Saturday was a great day and a brand new experience for my daughter. She took her first official horseback-riding lesson. As some of you may or may not know, I have been owned horses for several years and although I only own one now, I still avidly enjoy riding. I’ve taken my daughter riding several times, but always as a pony experience or riding up in the saddle with her father or myself.
Saturday – she rode alone.
Not only did she ride, she rode exceptionally well. I stable my horse locally and they have a pair of great trainers there named Jane and Suzie. I vetted them several times before officially signing my daughter up to take lessons with them. I’ve described before what you are looking for in horseback riding lessons for your children and I found all of that and more while I watched her first lesson.
Riding lessons may seem like a lot of fun and I think my daughter thought it would just be a party experience, however, she had to work for what she did. Jane started out by explaining how to saddle the horse and having Cassidy give her a hand. She used simple terms and pretty straightforward ideas so that the five year old was not overwhelmed.
During the actual lesson itself, Cassidy sat up in the saddle and Jane explained to her the proper form for her feet in the stirrups. In a few short minutes, she had Cassidy riding in circles with her arms held straight out. Cassidy’s balance was impeccable.
When Jane taught her how to post – I admit that I went from tickled to blown away. Posting requires the strong use of muscles in the thighs, calves and hips. The post helps the rider maintain control and balance when the horse is trotting. So as you can imagine, that she was trotting and trotting well during her first lesson – I was deeply impressed.
Already in love with horses, my daughter is going to be taking lessons this summer as a part of a plan to keep her physically fit and engaged. She is also taking dance lessons. While both utilize muscles in her legs and require sturdy balance, they do not necessarily use the same muscles. She experienced only minor soreness the next day, but Jane showed her how to stretch out in the saddle and I helped her stretch out later in the day.
Personally, I was tickled enough about the riding she did – she read her first book last night – so overall it was a weekend packed with great mommy moments! The rider in me is looking forward to her next lesson and to the day when she can ride with me. What are your summer fitness plans for your children?
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