Selecting a Riding School

No matter what your level of experience with horses, a good riding school can be your best friend. You can take lessons from qualified instructors; you'll have access to facilities such as well-footed riding rings, bath racks, and hot walkers; your horse will have access to top professionals in veterinary medicine, horseshoeing, transportation (if you go to horse shows), and training; and, perhaps most important, there will be experienced horsemen around to assist you in an emergency. You'll make friends with people who like horses just as much as you do, and you'll always have someone to ride with. Note -- it is especially important to have a riding buddy if you are heading out on unfamiliar trails. A good riding school can give you all of these benefits and more.

If you are new to riding or have recently moved to a new location, you'll want to know how to find stables in your area. You can try the phone book, but most training barns don't advertise in general directories. Use the phone book to locate tack and feed stores in your area. Call or visit your neighborhood tack and feed dealer. Tack shop owners always know where the best training barns are located and can be a gold mine of information. Write down the names and phone numbers they give you; then call the barns and make an appointment to visit. Tell the barn you would like to meet the staff during your visit and would they please arrange it so you can have a short conference with the instructor, trainer, and/or stable manager. Note -- if you just show up at the barn without calling, the instructor may be teaching a class or schooling a horse. It's not fair to expect him or her to stop everything if they didn't know you were coming. Call first and confirm the best time for you to visit.

If you can't find a tack or feed store in the phone book, try the office of an equine veterinarian. For professional reasons, a vet's office may be reluctant to divulge information about any particular establishment, but if you explain that you are new to horses or new to the area and you're completely lost, they may give you the names of some barns to contact. Note -- a lot of your success depends on how politely you present yourself. Realize, too, that should the vet's office be in the middle of an emergency, they simply won't have time to talk to you. Don't be offended; simply thank them, hang up, and try again in a day or two.

If none of these approaches work for you, try locating a training stable outside your immediate area. Explain your situation and see if they can recommend anything closer to you. If you subscribe to any equine magazines, check the classified listings, or call the magazine and ask if they know of any stables in your area. If you live near a college or university, contact their athletic department and ask if they have a riding program. If so, someone in the riding group should be able to help you.

Once you have located the stables in your area, it's up to you to arrange to visit each one, then select the one that best meets your needs.

The U.S. Olympic Committee
A Basic Guide to Equestrian
Paperback $7.95
© 1996, Griffin Publishing; ISBN: 1882180291
128 pages

For information on purchasing the book from bookstores or here online, please go to the Web page for A Basic Guide to Equestrian (Griffin Publishing).