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Young Rider
|November - December 2022
Check out these four fab ways to get your horse fix even if you don't own a horse.
We all dream of having our own horse, but many times it just isn't possible. But that doesn't mean that you can't keep your equine passion alive! Lessons, leasing, summer camps, and reading are all super ways to delve into the horse world when you are horseless.
1. Learn in Lessons
The more horses you ride, the better rider you become. Taking lessons on school horses is a great alternative to owning your own pony. McKenzie takes a lesson every week at a hunter barn in Pennsylvania. Her trainer lets her ride all kinds of different horses. One week she might ride a Thoroughbred, and the next week she'll be on a 14-hand pony. Getting to ride so many different kinds of horses is teaching McKenzie all about how every horse is different and how important it is to adapt to the horse you're on.
"When I started riding, I just rode one pony," she says. "I got really good at riding him. When I rode another horse, it was so different!" Luckily, her trainer was there to help.
Every horse has a different personality and different way of moving. And riding so many new horses is teaching McKenzie a ton.
One of the best things about riding a lot of different kinds of horses is that you get to figure out what you like and don't like. You might have always dreamed of riding a big, tall horse, but after riding one in your lessons, you might decide that you prefer ponies. Or maybe you always dreamed of riding a hot, spirited horse, but in reality, you have more fun on a lazier ride.
It's better to learn your preferences before you start looking to buy a horse (no matter how far in the future that may be!). When the time comes, you'll know exactly what to look for.
2. Lease a Horse
This story is from the November - December 2022 edition of Young Rider.
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