# How to choose a lesson horse?



## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I'm a novice rider - I have been taking riding lessons for almost two years and I am now learning to do the canter. I'm reasonably well balanced at the trot. This week my lesson horse decided to take off after I asked for the canter aid. Put his nose up in the air, I think he grabbed the bit and went on a run through the arena. I tried all the stuff that does not work (pulling with both reins), relaxing, and then panicking, and ended up falling on my bum after clearing a 90 cm jump. The day after, my riding instructor taught me the one rein stop which, quite frankly, I would have liked to know beforehand. I thought I need to go back a few steps because it seems to me the problem might be that I am still gripping too much with my legs in the canter and I need to focus on my balance and seat, but the riding instructor feels I must work through this problem on the horse until I can canter him without gripping him. I have been on him again and everytime I ask for the canter, he throws his head up and goes for it. Should I insist on an easier horse or is this just something that I have to deal with?


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Both.

Lesson horses should be safe. A horse that bolts because you're squeezing too much is not a horse suitable for your level of experience, IMO. A student will only learn fear from repeated huge negative responses.

It is also something you need to work through. I don't know your teacher or riding discipline but you may need to be on the longe line or work at the trot more.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

Galileo said:


> . This week my lesson horse decided to take off after I asked for the canter aid.


Horses don't 'decide' to do things, they react to outside stimulus. In this case the horse reacted to your gripping knees, and then probably your tense bouncing body on his back.

But that isn't YOUR fault, the instructor should not have put you on a horse that will react like this, as a lesson horse should be able to withstand clumsy aids. 

The previous poster is right, you should be having lessons on the lunge on a different horse. It's would allow you to find some confidence whilst finding the right aids and the right balance.

But - go have a conversation with your instructor about this again. Try to get him/her to stop, listen and think. Often an instructor gets into the mindset of 'the client was spooked on Tonto, so client must ride on Tonto again to help client get over that fear'. This isn't always appropriate.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

In your instructors defence, I commend her for really putting a solid foundation on you. There are lots of people out there who skip the basics, like riding with no stirrups and using your leg/seat to move your horse. All these things are SO important, and I'm noticing more and more they become less important, by me at least. 

I dont think she would knowingly put you on a horse with that kind of reaction if she took this long to build you up. Horses are 1,200lb prey animals. I, or you, cannot predict and control a horse 100% of the time. We have loads of safe beginner lesson horses who are angels 98% of the time, that being said they are still horses and sometimes the other 2% of the time takes over. It could be a buck because of a crop happy student, a fast canter because of a student gripping to hard, or a spook from anything. You have to remember they are still horses, not bikes. I do my damned-est to make sure my students are safe and the horses are appropriate, but again, they are still horses. I ALWAYS make sure to reinforce falling is a part of riding, we don't like it, but it happens!
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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Also, if I were your instructor I would probably put you back on the horse you fell off of for a walk/trot confidence booster lesson, then switch you to a new horse in the following few weeks.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

I'm on the fence about this, like SlideStop I'd like to see riders sticking with 'difficult' horses, but it doesn't necessarily make sense to me to keep a nervous rider on a more reactive lesson horse. Yes horses are prey animals, yes the horse was reacting to your incorrect body cues, but a nervous / tense rider still learning HOW to canter should be on a mount that's a little more tolerant of mistakes, and yes I do think it would be beneficial for you to learn HOW to canter and being comfortable on a cantering horse before tackling one this reactive.

That said, either way you're going to learn eventually and riding the 'difficult' ones can help you figure everything out and become a better rider in the long run :wink:


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Just to be clear, I don't like it when instructors want their students to "figure it out" with a difficult horse. The appropriateness of the horse is #1 in my book. I'll use a horse that might add a challenge, but never one that has a problem beyond the riders capability. Also, I'll never challenge a rider who is learning what its like to trot or canter. Once they have it down then I can introduce a fast, lazier, or one with a different feel. 

In this case, if I were her instructor, would have her ride that same horse so long as they are compatible at the walk and trot only. No cantering. Then after a lesson or two I would switch her to another horse to pick up where we left off.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I taught with my own horses for 10 years. (1985-1994) I don't know why anybody would keep a lesson horse that wasn't dead broke, but some do. Seems to me that their insurance rates would skyrocket if a student has a serious accident. BUT, I did one thing that nobody else ever does. I asked prospective students to come and watch a lesson before they signed up with me.
I suggest that you:
(1) complain to the owner
(2) start shopping for a new lesson barn
NO school horse should EVER:
1) bolt
2) buck
3) shy
4) kick at other horses or people
5) bite when being tacked up
Mine never did. When my students couldn't give the cue correctly, I was always on the ground in the middle of the arena with a whip, and they did it right for ME.
*You are paying to learn how to ride on a safe horse.* You are NOT paying to be in a rodeo. 
Your biggest beef ought to be that your horse is slow to respond to your aids, or that the riding the canter makes your abs sore, or that posting the trot makes your legs sore.
You wouldn't put up with bad service at WalMart, so don't tolerate it here.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Shropshirerosie said:


> *...a lesson horse should be able to withstand clumsy aids.*


VERY well put.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

No horse is 100% safe, and this sounds like a riders error. We have all goosed or clung to hard to horses and suffered the consequences. I'd say you've gone two years without a fall so your instructor must be doing something right. They can try, but they cannot prevent accidents from ever occurring 100% of the time, especially for rider error. I fell over a horse who WAY over jumped a small jump. It wasn't anyone's fault, horses are still horses. I fell over one time running home from a set because I said "whoa" and wasn't expecting to this horse to stop AT ALL. Well she did and I was flung right over her head, who's fault? No ones, except my own. Horses do things constantly that we cannot plan for, despite being safe and dependable.

Horses are unpredictable by nature. If you can't fall, don't ride.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

Corporal said:


> I taught with my own horses for 10 years. (1985-1994) I don't know why anybody would keep a lesson horse that wasn't dead broke, but some do. Seems to me that their insurance rates would skyrocket if a student has a serious accident. BUT, I did one thing that nobody else ever does. I asked prospective students to come and watch a lesson before they signed up with me.
> I suggest that you:
> (1) complain to the owner
> (2) start shopping for a new lesson barn
> ...


LOL times have sure changed. Back when I was taking lessons being naughty was considered part of a school horse's job. The only habit the stable wouldn't accept was rearing – anything else was just part of learning to ride. And if they told you to put the horse on cross ties to tack up, well… you knew you had to be careful because the horse bit or kicked or something. 

Of course horses for rank beginners should be deadbroke but there comes a point where you have to learn how to handle more typical horses. I think I was about a year into lessons when I had my first real challenging horse (her name was Indy – draw your own conclusions!)

OP, I agree the horse in question might be too much for you_ right now_, but not for long. Part of your instructor's job is to prepare you for the real world and the reality is that not every horse you're going to meet will be an angel. If I were your instructor I might take you off that horse for a few lessons but you'd be getting back on him pretty soon.


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

SlideStop said:


> No horse is 100% safe, and this sounds like a riders error. We have all goosed or clung to hard to horses and suffered the consequences. I'd say you've gone two years without a fall so your instructor must be doing something right. They can try, but they cannot prevent accidents from ever occurring 100% of the time, especially for rider error. I fell over a horse who WAY over jumped a small jump. It wasn't anyone's fault, horses are still horses. I fell over one time running home from a set because I said "whoa" and wasn't expecting to this horse to stop AT ALL. Well she did and I was flung right over her head, who's fault? No ones, except my own. Horses do things constantly that we cannot plan for, despite being safe and dependable.
> 
> Horses are unpredictable by nature. If you can't fall, don't ride.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Thank you for your replies. I agree with slidestop that these things can happen, especially now that I have recovered somewhat.. I was on the horse again the next day and having learnt the one rein stop gives me the confidence to feel I can perhaps keep it from escalating next time. After a lot of analysis, I think the problem may be that my stirrups were shorter than usual, causing me to hit the horse with my lower legs inadvertently. The first canter on the horse was perfect, and when I think about it, with longer stirrups. I think because my legs were shorter it may have caused me to grip more. 

I went for an extra vaulting lesson on the lunge, without stirrups and saddle to improve my balance and feel of the horse's movements, so hopefully that will help! I'll see Tuesday!


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

ponyboy said:


> LOL times have sure changed. Back when I was taking lessons being naughty was considered part of a school horse's job. The only habit the stable wouldn't accept was rearing – anything else was just part of learning to ride. And if they told you to put the horse on cross ties to tack up, well… you knew you had to be careful because the horse bit or kicked or something.
> 
> Of course horses for rank beginners should be deadbroke but there comes a point where you have to learn how to handle more typical horses. I think I was about a year into lessons when I had my first real challenging horse (her name was Indy – draw your own conclusions!)
> 
> OP, I agree the horse in question might be too much for you_ right now_, but not for long. Part of your instructor's job is to prepare you for the real world and the reality is that not every horse you're going to meet will be an angel. If I were your instructor I might take you off that horse for a few lessons but you'd be getting back on him pretty soon.


Thanks, ponyboy, I agree. She said we would go back to a couple of trot lessons, but then the canter would be waiting for me again:wink:


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

I'm on the fence about this, like SlideStop I'd like to see riders sticking with 'difficult' horses, but it doesn't necessarily make sense to me to keep a nervous rider on a more reactive lesson horse. Yes horses are prey animals, yes the horse was reacting to your incorrect body cues, but a nervous / tense rider still learning HOW to canter should be on a mount that's a little more tolerant of mistakes, and yes I do think it would be beneficial for you to learn HOW to canter and being comfortable on a cantering horse before tackling one this reactive.

Thanks, I agree for the most part. I have cantered on horses that are good school masters and who could forgive me my mistakes, and I am generally not a nervous rider, but I just felt I had no tools to use while it was happening. I am taking vaulting lessons now to improve my balance so I won't feel I have to grip the horse, although I do take the point that it would probably be better to sort it out first.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Even "professionals" have momments when the fit hits the shan, so to speak. I remember one time I was asked to lope this horse around. I had no stirrups and the horse took off with me. With one hand holding for dear life I tried to pull him up. He stopped eventually, Idk how I stayed on. I'm sure there are plenty of other time I can say, both in the saddle and on the ground, when all I could say is "this might end ugly". For the 2% of the time it happens I'm not willin to give up horses :wink:
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## TBforever (Jan 26, 2013)

i think it is a good thing to experiance a more forward moving horse, you have to do it some day, i dont find the instructor at fault, it is good to get out of your comfort zone, because you will have to do it some day,

i now have to get use to riding a lazy horse for my riding lessons for 2 of them then she will put me on a more forward one,
as i was on a very forward moving horse, and im a beginner, but i also dont have fear of falling off, i have fallen off thru losing my balance and going over a jump, i find it the thrilling part lol,

is vaulting hard? it looks it lol


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## Horsequeen08 (Jun 24, 2007)

I just want to say that I commend you for sticking with it. You did ride again that day, you did ride that same horse again, and you will canter him at some point again. That takes courage and guts. It isn't easy to have something like that happen, especially to a beginner, and have them not completely afraid afterwards. So while I can see both sides to getting a different horse, or staying with that one, I think you are pretty good for wanting to keep trying. Great start to a well fit rider. Good job!


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

I haven't read every response in this thread, so forgive me for repeating something.
First, my background. I own a business teaching lessons, 90% of my students are new to horses and I have taught literally hundreds of first rides, first trot, first canter, etc. 
With that being said, this is my own humble opinion:
Any horse being used to teach a students first canter should easily pick up a steady, easy and smooth canter. The first time should be on a lunge line or round pen. I personally teach the first trot on a lunge so the student can work on their seat and then work on steady hands. I do this mostly because I care about my horses and try to spare them a lot of the suffering that lesson horses can endure. 
My lesson horses will pick up a slow, smooth canter with just a kiss and an outside leg. I regularly ride my lesson horses and keep them 'in tune'. 
Now, it sounds like you are at least older than 13, and I have never had a 13 year old that took 2 years to learn to canter. It depends so much on the 'equine instructor', the lesson horse is critical. Is this the only place you have ridden? My advice would be to get outside the box and check out other possibilities for lessons. Most legit places will invite you to come watch a lesson to see if its a good match for you. You may be surprised at how different their lesson horses are. 
I also teach western lessons, that may be a difference, but my horses canter slow and smooth on a loose rein. They don't throw their noses in the air, and they are so patient with students figuring out the movement of the canter, they don't take off and if anything goes wrong, I can say 'Whoa' and they will stop. It's their favorite word. 
Just so you have some perspective, the way you're experiencing is not the only way.


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

TBforever said:


> i think it is a good thing to experiance a more forward moving horse, you have to do it some day, i dont find the instructor at fault, it is good to get out of your comfort zone, because you will have to do it some day,
> 
> i now have to get use to riding a lazy horse for my riding lessons for 2 of them then she will put me on a more forward one,
> as i was on a very forward moving horse, and im a beginner, but i also dont have fear of falling off, i have fallen off thru losing my balance and going over a jump, i find it the thrilling part lol,
> ...


Thanks TBforever, the vaulting I did was beginner level. Sitting on the horse without saddle and stirrups and doing all sorts of gymnastic stretching exercises to learn balance. Later I had to trot and learn to find my balance by feeling the horse's back. I can see how it will be beneficial for my balance on the horse. I'd recommend it.


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

Tessa7707 said:


> I haven't read every response in this thread, so forgive me for repeating something.
> First, my background. I own a business teaching lessons, 90% of my students are new to horses and I have taught literally hundreds of first rides, first trot, first canter, etc.
> With that being said, this is my own humble opinion:
> Any horse being used to teach a students first canter should easily pick up a steady, easy and smooth canter. The first time should be on a lunge line or round pen. I personally teach the first trot on a lunge so the student can work on their seat and then work on steady hands. I do this mostly because I care about my horses and try to spare them a lot of the suffering that lesson horses can endure.
> ...


Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm 45 years old, so I suppose that's why the canter has been taking so long. I can canter on a school master no problem, but like some of the other posters say, at some point I probably have to learn how to canter on a more forward horse as well. My instructor is a jumping instructor, so I have booked an extra lesson a week at a different school where they are more focused on dressage. They focus a lot on "feel" and "balance" and how to let your body relax into the horse. But yes, I do think I would have felt safer if the horse was more willing to stop. I have avoided criticising the horse because I know 99% of the time problems with horses is rider error, and I am a beginner, but this horse also finds it difficult to stand still. You can whoa him, and the moment you release the reins, he'll start walking again. It almost feels as if what happened on the canter was an amplified version of what he does at the walk.


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

Can someone tell me what's with the carrots? I was asked to snatch someone else's carrots - which of course I did - sorry! but now I don't know what I have actually done!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Galileo said:


> Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm 45 years old, so I suppose that's why the canter has been taking so long....My instructor is a jumping instructor, so I have booked an extra lesson a week at a different school where they are more focused on dressage. They focus a lot on "feel" and "balance" and how to let your body relax into the horse. But *yes, I do think I would have felt safer if the horse was more willing to stop.*


You should look at the background of International Riders. Yes, there are those that cowboy'd it, then got serious and took lessons, but so many started right. Robert Dover has said that he spent the first 6 months of his lessons on the lunge, without using reins. Classical riding schools still teach vaulting and their school horses don't buck, and rear, and bolt and kick and bite the students or the other horses while under saddle or being worked. THAT behavior has it's place, in the turnout pasture, only.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I have to disagree that the "old way" was to let students try to figure out how to deal with a bucking, or kicking, or biting, or runaway horse--or ALL of the above--to teach them about the "real world of horses."
I took my Hunt Seat lessons in the 1970's, and the instructor was not the BO, yet the school horses were safe.
Haven't you noticed, even in this ROTTEN economy, how the tv trainers and their particular "riding/schooling academies" have exploded on the marketplace? Many people, but not all, that attend them have HAD lessons and bad experiences, then bought a horse that they couldn't ride, a big money drain. I watch these programs, and _even AT the clinics these people still make excuses for the horse's bad behavior._
When I ran my tiny riding academy I started with a 1/2 page waiver, then it expanded. It was written and rewritten by my DH, an attorney. There are always accidents around horses. My one spoiled teenage girl student put herself in harm's way by joining the herd after a hard's day's work. I got kicked in the head pulling her out of it. After working all day horses need to be left alone to decompress, and she decided to join them. Her injury or DEATH would have ended with ME selling my stock.
*You can train a horse to be safe.* Look at the stables that do theraputic riding. Those horses have cushy jobs, just walking and stopping, but they understand that rearing, and bucking, and bolting, and kicking and biting are never acceptable behaviors.
My experience running my own business was that many stables start up lessons, then canceled them, then started them up again in cyclical fashion, usually bc somebody got hurt.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

Corporal said:


> I have to disagree that the "old way" was to let students try to figure out how to deal with a bucking, or kicking, or biting, or runaway horse--or ALL of the above--to teach them about the "real world of horses."


I didn't say they would just "let the students figure it out" - the instructor was there, and they instructed. This was in Canada, too, so less litigious. I've never heard of a lawsuit involving riding lessons around here.


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

Horsequeen08 said:


> I just want to say that I commend you for sticking with it. You did ride again that day, you did ride that same horse again, and you will canter him at some point again. That takes courage and guts. It isn't easy to have something like that happen, especially to a beginner, and have them not completely afraid afterwards. So while I can see both sides to getting a different horse, or staying with that one, I think you are pretty good for wanting to keep trying. Great start to a well fit rider. Good job!


Thanks for the encouragement Horsequeen. I rode him again yesterday and we decided to first stay at the trot again so both the horse and I can relax again with each other. Made my stirrups one hole longer and it feels much better. Previously I felt like I was "perching" on the horse, so maybe that also made me grip more when he sped up.


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

Oh, ok. So you have mastered cantering on an easier horse? I misunderstood this:


Galileo said:


> I have been taking riding lessons for almost two years and I am now learning to do the canter.


To mean that you were just now learning to canter at all, not just with this horse.

In that case, yeah, it's good for you to learn on a 'more forward' horse. This horse sounds like more than just 'forward' though.
He throws his nose in the air, avoiding the bit.
He walks off with you asking him, you have to hold him to keep him standing still.
He has taken off with you, despite your efforts to ask him to slow down, resulting in you falling off. 
He is hard in the mouth. 

I'm curious how he does for other riders like your trainer or more experienced students. If he will not willingly perform for them, then he most definitely will not perform for you, and you shouldn't be expected to teach him when you are learning yourself. 
A lesson horse, especially for a 'beginner' rider, should always have more training than the student. When you cross the line from 'horse teaching rider' to 'rider teaching horse' you are now training that horse. Yes, you train a horse every time you ride it, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about things that the horse has not adequately and confidently performed many times with a rider more experienced than the horse. 

Despite you feeling that you are a beginner, you are being asked to deal with things that are a trainers place to deal with. Just my humble opinion.


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## Galileo (May 8, 2013)

Thanks Tessa,
I had a lesson on him again on Tuesday and we just did trotting. He was ok until other horses entered the arena and then got a bit more lively. He is a jumping horse so I wonder whether that may also play a role? Although I have cantered on easier horses I was reluctant to say that I have "mastered" the canter because the schoolmasters I have ridden are so easy that I don't think I feel I can say I know how to give all the aids clearly. I will continue with a couple of the lessons in the trot so both the horse and me can regain our composure, and then I'll try again at the canter. It did help alot though to lengthen my stirrups. I'm tall (1.80m) and I really felt before as if I was perching on the horse. Hopefully I can stay relaxed next time!


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## LoveIsTheAnswer (May 27, 2012)

Choose whichever one you feel more safe, match what you want to do, and a horse to carry your height.


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

Well good luck Galileo! I wish you the best, just stay safe and don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to say 'this doesn't feel safe!' Of course, riding horses is never totally safe, but there are a lot of things we can do to minimize risks!


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## prettydecoy (Feb 4, 2012)

Corporal said:


> NO school horse should EVER:
> 1) bolt
> 2) buck
> 3) shy
> ...



Absolutely disagree! If I had only ridden dead-headed, bush-button horses the 10 years that I took riding lessons with a qualified, experienced, proven professional, then I would have walked away with very little. The non-perfect horses taught me the most. Granted, my riding instructor listened to her students when they felt over-horsed and gave a solid foundation before helping her students to work through issues on horseback. I'd hate to take years of lessons on horses without any vices then go into the "real world" and have to learn to deal with these issues on my own. Rather learn to deal with them under the experienced eye of a professional in a safe learning environment.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

I took lessons for about 10 years too, but I don't think that's normal. Many riders I knew would stop taking lessons as soon as they bought a horse in order to save money. So ironically, if someone had the money to buy they wouldn't take lessons very long. Maybe that's why Corporal and others believe all school horses should be deadheads - they are only dealing with novice riders. For city kids like me who couldn't afford their own horse, taking lessons was the only way to get to ride, so we just kept doing it. Of course nowadays there are some part-leases that cost less than lessons.


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