If you want your child to be a well-rounded individual, you should encourage them to try as many disciplines as possible!
Equitation and horsemanship requires discipline and great posture; trail begs patience and accurate footwork; reining requires perfect timing at higher speeds; jumping conquers fear and weak legs; speed events such as barrel racing inspires quick thinking and a sense of adventure! If your son or daughter could perform all of these before they even hit adulthood, there isn’t a whole lot they can’t do! A great seat and great horsemanship skills are required for all of these disciplines and more out there. The more you can do on your mount, the more control and confidence you will have. And confidence is super important for every child as they grow!
The trainers themselves are each so different. Hearing the same thought come out in different words sometimes throws a whole new perspective on it. Riding with a dressage trainer for a month will no doubt improve your reining skills. Of course, take it all in stride. Some things you’ll disagree with. The key is to hang onto all the ideas you liked, try them in multiple disciplines and see what works best for you. If you limit yourself to one type of riding you’re bound to live in a bubble. We all have something to teach, even if sometimes it’s what not to do! Become a better rider, explore new disciplines, live outside the bubble. We all know that when you open yourself up to trying new things, you find yourself capable of so much more than you ever thought! It’s empowering to accomplish something that takes a lot of skill to even attempt, such as bareback or going over a cross-rail for the first time!
No matter what, for a young rider to control a thousand pound animal with grace and skill helps build their confidence tremendously. But to know that you can survive through brand new maneuvers is to know that you are an awesome rider! And to be an awesome rider, you must be an awesome person. Now that’s confidence building right there! 🙂
If you’re up for the challenge, try a new discipline this summer! If you do, send me your pictures and how it helped your riding and I’ll post it!
(Photo is of our awesome rider Maddie on her pony Chip!)