#horses - #Advice for a someone who doesn't ride horses, writing a book about a character who does?

Advice for a someone who doesn't ride horses, writing a book about a character who does?

Help, newbie alert! I hope this is the right thread to ask this question. The only "equestrian" thread I could find is only about My Little Pony content.

So I'm just a wannabe writer trying to write the good old dream novel. I want to work hard on it for a year or so and see what it gets me. I want my main character, who goes from teen to middle age over the book, to ride horses starting at age 11. But frankly I've never been able to delve much deeper into that subject because googling things like "horse riding 101" often feels like not broad enough of a starting point. That search often gets results like tips for beginning riders, rules for different shows and competitions, best brands for this or that tack, etc. Just tiny, detailed facts that seem to already assume I know about the subject. It doesn't tell me "horse riding is divided into these 3 main paths or professions, which are..." etc etc.

I want to start from the ground up and learn more details as I go. What are the basics of caring for a horse? What would a child start learning on Day 1 at an average riding school? What are the differences between going to a special riding school that teaches you a specialized thing like English versus Western riding, and some kid whose parents pay for them to go to the local stable for a "lesson" where the owner lets them sit on a pony and get walked around on a lead?

Any books or resources a newbie like me should be looking at to learn the basics, and later the details?

Submitted March 11, 2018 at 06:52AM by LigerOnceLigerTwice
via reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Horses/comments/83mj5l/advice_for_a_someone_who_doesnt_ride_horses/?utm_source=ifttt