Horse riding

[LaTrine Jakscoon]

I'm thinking of treating myself to a horse riding lesson for my birthday, although hubby doesn't think it's a good idea - he's worried I might fall off and break something :lol

So, is riding a horse very difficult for a n00b? I have no experience whatsoever.

[Whitey Ford]

having grown up on a ranch in arizona, I can honestly say riding a horse is one of the funnest things you can do ever! It's not particularly dangerous, but it's not the safest thing in the world either.
If you have a good sense of balance and are in reasonably good shape you should be fine.

[Dwight Mansburden]

A few years ago I was aboard a state police game warden's jetboat on a patrol up the Snake River (sort of a ride-along) and we stopped at an isolated ranch for lunch.

The rancher came running down to the boat asking us to call for a helicopter medivac.

Turned out the ranch had a group of about 10 women who were going on a 3-day "all girls" horseback trip up into the surrounding mountains. But after getting all the horses saddled up and pack horses loaded with gear, as the procession was leaving the main corral, one of the horses was spooked by something and bucked its rider off.

The woman came down hard on her side, landing on exposed bedrock and was in serious pain, she said.

So the cops radioed in to Spokane for a helo and it arrived in about 45 minutes. The cops knew first aid and comforted the woman until the paramedics arrived.

They loaded her up and took off. We figured she was just scared and bruised.

But it turned out she had a ruptured spleen, two broken ribs and some cracked ones...and a cracked hip.

The rest of the women decided to stay at the bunkhouse on the ranch and just take short day trips around the local area...on only the tamest, most gentle horses.

[swampthing]

I've been on a horse exactly one time in my life,back when I was 9 or 10,and I fell off the damn thing very quickly. Fortunately my bones were flexible and my head was hard as a rock,so I didn't injure anything but my dignity.

My head is still hard as a rock,and I still don't have a great deal of dignity....

Anyhow,I'll relate what my Grandfather told me. Opa farmed and ranched all his life,and the first half of that farming took place before anyone in these parts could afford tractors and other high priced stuff like that. The family used mules and horses to plow and cultivate with,as did damn near everyone else back then,and I remember Opa telling me that if there was ever a choice between a horse and a mule,always take the mule.

He said-several times-that mules are quite a bit smarter than horses,and are generally a lot less prone to mishaps. He always said that mules were more even tempered than horses (i.e.,mules were never willing to work any harder than it took to get a job done),and were just all around tougher . He also said-again,repeatedly-that while a horse could be run literally to death,you could get a mule to run until the mule decided he was too tired to run,and after that,nothing you could do would make that mule run again,until it decided that it was ready to run,which would be whenever the mule decided that the human had learned the lesson.

So,if there's a place around that has mules available for riding,that might be an option.

Um...if you're dead set on falling off something for your birthday,you might want to check on a starter course for a kayak. (I believe they're referred to as canoes on the Eastern side of the Atlantic). That way,if you fall over,there's some water between you and the ground,and you only have to worry about drowning.
(I'm kidding!!!)

[Lily White]

I learned to ride horses as a kid on my great-grandfather's ranch in Kansas. The most important thing to remember is to stay calm and relax. If you are afraid of horses, don't ride. The horse can sense your tension and it makes them very skittish and more likely to buck.

As a novice, you would be given an older, more docile horse to ride, but that doesn't mean there's no risk involved. I would suggest that you make sure your first ride is on relatively level ground, as free of large rocks and low branches as possible. Most places provide helmets to wear while riding. Wear one, even if it looks ridiculous.

Watch the horse for clues to its demeanor. Generally speaking, the higher the head and tail is held, the more aggressive the horse. Avoid getting on a horse that has its ears turned backward, pinned close to the head with eyes wide open and nostrils flared. Also avoid horses who whip their tails rapidly from an erect position, horses that quickly turn their shoulders and head toward you, horses that repeatedly stomp their forehooves on the ground with force, and horses that make high pitched vocalizations.

I love horseback riding, and provided you have a calm, well trained animal, you should do fine. Just remember to relax and most importantly...have fun!