GADGETS

[Helen]

I am looking to buy a horse in the next couple of months, infact i have already found one. He belongs to the riding school where i work, he has been in since he was a four year(he'd now six). He is not very well balanced and he finds hard to stretch down, to relax his kneck, shoulders and back, which makes him very stiff. Although my instructer is very good and will help me as much as possible, i was wondering whether there were any riding aids(eg balancing reins or market harbourgh) that may help me?
It would be interesting to see what heather has to say about, i know some instructers swear by these aids and some hate them, on which side do you sit Heather?

Rachel if you read this sorry i haven't written to you recently, i'll get in touch soon.

[Janice Morley]

Hi, Helen:

I think the best first "gadget" you can buy
for your soon-to-be horse is private
lessons with your trainer, starting from
the very basics.

Even if you've been taking lessons on
other horses for quite some time, I've
found that it takes awhile to learn
what YOUR horse might be doing with you.
By planning to spend a few months taking
private lessons with your trainer's
supervision, you'll learn what you
may need as additional "aids" and
what you probably won't need. Besides,
your trainer will be able to teach you
how to use those aids in a controlled,
safe environment.

It's natural to want to buy everything
on the market. My husband probably has
no idea of how much I've spent on things
I really didn't need, although the secret's
out now, since he's a "lurker" on this
site :-) For myself, however, I think
I could have saved quite a bit by restraining
myself from buying too much. I justify
it now because we have three horses, and
I never know what's going to work for
each horse in a given situation.

Good luck!

PS--See if you can find someone who sells
used tack and supplies. If you have access
to such a supplier, hopefully this person
is free enough with advice to also tell
you what you don't need. Here in the SF
Bay Area, we have a wonderful friend (our
former trainer) who has a side business
in new and "gently" used merchandise.