Many of the people here are beginners and I think that several of the responders over-react to the lack of knowledge of come posters... not just here, other forums too. You are doing the right thing in trying to get answers!
That said, you can not rely on annonymous posters on the internet to teach you everything you need to know to ride, handle and care for horses - working with horses is a BIG responsibility and lack of education can be dangerous for you and your mount. (we've all heard the stories of the people who have 'never' taken a lesson but they are still 'great horsemen' - it's possible, but not common)
Taking regular riding lessons is the MOST important thing you can ever do for your equine education. Your instructor will be able to answer ANY question you may think of posting here. If you have a trainer and don't feel comfortable asking "stupid" questions - FIND A NEW TRAINER!!! That's their job - to educate you!
see arr harr2008-01-23T10:53:35Z
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Couldn't agree more. I find it quite disturbing that some people think they don't need lessons any more because they've been riding a couple of years and already know how to do it! I've been riding for 29 years now, and I still take lessons; it can be easier to spot problems from the ground and I appreciate another person's perspective. I break in horses, I've trained more than I can be bothered to count right now, and I have my BHSAI, and I know fine well I'm not perfect!
We cannot over-stress the importance of lessons. Olympic riders have frequent lessons, so why on earth should the rest of us not?!
Lessons are a really good idea when someone wants to get into horses. But you are right they are not the most important thing someone can do. I've never taken a riding lesson in my life. When I was a child I was put on a pony if I stayed on great, if not well I got back on tried to figure out where I went wrong. The most important thing for someone to do around horses is to recognise your limitations. ASK QUESTIONS and don't try to do anything beyond your experience. Although I was around horses much of my childhood and read tons of material, my real education started when I bought my first horse 15 years ago. I had some really good friends who had owned horses all their lives who helped me a bunch in the beginning. People who have owned and ridden horses their whole lives should leave their minds open to the possibility that they don't know everything there is to know.
Totally, absolutely agree 100% on the importance of regular riding lessons. Even professional riders still take lessons. And most people who know something about horses started out learning it from their trainers. You should also know that not all trainers are created equal. And the joke is that among a group of two horse people there will be three different ways to do things. Listen to everyone, but use your common sense when deciding what advice to act on.
I COMPLETELY agree with you. While the "How much does it cost to own a horse" questions are very plentiful and slightly irritating, when you get past that you do have to admit that they are a valid question. At least people are trying to plan ahead (I just wish they'd check the archives first!) ;)
But some things are better left to the experts to teach you hands-on, in person. I agree that safety is the one big thing that is most important...it is so easy to get hury or hurt someone else (person or horse) through ignorance. Learning is great and no one should ever put a limit on educating themselves, but you have to figure out what the most appropriate way to learn is first!
I never had real riding lessons until my early 30's. However, I was breaking horses to ride by age 11, and working with people's problem horses in my pre-teen years. I was an avid and advanced reader at an early age (I was reading college level books by age 6 and got accepted into college by age 12 - so I was not the normal 'child'.) I do think lessons are extremely important AND I think it's very important to get lessons from more than one person AND read as much as possible. It's very easy for novices in any sport to get 'duped' by what they think are knowledgeable people in their chosen hobby. To this day, I get about 15 books a month delivered to my house from equinecollection.com and I subscribe to several magazines (like 9 or more.) There is more than one right way to do things with horses but there's lots of misinformation about. Now, I ride dressage and take lessons twice a week (from two different trainers.) I also go to as many clinics with as many different trainers as possible. A lot of times I don't like or agree with what I learn. But, frequently, I get a real gem of knowledge that opens new doors for me! And, oh........the bad habits I developed in my youth that I will spend the rest of my life unlearning!