Your child is horse crazy. She lives and breaths horses and you as her parent wonder where her passion has come from. She reads horse stories, watches the Saddle Club religiously, and she begs you for riding lessons. Other than the occasional horse rental trail ride that left you stiff and sore from bouncing, you know little about horseback riding. But before you dismiss her interest as too expensive and or too dangerous, have you considered the physical, mental, and emotional benefits? "Benefits?" you respond, "Don’t you just sit there and bounce?"

Let me introduce you to the world of competitive horseback riding.

Yes, competitive. Competitive horseback riding is the only Olympic sport where men and women compete on equal terms in six different riding disciplines. The horse is the equalizer. Competitive horseback riding allows students (male and female) to compete for their school teams at a junior high, high school and college level. Equestrians can earn scholarship monies, both locally and nationally, based on their horsemanship skill. College applications can be flagged by equestrian coaches, thus allowing the application to "stand out" in the college admission process. College administrators now understand mental discipline and emotional maturity college bound equestrians have obtained from equestrian sport. That is why equestrian sport has achieved NCAA status, and why equestrians have among the highest overall GPA of any NCAA sport.

The physical benefits of horseback riding have been well documented through handicap riding programs. Horseback riding demands the development of balance. The rider must be able to independently coordinate muscle groups on both sides of the body to maintain balance. He or she can no longer be "right or left handed", but must become equally strong on both sides of their body. The horse’s movements demand the rider to make continuous balance adjustments to keep from slipping. This combination of balance and muscle coordination results in increased arm and leg strength, and improved posture. While competitive horseback riding is anaerobic exercise, it can also be aerobic. Riding at a posting trot for over twenty minutes non stop will raise the heart rate and improve cardiovascular health. The posting trot also burns 420 calories per hour.

MENTALLY TOUGH

Far out weighing the physical benefits, is the mental development a rider receives through competitive horseback riding. Competitive horseback riding is ninety percent concentration. The rider must learn to concentrate. Initially, concentration is increased as the rider must adapt to the horse’s movements. Each stride of the horse is similar but not identical. The rider must learn to ride each stride in a relaxed manner. (No you don’t bounce) This internal letting go creates feelings of harmony with the horse. While riding, the rider simultaneously receives optical, tactile, acoustic, and emotional signals from the horse. The rider must learn to interpret these signals and respond to them while sending her own signals to influence the horse. This situational problem solving demands the entire attention of the rider and increases her ability to concentrate. As the rider advances, the difficulty of the problem solving is increased and thus mental acuity is increased. The left brain "thinks" how the problem is solved and the right brain "feels" the rider to the solution.

The mental discipline and required focus of competitive horseback riding increases the rider’s internal locus of control. The rider has an increase sense of motivation and finds that she can set and meet goals. Her ability to influence an animal the size and power of the horse helps her to overcome fears and increase her self confidence and self-esteem.

EMOTIONALLY MATURE

Finally, we come to the emotional maturity that horseback riders attain. It is a fact that pet ownership is essential to good health through all life’s stages. Children learn to take responsibility for themselves and to meet the needs for others by caring for an animal. Touching an animal stimulates conversation and increases socialization skills. Horses, like all animals, set boundaries that the rider must learn to respect.

Successful riders develop a partnership with their horse that includes mutual trust and respect. Riders must face the ups and downs of competition as part of a team. Riders must learn to control their emotions. These life lessons will influence them for a lifetime.

Olympian Debbie McDonald described her partnership with Brentina "the closest relationship outside of marriage that one could have".

SAFETY FIRST

So, we have explored the benefits of competitive horseback riding. "What about the dangerous part?" Riding a horse is a controlled risk activity. Horsemanship is developed as the rider learns to access and control the risk. This is best done when the parent recognizes horseback riding as a sport. Name a sport that can be done once a week with any success. There is not one. Soccer coaches, volleyball coaches, baseball coaches, etc. all require their young athletes to participate multiple days per week. Yet parents allow their children to ride once a week and wonder why they do not progress or worse, get injured. Young riders should commit initially to two days or better three days. Remember, riders are training the physical, mental and emotional aspects of their bodies and learning to influence an animal that outweighs them tenfold. Young children should be closely supervised initially as they learn "horse sense". The riding instructor is of paramount importance in developing proper safety techniques in the handling and riding of horses. The riding instructor sets the example. Instructors, who set poor examples by not wearing helmets or boots, set their students at risk and should not teach. Equipment should be clean and organized. Horses should be well cared for and properly shod. Footing should be properly groomed. Riders should not be over mounted for their level. Parents should chose riding academies for their safety record rather than by cost. Most injury is the result of poor horsemanship, and not from the risk of the sport. If good horsemanship is practiced, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Just ask the NCAA college administrators.

Author Julie Van Loo is co-founder and head trainer at Silver Gate Farms, located in the Santa Clarita Valley, Ca. Van Loo has a Masters Degree in Public Health Education. An advocate for higher education and equestrian sport, her students achieve academic excellence while obtaining their equestrian goals. Van Loo currently trains and competes in hunters, equitation and dressage. Her training program has produced both regional and national champions.