Horseback riding is a surprisingly athletic activity, and it also promotes mental well-being and calm through your interaction with the horse. Training is most certainly required, and it is important to find stables where you trust the staff and feel comfortable forming and furthering your relationship with your horse. Pennsylvania has a variety of stables available that offer boarding, riding lessons, training, horse care and camps for children.
Swan Lake Stables
Swan Lake Stables is set on a beautiful lake and sprawls for 350 acres in Littlestown, Pennsylvania. There is a large indoor arena that also includes three grooming stalls and three wash stalls for the care of the animal. Swan Lake Stables focuses on spacious clean surroundings for your horse, and it offers riding lessons and classes in getting your horse ready for show, barn safety, cleaning and grooming and also general care.
Clear View Stables
Oakdale, Pennsylvania is where you can find Clear View Stables. There are 57 acres that include 26 large stable suites as well as indoor and outdoor arenas are surrounded by trails, woods and pastures. Clear View Stables offers lessons in English riding, competition, form and etiquette and general care of the horse. They will design a specialized training program for you that works for your skill level and schedule. Clear View also offers transportation services for your convenience.
Fox Hollow Farm
For riding mixed in with family fun, Fox Hollow Farm in Glenmore, Pennsylvania has all the bases covered. Its 56 acres include indoor and outdoor riding rings, a wash stall, and a powder room that is heated for your comfort. There are lessons for children and adults in hunt seat riding, dressage and even Western lessons. Fox Hollow Farm offers summer camps for children ages five and up; these full or half-day camps include daily riding lessons, horse care, swimming and sports for a full-fledged athletic camp experience. The modern facilities at Fox Hollow Farm are all about the horse's comfort, as the horses are fed twice daily and turned out daily with scheduled vet and blacksmith care. For birthdays, the farm offers pony parties for up to 12 children with an hour of pony rides and views of foals and gorgeous scenery.
Fairfield Farm
Fairfield Farm in New Hope, Pennslvania has been open for 17 years. It specializes in tender loving care for your horse, with full-care boarding and retraining for problem horses. Fairfield Farm teaches lessons in English, Western and gaited styles in their indoor and outdoor rings, and also hunt seat, dressage and horsemanship training. It offers private or semi-private lessons at your convenience and even gives horse care workshops on occasion. Fairfield Farm has a Summer Horsemanship Camp where your children enjoy riding lessons, swimming in the pool and horse care training for one week; the groups are small, so there is plenty of personal attention for each child.
Considerations
Though it may look like easy fun on television and in movies, horseback riding is a skill that requires the use of muscles you may not have realized were there. Stretching before and after riding is essential, and remaining hydrated is imperative to avoid muscle cramps and fatigue. Be prepared to feel tenderness in the pelvic and leg area after your first couple of rides, and consult a doctor before beginning this or any kind of athletic program, especially if you have a history of back or spinal issues.
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