Kat
Well-Known Member
There is someone on here who does photo horse shows, where you send your entry in as a photo, so you could do this with a camera phone and a riding school pony or a friends pony. If you look at Laura Wheeler's posts she does them with her ponies.
Look into Pony Club Centre Membership too, you might have to go to a different stables as not all riding schools do it but at the place where I'm on livery the pony club members are allowed to do various helping things, do tests and badges and shows etc and they have socials too where they enter quizzes etc.
Other than that just make the most of the time you get with horses, and learn as much as you can away from horses. When I was your age I rode once a week and helped out at the stables on that day. I wasn't allowed to go more often other than occasionally during the summer holidays. In between riding lessons I read every reference book on horses I could, and learned everything I could. I also read horsey fiction to get an extra fix. That was it, no pony club centres then, and no money for riding holidays etc. If I wanted to go to shows and events it often had to be as a borthday or christmas present as it was expensive. I also made sure I did well at school so that I could get a good enough job to enable me to have my own horse as an adult.
It took me until I was in my 30s to have my own horse, and I was 21 before I had a share horse. You just have to learn as much as you can and get as much experience as possible so you can make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. Make yourself as usuful as possible at the stables and do every job possible willingly and cheerfully and you will be rewarded, people will remember you when they hear of someone needing a rider or sharer or whatever.
Look into Pony Club Centre Membership too, you might have to go to a different stables as not all riding schools do it but at the place where I'm on livery the pony club members are allowed to do various helping things, do tests and badges and shows etc and they have socials too where they enter quizzes etc.
Other than that just make the most of the time you get with horses, and learn as much as you can away from horses. When I was your age I rode once a week and helped out at the stables on that day. I wasn't allowed to go more often other than occasionally during the summer holidays. In between riding lessons I read every reference book on horses I could, and learned everything I could. I also read horsey fiction to get an extra fix. That was it, no pony club centres then, and no money for riding holidays etc. If I wanted to go to shows and events it often had to be as a borthday or christmas present as it was expensive. I also made sure I did well at school so that I could get a good enough job to enable me to have my own horse as an adult.
It took me until I was in my 30s to have my own horse, and I was 21 before I had a share horse. You just have to learn as much as you can and get as much experience as possible so you can make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. Make yourself as usuful as possible at the stables and do every job possible willingly and cheerfully and you will be rewarded, people will remember you when they hear of someone needing a rider or sharer or whatever.
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