At what age could I start my daughter with horse riding lessons?
I was probably up on my first horse by 8 months (no joke) but age 4 would be a good time to get her introduced to them. Age 6 would be a little bit better, but anytime starting now would be good. I DO NOT RECOMMEND A PONY. The experience that I have had is that most ponies can be not-so-good for kids. I know it seems like perfect, but make sure that the pony you are looking into REALLY IS a well-mannered pony. My first pony ruined my experience for quite a few years due to his slightly malicious and smarty-pants ways (The first week we had him, he got out about 3 times, including one where he stuck is head through the gate, lifted it off its hinges, set it down, then went to the grain barrel to eat, opening it with his teeth). Instead of a pony, try a smaller horse with a really good personality. If you go to a lesson barn, make sure that the trainer has experience with teaching kids, and has rock solid lesson horses. Some lesson horses develop habits after a while due to the fact that
I get asked this all the time. Really it depends on the child. There are some kids who are as young as 3 or 4 who start riding and actually benefit it. If you have a child that is truly interested in riding then the best thing to do is really try out a lesson. Discuss your situation to the potential teacher. Ideally, you want your child to benefit and learn something and progress but you don’t want to just pay for expensive pony rides either. But keep your expectations realistic. Some kids that young do not have the attention span to really take anything away from the lesson. At that age the child can learn the basics of steering the horse, 2-point (if riding english), how to brush the horse, basic posture, how to stop and get the horse to walk, and leading the horse. With the help of the teacher and depending on how smooth the horse, they may be able to trot a little. But if you notice that the child is not listening, looking at everything outside the arna, not attempting to try what
I have started children at 4, but its difficult. 5 or 6 is better, but it varies by child. A lot of it is simply determined by how well the child can follow instruction, and if they can focus for a reasonable amount of time.For example, I have two students right now who both started at age 5, at the same time one year ago. One can now walk, trot, post, and two-point with or without stirrups while riding independently. The other spent 10 months on a leadline at a walk, and has only recently started sit-trotting very slowly on a longe line. I would recommend finding a local trainer who specializes in teaching children and set up an evaluation lesson to see if shes really interested and so the trainer can give you an idea of when she thinks you daughter will be able to start.
It is a very dangerous sport so make sure you find the right stable. I would start as soon as you want. It is very expensive and very dangerous for a little one but they do have stable rides where someone leads you. Try that and mabe in a few years she will be ready. Also riding isnt the only thing you can do with horses. You can go to a miniature horse ranch and let her feed them or something too. Even grooming a horse is great!
