What To Expect In Your First Horseback Riding Class

So, you want to ride a horse. Good for you! Horseback riding is better than sex. Not only do you get an all over body workout that feels good, there’s no marriage or divorce involved. If you have a brain in your head, you will just park next to the closest pasture and swing up on the nearest grazing equine. This is a sure way to wind up not only in jail, but in The Darwin Awards website. You are best off going to a horseback riding class.

What You Need To Bring

For your first horseback riding class, some basic equipment may be provided. Find this out before the horseback riding class begins! As you progress, you will be expected to buy your own. You need a hard hat – even a bike helmet is better than nothing. Do not be swayed by every movie and book cover you’ve seen of nearly naked lovers galloping on a beach. You will fall off the horse. There’s no shame in that. So, you need your head protected.

You also need pants that let you bend, but will not get caught in any of the equipment. Jeans will do. You need footwear with at least a half inch heel. Boots, ducks and Wellingtons are perfect. My first pair of riding boots were snow boots that just happened to have a half inch heel.

Meet Your Mount

Your first horseback riding class may be as a solitary student to see how you are on a horse and make sure you are safe enough to unleash in a group class. We all started this way. And you get all the attention. You will be introduced to the proper way of approaching, mounting and sitting on a horse. You will discover muscles you never knew existed during your first horseback riding class. This is because these muscles are only used for riding – and in certain sexual positions, but we won’t go into that.

You will be walking and trotting in your first horseback riding class. Nothing faster until your muscles know where they need to be. When you are trying to find your balance on a moving animal, the horse will seem to be moving fast enough! You will learn a whole new language – how to communicate with your horse via your body and not your mouth. Holding the reins, keeping your heels down and your shoulders back while posting at the trot will be a significant challenge on your first day of horseback riding class.