I firmly believe that horses teach people, and then people teach horses – in that exact order – meaning that when you first start riding, you should buy a horse that will actually teach you. The horse that you start with should be safe, controlled and respectful. He’ll build your confidence and teach you the basics. Once you’ve reached a certain level of riding ability and confidence, you’ll more than likely outgrow that particular horse’s ability.
I always tell people to look at their first horse as nothing more than a business transaction. That may seem cold-hearted, but it’s the truth. Most of us don’t have the first horse we learned to ride on. Some people do, of course, but most of us don’t.
Think of it like this: Do you have the first bike you ever got? You probably don’t because more than likely, your first bike had ribbons, a bell and training wheels on it. You’d look pretty silly riding around on it now. Why was it important that it had training wheels? Because you didn’t know how to ride it. Your balance wasn’t good enough at the time and without the training wheels, you would have kept falling off – and that would have ruined your confidence.
As your ability improved and you became more confident, your parents took the training wheels off and you graduated to a slightly bigger bike. And when you mastered that one, you moved on to an even more challenging bike.
My point is, when you first started riding bikes, you didn’t learn on a 10-speed racer with skinny wheels. You started with a bike that would build your confidence. Look at your first horse like your first bike. Eventually, if you want to advance your skills, you’re going to outgrow him.
When you do move on to your next horse, you’re going to find one that’s a bit more of a challenge and has more athletic ability. He’s going to take your horsemanship to the next level and then you’ll move on to a horse with even more ability.
That’s where the second part of that saying comes into play: “People teach horses.” Once you’ve ridden a variety of horses and have continued to build your knowledge and confidence, then you’ll start teaching horses what you know. You might purchase a green-broke 2-year-old and train him to do your desired discipline. Eventually, you’ll have enough experience to start a horse from the beginning.
