Suffice it to say that Mandy has gained lots of confidence riding wonderful school horses!
First & foremost before I even start- school horses are the creatures who forgive & ignore so many mistakes that beginning equestrians make. Think about this. I am not just talking about the “I don’t want to clean my room or do my homework” kind of mistakes but random and unfair kicks in the belly, jabs to the mouth & cues that make absolutely no sense at all. There is no reason that they shouldn’t deposit your precious offspring onto the ground (and sometimes they do) but advanced years, generally good dispositions, and years of training keep them from acting out more often than not. Sometimes they have remarkable show records & have forgotten more than our kids will ever learn, making them a valuable teacher & one we should listen to and forgive when the inevitable stuff hits the fan.
Watch a beginner ride and you will see that they are all over the place. They can’t help it and their teachers expect them to be, which is why we want a horse that will absolutely ignore the vast majority of what your child is doing. In short, it’s not just about kicking hard or pulling on the reins to ask the horse to do something, it’s knowing the nuances of when, where, & how to ask a horse to move off your weight, seat, voice, and leg that counts. It’s also about staying quiet and out of the horse’s way when it’s doing what we ask. That’s what a good school horse teaches.
When you buy a horse very early on, your child may miss out on learning the lost art of getting on just about anything & learning to figure out what the heck makes that horse tick. Like people, every horse has a different way of going, different likes & dislikes, different quirks & things that make that horse unique & special. Riding a wide variety of school horses every lesson will teach your child this skill without him/her even knowing they are learning it! It’s a big lesson in “Your feelings aren’t the only ones that count.” Your child’s trainer will also have suggestions on what horses will be the next step in his/her education. As your child progresses, he/she will ride more & more challenging horses. Sometimes that frustrating horse from early on becomes the one that they really learn to connect with and learn the most from.
Mandy rode dozens and dozens of different school horses before we found the right lease, and then eventually, her own horse. School horses taught her things that humans just can’t and she learned to be the best partner she could be for each horse’s individual personality and needs. I am also proud to say that I am not a snob- I love that she sat on Arabs, Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Paints, Shetlands, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, and whatever else she could put a leg across, mares and gelding alike.
If your child is advancing and a lease or purchase is in your future- awesome! Just be sure to take your trainer along with you & follow their suggestions. In the meantime, stay grateful to the horses and ponies that teach your kid through the novice years & you will give your child a valuable, character building education in horsemanship.
