I recently visited a local foxhunt to say hello, and get some photos. Foxhunting is pretty big in my area. To be fair, I dont have a lot of experience in other areas, so I cant say for certain. But theres like five local hunts, so I think thats a pretty good amount. Middleburg is basically known for foxhunting, so Im pretty sure were a big foxhunting area.We (I use we loosely, Im not a foxhunter myself, even if I want to be) are currently in cubbing season. Its like the pre-game season, before the actual foxhunting begins. Its still mostly the same as the actual season, but there are a few key differences.Its much less formal. Foxhunters are known for the red and black coats, looking all dapper and ready to discuss their estates. Cubbing season has a more relaxed dress code, although lets be clear, these people could still be discussing the state of their estates, and how the inheritance tax is going to be effecting them. Theyre still looking quite sharp.I was actually in a local tack store the other day, and I saw a beautiful blue wool riding coat. I knew immediately it was cut for foxhunting, but I was a bit confused as I wasnt clear on what cubbing season was. I asked, and was told its for cubbing season. Ah yes, of course. The $800 coat is the less formal riding outfit.But this lack of formality is because this is basically training season for everyone involved. The field of horses is smaller, so its less overwhelming. The horses are coming back into work or green horses are being trained to foxhunt. Newer riders are getting used to the flow of things. Young hounds are being trained to hunt. The foxes are realizing its that horrible time of year again.After these training sessions, everyone should be on the same page when actual foxhunting starts, usually sometime in late October or November. There will be a formal Opening Meet, theres usual a Blessing of the Hounds, and everyone is going to be looking their best.If you love taking photos, like me, its the best time to sneak on in there and get some. But its still fun to come visit during the less formal times, too. I always love my visits to the foxhunt!The post The Foxhunt What is Cubbing Season? appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

Do you enjoy cosplay? Or dressing up as a superhero in your every day life?Boy, do I have the right thing for you!Equestrians on social media have been puzzling over the latest clothing launch from Maximilian Equestrian: a one piece riding suit. The shirt and the pants are one. They have been joined. It looks exactly like a catsuit from a superhero movie, plus some grips on the leg.Photo by PeopleByOwen: With the direction riding clothes have been going, its actually not surprising that they decided to launch this. A lot of riding clothes coming out today are clingy, skin tight, workout-inspired items. It wasnt too far of a stretch to throw in a jumpsuit, which some women work out in.I dont wear them at all, by the way, I want to make that very clear. I think jumpsuits are weird and uncomfortable, and bring up the age old question: How do you pee?I once saw a video mocking that question, where the creator pulls off the jumpsuit from the top to demonstrate, as though the rest of us are dumb for realizing it. Maybe we just phrased the question wrong the real question/problem is that we dont want to strip naked and have our clothes dragging on the floor while we pee (or having to navigate awkwardly holding up the clothing). Is that clear enough?Other issues riding makes us sweaty. I feel like trying to pull a jumpsuit on and off while we are damp is something like trying to put on a wet swimsuit. Likely worse, because a swimsuit is like a scrap of fabric. This jumpsuit has an entire long sleeve shirt. Its going to be like putting panty hose on your arms.Then theres sizing its already hard to get clothes that fit just right, and now youre dealing with something that may or may not fit the different parts of your body. It might end up too tight on your shoulders, but everywhere else is loose. It might pull on your crotch because youre taller than it intended. Theres just a lot that could go wrong with the sizing.ALSO, I dont know if Im the only one who does this, but I find I can usually wear breeches more than once. Shirts, however, get really nasty and gross so I change them immediately. So having them connected is going to make it so I have to wash it every single time. That is not practical at all.Photo by Antonio Friedemann: The jumpsuit just launched, but its too soon to see if people are buying it. I foresee some influencers wearing these for the novelty of it, or just to do a photoshoot in, but I dont see the reach going much further than that. I just dont understand who they are making this for. Maybe it was just a marketing ploy to bring attention to their other products. In a sense, it worked, because I went and looked. I saw their clothing is out of the range that I like to spend on my clothes, so I wont be buying any. The riding jumpsuit is $279. And it comes in white. I cant imagine wearing an completely white outfit to the barn. It makes me think people who do more than just show up to a completely tacked up horse and ride probably arent going to want it.I once heard youll get way more uses out of something plain, because youll wear it more. The unique pieces end up being shoved to the back of your closet, because you either want to save it for special occasions, or you just dont people to notice you wearing the same thing a lot. This piece is very unique, so how many uses would you get out of it?Would you wear a jumpsuit to ride in?The post The Riding Jumpsuit appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

It was time for a vacation, so naturally we decided to travel back to the same place we went to last vacation: Iceland!We loved Iceland before, and this time we decided to take our oldest child. We considered bringing the boys too, but they are at an age when tantrums shows up really quick, and their attention span can be short, so it seemed like it might end up being quite unpleasant. However, we did have to promise wed take them there later, so well have that to look forward to.One of the boys was actually very disappointed, because Iceland recently had a volcano going off, and hes obsessed with lava. And then when we were coming in, I SAW THE VOLCANO WITH MY OWN EYES!! I SAW IT SPRAYING MAGMA IN THE AIR!!! IT WAS SO COOL!!!! (The road from the airport went right by it)And then the universe decided the volcano was closed, as it went back to sleep before wed even left Iceland.But since I love Iceland so much, Im not against going again with the boys, but I also plan to go again with just myself so I can take a riding tour!! The kids are too young for it, so theyll have to wait, but Im not waiting. Im going to do it ASAP, as I cant imagine anything cooler than trail riding in Iceland.One of the (non-riding) tours I did was the Golden Circle, which is detailed below. However, there are some cool riding trips right through this same area!4 Day Winter and Northern Lights Horse Riding Holiday in Selfoss, Iceland7 Day Southern Comfort: Golden Circle Horse Riding Holiday in Skeia- og Gnpverjahreppur, IcelandMore on them below!I feel like many people avoid international travel because they think its too complicated or hard to figure out logistices, but Iceland is so simple. One of the nice parts of traveling to Iceland is how incredibly easy it is. Sure, you can go all out, rent a car and drive the ring road, or go to the highlands, but its so easy to have a full vacation with very little effort. Just be prepared for the cost, because its expensive to eat out here. We made several trips to the grocery store instead.Plus, everyone speaks English. Its one of the required classes in school.So Iceland on easy mode: Fly into KEF, take the Flybus to Reykjavik, stay in a hotel, book some tours, and the bus picks you up (not in that order, book tours early as the popular ones will sell out, like the Tomato Greenhouse. Good luck getting that one!)The horse tours run the same way book your tour, and youre picked up at the bus stop in Reykjavik, you just have to take the flybus there. Super easy. No navigating on your own, or renting a car, or trying to figure out logistics.For that reason alone, Iceland is a great place to visit, but of course the country itself is beautiful and amazing. I did the Golden Circle tour and Secret lagoon, and thats what Im going to share here. The horse tours I linked also go to these places, so you can see these areas on horseback!Thingvellir National ParkThingvellir (Icelandic: ingvellir) National Park is famous for a few reasons. It was the site of the Althing (Icelandic: Aling), which was the first parliament in the world. All the chieftains of Iceland would gather here once a year to discuss the happenings between the groups, and sort out any issues that came up. Engagements were made, but also people decided they didnt really like each other, and swear blood oaths against each other for generations. Eventually they begin to realize they needed a central authority to enforce the rules, but this took a few hundred years, so this system lasted a while. This whole era of Icelandic history is well documented within the Icelandic Sagas, medieval literature that tells the stories of different families or specific people. Its actually very interesting, and I highly recommend checking it out.The Icelandic SagasThe Sagas are very interesting, and mostly passed over when looking at historic literature. However, you can still enjoy them today in a few ways!The Sagas of Icelanders is a simplified translation of the stories, written for the modern reader, with lots of notes to help understand the backgrounds and history. Im currently working my way through it now. Be warned, this is a MASSIVE book.Theres also a series on YouTube, presented by the University of Iceland, that gives you an overview of the story, told in the region of the country where it happened. So its a story, plus you get to see the actual places where it took place. Its very cool! Check out Sage #8, Witches and Wonders in Eyrbyggja.Finally, you can just google for the Icelandic Sagas. They are open source at this point, no copyright on them! The translation quality tends to vary, though, and some versions can be very confusing.The other main thing the park is known for is being where the North American and European tectonic plates meet. The plates are pulling apart and creating rifts. Theres are tours to scuba dive in the water between the plates. The water is crystal clear. But for those of us that like to stay dry, there is a hiking path in the largest rift.The park is a beautiful hiking (and riding!) spot, and full of history. Theres still ruins somewhere of the Althing. I wish I had seen them, but alas, I did no.For all the history and geological significance, the park was made a UNSECO World Heritage Site.GullfossLikely the most famous of the Icelandic waterfall, the Gullfoss waterfall has the distinction of being two waterfalls, but in very close proximately. This is most likely for tax benefits.This is a good waterfall to visit if you like getting sprayed in the face (and really everywhere) by water, especially if you like doing it while its windy and cold. We saw someone without a rain coat make a hasty retreat when he realized the extent of the spray.But if you make it down there, youll be in a nice area with lots of other tourists on slippery rocks, with a rope fence to keep you from falling over the edge.I hope I dont sound cynical at all, it was actually very nice. But since having kids my opinions are greatly influenced by how safe I think it is for kids. And I have horror situations that play in my head. So it was a little nerve racking to have my small precious child so close to extreme water, with the potential of either tripping on the very uneven rocks, or accidently getting bumped by a much larger human. Which is why I took the below photo by putting her place, where no people were, and then moving myself to the spot. It seemed to work, shes still here!Its a very impressive waterfall, and it really was amazing to see it.hot springs of GeysirI had very low expectations of the geyser area, and perhaps because of that, I ended up loving the geysir area. It was way more interesting and impressive than I expected. (Im going to have to make a trip to Yellowstone now.)It started out slowly. We walked for the path, and there was some steam coming out of the ground. I thought that was all, and I was like hm, nice. But as we continued down the path, there was pools of boiling water. Then I was like, Oooo, nice!Then we continued down and there was a geyser spraying water 70 feet in the air, and I was like OOooooOOOo, very nice!It was really neat to see all the different pools and colors, and formations all around. It was very different from what I see in my normal, non-geyser, day to day life.So 5 stars, highly recommend going to this park to look at geysers. Theres even the original Geyser, which used to shoot 200 feet up in the air. It is the geyser that birthed all other geysers, in the sense that they are all called geyser because of this one.It doesnt go off anymore thought, its retired to watch Matlock and reminisce about the good old days. People have tried to drag it out of retirement by dumping salt in its waters, though. I guess you could try salting retired people that you know to see if theres any effect.Please forgive us for standing next to the NO STANDING sign. (I dont speak Icelandic)The Secret LagoonAfter seeing all the sights, we went to the hot springs. This spring was originally built as a neighborhood swimming pool, but has since been made into this very rustic, looking hot spring stop. Its very clearly heated from the hot spring as you can literally see where the water is coming from. Its also insanely hot over in this corner of the pool, and I dont know what kind of ice blood you have if this is where you want to hang out. Not to mention they had to put up a fence because people kept going into the hottest part of the hot spring???People really are built different. I love being warm and all, but Ill take temperate warm to being scalded alive.This is a very nice hot spring though, and less populated than some of the tourist ones (looking at you Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon). What shocks most tourists is that you do have to shower naked before you get in. And its communal showers, with minimal hiding spots, which is very normal for Iceland. But after this hot spring and visiting the community pool in the city, Ive realized that Icelanders have a very different view on nudity than Americans, and its very much: no one cares.This stop isnt always included in the Golden Circle tours, so make sure you check before booking.The Icelandic HorsesAs we were driving along, our tour guide asked if we wanted to see the horses. Yes, please, obviously.So we pull over for this road side attraction. Its very simple.Buy horse treats from the standFeed horsesTake picturesThats it, thats the whole business model. People stop and pay money to pet and feed the horses. It could literally be the most brilliant business model Ive ever seen. All you need is some horses that wont bite people and just want treats. I would love to know if this kind of business would take off in the US. If you have a horse farm on a main road, maybe you should try it.Once I came home, I noticed these exact same horses in this exact same location in other visitors Instagram photos. Everyone outside of Iceland is going to think Icelandic horses look like these specific three horses at a roadside attraction. They are famous horses, if you know who youre looking at.Take a Horse Vacation at the Golden CircleIf you thought any of the Golden Circle looked neat, well, you are in for a treat! Theres horse riding vacations that literally go past these places, and visits to them are included in the vacation. I listed two below. For both of these vacations, food is included. Maybe that seems minor, but food in Iceland is really expensive. We mostly ate from the grocery store. And I just love the feeling of someone else taking care of my food needs and bringing me food. Its my love language, so really its always a plus when food is included.4 Day Winter and Northern Lights Horse Riding Holiday in Selfoss, IcelandThis one is more of a quick tour of the area. An overview, you could say. It rides past the above areas, but at the end of the trip a tour bus takes you to each of them, which is basically the exact same tour that I described above, but you get to ride a bunch first.This one is designed for winter, which means you could see the Northern Lights. Its also possible that you wont, as they arent on a schedule or anything, it just happens when it happens. But theres a good change youll see them. People are already seeing them now up there, and its only August.7 Day Southern Comfort: Golden Circle Horse Riding Holiday in Skeia- og Gnpverjahreppur, IcelandThis is a longer, more intense version of the previous ride. It still goes through the same areas of the Golden Circle, including the Secret Lagoon, but it goes on more trails, deeper into the wilderness. This tour was nominated by CNNgo as one of the 15 greatest horse treks in the world.This ride is a top pick for me, and Im debating between this one and another one in the northern part of Iceland. I wish I had that money tree so I could just go on all of them. (If I was rich, I wouldnt tell anyone, but there would be signs!)Overall, I highly recommend a trip to Iceland. Icelandic Air regularly has flights for $299, and some careful planning can get around the expensive food issue. Im really looking forward to my next trip there!The post Iceland, The Golden Circle appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

I have finally completed a project that I dreamed up way back in 2010, when the internet was still in its childhood. Or maybe its early 20s, honestly Im not exactly sure how long Al Gores internet has been around. At this point, I think Internet may be middle aged.But regardless of all that, Ive had this dream for a really long time, but I never quite had the technical skills to pull it off. But, Ive worked really really hard, and so Im pleased to finally announce:Equine TimeLineWhich you already were aware of, because you likely saw the title of this post.Equinetimeline.comEquinetimeline.comEquinetimeline.com(Ive heard the appropriate amount of times to repeat something is three.)I build a website to track horses. You could think of it like a horse CarFax. Its about time there was a way to track the actual history of horses, instead of just little blurbs written by horse sellers. Its currently in its beta mode, as I make changes, so please go check it out, make a profile, create a horse, start tracking. If you could do just one thing for me, the horse blogger youve maybe been following for years, or maybe this is the first thing youve ever seen from me, but just this one thing, please do this. I need feedback in order to continue to improve it. I might think its the bees knees, but there could be some obvious flaw that my pea brain isnt seeing, and feedback would be greatly appreciated. Plus, its going to be super useful, and now Im going to detail all the ways its super useful, and it should be a standard in the horse industry.Now lets get started.A Complete Timeline of Every HorseMy main goal a complete history of every horse. Users enter in horse information to build up the history. Recording shows is an obvious one, but Im talking about deeper than that. What about meaningful training sessions? Or the clinics you took him to? All of the trail rides hes been on? Or times your horse babysat your little niece, and you just know hed be perfect for a family with kids. These are all meaningful events.Users can list horses for sale, and that history is the sale ad. How easy is that? People can literally just check out the history of the horse and decide if its right for them.When the horse sells, that record transfers to the new owner. The new owner will now have the history of the horse and be able to keep adding on to it. There will never be any confusion of what the horse knows or doesnt know, or where the horse has been. Its proof that your horse is what youre saying it is. Theres no need to wonder what kind of treatment or training that horse had prior, because its all written down.Keep Track of Former HorsesOne of the big reasons I made this is because its very sad when you sell a horse, and then it just disappears into the metaphorical abyss, and you never know what happened to it. Theres a whole group on facebook devoted to just finding horses people used to own. Its really sad! Horses have the disadvantage of being both a pet, and livestock. So youre supposed to be able to sell them and move on, but they are pets. You cant help but wonder what happened to a pet you loved. Often times people dont even want to sell but they are forced to. Its not fair you wont be able to see the life of that horse.Equine TimeLine fixes that. Horse is attached to your profile for life. Youll never have to wonder what happened.Pedigree ResearchWouldnt it be cool if we could click on a stallion, and see every one of their offspring, with lots of details of what they are accomplishing, including the shows they are going to, what they are doing, how training is going, what they looked like, etc. I think so. Itd be super cool.So that should be a thing. And thats why I created it. As people create horses on the site, they can all be linked to each other, creating clickable pedigrees, with tons of valuable information. It can help breeding programs to see all what all the horses they bred are doing, it can help those thinking about breeding, it can help those who want to check out pedigrees before they purchase a horse.Equine TimeLine for checking out entire bloodlines.Find Horses you Used to OwnWhat about the horse you owned years ago that seems to have vanished off the face of the earth? Now theres a centralized place to ask for information about your former partner. My goal is to connect horses and people, even if its been years.Checking Out Potential TrainersI dont want to sound like a negative nancy or anything, but Ive been burned before. Its very easy to become a horse trainer in the US, all you have to do is literally call yourself a horse trainer. But the truth is, many of these people are not qualified. We only have their own words to go on.So what if we could look at their timeline and see what theyve accomplished? We could figure out if what theyve done aligns with the type of trainer we are looking for. Its not just a timeline for horses, its a timeline for horse professionals. Its a resume to help clients decide if they want to work with certain people.Equine TimeLine for checking out potential trainers.This is just an overview of how this website could help out the horse community. Im going to keep talking about it though! Im going to keep making updates and perfecting this site because I really think it would be valuable to all of us. Its eventually going to turn into an app, either when I figure out the coding, or I hire someone to do it.So please check it out, give me your thoughts, and lets make it happen.EquineTimeLine.comPlease send any feedback to courtneymarshallick@gmail.comThank you!The post Equine TimeLine appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

But, shes not wrong.Its amazing how much environment changes your thinking. One of the reasons I switched back to my old trainer (so, my current trainer) is because I knew she doesnt mess around. Shes a tough coach, she doesnt mess around and she pushes students to actually ride the horse.Such a novel concept, I know. Who would have thought that would work?I was riding Stu, and he was feeling a bit frisky. Hes still in recovery mode from his recent hospital visit, so we had been taking it slow, but now we are amping it back up again. Hes certainly telling us how ready he is to work, as his energy levels are through the roof now (for him I mean, he didnt suddenly turn into a race horse.)My rides are focused on getting him to actually move out. Hes been a turtle his entire life, partly because his mother was the most laid back creature in existence, and partly because Im a bit intimidated by how fast he moves when hes moving like he should. (Im such a stereotype of the middle aged woman with too much horse, sigh.)So this is me admitting it, yes, I am a weanie. For the last few years, I havent asked him to move out because it feels much safer to do the western pleasure shuffle. I was wrong, I know.But my trainer isnt having any of that. Despite not actually being in a lesson, she happened to be in the ring while I was riding. She told me she wants to see a real trot. (Ive been working on the walk, so I am proud to say that that has become much bigger, with a nice swing.)So I asked him to trot. And he said, What an absurd request. For you see, I speak horse, and thats what it means when he violently throws his head down and bounces.Before I would have been scared, and probably pulled him up, circled, lost my nerve, maybe cried in the tack room a bit later. But since boss trainer is now here, she told me to send him forward.The weanie rider with the not so weanie horseSo I did. I got after him immediately and sent him forward. Well, what do you know, he gave me a bit of a tail flick, but he got over himself. Rinse and repeat a few times. He sprinted down the long side, breaking into a canter, I circled him, he broke, and I pushed him on again. He did a little head flip, I pushed him on.Basically the answer to everything was push him on.He was not happy to that he had to actually work. Its a big change for him where hes only had to give minimal effort. Of course, I knew that wasnt working, which is why hes now at a new training barn, but I cant help but feel like its been wasted time before. Why didnt my old trainer push me?I know some people advocate for a kinder approach to riding, they dont want to be screamed at, or feel belittled, but I think theres a spot in-between drill sergeant and allowing people to give up. Before, if I said something like, hes being crazy at the trot, the answer was more walk him around a bit to get him comfortable. Now its, Make him trot. Lean into discomfort. Push outside the boundaries.The only way to learn and advance is to push outside what is comfortable. Im glad Im doing it now, but it stinks that the last few years fell like a waste. Im not going to dwell on it though, because frankly my motivation to ride was basically non-existent since I was dealing with so many young kids.So I didnt care enough to try to actually try, I just went with what was easiest. But I care now though, and Im going to be pushing. Im thrilled with the amazing progress weve made in just a few weeks. To make it even better, technically I havent even had a lesson since hes still recovering, its just my trainer giving me about 3 minutes of instruction while shes giving someone else a lesson.Its so weird to me how little I was pushed before. Every time I ride now, theres a noticeable difference in how Stu goes. He starts out the ride being a jerk, and by the end hes an obedient horse. None of my lessons for the last few years went like that. It was more like, he was a jerk in the beginning, and he was a jerk in the end, but we found some tiny win to end on. I really feel like this was because there was no pushing. It was just accepting that he was a jerk, and I was a weanie, and hopefully next time will be marginally better.Im not trying to cast blame on anyone because I know I wasnt fully committed. In the end it was my fault. But overall, Ive noticed a big trend in a different style of horsemanship. Its more permissive, with emphasis on just allowing the horse to do what it wants. It wants to be gentle and kind, which is admirable, but horses dont communicate like that. I was taught the more traditional, pony club way, with firmness and boundaries, but Ive literally seen trainers being ripped apart for promoting it. Im shocked theres been such a change. Instead of pushing the horse forward, people people are getting animal communicators to find out why hes unhappy.I want to explore this way deeper, but I need to gather my thoughts and do some research on this. As a whole, I agree with kindness to the horse, but I feel like most people have been kind to horses for decades now. Theres always going to be overly harsh weirdos, but thats not the norm. But most people, since the time when Xenophon wrote his book on horsemanship, have considered the partnership of the horse above all else. But since the invention of the automobile, and horses became leisure animals, theres definitely more emphasis on the welfare of the horse.Hopefully my weanie days are behind me. But Im really interested in the general vibe of horsemanship since the rise in social media. So stay tuned.The post My Trainer Called Me a Weanie appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

I saw a post and I just cannot get it out of my mind. Therefore, Im coming here to talk about it, because I think it raises a broader question.The post was someone asking if they should purchase a horse that had attacked a person and literally ripped someones finger off. While this was the first time the horse did that much damage, the horse is known to be dangerous on the ground. But this persons motivation to buy it was because it was great to ride. I dont want to give anymore details, but thats the gist of it.It sounded pretty horrifying to me. I dont care how great a horse is to ride, why on earth would you want that horse around? Why on earth would you seek to get a problem horse?Lets discuss.I Can Fix itSomeone sees a dangerous animal and thinks that animal would never hurt me.I want to use the word animal instead of horse, because I think it applies to way more than horses. People see a dangerous dog and think, that dog loves me, they would never hurt me. It applies to people who get big cats as pets, and think they have some kind of connection that will override the cats natural prey instinct. Doesnt matter if the animal is domestic or wild, people seem to think love overrides all natural instinct in an animal.For all I know, maybe there is some spiritual energy that imbeds itself in both and infuses their souls with a deep connection. I know people often do feel deep connections with animals. I know animals can either be trained really well, or they do just like certain people more. But the majority of the time I dont think this is because of some deep connection. I think people just want to believe that because it makes their relationship special.So in the specific case of a horse thats already been noted to be dangerous, and has actually hurt someone really really badly, chances are, they are going to do it again. This was not an accidental injury, it was on purpose. That horse wants to hurt people.It doesnt matter what caused it, the poor horse might have been abused, or had something done to it, or maybe its just twisted in its brain. I obviously have no idea what led the horse to this behavior, but this is a horse that can never be trusted.That horse is going to be a liability forever. This information would have to be disclosed to all boarding barns, and no barn is going to want that kind of horse around. I dont think Id want to be at a barn that had a horse that was attacking people. Where on earth would someone keep this kind of horse?Not to mention the lawsuits this person is going to end up getting sued. They would probably need a big insurance plan to cover any potential injuries, or insurance might decline to cover this kind of horse.Can a horse like this be rehabbed? Maybe but it could be really dangerous. And the horse still couldnt be trusted.Theres So Many Nice Horses Already Out ThereMaybe an experienced trainer could fix this horse, I truly dont know. But with so many horses out there that wont try to attack you at any given opportunity, why would you give a home to one that would?I get the appeal of saving a horse, but theres other ways. Theres horses being loaded up on the slaughter trucks every day that would never try to hurt someone. Theres horses sitting at rescues, waiting for their perfect person to come along. Theres lonely horses whos owners got too busy, but would probably love it if someone took it off their hands.Theres so many nice ones out there, why on earth would anyone bother with one that would hurt someone?The Only Reason to Put Up With a Dangerous HorseSo there are people who will put up with a very dangerous horse, and thats because the horse is incredibly talented and will win at shows. But this people are always professionals, with professional staffs who understand how to deal with it. Theres no way the average hobby rider should put up with a dangerous horse, theres zero payoff. You just have a really dangerous horse that will probably end up scaring you and making you not want to ride.Notoriously Dangerous Horses That WonCurious what level of talent has to be present to put up with a dangerous horse?How aboutMan OWarHe fought like a tiger, Riddle once said in describing his stables early experiences with Man o War. He screamed with rage and fought us so hard that it took several days before he could be handled with safety.Well known racing legend Man oWar was also a bit of a jerk. He displayed a rebellious and aggressive nature, being difficult to handle on the ground and frequently dumping his exercise riders.Go Man Gojes plain mean as a bear most of the time Eldridge Strausswas ornery from the day I met him, but he was the greatest horse I ever rode Robert Strauss, jockey.Called the Man oWar of Quarter horses, he was incredibly talented, as well as difficult and dangerous to handle.So in the cases of big money winners, it probably is worth it to keep a dangerous horse, handled only by professionals, in a mostly controlled environment. The horse is literally being used for one purpose, and spends the rest of its time being left alone.Is It Really Worth it?Despite all the horse movies that showcase a difficult horse being tamed by a plucky girl, life doesnt work that way. (and I know some people feel they solved a horses problem and made them great, but I would argue that the horse was not dangerous, but instead was simply uneducated, or scared, or shy, and went through training to behave. A very normal process for all horses.)For a true dangerous horse why. Why would you risk being injured. Why would you take on someone elses problem. Why would you potentially ruin your own future because of a horse that probably hates you. Theres so many horses that would love to be doted on, snuggled and spend time with you. Why on earth would you let one of the good ones go without a home to take a chance on a jerk?I have no idea what if the finger eater is going to get a new home, but I hope it is just humanly euthanized. I know it makes people cringe and recoil to think of putting down an otherwise healthy horse, but I dont see a way forward where that horse isnt going to be a threat to people. It would have to be kept in a very controlled environment, with people who understand it, for the rest of its life. Possible? Sure. But how long are people going to be interested in that? People forget, people move on with their lives, or they will go to extreme measures to keep the horse controlled. So it will either end up with a lonely, awful life, or itll hurt someone again.Of course I could be wrong on that, but again, I dont see why someone would take the risk when theres loveable, kind ones out there. Dont make some elses problem your problem.The post Should I buy a Horse That Hurt Someone? appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

Summer is upon us, and its time to spend every possible moment at the barn. I literally have! Which is really amazing, its been a long time since I was such a barn rat. But Ive been there every single day. Amazing.But its made me realize that I dont have many riding shirts. Its not like I can wear the same one every day, as I come home looking like I was rolling in the dirt. They need to be washed. So now Im running out of shirts.To be clear, I do have some shirts, but they just arent very flattering. While I could just go to the barn wearing a loose t-shirt I got from a free promotion, Id like to look just a little bit more put together. I have to sort of look like I know what Im doing in front of all the teenage girls at the barn. I dont feel that even needs an explanation, you can tell that this is a need.So here are my picks for this summer.Harrison Howard Velvet Show ShirtThis riding shirt is so unbelievable cute, I would wear it all the time. I dont need to be going to a show.It features a body hugging, feminine silhouette with a matching velvet floral detail across the arms, shoulders, and chest. Although the this shirt style has become popular in recent years, I think this shirt is unique because the velvet extends down over the shirt, and doesnt just end above the bustline.It comes in white with white florals, black with black florals, or navy with white florals. The velvet is lightweight and breathable, with 4 way stretch.It is so pretty, Im really impressed with the design. Harrison Howard has been putting out some really nice products! Harrison Howard Ladies Long Sleeve Equestrian Rider Top with Elegant Patterned Velvet Spliced Design Slim Fit Show Shirtbaleaf Sun Shirt UPF 50+I have always been diligent about my sun protection, and this extends to my riding. You can definitely tell who has been riding all their life, if you know what I mean. The sun will damage your skin massively, and I take no chances.Thats why I love this sun shirt. Wear a tank top when youre in the shade, throw on this sun shirt when you go out to ride. Stay coolish, and protect that flesh.baleaf Womens Sun Shirts UPF50+ Half 1/4 Zip Shirt Rash Guard Long Sleeves SPF Lightweight Clothing UV Protection Hiking TopHarrison Howard Long SleeveAnother Harrison Howard, because their clothes are cute and affordable. This shirt is a typical riding sun shirt style, with full coverage and mesh under the arms. It has a slim fit design, UV protection, quick dry, and a high collar to prevent you from becoming a red neck.It comes in black, navy, pink, and white.Harrison Howard Equestrian Tops Female Long Sleeve Half Mesh Arm Design Quick-Dry Summer Top with Stylish NecklineFitsT4 Moisture Wicking PoloThe polo is the classic riding shirt, long before all these technical shirts existed. Its still a popular choice for those who want to look like they take their riding super serious.This shirt is the upgraded version, with lightweight, breathable fabric, UPF 50+ and a relaxed fit. Its a great choice for those looking for a traditional equestrian look, and doesnt mind globing on lots of sunscreen, because you should. Protect thy flesh.FitsT4 Sports Womens Equestrian Horse Riding Shirts Short Sleeve Moisture Wicking Polo Shirts for Golf Tennis WorkHarrison Howard Sleeveless Quick Dry ShirtWhile were on the topic of globing on sunscreen, if youre up for that, this is a very cool, modern take on a riding shirt. Howard Harrison once again nails it with this sporty style. The design is so sleek and elegant. I love the 1/4 zip on the neck, and the rhinestone design on the back. Its simple, but so sophisticated. Its made with lightweight, moisture wicking fabric to keep you feeling cool while looking good.This shirt comes in black, navy and white.I really love Harrison Howard riding shirts, I own several and they are excellent quality for a very reasonable price. They comes up with very cute designs. I highly recommend anyone looking for a cute shirt to check them out, especially if youre on a budget.Harrison Howard Equestrian Shirts for Women Sleeveless Horse Riding Lightweight Quick-Dry Riding Shirts for WomenThe post Summer Riding Shirts appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

This is a depressing follow up to my last post. I actually never imagined that this would happen to me, but here we are, with a thankfully doing-well-now horse, and a dent of over $6k in my wallet.My horses have been mostly healthy. Weve had a few minor colics, one gross cut, and that one time when Berry got stuck on a fence. I truly think thats because they are out on pasture 24/7. It is the healthiest way for a horse to live. And incidentally, the cheapest, which is very nice for my cheapskate self.So it hit me like a stack of brickish pianos when Stu ended up with a medical emergency.To set the scene, it was Friday. I had been texting my trainer earlier. Stu has been in training for a few weeks now, and the following day was going to be my first lesson on him.For petes sake, BRING IN HIS NOSEBAND!!! she had said (Im paraphrasing). For you see, I had lost his noseband when I moved him, and hed been using a Frankenstein bridle made of up parts of my trainers other bridles. Well, really just the noseband, that was the only piece that was missing. But I could have substituted some other parts in there for the giggles.By the way, I did not bring in the noseband, and still havent.When she called me later that day, I assumed it was about the noseband again. I would have rather it been about the noseband. But it wasnt. It was the first call to tell me something was wrong with my horse.He was choking. Hes never choked before. My trainer tried to clear it, and then called the vet out. When the vet arrived, she was surprised to find that my trainer had actually managed to clear it. But now Stu was colicking.They tried to treat him at the barn, but they couldnt get it resolved so they shipped him to our local emergency equine clinic.I arrived at the vet clinic minutes before he did, so I got to see him step off the trailer. He was trembling and definitely in pain. They weighed him and he topped off at a solid 1300 lbs. Hes a big boy, although he did end up losing some weight after this. He lost at least 50-75 lbs from this experience, impressive weight loss for only a week. (The diet industry doesnt want you to know this one trick!)They ran tests on him, with nothing definitively saying what was wrong. The good news was his heart rate, originally 80 (which Im told is very high), went down with sedation. The ultrasound wasnt showing anything wrong, but the vet explained that hes a huge horse and realistically it can only see so far inside of him.It wasnt until the final test that they figured out something was wrong: He was uncomfortable because someone stuck their arm up his bum. He even had a second person join in!In what seems like an incredibly unscientific method, the vet literally stuck her arm up his bum and felt around. Equine medicine sure is amazing. Before all the fancy machines, it was just one person sticking their hand up where it didnt belong. Why does that seem like some weird witch doctor stuff? Are they going to throw some leeches on him now too?But ultimately, yeah, sticking the arm up the butt made the vet realize that the small intestine was too high. Was that causing the distress? Unfortunately impossible to know if thats exactly what it was, but it may have been. The sad thing is that sometimes vets just dont know. Theres a lot of uncertainly.As for what caused it we also dont know. Did the choke cause him enough distress to colic? Was he colicking before the choke, and the colic caused him to choke? Was it something that has been sitting inside of him his whole life and this is the moment it chooses to flair up?Literally dont know. Theres a language barrier, and we can only guess at whats going on.Ultimately the vet said we had two basic options. They could do surgery to figure it out, with the estimate being about $20,000 to fix a small intestine problem. Then afterwards, hed have to spend three months in a stall, with his tummy in a custom sling because hes too giant for any sling thats on the market (didnt know there was a market for horse tummy slings, Im learning so much every day.)Or they would do their best with medicine, and hope it helps.My trainer pulled me aside to discuss this with me. As someone who had been through it before, she wanted to give me some of her wisdom, mainly explaining the practical side of things. I think our hearts would always tell us to try anything to save the animal we love, but we have to look at it from another side, too.$20,000 is a lot of money. Theres no guarantee it would even work, and even if it does, theres a long and painful recovery. The horse may never be the same again. It may not be rideable the way it used to be. It may die of complications later on anyway.Its a depressing thought, but its true. It is a really expensive surgery and there might not be a horse at the end of it. I think its admirable that people are willing to take the risk on their horses, but to be honest, it wasnt even an option for me to begin with because I dont have $20,000 that I can spend on a horse in any way. That saved me from having to literally make the choice between money and saving a horse, because I literally did not have the money to pay for it, it would have been impossible. I had to pick the medicine.Everyone was very understanding of this choice. To be fair, I dont think they were going to try surgery unless Stu got even worse, and at that point he seemed to be doing better anyway. But I had to make a decision before I left him in their care, just in case something happened overnight (because of course this happened in the evening, on a Friday, on a holiday weekend. Impeccable timing.)The good news was I did not get any phone calls overnight. No phone calls is very good news!When they gave me their check in report, it was mostly positive. He had recovered from the colic overnight, and was now resting comfortably. The bad news was he now had pneumonia from the choke. But the good side of that was he was more certain to recover from that than an uncertain, vague but painful colic. Pneumonia was treatable. It just required gallon sized IV bags and medicine.It was relief at this point. He may still be in the hospital but hes stable and not dead, so thats a pretty big improvement. He was in there for a total of 4 days, but he recovered. He wasnt even coughing when he left. The next phase was just rest and recovery.We are now at the point where he can be ridden at a walk and adding in some small trots. We dont want to trigger any coughing. But it stinks that Im paying for board at a training barn where very little training will occur for the next month. Between that and the large vet bills, its been an expensive month for me.Im really hoping that this is just a little blip. Once hes recovered, hell both be working hard, and hell become the well trained horse I know he can be. Literally everything was going so well otherwise. The trainer really liked him, think he has a great brain, and he tries really hard. Theoretically, it shouldnt be long until I have a horse I trust.But who knows what the future holds, as I certainly didnt expect this. I might be bringing him home a lot sooner than I planned, since I wont be able to pay the board anymore. Hopefully Ill be able to hold on for a bit. They times Ive ridden him the incident have made my day. My trainer gives me so much confidence that I know well be progressing fast, as long as nothing else terrible happens.Fingers crossed!The post Stus Colic appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

I moved Stu to a new barn. You should already know this if you follow my YouTube, which youd better, OR ELSE (for legal reasons this is not a threat.)But if, for some reason, you missed that update, the rumor you just heard in the first paragraph is true. I moved him. This man has been to a lot of barns at this point.This time, I moved for a very serious reason: Because if I didnt do something, I really just needed to sell him, close this chapter of my life, change my name, and fly to an unnamed country where no one would ever find me. Is that a bit dramatic? Perhaps, but I did need to do something. I was not getting out to ride consistently enough to make any kind of difference in his training. This became starkly evident when my friend wanted to go on a trail ride for her birthday.It sounded like a fabulous plan. I love trail riding. I havent been trail riding since the years BC (before children). I hadnt taken Stu on a trail ride, but surely it couldnt be that hard, right? I decided to prepare for this trail ride by taking him a practice walk out of the arena. Like literally, we walked out of the arena down a side path. He lasted about 3 minutes before losing his mind.It wasnt really that big of a freakout, and honestly if this had been Berry, it would have been laughable. A fun hippity hop to laugh about later. But this guy is huge, and when he throws a fit, you might as well be on a balance beam 10 feet in the air during an earthquake. So it was a bit nerve rattling. I didnt fall off, but my confidence was rattled back down to the ground where it felt much safer.Other than that, it was also eye-opening. Ive had this horse up here for two years, and we are barely past where we started. Weve made no progress, I actually think Ive become a worse rider, Im embarrassed at how I look. This is not progress.After sulking and being frustrated for a while, I had the completely brilliant idea of taking him back to my old barn. This is the barn that I had lessons with Berry, and she went from a confused mess to a rock star. I need that level of confidence again. Once I realized it, it was a no-brainer. Stu obviously needs to go to that barn.Luckily they opened me back with open arms, which is honestly super nice considering I havent talked to them in years and from their perspective I just kind of vanished off of the face of the earth (thats what kids do to you).Hes now been there for just about 20 days. Unfortunately Ive only seen him being ridden once so far, but Ive been getting good reports on his progress. Honestly just knowing hes been ridden and learning how to finally be a grown up horse is such a relief. I really trust this trainer. When I used to ride Berry there, every single lesson made visible improvement in my riding. Every lesson made us better. So I can only imagine how near daily riding is going to improve Stu.The reports Ive been getting sound great. The riders love riding him. Hes unbalanced at the canter, so theyve been working on improving it. They started jumping him and he loves it. He has a really great brain, and doesnt have a mean bone in his body. Hes fancy enough to do the big shows. that I dreamed of doing when I got him. My trainer wants me to start riding him this week, in between his training rides.My only regret is that I didnt do this sooner.But unfortunately, this all comes with a price. Its exactly as expensive as youd expect a fancy hunter/jumper show barn to be. Its not something I can pay for long term. So I dont know how this is going to pan out.Option 1 is that I somehow win the lottery, Stu stays in training there indefinitely, Im suddenly showing everywhere, going to clinics and trail rides, and also since this is a fantasy, Im suddenly an amazing rider.Id like to pretend thats what will happen.The more likely scenario:I keep him there until I run out of money, and then I bring him home. Hopefully by then Ill have more time to ride, and Ill be able to keep up with his training, and Ill be trailering everywhere. Also, magically he wont jump the fence anymore, since thats the main reason I had to move him off my property in the very beginning.I wish I had the budget of a show rider. Even though I often despise showing because I hate the stress of it, and I hate how long you have to wait around for a two minute ride, itd be nice to do a full season of it again, just to have the experience.But its hard to say what the future holds for Stu and I. For now, Im just going to make sure I get my moneys worth at this expensive barn and get out there and ride as much as possible. Hopefully Stu will be really well trained by the time I have to make a decision.The post Whats Going to Happen With Stu appeared first on An Equestrian Life.

Horseback riding is expensive. Horses are expensive. Every conversation I have with a non-horse person seems to center around horses being expensive. It sometimes feels like I have to justify why I am spending money on horses, as its such a frivolous thing to do, and there are real, grown up things I should be spending money on.But the truth is they dont have to be expensive. Learning to ride doesnt have to be expensive. And I would guess that most people who are involved with horses are not rich. They probably arent poor either though, they just choose to spend their money on horses instead of nights out, vacations, or other kinds of hobbies.But most people outside of horses dont realize this. They just assume its way out of their reach.I see so many comments on social media that someone must be rich if they have a horse. They themselves will never be able to experience horses but they love them so much. Horses are a dream that maybe theyll be able to pursue it one day.Ive written out responses for them before, but its impossible to know if I made a difference. I can only hope some people saw it and started their equestrian journey but Ill never know.Which is why Ive come here, to my own website to write out exactly how anyone can learn to ride for free, or for very cheap. I cant promise youll never have expenses, its more likely you will have to pay for something at some point, but if youre really lucky, you may be able to do it for a fraction of the cost.So whats this magical secret? Read on to find out.Self-EducationThis isnt the secret. But it definitely helps to have some kind of knowledge before you start. People are more likely to take you seriously if you seem somewhat familiar with some horse knowledge and some terms. But its also important not to pretend like you have knowledge you dont have. You might have been trying to sound confident and knowledgeable, but horse people will pick up immediately that you dont have the experience and will brand you as untrustworthy instead. Keep in mind going on a tourist trail ride any amount of times does not make you an experienced rider in any way. That one time you rode your friends horse does not make you experienced. Getting a pony ride at the carnival when you were 6 is not riding experience.So as long as you stay humble about what you truly know, its a great idea to learn what you can because this will make you more valuable. Some options are books, online learning, or just search YouTube for horsemanship basics. YouTube is completely free, so thats a great place to start.Do NOT Buy a HorseIve seen this so many times, and I can only imagine its because people think they need to buy the equipment in order to do the sport. Like if youre going to take up tennis, you probably need to buy a tennis racket, right?Except were talking about a huge, expensive animal, not a one time inexpensive purchase.Do NOT buy a horse under the delusion that youre going to learn to ride on your own horse. Thats not cheap or free and comes with tons of responsibilities.Sometimes people buy horses just because they are cheap and pretty, like someone buying an Arabian yearling (true story of someone I knew), and then just expect the horse to know how to behave. They dont realize they require training, and end up getting hurt or they have to pay a lot for someone else to come train the horse.In the case of the above mentioned Arabian, the guy actually bought two of them, and he was mad to have to pay for training for it. It was incredibly awkward every time my friend and I showed up to work with his horses. He legitimately thought that they should be like machines and know everything. I truly hope hes moved on to ATVs or motorbikes, which seems way more his style.Please please please dont just buy a horse with the idea of learning together. You will end up getting very little enjoyment out of the progress and it could be years until youre able to ride the horse without assistance.And its definitely not cheap. Youd probably end up paying thousands to tens of thousands before you have a rideable horse.Dont Plan on ShowingWhen people think of horseback riding as expensive, they are most likely thinking of horse shows. Horse shows are expensive. From the outfits, to the fees, to transporting the horse, to stall rental, and so much more, it all adds up. So as much as Id love to give you a roadmap to your Olympic dreams, I dont have that. You would have to spend money if your goal is high end shows.But If you do stick with these guidelines and become good rider, there is the possibility of Catch-riding, which is when someone has a horse they want to show but arent able to show it themselves. I havent actually done that myself, so I cant advise too much on it, but it does exist. I know several friends that have shown other peoples horses as a favor to them. Pretty cool favor to do for someone!In general though, showing = expensive. So this is more of a guide for those who want to ride simply because they love horses, without any real showing goals. But I would be optimistic that as you learn to ride, showing opportunities will eventually present themselves.The ConceptLets move on to how this is going to work. This is not at all a secret in the horse community, but if youre on the outside, it might seem like it.Barns will exchange ride time for labor.Barns are usually chronically understaffed. Theres always stalls to be mucked, horses to be groomed, horses to be fed, and things to be cleaned. If you want to ride horses free, all you need to do is help take care of those horses. If you love horses, this is already the best idea in the world. Pay for your ride time by spending more time with horses.It really is that simple. I worked off most of my lessons throughout my life, mostly when I was a student without a steady paycheck. Sometimes I was a full fledged Working Student, which is more involved. Thats more like a full time job, with several days of labor a week, a few riding lessons, and sometimes pay, too. Its a hard life though, and nearly impossible for anyone whos working another job or in full time school. Its more for those interested in making a full time living with horses, which honestly isnt something Id recommend, especially if you like having money and benefits. But this isnt the article to go into that.So Im not talking about a full Working Student position, Im talking about a more casual arrangement. I am very against committing to something big without knowing what youre getting into, so this first step is just a taste of horse life. If you want to go full working student later on, by all means, knock yourself out, but not so hard you forget that a working students life and a professional horse trainers life is hard.Usually the arrangement is a few hours of work is equal to one riding lesson. Ive had riding lessons at the end of my working shift, or Ive had a riding lesson on a separate day for a few hours of labor. It really can vary, but its important to make sure the terms are clear so you understand exactly how much work youre doing for how much riding time.The great, fantastic, amazing news is that as you continue to work and ride, more and more opportunities are going to open up for you. Sure, you might be a beginner at the very start, but after a while, you wont be anymore. As you become a better rider, learn more about horse care, and prove your work ethic, more riding opportunities will open up. Private owners going out of town who want their horse exercised. A horse thats been off a while and needs a rider. Another trainer will be impressed with your work ethic and ask you to come work for them in exchange for riding more advanced horses.The more you learn, the more other people are going to want you to ride their horse. And every horse is a opportunity to gain more knowledge, and continue to advance your riding. You can work your way up, without having to spend any money on riding lessons, because people will want you around, either to help out, or to ride their horses.Exchanging Professional Services for LessonsThere have been a few high level barns that I rode at without doing barn work. I gave them some kind of professional service, and they gave me riding lessons. These were not long term arrangements, but I had barns accept website building and photography for lessons.This kind of exchange is usually done when theres a prior relationship with the barn. It would be in poor taste to just cold call a barn and ask for this kind of exchange, its a weird thing to do. But as you network and meet horse people, youll start to see some opportunities outside of barn work that can give you more ride time.How to Do ItNow that you know the concept, lets talk about how you would actually do it.Step 1: Find a BarnGoogling Horseback riding lessons near me, is a good way to start. Usually youll find something.You can also make a post in your area Facebook group, something like this:Hello, Im looking for riding lessons in exchange for barn work. Im a beginner, but eager to learn. Is anyone looking for barn help or know of a barn?Putting it out there like this may result in more private barns reaching out to you, like the working mom whos tired of mucking out every single day and wants a break, and would be happy to give you some lessons in exchange for letting her relax a few nights a week.Chances are youll get a few leads. Talk to all of them, and decide based on these guidelines.They make it very clear what the exchange of work vs riding would be. Do not go to a place thats vague about the amount of ride time you would get.The farm seems mostly tidy and safe, and doesnt give you scary vibes. Theres too many nice barns to go to a place like that.Horses seem well fed and cared for.Notice that I didnt say to decide based on the riding discipline. Honestly at the beginner stages, they are all pretty similar, and even if you start western but want to ride English, you can always switch over at a later date. Dont be picky about it at this point, you can be picker when you have some experience. Its more important that you pick a place thats safe.Step 2: Do a Great Job WorkingI would hope this is a given, but I want to emphasize this. Its not about how much you can squeeze from this barn. Its about you learning, growing, and being known as a reliable help. Its very important that you have a great reputation in order to progress your riding.People help people that they like. Put in an honest effort, and people will respect that. They will want you around. They will want to reward you, which means more riding time.If for some reason that barn doesnt work out, dont burn the bridge. Just politely say your circumstances are changing and you found a situation that works better for you. You still gained valuable experience that you can carry to your next barn.Step 3: NetworkIn order to get more rides, other horse people need to know youre looking for more rides. I dont advise directly asking people to ride their horse (which people wont like, do not do this), but you can and should be talking to people you meet at the barn. The more horse people you know, the more likely youre going to run into someone who needs a rider for their horse. Sometimes its just a friend of a friend situation, where someone you met at the barn will recommend you to her friend.Although youre aiming for more riding, think of the real goal as making as many horse friends as possible. What could be better than talking about horses with all your new friends? NOTHING THATS WHAT. GO MAKE HORSE FRIENDS.Friends help each other out. So the more horse friends you have, the more likely they will recommend you for opportunities.Step 4: Seek New OpportunitiesYou may like the barn you work at, you might like the horses, you might love every detail of your experience. But you should always be seeking to grow.Alternatively, you might be hating your experience, you might not like any barn youve worked at, and you feel like this is just frustrating.Well, its time to expand your circle. You need to start volunteering.Lots of horse places need volunteers to keep things running. Therapeutic riding centers need volunteers to help the riders. Horse shows need volunteers to keep the show running. Other non-profits rely on volunteers to operate.Its another way to keep learning, and expand your circle. Volunteer to scribe at a dressage show, you get to sit with the judge all day and learn about dressage. Volunteer to run the gate and youll meet all sorts of riders. Volunteer to help out behind the scenes and youll meet all the people running the show and learn how it operates.These are all horse people! They can become your friends! They can connect you to riding opportunities!I cannot stress enough how much there will be opportunities to ride once you have some experience. People have horses that need exercising, or they want to trail ride but dont want to go alone, or they just love to take people out riding. These people exist! You just have to connect yourself to the horse world!I frequently took my friends riding because I wanted to trail ride but didnt want to go alone. For years I did this, and made some awesome friends. Ill do it again if I ever get another second horse for people to ride.The Bottom LineTo sum it all up, learning to ride a horse for free comes down to two things: being willing to work for it, and making horse friends. Thats it, thats the whole secret. It will take time and work, but literally anyone could do it. Theres no income barrier, or invisible wall keeping people out. Come join the horse world, and youll see for yourself.All the Extra ExpensesWhen youre entering horse world, you have to realize that people are going to try to sell you stuff. Whether its a saddle, or riding pants, or boots, or a crop, someones going to try to convince you that you need to purchase gear. Purchasing stuff is not free or cheap, so I encourage you to push back on that. You really dont need a lot to ride. In fact, heres what you need:The Ultimate Complete List of Everything You need to Horseback RideRiding helmetRiding bootsThats it, thats all you need. You dont even need riding pants, you can ride in jeans. You dont need a fancy shirt, or jacket, or matching saddle pads or a pom pom helmet cover. You literally need a helmet and boots.Of course theres no denying that its fun to get all those things, but that would be neither free nor cheap, so just cross that right out.Helmets you should buy new because you want to be sure that no one had a fall in it. Boots you could buy used from marketplace but you could also buy new, too.Below are examples. Cheap, and serves the purpose. Ovation Deluxe Schooler Helmet (Black, Small/Medium)TuffRider Ladies Starter Front Zip Paddock BootsIf you decide you do want riding pants, which can be useful due to the sticky seats, heres examples of cheap and useful. You dont need anything fancier, it will not make you a better rider.FitsT4 Sports Womens Full Seat Riding Tights Active Silicon Grip Horse Riding Tights Equestrian BreechesFitsT4 Sports Womens Full Seat Horse Riding Pants Bootcut Riding Tights with Pockets Equestrian Breeches for WomenPlease dont buy a saddle, or bridle or any sort of horse tack. Whatever horse you ride should come with all of that, its unnecessary for you to buy your own.The best way to keep things affordable to dont start buying things. Its very easy to think you need all the stuff, but you really dont. The barn should provide tack and grooming equipment, and you can use super basic clothes you already own for riding. I promise you that no one will think less of you or judge you. No one cares. (If anything you look even more like a gritty, salt of the earth, true horseman, who doesnt care about such things).Of course I dont blame you if you want to purchase things, we all have fun buying stuff, but just remember, it can add up, so be careful with your spending.I hope this helps you out. So many people, including myself, have learned to ride using this system, and you can, too. It doesnt take owning a horse, or spending lots of money, it just takes time to prove youre a hard worker, and making some horse friends.Wishing you all the best on your equestrian journey!The post How to Learn to Horse Ride for Free (or very cheap) appeared first on An Equestrian Life.