Anyone here seriously into horse riding?

[Woodsey]

Cheers for the replies so far

[mouth]

I had horses for most of my life - my best advice is to be able to enjoy a riding holiday you need to be able to feel confident that you are controling the horse, and not the other way round. Ability to stay in the saddle is your other priority. Some people never manage either while others take to it immediately. The bonus of a riding holiday is you will presumeably have the same horse for the whole time and so hopefully will build up a relationship and affinity with him. A decent tour operator will make sure all of the horses are suited to the rider, and so someone veering on the novice side shouldn't end up on a rodeo turn.

My advice to you if you're not comfortable cantering is to not book the holiday until you feel confident that you can ask the horse to canter, stay on it ,then ask the horse to return to trot at your command. Cantering is an easier gait than trotting, so once you relax and learn to go with the horse rather than worrying you will enjoy it so much more. You also need to concentrate on learning to ask your horse to change pace, until you feel you are in charge. Once you feel comfy enough that you know you can ask a horse to walk, trot, canter and more importantly, halt, at your command, you will hopefully stop being nervous.

[rex008]

Why not do a short break in the UK first? My wife has done a few of these, up in Yorkshire mostly. Think they take mix of abilities. Get you used to spending all day in the saddle, but only for a couple of days.

She's not done it for a couple of years - the place she used relocated them and their horses to Cornwall ().

[Woodsey]

Thanks again for those replies. I just need to make my mind up if I'm going to commit to 2 fairly expensive horse riding holidays v other stuff I'd like to do. If I do there are few good horse riding schools round here could use and I'll just crack on with that. I do have some riding experience and am petty confident around horses, its just a case of some time in the saddle to get where I need to be if I decide to go for it.

My mate went on a riding holiday to Argentina a few years back, he was probably slightly better at riding me but not much. I was talking to him and he said just go for it, after 2 days in the saddle you'll soon pick it all up  No way I'll be doing that, I don't mind taking a few risks, but that is too much for me..........

[Laxie]

My mate went on a riding holiday to Argentina a few years back, he was probably slightly better at riding me but not much. I was talking to him and he said just go for it, after 2 days in the saddle you'll soon pick it all up  No way I'll be doing that, I don't mind taking a few risks, but that is too much for me..........

*cough

[Woodsey]

My mate went on a riding holiday to Argentina a few years back, he was probably slightly better at riding me but not much. I was talking to him and he said just go for it, after 2 days in the saddle you'll soon pick it all up  No way I'll be doing that, I don't mind taking a few risks, but that is too much for me..........

*cough

Maybe so, but I'm better than him at shagging

[mouth]

My mate went on a riding holiday to Argentina a few years back, he was probably slightly better at riding me but not much. I was talking to him and he said just go for it, after 2 days in the saddle you'll soon pick it all up  No way I'll be doing that, I don't mind taking a few risks, but that is too much for me..........

*cough

Maybe so, but I'm better than him at shagging

My bad. I thought you meant horse back riding, not "horse riding" Good luck with that anyway