Are you too old to start horse riding?
If you’ve always dreamed of riding horses - but life got in the way - you might wonder if you’ve missed your chance.
Maybe you're worried about being the only adult at the barn. Maybe you're thinking you're too stiff, too scared, or just too late.
The truth? You're not.
I work with mid-life women every day who’ve reignited their riding dream - some in their 40s, 50s, even 60s.
And I want you to know: it’s absolutely possible for you, too.
Is Horse Riding Really Doable for Adults?
Yes, but with a few considerations. Riding is not passive. It’s a physical sport that requires:
The reality? You don’t need to be an elite athlete - just in reasonably good health with a willingness to learn and move your body.
Don’t think that riding is going to be easy!
Horse riding requires you to move with and control the horse with your body - which is very different from riding a machine like a bicycle.
You need to be able to stay balanced as the horse moves, using your legs without being tense to hold you in the saddle.
This requires using muscles that don't get used in any other area of your life.
Taking classes in yoga or Pilates before starting your horse riding lessons can help prepare your muscles and balance. And they'll give you stretches that will be beneficial to do before every ride.
If you don't already get some exercise then taking up some moderate exercise like walking can improve your cardiac fitness.
Going for a quiet trail ride with a reputable horse riding facility is a good way to get an idea of the muscles and fitness required for riding.
Even riding a horse at a sedate walking pace requires muscles that you probably don't realise you have.
What If I Feel Nervous?
Feeling nervous when starting to ride - especially later in life - is completely normal.
Horses are powerful animals, and you’re learning something totally new. But adult riders bring a different kind of strength: life experience, resilience, and focus.
You don’t need to be fearless. You just need to be willing.
(If fear is a real blocker for you, my free Anti-Anxiety Techniques Cheat Sheet can help.)
What to Expect from Your First Lessons
Look for a riding school that offer lessons specifically for adult beginners. A good instructor will help you feel safe, welcome, and in control from the very beginning.
Here’s what to expect:
- Learning to groom, tack up, and lead a horse safely
- Learning to mount and dismount
- Developing balance at the walk and trot
- Using gentle aids (your seat, legs, hands) to communicate with the horse
- Building your confidence gradually
Private lessons are often a good starting point to ease into the basics at your own pace.
Riding As An Adult Can Be Fun And Social
Riding as an adult can be a lot of fun. It provides you with opportunities to:
- improve your physical fitness
- build confidence in and out of the saddle
- make friends and be part of a like-minded community
- bond deeply with a horses and experience true connection
What To Wear For Horse Riding Lessons
You don't need all the essentials straight away, but here's what you do need for your riding lessons:
- long trousers, breeches or riding tights (shorts and inner leg seams can result in chaffing)
- a fitted top that won't get caught on anything (layers are a good choice when riding in cooler weather)
- a correctly fitted certified riding helmet
- boots with a low heel (paddock or roper boots) so your feet don't slide through the stirrups
Optional but helpful:
- riding gloves to protect your hands from blisters and dirt
- a safety vest as additional protection to your upper body
- Sports bra and seamless underwear (trust me on this one!)
All tack for the horse will be provided by the riding school. It should fit the horse correctly and be in good repair.
Read on for a deep dive into each category and guidance about what gear you should prioritize.
Riding Hat or Helmet
Helmets are a standard part of English riding attire. While they are becoming more common in Western riding disciplines, you likely won't see as many riders wearing a riding helmet.
Even if the riding stable does not require you to wear a helmet, remember that you only have one brain. And falling from a horse can result in a traumatic brain injury.
There are many lightweight, comfortable, and affordable helmets available. They even come in different colours. And some even have a little bling if that's your thing.
Buy your ASTM/SEI approved helmet from a reputable tack shop where staff have been trained to correctly fit riding helmets. A helmet that doesn't fit properly won't give proper protection and may even add to injury.
Riding Boots
For western or English beginner riding lessons, you can wear either short or tall boots as long as they have a 1 - 1.5 " heel and enough tread to prevent your foot from slipping through the stirrup.
Short boots designed specifically for horse riding are paddock boots (English) and ropers (western).
For English riding, paddock boots are usually combined with half-chaps to protect your lower leg from getting rubbed.
Half-chaps are leather or leather-like material that fit over the boot to below your knee. They have either a zipper or velcro straps usually on the outside of the leg.
Taller boots are called "dress" or "field" boots for English and come up to just below the knee. This style of boot does not go well with jeans as they fit quite snugly and are designed to fit over breeches or riding tights. A quality boot sock is recommended to be worn with tall boots.
Of course, cowboy boots, are traditionally worn for western riding. Be sure to get the real deal and not a fancy boot designed more for fashion than function.
Remember where you'll be wearing those boots! They will get covered with mud, muck, and dirt. And they will get scuffed and worn. (Note: Do not tuck your pants into your cowboy boots when riding or you'll be taken for a City Slicker.)
Breeches, Riding Tights or Jeans
Breeches, jodhpurs, tights, and riding jeans are designed without inner leg seams and to fit snugly. These design features are for safety and function. Seams and wrinkles will cause painful chaffing and rubs.
They are made with stretchy, breathable, and moisture-absorbing materials to keep you comfortable in all types of horse riding.
Another important feature in riding pants are leather, leather-like, or silicone sticky "full seat" or knee patches.
Full-seat breeches are designed for dressage riders who need to "stick" to the saddle. But they're helpful for beginner horse riders, too, as they increase your leg and seat grip on the saddle.
Safety Vests
Wearing a safety vest is optional, but highly recommended - especially for beginner adult horse riders.
Safety vests for horse riders are designed to protect the ribcage and internal organs. They are meant to fit snugly to avoid getting caught on equipment or tree branches.
Air vests provide even more protection to include the neck and tailbone as well as the ribcage.
They are similar to life vests that inflate when a cord is pulled. Your vest attaches to the saddle with a little cord. If the rider falls, the cord is automatically pulled and the vest inflates before the rider hits the ground.
Underwear for Horse Riding
While not a safety concern, the underpants and bra you wear for your horse riding lessons can definitely affect your comfort. Non-chafing underpants have no seams.
An appropriate sports bra reduces breast bounce which can be painful and even cause damage to breast ligaments and tissue.
Riding Gloves
Riding gloves are optional but recommended for beginner horse riders to protect your hands from dirt, rubs, and blisters.
As a beginner horse rider, you'll be learning how to hold the reins correctly. And the leather reins can be hard on your hands. Also, some lesson horses will pull the reins.
What Not to Wear For Horse Riding
Avoid:
- Shorts or yoga pants (seams = chafing)
- Trainers, sandals, or high heels (unsafe in stirrups)
- Cargo pants or jeans with thick seams
- Baseball caps or sun hats (helmets only, please!)
How to Find The Right Riding Instructor For Adult Beginner Horse Riding Lessons
Look for someone who:
- Has experience teaching adult beginners
- Is patient, supportive, and clear in their instructions
- Encourages questions and creates a calm learning environment
- Offers flexible lesson times that work with your schedule
Tip: Ask to observe a lesson before signing up. Check the horses’ condition, the barn’s cleanliness, and how the instructor interacts with students.
You can find instructors through:
- Local stables and riding schools
- Horse shows or events
- Feed stores or tack shops
- Facebook groups for adult beginner riders
Once you have a list of potential horse riding instructors, contact them and ask if they accept beginner adults for riding lessons and if they have experience teaching beginners of your age range.
Mention your riding goals to the instructor, as different interests require different horses, riding styles, and instructors.
When you find an instructor that might be a match, arrange a time to watch a lesson or two. Seeing the horses, facilities, students, and teaching method will give you a lot of information.
Are the horses clean, shiny, and at a good weight, or are they muddy, dull-coated, and thin, with ribs easily visible?
Do the horses seem exceptionally nervous, jumpy, tired, disengaged or lame?
Are the saddles, bridles, and other equipment clean and in good condition?
Are the barns and stalls clean, dry, and well lighted?
Are the riding rings or arenas fenced so horses can’t wander off in the middle of a lesson?
Are the fences and gates safe and in good repair, even if they are not fancy?
Is someone supervising beginner riders at all times?
Are children or dogs allowed to wander around the barns and horses without adult supervision?
Are the students required to wear protective helmets when mounted?
What to look for in An Instructor for The Adult Beginner Horse Rider
As you watch the riding instructor teach a class, pay attention to how they relate to the students. Consider if they would be a good fit for you.
Are they helpful and encouraging, or sarcastic and angry?
Are they offering suggestions and explaining what they're asking for, or d they just stand in the center of the ring without actually teaching very much?
Do they encourage the students to ask questions and take time to answer them clearly?
Are they paying attention to the students, or talking on a cell phone, chatting with people not in the lesson, or distracted in any way?
Try Out A Lesson
Once you find an instructor who you feel will be a good fit, it’s time to sign up for a lesson or two.
If you can, it's worth the investment for some private lessons to get started.
There is a lot for a beginner horse rider to take absorb in the first few lessons. And having the instructor's full attention for the entire lesson is very helpful.
Learning the correct posture, developing balance, building muscle strength, and being able to control the horse take time. And these are the skills that are required before you move on to faster gaits and more advanced skills.
Once you develop some confidence and ability in these basics then you might enjoy and benefit from small group lessons.
And, once you've become competent in some important basics, you could benefit from the opportunity to get practice rides.
Riding outside of regular lessons allows you to get past your adult over-thinking brain and establish a more intuitive feel for the skills you’re developing in your lessons.
If you enjoy the riding lessons and want to continue after a few months, you might become interested in other opportunities to expand your horse riding skills and knowledge.
Does your instructor take students to horse shows or competitions?
Are there any enrichment opportunities like clinics or lectures?
Is summer horse camp or Pony Club for adults available?
Is there a way to be able to interact with more advanced riders?
Are there opportunities to ride different horses in your lessons?
Your instructor should be willing to discuss your current progress and future goals.
Adult Beginner Horse Riders Should Ask Questions
Many people who start riding later in life are accomplished professionals and often fear that asking for help makes them look “unqualified.” Asking for help might even be something you've struggled with all your life.
But as an adult beginner horse rider, you have no choice. You must ask questions and be able to say (even if it's uncomfortable), "I don't know".
Your horse riding instructor needs to know (and expects you to tell them) if you don't understand something they've said.
Resilience is Key For Adult Beginner Horse Riders
When you're at the riding stable, you will most likely see kids riding their ponies. And you'll notice that after a bad ride or a fall, they just get back on and try it again.
As an adult beginner horse rider, you may find that you are much less resilient - at least when you first start riding.
You might feel nervous or anxious about falling, making a mistake or looking foolish in front of more experienced riders.
You might feel left out when other riders talk about professional riders, industry gossip, or their horse show experiences. Their vocabulary and the horse world culture may seem foreign to you.
It may feel like they're talking about a secret world that you haven't been admitted to. But feeling left out is not what will hold you back from achieving your riding dreams.
A lack of resilience, confidence and adaptability will prevent you from being successful.
Falls are part of riding. Just as they are in cycling, skiing, and skating. And that is a risk that all riders accept when they take up the sport.
With the right horse, instructor and safety equipment, the risk of falling and injury can be reduced.
And developing a strong, resilient mindset helps with horse riding confidence.
Time with the horse and perseverance contribute to making good riders.
And time spent with other riders helps with learning the bigger picture of the sport, the culture, and the horse world.
Should You Buy A Horse As An Adult Beginner Horse Rider?
Not yet. Riding other people’s horses (in lessons or through part-leases) is the best way to gain experience without a big financial commitment.
Part-boarding and leasing give you the experience of what horse ownership can entail without the initial outlay of cash.
Later on, if you decide to buy a horse, make sure you have your instructor’s support and guidance - and avoid the common pitfalls of rushing into ownership too soon.
(For tips on buying your first or next horse, get my book "Guide To Buying Your First (Or Next) Horse: 92 Essential Tips To Help You Find Your Dream Horse)
The Mindset That Matters
Many adult riders struggle with overthinking, perfectionism, or a fear of being judged particularly by younger or more experienced riders.
Riders who are returning to the sport after many years away often compare themselves to how they rode when they were younger.
But you’re on your own path - and it’s never too late to enjoy horses.
Resilience, curiosity, and patience will take you further than talent alone.
And asking questions, admitting when you’re unsure, and showing up for yourself - that’s what makes a great rider.
Final Thoughts: Start Where You Are
You don’t need to be younger, fitter, braver, or “more ready.”
You just need to start.
If you’ve been dreaming of riding - or getting back to it - now is the perfect time to take that first step.
And if you’re looking for support, I’d love to help you feel more confident in the saddle - join The Horse Riding Confidence Community - my free Facebook group for horse riders of a certain age.
