WHAT DO YOU PAY FOR WHEN BUYING A LESSON?

    *   Maintenance of the facilities.
    *   Liability insurance.
    *   Time, education, and experience of the instructor.
    *   Feed, shoeing, veterinary care, and labor to maintain a school horse.
    *   Repair and replacement of tack.

This all totals many thousands of dollars each month just to make lessons available to the public.  Lessons are often not profitable and are made available as a gateway into equestrian sports.

HOW IS EQUESTRIAN DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SPORTS?

    *   Man has partnered with horses for over 5,000 years!  Equestrian skills are an ancient science and art.  There is nothing new about training horses and people; we are handing down skills from generation to generation.
    *   There is no instant gratification in equestrian sport.  It takes dedication and time to become an accomplished equestrian.
    *   One has to develop the horse into a willing partner and the animal's feedback can be incredibly fulfilling! 

WHAT DOES IT REALLY TAKE TO LEARN HOW TO RIDE WELL?

    *   Time and money = Commitment!  One has to set a goal and make the time and money available to reach that goal.  Funds may be stretched by trading work for lessons or riding time, however one still has to make a consistent time commitment.
    *   Riding less than once a week will produce very limited improvement.
    *   Riding once a week enables one to improve at a regular rate, although slowly.  Most people can go from knowing nothing to cantering within six months and possibly jumping within a year.  Pony Clubbers could earn their D-3 in three years.
    *   Riding at least three days a week, including one lesson, allows for faster improvement.  Practice and experience enables expansion and solidification of one's knowledge.  A rider may become physically fit enough to handle novice level eventing and C Pony Club ratings.
    *   Riding at higher levels requires more times per week in order to really learn the necessary skills as well as fitness to be safe.
   
WHAT ABOUT THE HORSES?

     *   Unfortunately horses cannot be put into a closet while riders take vacations.  They require daily feeding, regular trimming or shoeing, and regular health care.  They must have consistent exercise to maintain physical and mental health.  They get sick or injured from time to time and may require intensive care.   
    *Horses have unique personalities, physical skills, and training.  Beginning riders need a kind, well trained, and very experienced horse.   Experienced riders may want a more energetic athlete.  It is critical that either the horse or the rider have sufficient knowledge and patience to be the teacher of the other.
    *Riding is unlike any other sport because the horse always has to be considered in the equation for success.

IS HORSEBACK RIDING SAFE?

    *Riding or working around horses are high risk activities.
    *Professional instruction is the safest way to learn about riding and working around horses.
    *Horses by nature are unpredictable and they are large animals.  They can easily cause injury when they move.
    *School horses are most often very kind and will normally not cause injury, however every horse can do something out of character.
    *Every person who rides or works with horses must expect to be injured from time to time.  They must expect to occasionally fall off, be bitten, kicked, and stepped on.
    *Lessons, practice, and experience should decrease the incidence of injury.
    *Trail riding is among higher risk equestrian activities because it is done in a less controlled environment.  Racing of any kind and rodeo are extremely high risk activities.  Dressage is a relatively low risk activity and risk in jumping depends on the level and speed involved.