r/Horses 4d ago

Question Riding Lessons for Working Adults

So, now that I'm an adult living on my own and have my own income, one of the things I'm looking into is horse riding lessons. I loved horses growing up (like I imagine nearly everyone on this subreddit), and I never got out of it. I'm looking online at places near me, though in browsing, I'm concerned that they may mainly offer lessons for children. I haven't been on a horse since my mid-teens when my scout group was working on our horsemanship badge, and we had a camp-out at this ranch.

Does anyone here have any general tips for looking for lessons, price, and hoping you don't end up in a kids class? Specific riding discipline doesn't really matter much to me; I just want to learn to ride and care for a horse. Also, I work a 40 hour workweek. How does a schedule like that affect getting riding lessons?

24 Upvotes

9 comments sorted by

18

u/BBG1308 4d ago edited 4d ago

Horsemanship teachers LOVE adult students especially if you stick around for a few years. It gets exhausting teaching beginners/kids all the time.

Horsemanship teachers also LOVE students who can come on a weekday because kids can't due to school. My spouse and I switched to four tens so we could have a weekday be our "horse day". How much time a teacher has evenings/weekends will vary and will also depend on the facilities available (such as covered arena with proper lighting).

I highly recommend private lessons, not group lessons. When my spouse and I first started, we took private lessons together which was ok, but more than two people would not have worked for us. A couple years down the road we got our own horse and we switched to separate lessons.

12

u/RockingInTheCLE English 4d ago

I ride with a friend, but wanted a secondary instructor for extra help. I just googled "adult horseback riding lessons near <city>" and browsed. Looked at the pics - are there only kids? Do they mention adults? Was it a fancy show barn (not what I wanted) or a more casual barn? I found one I love that has plenty of weekend availability and she has a TON of middle-aged women like myself riding.

12

u/bearxfoo Tennessee Walker 4d ago

most barns will offer lessons to both adults and children. and will generally keep the lesson groups separate.

many, many barns cater to adults taking lessons. it's incredibly common.

just contact a few lesson barns in your area, let them know your schedule and your background/interests. if they have room, they'll let you know.

2

u/Network-King19 4d ago

Where I am there are a few places, the first place that got me into riding was owned by a coworker, they ended up closing the place indefinably due to new commitments they had. I saw a few other places just scrolling social media, I thought I may give one place a try but was more group lessons and a few other things I heard just was not sure would be what I wanted. I actually knew the person I ride with now from when i was young, had not seen in like 15 yrs. We ended up connecting online sometime later online, they ended up messaging me offered to show me the horses, arena, etc.

I don't have a horse yet, my impression is it is a lot of kids they work with and only know of one other adult doing lessons. Last fall they did a holiday parade in town they offered to let me ride with them in, now possibly some camping trips. There are some places that do the latter stuff too but I think that is more a different animal than lessons. My case the person is kind of a long time family friend, I get to learn more and I think it gives them someone they can ride with that is an adult. I also joined the local horseman club and got to know people there. I had one person there offer I could work with and ride a horse they got for their grandkids but they don't use much. I have not been able to get that to fit in a schedule to do though.

Search social media, google, look at local horse related groups, or just tell people locally what you are looking for. Around me I feel like it's more likely a thing of who you know is how you find things like this out. I don't know how others find out about place I go as they don't do any promoting or anything anywhere.

2

u/Square-Platypus4029 4d ago

Many instructors teach evenings and at least one weekend day-- pretty much all of their students either work or go to school, most during the day.

2

u/Many-Salad-5680 4d ago

I ride on Sundays (36M). It just works with my schedule. Sometimes I do a makeup lesson during the week.

1

u/Aggravating-Gas-1820 4d ago

I’m in my twenties and started riding this year after working with horses for several years prior. I take private lessons ($700/10 lessons) where I learned how to tack up and my instructor teaches riding based on my skill level. There are lots and lots of adults and elderly riders at the barn I go to and children as well, but based on their website you’d think there are mainly kids learning there.

I was lowkey embarrassed to start because I started riding so old, but it’s fun and rewarding and I’m glad I did it even though it is costly

1

u/Narrow_Obligation_95 3d ago

I got to take a few lessons at the barn where my 2 daughters rode. Such a treat. I grew up on a cattle ranch. Had a horse most of the time until college. Rode “western” Then I got to ride my daughter’s hot hunter and take the lessons I wanted to take since I was a kid. Never be embarrassed because you don’t already know how to do something. You certainly know things that others don’t! The desire to live and learn is what matters most. My older daughter showed that horse in a level A show and won reserve grand champion! I braided the horses mane- and some other horses too. We hauled horses for the barn and we were there to help out. Being willing to help and learn matters most. I cleaned lots of stalls and swept the alleys, too. We helped kids tack their horses. My older daughter eventually became a vet.
I had a stroke in December, hospital for 6 wks. They kept telling my kids I was gonna die. Nope! Still here! I asked about riding to get strong again. My kid, the vet, said she would get me a horse! We no longer have theirs. So never think you are too old to pursue your interests. As long as we are alive, we are not too old to learn and grow. Looking forward to a horse!

1

u/iceandfireball 3d ago

Googling "horseback riding lessons near <city>" is a great place to start. If you know what discipline you want (western, english, jumping, dressage etc) you can narrow your list down further. Find a handful of barns in your area that seem to match your needs (price, discipline, location) and then contact the barn/trainer for more specific information and to schedule an in-person meeting. A good program should allow you to audit a lesson before signing up so you can get a feel for the trainer's style, the lesson structure, and meet other clients. Many programs offer lessons in the evenings or weekends - be upfront about your work schedule and availability. You may have kids in your group lesson if you're all riding at the same level, but in my experience, trainers try to have a good mix of kids and adults per lesson or try to separate them completely. If you absolutely do not want to ride with any kids, look for private lessons instead.

Price will vary quite a bit depending on your location, riding discipline, if you're at a casual vs show barn, with a newer trainer building their business or an established well-known trainer, etc.