Your First Horse!
Bringing Home Your New Baby. What’s Next?
You’ve made it!
After all the frustration and false hopes you’ve finally found the right horse, and he’s coming home tomorrow! You can’t wait to show him off to your friends who’ll see how wonderful he is to ride. Boy, are they going to be amazed!
No, they’re not: because you’re not going to ride him tomorrow. Or the next day, or the rest of the week.
The tricky thing to understand about horse riding, for beginners, is that a horse needs time to adjust to his new home. The relationship with your equine buddy will begin badly if you leap on his back as soon as he arrives.
Comfort Zone
Imagine as a child being sent away from home for the first time, to complete strangers. Then having a lot of people stand around and gawp at you before making you already start work. You’d feel worried, wonder what just happened to your life and nervous about what’s coming next.
A horse is no different. Even if you’ve found the calm, cool and collected type to suit your current riding level, you must give him a chance to settle into his new home.
Allow your horse a week to get used to his surroundings and his new equine companions. Spend a lot of time with him, becoming his comfort zone. Groom him or give him a treat in his field without catching him.
Click this box for more grooming information:
The First Ride
It’s a good idea to get on your new equine for the first time under supervised horse riding instruction, but don’t do too much for the first few days. Tell your trainer that you’re on a new horse, and both just getting acquainted.
If your horse has been ridden regularly and is fit, it won’t be long before you can work him normally. Be sensitive to his level of stamina, and adjust your amount of riding accordingly.
Try to vary his routine, by not riding round and round the arena every day. Go on a trail ride with an experienced rider and stay in walk, so that your horse stays quiet for you when you take him out for your first trail ride alone. Later, when you both know each other better, is the time to get more adventurous.
Horse riding can be greatly enhanced for beginners through ownership of the right equine. If the horse is given a reasonable amount of time to acclimatize to his new life after arriving – rather than seen as something to show off to friends and family – he’ll make his new owner’s life fun and rewarding.
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