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
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.
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
Equine therapy, as everything else, has its pros and cons. According to Meghan Vivo of Elements Behavioral Health, a drug rehab treatment center, equine therapy “can bring up unmet needs, fears, past trauma, and feelings of inadequacy or lack of control.” The use of these huge creatures can make people feel inadequate and the idea that another being has some control does not work for everyone. Therapy can be a long, extensive process and the results are not immediate. Patients do not always want to to wait for progress to be made, especially when that progress requires the patient to face his/her fears. Additionally, “trying to control or dominate will not work with a horse,” because horses are prey animals, so attempting to control a horse can worry the creature and, in response, the horse may act out. Horses are very clear about their boundaries and, for the most part, do not tolerate people crossing said boundaries. Riders must be careful around horses, wrong movements or upsetting a horse does not typically end well. To combat this, equine therapists and mental health professionals are well equipped to deal with horse-related injuries and emergencies and therapy horses must go through rigorous training to become certified. Patients and riders are also trained on barn etiquette and rules, such as no running or yelling around horses, no walking
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...
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
Attention Getter: To me life with out horses is a life not worth living. To most people there are only two types of styles of riding, English and western, but there are many more types than that. And all are different.
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.
For many people across the United States rodeo is how they make a living. Weather its competing, selling, or just working behind the sense, they depend on rodeo for a job. Not only do humans depend on rodeo for a job, but so do all types of animals. Not all horses are cut out for the same job just as all humans are not. Many animal rights groups use words like animal cruelty and unsafe to describe a rodeo, but underneath the tough exterior strict rules combat the use of these words by cutting down on the unsafe and cruel events. Rodeo, despite being a dangerous sport, benefits a community in many ways and does not condone animal cruelty in any way. It is a place where a community of people can show their skills, sell their products, and find friendships with people just like them.
For decades, Scientists have contemplated the idea of using horses for the personal gain of children and adults with needs such as autism, heart conditions, anxiety, stress, and other disorders that have yet to be curable. Horses such as Chester, a twenty year old gelding has encouraged more young riders who face difficulties such as social skills, behavior skills, and those who are physically indisposed. The phrase confidence is key, becomes important when people of all ages interact with a horse. Learning confidence may not be as easy as it sounds but is a necessary step to bond with a horse; without it, there can be no trust and most importantly, no bond between the equine and its rider.
Draper, Judith, Debby Sly, and Sarah Muir. Complete Book of Horses and Riding. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Inc., 2003. Print.
The individuals have to cue the horse by gently pushing their leg into the horse or by steering it around. If the individual cannot ride alone yet, they have to be calm and talk to the people around them. The workers have to help the individual onto the horse, and may ask questions to them. People learn to recognize how they think when working with horses. They learn to watch the horse’s body language while around the horse. Body language is used in all animals and people, which helps them to better communicate with others. Many individuals talk to the horse while they are on just because of how enjoyable the experience
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
Have you ever been to a horse race? Seeing the riders give their horses a pat and an apple after the race, people cheering for their horse as it runs rapidly to the finish line? Seems like a great time. But what happens to those horses after they are done their race. What happens to the people who gambled their family’s lives savings. All horse racing should be shut down due to the well being of the horses, the effects of gambling, and the lack of interest.
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.