QUICK HORSE EXPERTS!!!

luvbug00 wrote: I need to know what kind of Riding clothing to get Mya. she is getting horse riding lessons for her birthday.
I need help finding
RIDING PANTS
RIDING BOOTS/SHOES
RIDING HELMET

If you know any good websites with this stuff then awsome!!

THANKS!!

**oh and this is her first big horse not the pony at the pet farm experience**
**Oh and spesify as much as you can please I'm a little Slow **

PrairieMom replied: Has she spent and extended time with horses before? like the time a lesson would take? I know that horses and barns/ hay all that stuff that goes along with horses really get my allergies and asthma worked up. Will she be expected to do grooming as well? because that might be really bad.
On the other hand... I would have LOVED horse riding lessons!

luvmykids replied: My.spacebar.isn't.working I.don't.know.anything.about.English.riding.or.gear.but.I.hope.she.loves.it!

Crystalina replied: You can always call the place and they could point you in the right direction but honestly regular jeans and boots would be good. Mine ride with flip-flops. You can wrap up some bucks in "real" riding clothes and unless it's something she's going to stick with it's kind of a waste. I'd make sure you bring her a long sleeved shirt because sometimes the flies can drive you nuts and the flies that hang around horses bite.

As far as a helmet a regular bike helmet will do if she already has one. Sometimes those places will already have helmets you can use.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: English or Western? I would call the stable and see if they require any special clothing first. A pair of english riding pants can cost you upwards of $50. Then you add boots, shirt, helmet, crop/quirt...it can get very expensive. You may only need a helmet and they probably have one. If this is something she is going to do longterm they probably have an idea of where to point you or you may even find another mom who has smaller sizes she is looking to sell. I used to go ride at a stable in Leesburg when I would go see my Dad. It was so fun! I hope Mya enjoys it! What a great birthday gift!

luvmykids replied: I'd recommend some kind of boots at the very least, just until she gets to know horses better. They can step on your foot in a second and in flip flops it really hurts

holley79 replied: Well first off don't go crazy into debt when she is only getting riding lessons. I would get her a paid of pants, helmet and boots. Talk to the instructor. Check your phone book for tack stores and see if they have consignment. I would go all out right this minute. She isn't on her way to the grand prix just yet so I wouldn't put yourself in debt. When I had new students starting who didn't have a lick of horse/ riding knowledge, the only thing I required was a pair of boots. I had plenty of schooling helmets and would put their name on them for the duration of the lessons. If you plan on making this something she is going to be involved in on a permanent basis then I would just get a helmet and boots to begin with. She doesn't need breeches, field boots, crops and all that good jazz at this stage.

Some of the sites I use when ordering riding apparel:

Stateline Tack

Dover Saddlery

and my all time fav

EBAY!!!!

TANNER'S MOM replied: Boots are very important. I mean she can ride in jeans and boots. But I say BOOTS are my number one. I don't ride English, but I am sure they can give a list of what you need. If you can't afford it all make Helmut and BOOTS number one.

Crystalina, I know you have a good broke horse, but I will even tell you that I have learned the flip flop lesson a million times! I have had my big toe broke by the big goons stepping on them. Plus if they are riding in a saddle, the heel of the boots are so important to keep from your foot getting stuck in the stir-up. I watched a 5 year old get hung up and thrown around like a rag doll before anyone could do anything for her and she spent 3 weeks in ICU with severe brain damage. It has become one of my things to always wear boots when I ride no matter what and my kids too. I have the thick soled fancy FAT BABY boots that I love, but I don't ride them riding b/c I can't get my foot out of the stir up fast enough with any kind of pressure on it at all. Sorry I don't mean to preach, but that little scared me to death and it was right in front of me.

Crystalina replied:
I don't mind you preaching and really I wouldn't advise anyone wearing flip-flops around them. The reason my kids have before is because they are never really wondering around the horse. DH lifts them up and their feet aren't long enough to reach the stir-ups. We have an adult saddle. Then when it's time to get down we take them down and they know to stay away from the horse. She used to be real nice with the kids (which is why we got her) but she's getting an attitude in her old age so the kids are not allowed to mess with her like they used to. I think our minis are getting on her nerves. They are young and jumpy and she's about 18 and tired of it all.

You are right, if any child (or adult) is walking around and messing with horses they should have good boots.

We may have to put her down d/t her being so so thin. I'll have to show a pic of her. Last summer the vet said she was anemic so we gave her Red Cell and over the winter she just got worse (so much thinner) but we didn't realize it because of her hair. When she lost her winter coat I almost cried. She's horrible thin. We called him out again and he did all the tests and she has Cushings Disease. Her body is making so much adrenaline that she can't use up.

TheOaf66 replied: wow there is a dress code for horseback riding. Whenever I rode it was jeans, t-shirt, cowboy boots, and beer in hand

luvbug00 replied:

i didn't know!!:emlaugh: I thought you had to have cirtin stuff.

Btw i think when she is more advanced we will sub a kool aid burst instead of a beer

Thanks for the info everyone i really appricate it!!!

luvmykids replied:
It just depends on what you're doing...usually it's not "required" unless it's an event/competition although for lessons they might require some of it for safety reasons.

TANNER'S MOM replied: Crystalina, I know what you mean. I have one who is closer to 30 than I can imagine. He is around 28, 29 which is ancient in horse years. He would still ride if we let him. He has a fat belly but his back bones are just awful.

I know you had the vet come out. Do you feed her the "equine senior" feed. That really helps my horse. He processes so much easier and it helps him put the weight on. I go through stages that says put him down, and then he will gain a 100lbs and I am so happy. He is actually healthy and happy but doesn't look at his best.

DH is always afraid that people will think he is starving but he isn't. He is only old!

TANNER'S MOM replied:
Troy, I think we rode for the same team! The bad thing is I still that same uniform! Heck I am wearing it tomorrow!

TheOaf66 replied:
we had to get rid of the horses and Jennie won't let me wear my cowboy boots anymore.

I never took lessons, I just got on a horse and went.

lisar replied: I rode english and western when I was a teenager. I had a friend that had a dozen horses all trained to do diffrent things. My fav was her barrell racing horse. But I always wore a pair of ropers: http://www.justinbootstore.com/order/justin/l0506.htm thats just an example of them. Mine are brown. And we always wore a helmet I never bought one she always had them. I also wore jeans and a t-shirt. Sometimes a long sleeve shirt though cause like someone else already said those flies do bite. She had all the fancy clothes for riding but she didnt wear them unless she was in a show or doing something like that. She always wore jeans also. Good luck with it and I hope mya enjoys it.

Crystalina replied:
The vet says she's processing the feed but her body is not holding it. He's checked her gut , her poo and her teeth are great but it's just not sticking with her. I'll have DH mix some of that with her feed. The vet suggested about 4 scoops of sweet feed and to slowly give her a bit more as we progress. She looks dead but we're holding out until she's obviously done rather then just looking like she's done.

I'll get a pic of her up today some time. It's horrible.

luvmykids replied:
That sounds a lot like my horse that died this winter, I'm sorry, I know it's terrible to see them that way