Three Things Every Beginner Horseback Rider Needs

Whether you are a younger or older woman who is thinking about learning how to ride, you'll be glad to know there are many benefits for doing so. Not only does horseback riding help to improve balance and coordination, but riding a horse also increases core strength and is great for muscle tone and flexibility. Besides providing physical benefits, being around horses has been known to improve the mood and ease anxiety.

Before you begin your horseback riding lessons, here are three things every beginner horseback rider needs.

1. Clothing

In order to protect yourself from the elements and from hurting yourself if you happen to fall off the horse, you will need to wear the right clothing. This includes a good pair of riding boots so that your feet will stay in the stirrups. Besides boots, other types of clothing you will want to wear when riding include:

• A sturdy pair of jeans
• A weatherproof jacket
• A helmet 
• A lightweight shirt
• Riding gloves

If you really want to look the part of a horseback rider, wearing Cowgirl Up Apparel can help with that.

2. Phone Case

If you're worried you won't be able to have your phone with you while horseback riding, you'll be glad to know there are special phone cases made especially for riders. These cases attach to your arm or your leg, which means you won't have to miss a phone call while you're practicing your horseback riding skills.

Having this special type of phone case is especially helpful if an emergency comes up. You should be warned that horses have very sensitive hearing, so you may want to set your phone to a softer ringtone or one that won't scare your horse.

3. Patience

Riding a horse may look easy enough, but there is a lot to learn. Before learning to ride, you should learn the basics of horses, which include knowing their body parts and the different types of gaits that horses have. You may even want to learn about the many different horse breeds. The more you know, the more prepared you will feel before actually climbing up onto a horse.

Once you are around the horse, you'll need to figure out how to effectively communicate with the animal, as well as understand its likes and dislikes. Since there is much to learn when it comes to horseback riding, you are certainly going to need a lot of patience.