What Is the Right Age for Children to Start Horse Riding Lessons?

The horse riding lessons Perth is one of the most enjoyable sports for children. The little ones have a special liking for horses, and practicing horse riding will give them the opportunity to know, care for and respect these animals. They will enjoy a fun activity while exercising their whole body and acquiring fundamental values for their daily life.

What is the perfect age?

Riding includes the disciplines of show jumping, dressage and full show, consists of mastering the horse, maintaining control and learning to handle it. It can be practiced by children from 4 years of age. However, many prefer to engage their child in horse riding from the age of 5. It is common for children at this age to become fond of an animal and try not to change. Riding once a week is not enough as children need perseverance to improve. Riding for an hour a week, children take about four courses to improve their riding significantly.

What benefits will it brings to my child?

Horse riding is a very complete sport. This sport helps children develop muscles and strengthen their joints and mobility. Besides this, it improves balance and orientation and motor coordination. It allows you to expand your movements stimulate your posture and reduces spasticity. It is why it is recommended for children with congenital disabilities, psychomotor disorders, etc. It helps children to overcome fears and learn to manage their daily problems and conflicts with greater ease and independence. Horse riding stimulates verbal and non-verbal expression and favors the socialization of children with autism or with social integration difficulties. Horse riding requires skill, dedication, perseverance and concentration. For this reason, horse riding is recommended for children with attention or language problems, conduct disorders and hyperactivity.

What to do for my child to improve?

The best thing to learn horse riding is that the child does not become infatuated with a single animal. There are exercises that with one animal will cost more to do and with another a little less. There are many exercises that can be done in a riding class. It is important to repeat the exercises until they are done correctly with different horses. The size of the track is something that we must take into account when learning. 

Horseback Riding at Night

Horse riding in Adelaide at night is perfectly safe if you, as a horse owner, are familiar with your horse's capabilities and take certain precautions regarding your horse's low light vision. If you have absolute trust on your horse's low bright vision, here are some minimum precautions you need to take for horseback riding in the dark:

• Riding your horse on highways at night can be risky, so it vital to take heed of other people and vehicles on the road. Although your eyes might be adjusted to the dark and you have visibility clear, it is always safe to assume that the motorists on the road have not anticipated your presence and are not expecting a horseback rider, especially in the evening.

• It is essential to allow the horse's eyes to get used to the low light in the evening. It is wise to start slow with no sudden movements or jumping. As a horse rider, it is always important to do your fast or more demanding horseback exercises on weekend evenings to get accustomed to your horse's and your capabilities.

• It is easier for horses and people to deal with a steady source of low light than a sudden change in light intensity in the dark. It gets difficult for you and your horse to know where you are headed if there is a constant interference of high-intensity lights or shadows in the blind spot of the horse. Maintain a route that has fewer chances of sudden spotlights or shadows to be safe.

• Although not the best option, it can be handy to carry a flashlight while you horseback ride at night. The flashlight can startle the horse, but if you point it at the ground, it can help improve visibility for your horse and you. Adjusting to the relative darkness in the surroundings, your horse can be startled by the flashlight but will cope with the light if you do not make any sudden movements with the light.

• To improve your chances of being seen by motorists, you can choose to wear reflective vests and opt for glow sticks attached to the saddle of breast-collar of the horse. Although drivers do not anticipate the presence of a horse rider at night, glow sticks can last for hours and help you be spotted in the dark, reducing the risk factor for night horseback riding.

• When riding in the dark, it is best to stick to known trials. Exploring new territory is not recommended as it increases the risks. Stay in the open where lighting is best, and forest trails are best avoided for the decreased visibility. You can always ask someone to accompany you to have an extra set of eyes on the road, increasing the security in poor lighting. Follow the rules for group riding, and it is best not to push your horse beyond its limits.

Horseback riding in the dark is a matter of adventure and has a significant amount of risk. Proper precautions and attention will keep you safe, and you can enjoy a fun ride in the evening without putting the motorists on-road or yourself and your horse at risk.