Getting my 5yr old daughter horse riding lessons.

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Irish Tennis Gal

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My 5yr old daughter said she is keen to get started on horse riding so we are loo into getting her lessons after the school holidays in about a week and a half.

But first we are going to need to get some items of clothing before she can get started; some jodhpurs, wellie boots and a warm waterproof jacket so any advice on what to get would be greatly appreciated. Also, is there anything else she will need :).
 
Hi,

Please don’t rush to buy your daughter anything special until you know that she will stick with riding.

Any good riding school will fit and lens or hire a hat for the first few lessons, and most will also have suitable boots to lend as well.

Please check with the riding school what they want her to wear, but my suggestion to start with would be leggings, jeggings or tracksuit bottoms, and t-shirt or sweatshirt on top (no bare shoulders).
 
I agree to not buying until you know she wants to continue and if you do anyway then do not buy wellies as they are not very suitable and most RS's will want a boot or shoe that has a heel and less restrictive than wellies, no need to get any special waterproofs either until the weather turns when she may not be so keen, get a pair of gloves so her hands are dry and warm but otherwise as already said leggings of some sort will be fine, I often have children here for a sit on/ first few rides and they wear casual clothes, either borrowed jodphur boots or even sturdy school shoes, the best investment once she has started would be her own hat.
 
Hope your daughter enjoys her introduction to riding, I vividly remember my first lesson many years ago.
The basics for the first few lessons are just comfortable, stretchy trousers like jogging bottoms and sturdy short boots with a small heel. Trainers aren't safe. The riding school can provide a helmet to start with.
When you're ready to invest in proper clothing, a local saddlery should be very hsppy to advise on clothing and will fit a riding helmet properly.
 
the regatta jacket is fine. All she needs is the top half covered in case she falls off so that the material protects her, boots with heels so that her feet do no slip through the stirrups which could result in her being dragged if she fell off as one foot would be trapped in the stirrup. Plus a hat of course which the school will probably lend. All of the above are for safety which is everything.

If she is happy and wants to carry on after a few lessons you can think again. Bear in mind that as it gets into the winter and becomes colder she may not be so keen to carry on at least in the short term.
 
paddy555 said:
the regatta jacket is fine. All she needs is the top half covered in case she falls off so that the material protects her, boots with heels so that her feet do no slip through the stirrups which could result in her being dragged if she fell off as one foot would be trapped in the stirrup. Plus a hat of course which the school will probably lend. All of the above are for safety which is everything.

If she is happy and wants to carry on after a few lessons you can think again. Bear in mind that as it gets into the winter and becomes colder she may not be so keen to carry on at least in the short term.
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Is it ok to zip up the jacket :)?
 
Irish Tennis Gal said:
Is it ok to zip up the jacket :)?
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Thats fine. Its better not to have clothes that flap about when riding, although good RS ponies are pretty bombproof anyway. It's good practice to wear long sleeves in case of falls, but in reality, it's unlikely that your daughter will have a fall at the beginners stage. . Riding schools are very safety conscious these days.
For a small child, it's very relaxed, no one would expect you to splash out on new kit until she wishes to progress further. The focus is on ensuring little ones enjoy themselves and smile alot.
 
Thanks for all the kind advice guys/girls :).

I understand what you are saying regarding making sure she will stick with the riding but, tbh, I am very hopeful and confident that she will because she has been keen for about 6 months now but we decided to wait until she turned 5 which is why we are now pressing ahead with our preparations :).
 
Irish Tennis Gal said:
Thanks for all the kind advice guys/girls :).

I understand what you are saying regarding making sure she will stick with the riding but, tbh, I am very hopeful and confident that she will because she has been keen for about 6 months now but we decided to wait until she turned 5 which is why we are now pressing ahead with our preparations :).
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I'm worried that you are saying that you are hopeful that she will continue to ride and I hope that's just a throwaway phrase you used without really thinking about it. It sounds like you yourself are very keen she should ride.

So far, the child has been keen on the idea. Lots of kids are keen on the idea of being around ponies but not at all keen on the reality of sitting on them once they start moving.

Please be prepared for her to hate it or simply not be enthusiastic about it. She'll probably love it but she'll be far from alone if she doesn't. My mini was loaned to be a Christmas present by the grannie of a child who they were convinced would want to ride because she loved pony parties and sitting on grannie's big horse. She would not ride 'her' pony at all, just play games with her every now and then.

This is why people are advising you not to spend a lot on kit.

.
 
ycbm said:
I'm worried that you are saying that you are hopeful that she will continue to ride and I hope that's just a throwaway phrase you used without really thinking about it. It sounds like you yourself are very keen she should ride.

So far, the child has been keen on the idea. Lots of kids are keen on the idea of being around ponies but not at all keen on the reality of sitting on them once they start moving.

Please be prepared for her to hate it or simply not be enthusiastic about it. She'll probably love it but she'll be far from alone if she doesn't. My mini was loaned to be a Christmas present by the grannie of a child who they were convinced would want to ride because she loved pony parties and sitting on grannie's big horse. She would not ride 'her' pony at all, just play games with her every now and then.

This is why people are advising you not to spend a lot on kit.

.
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No, I said it because it's my gut feeling 😉.
 
Irish Tennis Gal said:
Would I be OK to put a woollen hat or put the hood up underneath her riding helmet?
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No the hat needs to fit properly, it is only August and still warm she shouldn't need a woollen hat or coat for some time yet, I would contact the RS and get the first lesson booked and check what they expect the parent to provide, start to think about cold weather gear once she has got going and you have more idea of what is required.
I find the very young children do not cope well in cold wet weather unless there is an indoor school so often prefer to cancel rather than have them wrapped up barely able to move which doesn't make it much fun, I would crack on to get her started while it is nice in case she wants to take a break in the worst of the winter and pick up again in spring.
 
be positive said:
No the hat needs to fit properly, it is only August and still warm she shouldn't need a woollen hat or coat for some time yet, I would contact the RS and get the first lesson booked and check what they expect the parent to provide, start to think about cold weather gear once she has got going and you have more idea of what is required.
I find the very young children do not cope well in cold wet weather unless there is an indoor school so often prefer to cancel rather than have them wrapped up barely able to move which doesn't make it much fun, I would crack on to get her started while it is nice in case she wants to take a break in the worst of the winter and pick up again in spring.
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Here in Scotland it gets cold a lot so I will probably play it safe and put a jacket on her ;). I have started to think about booking her first lesson for the first week that the schools are back.
 
I have 3 daughters and none of them are into riding - sadly! all had the opportunity to ride and I would have loved a "pony mad" child but it was not to be.
I think providing the child is warm enough and you follow advise from the stables regarding safety you should be ok.
 
If you have access to Decathlon online or in person, they do very cheap riding gear which my 5 year old uses. I did get her hat and body protector fitted at a proper equestrian store though.
 
You don't really need special riding stuff at that age (particularly if you don't know if they will keep it up long term as it's very expensive)! Honestly I was riding as soon as I could sit up but didn't even have proper jodhpurs till I was 8 and started going to an RS.
(My brother and I both had diddly mini hats and gloves though obviously but that was it, the ponies had far more kit than we did 😂)
 
Gloves and a warm coat with thin layers underneath so you can keep her warm or strip off layers if she gets too hot. Sturdy shoes/boots with a heel are the first thing you will need I am not a fan of second hand shoes on kids but each to their own, Wellies are fine for wandering around the yard meeting ponies etc but proper footwear is best for riding boots protect ankles from the stirrups slipping and rubbing too
 
Horsey car boot sales are brilliant for picking up cheap kids' gear - lots of outgrown jods and boots. Just don't buy a helmet or body protector there - they need to be new and properly fitted.
 
Ask or look on local Facebook marketplace, often lots of riding gear for kids, so pretty easy to buy some jods for under £5, ditto boots usually £5-10. I'd only buy a new hat, but usually riding schools have loan ones, a new kids hat is £35-50, best you get it properly fitted
 
Irish Tennis Gal said:
Here in Scotland it gets cold a lot so I will probably play it safe and put a jacket on her ;). I have started to think about booking her first lesson for the first week that the schools are back.
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Why are you waiting until then?
As you are outside a jacket makes sense.
I didn't have any special clothes for my first lesson.
Jogging bottoms, coat, yard provided the hat and some sort of boots that I borrowed off my nan.
 
WARNING - we did exactly what you are doing, my daughter had also just turned 5.

She is now 10. She is competing most weekends, she's on the Pony Club Area eventing and showjumping teams, we own two ponies and look after a third, we have built a yard, manage the land, I am on the Pony Club branch committee and have also learned to ride!!! We have been consumed by the equine cash pit of doom!!

Obviously its all great, and I would change a thing, but if she starts riding and doesn't stop smiling, even when she falls off, be prepared for what could be coming over the horizion!!

On a more serious note, if you go to a good riding school they will have all the kit. When my daughter started at a riding school, she used their hat and body protector, rode in an outdoor coat, leggings and wellies. She will start off on the lead rein anyway, so it will be very controlled and calm. See how it goes with her, some take to it immediatley, some take longer to get warmed up to it. Plus its a tough game to get into as its not all about the child, but the pony too. Kids need to understand that sometimes they are doing nothing wrong, the pony is just in one of those moods.
 
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