The Benefits of Horseback Riding Ronald Reagan once said “There 's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.” I’ve been riding horses for almost ten years and I couldn’t agree more. No matter what discipline someone is involved in- dressage, pleasure riding, hunter/jumper, endurance, speed events, equitation, working cow, whatever- there are many positive effects to be had. Besides being a lot of fun, horseback riding has a number of substantial benefits for the mind and body. Competitive horseback riding is the best full-body workout I know: every muscle in your body is used to remain sitting up tall and balanced while the horse moves beneath you, to drive the horse forward with impulsion, and to keep from falling …show more content…
Having a partnership with such a large, powerful animal builds self-confidence and provides a mental escape from school or work. Horses and humans in any discipline must have an incredible amount of trust in each other. Horses, naturally prey animals, trust their riders to not lead them into a dangerous situation where they could be injured or eaten by a predator. Humans, often weighing fifteen times less than their mounts, trust that horses will willingly do their jobs as directed and not use their strength against their riders. This amount of mutual trust results in a close bond inside of the arena and out that both participants enjoy. Additionally, riding and caring for horses is a sport accessible to and actively enjoyed people of any age. If you’re able to climb onto a horse, you can ride. If you’re unable, you can join the many people who keep horses just for comfort and companionship. No matter what you do with your horses, it’s always extremely gratifying to hear them nicker in greeting when you walk down the barn aisle, or come running if you go to the gate of their
Once you get them to settle down and get there mind focused on just walking and the rider then you know the bond with the rider and horse are strong. When it is time for the second run of the night you want to warm them up again but not as hard this time because he or she has already been warmed up once before this, so just a little warming up won’t hurt. When it is that time for the second run the rider will bring the horse him a set him or her up for their first barrel and make the most of the race. If you see the rider smiling then everyone knows she has done her job with this horse. The rider can make an automatic barrel horse where that horse know his job and she barely has to ask the horse for a turn or touch his face to go around that barrel. When the rider gets a horse to be like that everyone can tell they spent hours and days together. The rider worked with that horse but never made him sour or hate coming into the arena. They spent time working on flexing the horse and making sure he knew when to tuck his nose and leave it for an extra second. They will all see when they are running home how much they spend time they spend together if they are fast and smooth through the pattern and don’t have any blow ups before or after coming in and out of the arena. After the race is over and the announcer say who
A thing you always have to train your horse with is to be patient, get a halter on them and tie them on a post, make sure the horse can get free if they pull, or have a quick release latch. I say this because if your horse is totally tied up to a wooden post that’s only stuck in the ground, no matter how far in, or how sturdy it is, if your horse gets spooked, it will, pull the post out of the ground because if he pulls, and it won’t release, they will pull and pull as hard as they can until they feel no pressure, then they will stop, and calm themselves down. When you tie a horse, don’t just leave them there, but do hands on things, brush them, talk to them, pet them, pick their front and back hooves, and get them used to people going behind them and touching their rump and playing with their tail, patting their rump, back, side, etc., you never know when someone will do that and they’re not used to it. Then...
Young, Rhoria Lee, and Maggie Bracher. "Horsemastership part 2: Physical, psychological, educational and social benefits." International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation 12.3 (2005): 120-125. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.
Equine veterinarians are animal doctors who provide medical care for horses. They examine, test and occasionally operate on or euthanize the animals. Travel to ranches and farms is often necessary, and equine vets have to work outdoors in various types of weather conditions. Being an equine veterinarian is a pleasant career choice because of great interactions with varied types of horses and their owners , the basic information, and the pros and cons of an equine veterinarian.
When therapeutic riding became popular, results have exceeded what many didn't think would be possible. emotionally, children have a hard time bonding with other people and peers, therefore, bonding a child to a horse can help a child understand and begin to trust and bond with other people they interact with daily. therapy instructors also bond with children and they see throughout lessons that children need repetitions and they need the instructor to show them what to do on both sides, not just one which will help the child improve their riding. when you do things on both sides, it teaches the child that they do not have to do things only one way and it strengthens their left and right side of the brain. helping children, physically, mentally and emotionally is beneficial to society because it gives people a chance to do good in life by helping children and it gives the children to help society better itself and spread knowledge of many diseases that don't really have a
When riding a horse you don’t just sit there and do nothing, You work hard to control a 800-1000 pound animal. You have to push your horse and yourself to the greatest you can be. It is a lot of work, it is just like any other sport. You have to go ride your horse at least 4 times a week, you practice in the wind, rain, snow, when it’s hot out, and event when it is freezing cold.
Draper, Judith, Debby Sly, and Sarah Muir. Complete Book of Horses and Riding. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Inc., 2003. Print.
Riding encourages a child to work with their hands, exercise, and connect with horses and people of all ages, gain confidence, and learn new skills. Courtnee Niggel, an instructor summarizes how “A six year old child was told she will never walk again but after years of equine therapy she is now able to walk with a walker or by holding on to the sides of walls” (Niggel 1). Equine Therapy leaves a child with amazing results and changes their life drastically all the way from growing social skills to helping with motor skills, even to
I have always had a passion for animals. As a young child, I was convinced I constantly needed new animals, but we never had the space to care for them. In an effort to fill my desire to be involved with animals, my mom decided to sign me up for English horseback riding lessons. Although I never really believed I would enjoy English riding, I went to the horse barn about two times a week to practice. Over time, I learned to enjoy the sport and I created a bond with the horse I rode; he became my best friend. We went to competitions almost every single weekend and I won multiple awards. When my parents separated I had to stop competing. I was devastated to leave the behind the horse I had grown to love, however, I knew that this would not be the end of my future with animals.
Grand champion! I was riding Fancy, a paint horse, at the Dallas County Fair in the Horsemanship class. In this class, I had to complete a pattern and it was judged on how well each horse and rider completed the pattern. The judge felt that Fancy and I performed best and awarded me with a big purple ribbon and a trophy with a horse on top. At the end of the fair, all of the grand champions were announced before the races. That was the final reward for successfully showing a horse in competitions.
One way I do this is due to the fact that horses aren’t cheap. Not only is there an expensive upfront cost, but there’s also the all year round expenses like feed bills, expensive hay prices, vet bills, the farrier bill, and the pricy tack (which is all the equipment needed to ride and own horses). Owning and showing horses is one of the most costly activities a person can get into. The majority of my paycheck goes to my horse and into my gas tank to take him places. Kron states that “besides control we use things to compete,”(130). Another way that Boomer’s a sign of my status is through competing with him. To compete, I take him to barrel races and game shows to see who can do the patterns the fastest. At barrel races and game shows we try to get the fastest time to win money and or ribbons. We don’t usually come in first, but all I care about is doing our best and improving our times. This establish a sign of my status because it not only helps me raise it in the horse world, but I also gain more respect because I’m more worried about doing my best and keeping my horse healthy versus just caring about the the money and buying the horses that’ll get me that even if I had to discard horses to get there. Meaning if a horse isn’t good enough or fast enough I wouldn’t sell them unlike some people do. This is a common practice in the horse racing
Training a horse to ride is hard work, it involves ground work, riding, and in both patience is very important. In the next few paragraphs I will be explaining the steps needed to train a horse.
Winston S. Churchill once said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Horses are used for many recreational activities, but horses can also be used to help people with disabilities. Equine assisted therapy helps improve the condition of adults and teens that have problems and disorders.
Some people think of them as animals. Some people think of them as objects. Some people think of them as friends. Then there are the few who think of them as family. Horses have always been like family to humans, except sometimes closer. There are many benefits to owning or being around horses. They come in many different colors. There is a multitude of breeds, also. Additionally, they have a long history with humans. Horses have unique behaviors. Showing horses has been the past-time or even career of many people. Furthermore, caring for horses can be a handful, but is definitely rewarding. Finally, riding horses is not just a hobby or a sport, but an action of your heart. Horses are wondrous creatures that have lived with man or thousands of years.
Equestrian Riding, also known as horseback riding is a sport. Some people may argue that is not because they think the horse is doing all of the work. However that is not true. People do not realize that it takes a lot of to ride a horse and the rider does a lot of work as well and its good exercise too.