5 Reasons to “Crash” Your Friend’s
Riding Lesson at a Different Barn

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of taking a riding lesson with one of the amazing women I have befriended as a result of this blog. Carey invited me last summer to “crash” her riding lesson, but it never happened; I put it at the top of my“Fun Things To Do Summer 2018 List” and we made it happen–Yay! I highly recommend mixing things up and take a riding lesson at a different barn with one of your friends. Here’s why:

1. Ride horses new to you.

This will help you up your skills as an equestrian. Back in the day, I used to show in the intercollegiate shows where you compete on a horses that you have never ridden before. You would literally pull the horse’s name out of a hat to determine your mount. I feel like it’s easy for us horse owners to get into a rut because we’re so used to riding our horses a certain way. We’ve got their quirks figured out, but the horses also have our quirks figured out and sometimes use it against us unless we’re really “on” with our riding.

Riding a new horse is like starting with a clean slate. We can focus on just riding and perhaps not anticipating behaviors that our own horses tend to exhibit. By riding new horses you’ll develop your sensitivity as a rider which is a fantastic side benefit. 

2. Expand beyond your barn bubble and meet new horse-lovin’ friends.

Every time I have been to Carey’s barn, Bluepoint Farm, it seems her barn family is always just about to have a party! For real. After our recent lesson, tables were moved into the aisle way of the barn and everyone brought food items: some from Trader Joe’s and some homemade, beautiful cheese dishes, chocolately desserts and bruschetta. And there were drinks to top it off. Someone was grilling burgers and hot dogs. 

The older I get the harder I find it is to meet new people. So having a chance to make some new horse friends is always a welcome thing.

3. Riding in the lesson with your horsey friend=good times and growth times.

It’s one thing to cheer each other on at shows or to observe each other’s lessons, but it’s completely different to be able to ride around the arena with your pony-lovin’ pal. It’s an up-close opportunity to observe and encourage each other. You can learn from each other. It’s kind of like playing tennis: if you play with someone better than you, you’ll improve your skills. Carey and Cosmo are more advanced in their jumping skills than I am. I didn’t make it to their level, but I might have ridden the wave of their confidence as I followed them on course. 

4. Have fun being the new girl.

Generally, when you are the new person at a barn you get a little bit of special treatment. Not that I need pampering, but it was fun having the horse all tacked up for me, waiting in the crossties and having Carey’s trainer help me get my stirrups just the right length. It’s always a little awkward to do that with gloves on.

5. Have a fresh set of eyes evaluate your riding abilities.

Probably one of the most exciting benefits to riding at a new barn with one of your horse friends is being able to have your riding skills evaluated without any previous notions of how you ride or what you should work on. You know how sometimes people try to really talk themselves up to be amazing expert riders? You hear this particularly when people go on rental trail rides or horse shopping. I kind of do the exact opposite and talk down my skills. So it was cool to be praised for doing a good job, and shining beyond what I expected of myself. My confidence grew from the accolades I received in this new setting.

All in all, I had a fabulous time and hope I can go back to ride and hang out with Carey’s crew before the summer is over.

Thanks for reading and have a great 4th of July! I’ll be in Austria, hopefully taking in all the sights from The Sound of Music!

Your Turn: Have you ever had a chance to crash a friend’s riding lesson? What was that like? Leave your story in the comments. 

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