Why You Should Consider Introducing Your Child or Teen to Equestrian Sports

equestrian sports

When it comes to introducing youth to sports, most people probably consider sports like soccer, football, dance, or other mainstream sports. While those are all admirable sports, have you ever considered equestrian sports? Here’s a few ways children and teens benefit from equestrian sports.

Many Children Enjoy the Small Community and Learn Responsibility

The community, though large overall, is usually small in individual communities. It often means that children and teens build formative relationships with their instructors and other students that tend to last for a lifetime. Further, caring for a horse from brushing them and feeding not only teaches them responsibility for caring for something, but it also tends to be a lifelong friendship that they value.

Horse Riding can Provide Great Exercise

In today’s technology age of binge watching and video game playing, having an outlet for exercise that children and teens will enjoy is especially important. Horseback riding involves strength training and cardiovascular exercise to control and stay on the horse. Further, children tend to develop more advanced balance, coordination, and flexibility while riding as well.

Benefits Mental Health

Many children experience a lot of stress and pressure between social media, school requirements, and the many activities that they are expected to take part in. Exercise and having a companion like a horse can provide a stress reliever and be a confidence booster.

The Cost Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

Owning a horse yourself can be expensive between buying and caring for them and making sure you have the required space, but when first introducing you child or teen to a horse, they don’t have to have one of their own. Just paying for lessons and involving them in the activity can help them gain all the benefits and reduce the overall initial cost. If they take to the sport and start wanting to get competitive there’s many options out there between sharing, leasing, and other financial plans. Saving the initial cost upfront also means you have more time to save and plan for the later cost, making it a little easier in the long run.

There’s much more that can be said about the benefits of introducing your children to the sport, but perhaps one of the most important questions is when to start. While some start riding as early as five, many wait until the later elementary ages  around 7 to 9. Age doesn’t matter so much. What’s important is knowing your child. If they don’t seem ready, give them a few more years or ride with them to make the transition into riding themselves easier.

This article is brought to you by Franklin Horse Supply.

About Franklin Horse Supply
Franklin Horse Supply is Middle Tennessee’s newest and most complete horse supply store. They carry a full line of English and Western tack, clothing and accessories, as well as your favorite horse care products. Learn more here.

Find Franklin Horse Supply at 1561 Columbia Ave, Franklin.