Riding lessons – find a good trainer

There is just so much to say about riding lessons…

‘get ready to re-evaluate your current financial status cuz parents, this will change your little horse-loving kiddos’ existence…’

‘a must for first time horse-owners…’

‘therapeutic, especially if you have an awesome trainer who is more ears than mouth’

‘expensive but worth their weight in gold’

‘you are not too old for lessons’

‘ride lots of horses because every horse has something it can teach you’…and the list goes on.

But for the purpose of this post, we will go with they are a must for first time horse owners, such as ourselves. A good trainer is worth his or her weight in gold. Ours – Ben Caviness at Caviness Ranch in Decatur, Texas – has helped us with not only basic horsemanship, but advice on treating various medical situations, feeding direction, hoof care, how to ride in an arena and on trails, how to handle a spook scenario, how to load and unload from a trailer, how to tack and tie our horses properly…the list is endless. He has advised us when choosing horses to add to our herd at home, and has sold us two wonderful geldings of his own (that we knew and rode before we committed to them) and basically been one of our primary resources thru this whole adventure. Not only has he helped and coached us, but has for several close friends as well.

For our first couple of years in, Ronnie and I went to lessons regularly, and still check in for frequent “refreshers” in various combos of ourselves or ourselves+friends. Today, I went with my buddy Courtney and we enjoyed a crisp December morning lesson at Ben’s place. I made a video (actually for my sister to share with her horse-loving preschool-aged little daughter, but decided to share here because its a good general snapshot of what our lesson hour looks like).

From what I’ve read online in different horse groups, it appears there can never be too many recommendations for folks to take lessons! So, if you or your child is starting with horses – no matter what age you are – I can’t possibly toot the horn in support of the idea of finding a good trainer and investing in lessons – from basic horsemanship to whatever riding specialty floats your boat – any louder! From simply enhancing your life with new skills, to possibly saving you or your horse from a dangerous, uneducated decision, let’s hear it for good horses, lessons and great trainers!

If you are local to the Fort Worth, Texas area, feel free to lookup Caviness Ranch for riding assistance in various western disciplines. Due to the current EHV outbreak, the ranch may have specific protocols in place to keep virus transmission risks at a minimum. Confirm current protocols before hauling in personal horses.