What now?

Hi all, newbie here. love the site!
I have a question hope someone can point me in the right direction. ok upfront, i'm admitting it. I'm a city girl. All my life, yep really sucks. I take riding lessons on the weekends. I have completly fallen in love with my horse i work with, her name is Cheeky, 6 yr old quarter horse.
So i don't own a horse, nor can i afford to support one of my own. What direction do i go in when my lessons are up? Where do i next with them? Just at a dead end... i took the lessons cause i have loved horses before i could walk, plus it is a fromidable weapon against my depression just being around them. I just don't want to lose that.. ideas anyone where i could go from here? Thanks for any adive i get!

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Permalink Reply by Nina Kraus on May 4, 2009 at 1:21pm: Hi Gina,
Welcome to All Things Horsey. If I were you, I would continue with the lessons. I raise and breed horses, yet I always take a lesson on one of the lesson horses to work on things I need to with the show horses. Many barns will let you buy a book of lessons at a discount. Also, as you progress, you will move onto other horses. Stick with the lessons and, maybe eventually, you could lease a horse to show at a horse show. You never know what will happen. By the way, I am a city girl too. I don't have a choice. My husband is a city employee. My horses are kept in a training facility about 39 miles from here.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by GIna A on May 4, 2009 at 2:50pm: Hi.. thanks for the response.. that is what my instructor told me as well. I really hope she has plans for me! I'm sick to death of this city, but its getting so hard here to find a place outside town for under $200,000.00. What city are you in? I'm in Lincoln NE. My lessons are down south by Wilbur NE, about a 45 min drive. I'm learing reining and longing. Wish there was more dressage stuff here, but its too much of a western type state, no one really trains for it except for the University. You are sooooo lucky to have your own horses though. What breeds? Thanks again for the advice.. i need it!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nina Kraus on May 5, 2009 at 7:50am: I am in Milwaukee, Wi. I can promise you if you keep up with the lessons, it gets progressively harder and it does become work. I would bet that right now you are working on proper form, but there is a whole lot more to it than that.

I breed, raise and show American Saddlebreds. The head you see on the main page is my 4 year old JC (Buck Almighty). On my main page, I have pictures of a lot of the horses we've bred and a couple of our mares. I really enjoy showing the bred ones as I watched them grow up so to see that they have made it is really something. Another one we bred, Mickey, is coming to the shows as a practice horse as he is part of my trainer's lesson program now.

Our first horse show is this week in Minnesota. I don't show until Saturday so I am not leaving until Friday. I am looking forward to showing JC as he is such a good thinking 4 year old.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask. That is what this site is for :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lynne Levy on May 28, 2009 at 3:19pm: I feel the need to add 2 cents worth. Also, welcome Gina.
I agree wholeheartedly with Nina on continuing to take lessons. Contrary to the belief of some, you never know it all. There is always something that hasn't come up before.
To suppliment your lessons, see if your instructor/trainer needs help at shows. If they can pay you, great. If not, you'll pick up some extra "free lessons" by what you see and learn there. You can also volunteer to ring master at some of your local shows and learn from what the judges have to comment during or after the classes.
As far as the dressage goes, if you really watch the moves and techniques, reining is simply Western Dressage. Whatever the breed or discipline just ENJOY!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by GIna A on May 28, 2009 at 4:00pm: Thanks Lynne for the advice.. i think i am going to stick with the lessons for now, she is now also putting me through her horsemanship classes complete with tests over the material... i am in heaven! My last lesson she mentioned the possibility of leasing one of hers, i was speechless. Her mares are amazing, she has done the most wonderful job training them. She let me do some lunging with one of them it was the best day of my life!; ▶ Reply to This