Why Take Lessons?
An estimated 30 million people in the United States ride horses, ensuring that the title of the Wild West is still appropriately owned by the people. Professional equestrians and ranch wranglers alike have had their turn in the lesson saddle to learn effective and safe practices while riding. From young and inexperienced riders to the well worn and highly experienced riders, taking lessons to brush up on movement tactics, safety practices, and developing a Heart Horse is never a bad idea.
While experience and practice is always a great reason to take riding lessons, there are also a multitude of different reasons one might consider taking horse riding lessons. Exercise is one of these reasons. With the use of the horse, it might be confusing to some to think how this could be considered an exercise for anyone but the horse. The truth is, horseback riding is a great form of exercise that not
only works on the use of unusually used muscles, but it also is a great cardiovascular workout. During horseback riding, it is important to control muscle movement, because it directs the horse and sends signals to them that they can understand and react to.
When horseback riding, using and controlling these muscles in a smooth manner can be difficult to get the hang of at first. This is why beginner classes are typically around 30 minutes long, no longer than an hour. The teacher is attempting to get those muscles used to being applied with movements before extending lesson times. Once a student begins to feel more comfortable with the horse, the lessons can be extended for upwards to an hour and a half or more, depending on the discipline the rider is learning.
Where To Take Lessons?
The topic and question of where to take lessons from solely depends on what kind of riding the lesson taker wants or needs to learn. For ranchers and wranglers, rodeo kings, queens and other similar cowboys, a western riding teacher would be the best. Western riding is different from English equestrian riding not only in competition, but in gear and style as well. For someone looking to get into show jumping or eventing, they will need an English riding teacher. Understanding what type of riding will be performed is crucial to picking the right teacher for you.
English riding is a common practice in the United States, it is still not as common as Western riding is. English riding is far more popular in Europe. A lot of professional English riders may come from Europe or even extend their training into Europe because of their vast history and expertise in English riding.
Western riding is far more popular and easy to come by in the United States. The Wild West still hangs on strong through county fair rodeos and competition rodeos. Bronc riding, barrel racing, rodeo queens, roping, the events never end with rodeo. On Top of rodeo, events like Western show events include reining and western pleasure competitions. Western riding is common in the United States because it is still used for ranchers and the cowboys of the west.
How Much Will Horse Riding Lessons Cost?
While the question is simple in theory, the answer is much more complex than a given number. Some riding lessons are given by champion riders in equestrian events, other lessons are given by weekend trail riders. The qualifications of the teacher play into the amount asked for by the lessons company.
On the high end of lessons led by award winning or olympic horse riding athletes can cost upwards to $200 an hour. Some olympic riders such as Anne Kursinki have created online courses and virtual lessons to lessen the price, starting at a subscription rate of $30 a month or $200 a year.
Prices like that can be daunting for anyone who is looking to dip their toes into the equine world. Lower end lessons, which does not imply low quality, can range anywhere between $20 and $150 an hour. While in an abundance of cases, higher price means better quality; however, this is not always true for horse riding lessons. Some lower costing lessons may be on the cheaper end due to the business being a non profit instead of a for-profit business which can fluctuate the average prices lower or higher in accommodation to the facilities needs.