By Former DHF Apprentice Trainer
(and now Professional Trainer), Helen Pianca
Helen as a child showing Nell.
When I was little, I begged and begged my mom for riding lessons until I was finally allowed to clean stalls at a local barn in exchange for one hour of pure heaven each week. She finally relented, and thought that it was good that I had found a “hobby” (little did she know...) and also that it might keep me from becoming too interested in boys in high school. However, the lessons that horses and horsepeople taught me had far more value than I could have imagined. Horses build character, confidence, and relationship skills that are becoming more and more uncommon in this modern age of computers and social networking. I think that every child that likes horses should be able to have the opportunity to ride and take lessons because the lessons they learn at the barn will carry them far in life.
Aside from the obvious physical balance and coordination skills that riding develops, riding horses can change a child's body language and posture for the better as well. To ride correctly, it is important to keep a 'neutral spine', meaning that your back is flat and you are not arching or rounding your back. This engages core muscles and improves posture overall. Also, horses communicate mostly through body language, so to be able to handle them, you have to carry yourself in a way that is assertive without being aggressive. I was amused to find, in college, that the tips that the career counselors were giving for good interview body language were also the same things that I did when working with horses. Many kids are very passive, especially around such an intimidating animal as a horse, but after being dragged to grass the 20th time by a determined pony, they quickly figure out how to project themselves as a leader.
Horses also are the best for teaching life lessons and responsibility. They don't care if it's your birthday when they get sick, or if the show that you worked all summer for is the same weekend they throw a shoe. They can also be very expensive, so having your child save their money and work off some of the cost around the barn shows them the value of money. Deciding between paying your horse's farrier bill and buying yourself those new shoes you wanted is a no-brainer to a horse kid. When my horse Willy developed uveitis, causing him to eventually lose his left eye, I had to medicate him up to four time a day during flare-ups, no matter if I had plans with friends or lots of homework to do. I think that alone helped my time management skills the most. I also remember sitting in the barn aisle in the middle of winter while Willy was colicing, writing a ten page paper due the next day for my English class. I got a lot better about not procrastinating after that.
Horses also seem to have a keen grasp on human ego, and never fail to knock down all the fences or miss the dressage movement when their person gets too full of themselves. You cannot lose your temper with a horse, and they are great at telling your emotional state. If you are frustrated, or upset, or distracted, it is amazing how uncooperative even the best horses can be. The more you try to force a horse into a trailer because you are running late, the less likely they are to get in. To be able to convince a horse to do anything, you have to learn how to control your emotions, and this skill is immeasurably valuable for kids to learn from a young age. The saying that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar is very true for equines, kids quickly learn the value of kindness with horses.
Whether or not you make horses your career, or even continue to ride as an adult, riding lessons are the best way I know of to help your child develop into the kind of adult that is assertive, compassionate, thoughtful, resourceful, kind, and responsible.
Aside from the obvious physical balance and coordination skills that riding develops, riding horses can change a child's body language and posture for the better as well. To ride correctly, it is important to keep a 'neutral spine', meaning that your back is flat and you are not arching or rounding your back. This engages core muscles and improves posture overall. Also, horses communicate mostly through body language, so to be able to handle them, you have to carry yourself in a way that is assertive without being aggressive. I was amused to find, in college, that the tips that the career counselors were giving for good interview body language were also the same things that I did when working with horses. Many kids are very passive, especially around such an intimidating animal as a horse, but after being dragged to grass the 20th time by a determined pony, they quickly figure out how to project themselves as a leader.
Horses also are the best for teaching life lessons and responsibility. They don't care if it's your birthday when they get sick, or if the show that you worked all summer for is the same weekend they throw a shoe. They can also be very expensive, so having your child save their money and work off some of the cost around the barn shows them the value of money. Deciding between paying your horse's farrier bill and buying yourself those new shoes you wanted is a no-brainer to a horse kid. When my horse Willy developed uveitis, causing him to eventually lose his left eye, I had to medicate him up to four time a day during flare-ups, no matter if I had plans with friends or lots of homework to do. I think that alone helped my time management skills the most. I also remember sitting in the barn aisle in the middle of winter while Willy was colicing, writing a ten page paper due the next day for my English class. I got a lot better about not procrastinating after that.
Horses also seem to have a keen grasp on human ego, and never fail to knock down all the fences or miss the dressage movement when their person gets too full of themselves. You cannot lose your temper with a horse, and they are great at telling your emotional state. If you are frustrated, or upset, or distracted, it is amazing how uncooperative even the best horses can be. The more you try to force a horse into a trailer because you are running late, the less likely they are to get in. To be able to convince a horse to do anything, you have to learn how to control your emotions, and this skill is immeasurably valuable for kids to learn from a young age. The saying that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar is very true for equines, kids quickly learn the value of kindness with horses.
Whether or not you make horses your career, or even continue to ride as an adult, riding lessons are the best way I know of to help your child develop into the kind of adult that is assertive, compassionate, thoughtful, resourceful, kind, and responsible.
