04/17/2026
"We let students trot on the first lesson because it makes it more fun!".....Iâm gonna say this a little more plainlyâŚthis is gonna be long. Bear with me.
We saw the commentsâŚI get it. Fun sells. To a non horse person, trotting is the definition of "fun" and "progress". As a professional, it is our job to change that mindset, not cater to it.
Rushing kids to trot right away just to keep them excited or make parents feel like theyâre âdoing somethingâ is exactly what I was talking about in my last post.
Thatâs not good horsemanship. And itâs not putting the kid or horse first.
These are 1,000 lb animals. Not a ride at the fair. They have a mind of their own. Rushing progress isnt creating fun- it's creating risk.
Sometimes our kids walk.
Sometimes they walk for a while.
And yeah⌠sometimes they get a little bored. Boohoo.
That doesnât bother me. Because what theyâre actually learning in that phase is what keeps them safe later.
You donât skip basics in anything else, but for some reason people expect to skip them with horses. Kids in gymnastics donât walk in and go straight to the beam.
They condition. They stretch. They do drills over and over. Football players donât just show up and start running plays. They practice footwork. Timing. Repetition.
Basketball? Youâre not scrimmaging day one. Youâre dribbling. Passing. Shooting form.
Walking might not feel exciting to a new kid.
But thatâs where they learn balance. Feel. Control.
And honestlyâŚItâs good for kids to not get instant gratification. Itâs good for them to be a little bored sometimes. To have to work for something. Build patience.
Weâre not here to entertain kids for 30 minutes. Weâre here to teach them how to ride.
Even our âjust for funâ riders with no competitive desire learn how to do things the right way.
If you want quick fun, go somewhere else. Fall off there. If you want your kid to be confident, capable, and safe around horses- thatâs what we do.
