids who are starting out. However, most barns will be open to all ages and all riding experiences. If you're an adult, and you want to ride with adults, don't be scared to ask your barn if there's a lesson with mostly adults that you can be added to.
Horseback riding is a hobby that everyone can try out.
Horses are a phase you'll grow out of.
I'll tell you this.
I was obsessed with The Saddle Club when I was about six or seven years old. Now, I'm actually doing the things I was so fascinated by 20 years later.
I may have not had the time to take up horseback riding lessons when I was younger, but my interest in horses stayed.
I fear when you've caught the bug, you have the bug forever.
Horseback riding is easy.
It's definitely not easy.
A pony ride or a trail ride might be easy, but actively taking lessons is different.
When you get to a certain skill level, you're expected to think about 10 different things at once such as keeping your heels down, squeezing your horse forward with your legs, nudge them over to the side so they don't cut corners, bend them one way and ask for the canter.
Getting on a horse for the first time and galloping off perfectly is just not possible.
It requires a lot of agility, balance and patience in order to ride.
You don't need to take lessons if you already know how to ride.
If you know my opinion on learning, then you know my opinion on this myth already.
Everyone can benefit from lessons, whether you're just starting out or you're an experienced rider.
A good trainer will help you learn techniques to make riding easier for you, and they can help you keep track of your goals.
Lessons are a great way to train and develop skills in a controlled environment.
I strongly believe that if you're an experienced rider, you should always be taking lessons to improve your craft.
Trail and pony rides count as riding experience.
It doesn't. Point blank.
You can always say that you've been on a horse before, however, you should be actively taking lessons in order to count it as authentic riding experience.
Trail ride and pony ride horses are "push-button". They know where they're going and they know what they're doing. It's their job. They're usually calmer as well.
When you take riding lessons, you're actively learning new things and you're getting used to horses with different personalities.
To have authentic riding experience, you should be able to control the horse on your own under some kind of supervision. Your trainer shouldn't have to hold onto your horse as you walk around, and you shouldn't have to have your horse follow other horses.
I can base my opinion on horses based on one experience I've had.
In my humble opinion, one experience shouldn't dictate what you think about horses, especially if the experience is a negative one.
Similarly, hearing a scary experience from someone else shouldn't sway your opinion either.
Only having one riding experience doesn't give you all the rewards horses have to offer.
For one, if you're not taking lessons, you don't get the reward of accomplishing something. Learning and working hard leads to accomplishments. And when you accomplish something, you celebrate. You're not actively accomplishing anything if you've only ridden a horse once.
For another thing, you're not receiving the reward of the bond between the human and the horse. It takes time to develop a connection to a horse. Only riding once doesn't immediately bond you to the animal.
Just like in general life, you benefit more with more experience.
Riding isn't exercise.
Riding is actually a full body workout. Riding is also a competitive sport.
We use the core and legs in order to tell our horse to do things and to stay balanced in our seat. We use our arm muscles to tack up or to lead a horse from the ground. Our glutes need to be toned in order to help our seat even more.
I can't think of one lesson I had where I wasn't sweating afterward. And my lessons are an hour long, which means I'm staying active for a whole 60 minutes, and maybe even more if you count grooming and tacking up.
Just because you're sitting on top of the horse doesn't mean you're not doing anything. You're doing a lot of things just to be able to stay in the saddle.
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