Contact points - Learning to ride.
British Horse Society - www.bhsscotland.org.uk
The Association of British Riding Schools - www.abrs.org
64,000 pages of associated information - www.Equiworld.net
Riding for the Disabled association -www.rda.org/
The Pony Club - www.ponyclub.org

" Key points - Riding can be enjoyed by anyone from 5 years old onwards.

" It is possible to ride throughout later life and many riders are still in the saddle well after retirement age, so it really is a sport for life.

" Riding can be as exciting or as safe as you want it to be which is evident by the fact that many disabled people ride yet at the top end it can be described to be an exciting risk sport.

" Most importantly nowadays it is a sport which overweight people can get involved in, improving their riding as they become more physically fit and slimmer.

" Riding is a family sport which allows participants of different ages and standards to enjoy being together in the same sport.

" Riding lessons cost between £10 and £20 per hour. Beginners do not need to buy all the gear as they will be supplied with a hard hat as an absolute essential piece of equipment which costs about £40 if you decide to buy one.

" Although the average riding school has as many adults riding as children, young people involved with horses and ponies are learning many life skills which will serve them well. It takes a determination, patience, discipline, courage, balance and good coordination to ride a horse or pony.

" Although many more girls than boys take up riding, boys who take up the sport often getting into riding in their teens are often more competitive, enjoying the more exciting elements of jumping and polo. Moving up to the higher ranks of competition, the ratio of women to men reverses with many of the best show jumpers, race riders and polo players being men. Yet unlike many sports, women can still beat the men at a world class level by combining their sensitivity and skill with the power of the horse.

" Quote from John Crawford who has run his own riding school Hayfield in Aberdeen for 30 years and own the major equestrian website www.Equiworld.net.
"What I love about introducing young people to riding is that I know that whatever their nature, they will get something out of it. More importantly horses have a way of developing strong character in young people which is the reason that young royals have always been introduced to the sport - You may be a prince but to that horse you are just another human being that has to prove himself worthy and capable of being in charge of