One of the great things about horse riding is the chance to learn for a lifetime. For the 1.3 million regular riders in the UK, there are always new techniques to discover. Riding can give you a great sense of freedom and a deeper understanding of your own skills as you overcome challenges with your horse.
Many of the skills you learn whilst bonding with your horse can be used in your everyday life. With that in mind, as providers of horsebox insurance, we want to share with you what horse riding teaches you.
TRUST
Each time you mount yourself into the saddle, you’re trusting a horse weighing around 1200 lbs with your safety. Not forgetting that this also shows that the horse trusts you enough to allow you to mount up onto its back. As you build trust with your horse it can be put into practice with your friends, family and colleagues; to build better relationships, improve teamwork and make you become more dependable.
PERSISTENCE
Riding a horse can teach you how to get back up, no matter how many times you’ve fallen off. Obviously, you’ll get bruises and cuts from time to time. But as long as there is no serious injury you’ll find you will get straight back up and into the saddle. Being persistent in everyday life can give you a sense of purpose and build character. It can help you to achieve your goals whether that’s for example to exceed your targets in work or to cut back on your personal spending.
CONFIDENT LEADERSHIP
You must be assertive and stand up tall and confident with your horse. Failure to do this and your horse will take control itself. You have to be clear and consistent with your horse through your body language. Being a confident leader can be a great source when creating open communication and trying to make changes in group activities.
FOCUS
Horse riding requires you to be focused at all times. Especially if you’re riding up challenging hills in places like the Pennine Bridleway. If your mind wanders whilst in the saddle then your horse can end up wandering about too. As you improve your focus it’ll help to reduce stress and build momentum which can increase your engagement in tasks. The more engaged you become the greater your productivity will be.
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL FLEXIBILITY
Your horse can behave perfectly one day and the next day it can react to what appears to be nothing, potentially causing you to fall off. It’s important to be mentally prepared to go with the flow and to try and physically react as something is happening. As you build up physical strength it’ll help you to function better when you need to carry heavy loads.
COORDINATION AND BALANCE
Horse riding requires you to have full control over every body part. The slightest movements can indicate to your horse that you’re making a command. Over time you’ll develop strong core muscles to help keep you balanced on your horse. Good balance and coordination can help you to avoid injuries in general. And it can boost your confidence especially if you’ve previously had a tendency to trip or lose balance easily.
PATIENCE
Let’s say you’re training a horse. This’ll take time, whether that’s weeks, months or years to see the results you want. You can’t expect things to click straight away; there may be times that you become frustrated. But you’ll have to be patient, invest your time and lots of it. As you develop patience with your horse you’ll develop realistic expectations, a problem-solving attitude and have faith that you can overcome difficult situations. This can then become the patience you use with your family and friends.
COMMITMENT
Horses depend on you to keep them fit and healthy. If you don’t keep their exercise up on a regular basis this’ll be reflected in how your horse performs. You must be committed and dedicated to looking after your horse. That way it’ll be able to give its best performance and remain in good shape. If you show the same commitment personally and professionally with passion, determination and energy you’re more likely to achieve success.
ACHIEVEMENT
Horse riding can give you a great sense of achievement. You may have completed a difficult new trail, taken part in a ride for charity or taught someone how to mount a horse safely for the first time. This all requires you to have a lot of self-discipline. With that said your learning journey can be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience that you can benefit from with your horse and use in your everyday life.
Do you know of any other things horse riding teaches you? Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
