By Robyn McDonald
Head coach and proprietor
Dalson Park Indoor Equestrian Centre

If an equestrian centre is offering riding lessons, it should have a range of specially-trained horses that can be carefully matched to a student’s ability, age and size.

If you are looking for a horse-riding school in Brisbane, the Gold Coast or Logan, here are the questions I recommend you ask about the horses:

Do you have horses for both novices and skilled riders?

Obviously, a first-timer shouldn’t be put on a retired racehorse. Your riding school should have different horses for different skill levels. As a beginner, you need your horse to have a calm temperament that will allow you to you improve at your own pace. Once you’re a more confident rider, you should have the option of moving to a more outgoing horse.

FYI:At Dalson Park, we have 20 horses we carefully select to match your level, age and weight. Our horses and ponies have safely and successfully worked with many hundreds of students each.

Are your horses educated for horse riding lessons?

We love and value our horses. But, because the riding school is their job, they need to know what’s expected of them. Make sure any riding school you choose has horses that have been trained specifically to help students learn. It’s hard work training a horse to understand all the commands, sights and sounds of riding school. Make sure your riding school has done that hard work.

FYI: We feel we can boast (a little) about our beautiful stable of educated horses at Dalson Park. We’ve trained themselves ourselves and only when they are absolutely ready can they join our ‘teaching team’. Because of this, we’ve got calm, responsive horses that do their job safely.

What size horses do you have?

One of the factors in finding the right horse will be your weight—a human-to-horse calculation makes sure the horse can manage the load safely! It’s not the only factor for choosing a horse, because sometimes a bigger, quiet horse will be better than a pony for a small child. But the formula’s a good benchmark. So, when a horse-riding school has a range of different-sized horses it’s more likely you—and the horse—will enjoy comfortable lessons.

FYI: You guessed it!Dalson Park has horses in all shapes and sizes, ranging from our ponies for pre-schoolers to horses capable of taking adults up to 95kgs (15 stone).

Come and see our horses…

Make an appointment to watch a lesson from our indoor grandstand, meet our coaches and get a feel for which horse would suit you. Call Dalson Park or email usto set up a visit or just have a chat.