Horseback Riding for the Masses

Imagine yourself flying. Well, not so much as flying, but being borne aloft, zooming in a straight line up and down hills, though woods, across fields, and back. The wind slaps your face and pulls your hair, the sun beats down, and all you can hear, bedsides the sound of yourself laughing and shouting with joy, is the sound of hooves pounding down on firm soil.

This is the joy of horseback riding. If you’ve never done it, it will be like nothing you’ve ever tried before. The speed, the freedom, the sense of adventure, few activities in the world can rival horseback riding for pure excitement.

To many people, this is a hobby that many have shunned, thinking it was the privilege of the rich, or the landed gentry, or those with a ‘Huntin and Fishin’ lifestyle.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and these days with the pressures of the modern world, hose back riding can be that escape route to sanity that so many of us aspire to obtain.

But, if one isn’t from the landed gentry, how do you go about getting into this, without spending a fortune. Apart from finding a local horse riding school, you could always start with a good book.

Now, many books have been written on the subject of horse back riding, but so many of them have gone into such depth, that the beginner or the aspiring rider very soon gets bogged down in the detail.

Although there is no substitute to proper instruction by an expert, if your son or daughter is nagging you into having riding lessons, or, more worryingly on the pocket, is asking you to BUY a horse, then this little book will be ideal for them and you.

In fact, anybody who is contemplating starting up this most exhilarating of hobbies will be able to pick up a lot of useful snippets here.

The book starts out by explaining the connection between man and this magnificent beast, from the days when the horse was the main means of transport, agriculture and so forth; it outlines how great advantages in technology and culture were spread and made possible by men (and women) sitting atop these handsome beasts.

It then goes on to describe what can only be described as ‘Horse Culture’, sizes, colors and markings, the difference between Walks, Trots, Canters and Gallops – and most importantly – how to ‘Think’ like a horse, to earn that bond which can go far and deep between man and horse.

Then, for those of you that are considering purchasing a horse, it gives a good overview of things you should consider – not least the financial issues.

After all that, when you have a good understanding of what makes a horses ‘tick’ so to speak, it goes on to describe different ways of riding, as well as basic instructions on saddling, grooming, and riding a horse.

By the time the budding equestrian has finished the book, they will be better prepared to take the next steps in progressing one of the most exhilarating and companionable hobby around.