Kentucky is horse country, but not everyone in the state has had a love affair with equine. Due to their size, horses can often be a little intimidating to people. If you’ve always been curious about horses, saddle yourself up for this guide to getting to know these galloping beauties.
A lifetime love of horses
A quick Google search will show that there are several horseback riding stables in Louisville or just outside the city, including Razor Creek Stables, Stonehurst Riding Center, and Signature Stables, all of which have owners or instructors who have spent years getting to know horses.
Debbie Dickey is the owner of Twin Oaks Farm in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, whose relationship with horses began when she was just a child. Her aunt owned a horse and her grandparents had a farm. Debbie made friends with anyone she knew who had a horse and when she was 18 and newly graduated from high school, her priorities were to “get a job, get a car, and get a horse.” Years later, she married Jesse Dickey, and they purchased the land on which Twin Oaks Farm sits. They built a barn and began boarding horses while Debbie kept her job in banking. Over the years, she’s added hours at the farm and cut back on bank hours. Boarding and training new riders keep her days very full.
Even people who have been lifelong riders and horse enthusiasts can benefit from taking horseback riding lessons. Although she had been on horses since she was very young, Debbie says taking lessons at age 27 helped her understand horses in a new way.
Horses 101
Horses are herd animals and highly social within those herds, but the language they use to communicate is not one humans always understand well. Horses like safety and security and can be somewhat reactionary when startled or fearful, which is, perhaps, why some people are unnerved by them. While novices may pay more attention to the sounds a horse makes, people who’ve been educated know to also pay close attention to a horse’s ears, the carriage of a horse’s head, and both their forelegs and hind legs.
Debbie says observation is a critical part of learning to ride horses. “When people come out here, they learn how to get their horse ready to ride,” she says. “I think that’s an important part of it. You learn from being around them and being observant.” While horses may seem harder to read than a dog or cat, they really aren’t. Spending time with a horse allows an individual to pay close attention to a horse’s nonverbal cues.
“Riding is about confidence,” Debbie says. “Horses absolutely clue in to leadership; most horses do not want to be leaders. The leader has to watch out for danger while everybody else can sleep and eat.” Natacha Lesburgueres of Stonehurst Riding Center says horses aren’t unlike elementary school children; they are excited to learn and want positive attention but sometimes do silly, childish things.
Is age a factor in horseback riding?
Riding a horse definitely forces a rider to use muscles that she or he doesn’t normally use, and getting on and off a horse may be a little slower for older riders who are just starting out. But there is no reason why an individual in their 60s, 70s, or even 80s can’t successfully learn to ride a horse if they are interested and in generally good health.
Stephanie Maloney is 77 years old and began riding when she was 71 to fulfill a bucket list dream. “I had always wanted to learn to ride a horse but didn’t grow up where there were a lot of horses, and riding lessons were extremely expensive. My mom was a single mom and could never afford to do that,” she says. When Stephanie began lessons, she gave herself six months, but quickly got hooked. [This is a common experience for people; Natacha says horseback riding is a lot like potato chips: “Once it pops, the fun doesn’t stop,” she says.]
“I have loved it, and it has been incredibly good for me physically. It definitely strengthens the core,” Stephanie says. Learning to ride has also been a tremendous confidence boost for her. She learned she could do more than she thought she could. In addition to developing a rapport with horses, Stephanie has benefited from the camaraderie of other riders. “I’m kind of the ‘grandmother’ of some of the kids [at the farm],” she says. “The kids are sweet and will carry buckets for me, clean out the stall for me. They kind of baby me a little bit.”
Things to Do as an Older Rider
Diane Rowley, now 67, began endurance riding in her late 50s, although she had been a “barn mom” because her daughter was a serious horse competitor as a child and teen. While Diane had a network of people who knew about horses, she had to take time to develop her comfort level with them in a way she hadn’t before.
She says it is important to choose a barn and an instructor carefully to ensure your goals are in line with their goals. If you just want to learn to trail ride recreationally, it doesn’t make sense to begin instruction at a barn where they expect their riders to show horses and compete. She says it is also important to work with an instructor who will start you out slowly because even trotting feels scary when you’ve never done it before.
Diane wears a helmet and an air vest when she rides just in case she falls, although she says it “helps if you are not too afraid of falling off.” If this happens, she says most of the time people are a little sore but that’s usually the extent of it. The biggest issue is being scared. “Your worst enemy is yourself if you start feeling tense,” she says. Horses sense this, which makes them tense and that tension then makes the inexperienced rider more tense. It is a negative feedback loop that isn’t comfortable for anyone.
Don’t want to ride?
There are several retirement farms for horses in the state of Kentucky, including one right along I-64 that is run by the Blackburn Correctional Complex and offers inmates an opportunity to learn horse care and equine management. Several others are scattered throughout the state and provide boarding and veterinary services to retired thoroughbreds. If you love the majestic beauty of horses but aren’t interested in learning to ride, you may want to visit Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, a working farm with over 200 acres. The farm offers several tour options, from a 90-minute general tour to a three-hour driving tour that allows visitors to “meet” every retired thoroughbred on the farm.
By Carrie Vittitoe | Photos by Erika Doll
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