I had a horse as a kid, but it wasn't a good horse for me - it was ex race horse and I had no previous experience nor a trainer or teacher to help me. This bad situation resulted in me being bucked off at the age of 4 and I haven't been on a horse since.
However, I am now in my mid 20s and would love to overcome my fear of riding, and also have a horse of my own. I live on a rural property and have had friends use it for their horses on occasions over the years. I bonded a bit with a particular gentle horse, but then got spooked one day when it reared up a little bit near me (I had tied its lead rope up while it ate as per the owners instructions, but it clearly didn't like that even though I had done the same thing countless times before). I don't have any riding schools nearby or anything like that, but I was wondering if anyone out there could advise me what to do. Obviously I wouldn't go launching into buying a horse until I was confident in riding (having my own horse is a long term plan) - can anyone suggest what I should do? Do I learn about horse care and behaviour first, or simply get out there and try to learn off experienced riders?
TIA
However, I am now in my mid 20s and would love to overcome my fear of riding, and also have a horse of my own. I live on a rural property and have had friends use it for their horses on occasions over the years. I bonded a bit with a particular gentle horse, but then got spooked one day when it reared up a little bit near me (I had tied its lead rope up while it ate as per the owners instructions, but it clearly didn't like that even though I had done the same thing countless times before). I don't have any riding schools nearby or anything like that, but I was wondering if anyone out there could advise me what to do. Obviously I wouldn't go launching into buying a horse until I was confident in riding (having my own horse is a long term plan) - can anyone suggest what I should do? Do I learn about horse care and behaviour first, or simply get out there and try to learn off experienced riders?
TIA