PARENTS OF RIDING STUDENTS: Read This Message for Your Child's Safety!

       

Just recently one of my riding instructor friends had planned a day where students wouldn't be riding, but rather staying on the ground to learn a little something about leadership.  Upon hearing this, one parent got very upset and said, "I can't see paying good money if my daughter is not going to get on a horse."  And then she pulled her daughter out of what happens to be a very good lesson program.

Parents, I can't stress how important it is that your child NOT spend every lesson riding a horse! Students who only ride never learn to become good leaders to horses. Leadership skills are built on the ground and then carried into the saddle - not the other way around. When your child learns to ride a bike, she has no need to develop leadership skills. It's different when your child is learning to ride a 1200 pound animal that cannot behave calmly unless it feels safe... and the only way to make a horse feel safe is by providing it good leadership.

      
Before any rider climbs into the saddle, a horse will present all kinds of subtle challenges to determine whether or not that rider knows anything about being a leader. If your child has no idea how to correctly respond to those challenges, the horse will have to assume the leadership position. This is OK to start because school horses are comfortable being in the lead in many situations.  

     
However, the better rider your child becomes, the more she will ask of horses.  Inevitably there will come a day when she will ride into a situation where the horse is not comfortable being the leader.  If your child has not learned how to provide good leadership by then, she's going to find herself in huge trouble! This is exactly how riders, even really good ones, get injured on well-trained horses every day.  So when a riding instructor suggests you pay for some 'non-riding' lessons, do it and consider it money well spent!  You are lucky to have an instructor who knows it is important that your child learn to protect herself and the horse.

     

Some of us in the horse industry are working to make leadership education become a normal part of every riding lesson program, but we have yet to reach the majority of instructors. If you suspect you child may be missing out, step in for safety's sake. Buy a copy of The ALPHA Equestrian Challenge today!  It is designed for students to read and work through, under their instructors' guidance, to develop good leadership skills. 

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CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

BOMB-PROOFING: What is it Really All About?

    

Bomb-proofing is not just for desensitizing horses to scary objects so they will be less likely to spook at them. Horses spook at anything and everything, so bomb-proofing for this purpose alone only lends truth to the saying "no horse is ever one hundred percent bomb-proof." 

The ultimate purpose of bomb-proofing is to prove to you horse that he can trust you with his safety so that, no matter what's going on around you, he is able to remain calm and follow your lead. Since horses can't do anything calmly unless they feel safe, bomb-proofing for this purpose gives your horse GOOD REASON TO BEHAVE CALMLY FOR YOU. When you think about bomb-proofing for this purpose, it is easy to understand how some riders are able to get their horses to behave calmly despite fireworks, gunshots or all kinds of pandemonium.  

       

Bolting is a huge safety issue for riders of every level because by the time the horse bolts he is already in panic mode. Whenever horses bolt they are in danger of hurting themselves, their riders, or anyone else in the area.

       

Bomb-proofing exercises, working with your horse amid distractions, helps you develop the ability to read your horse's body language well enough address fear issues before fear turns to panic.  They also hone your ability to remain calm and focused in challenging situations so you can keep your horse calm and focused on you.  

At the same time, bomb-proofing exercises help your horse learn to trust and rely on your leadership, rather than his instinctual desire to bolt, when he becomes frightened. Therefore, they help you help your horse gain confidence in himself and the world around him.

Learning to keep yourself and your horse calm and focused no matter what is going on around you is the best way to prevent yourself from getting injured while riding. I hope this inspires you to do some bomb-proofing with your horse...on the ground first, and then under saddle.