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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Dont do it.  Total money suck and [b]useless skill.[/b]  Take her horseback riding a couple times this summer with you as an activity.  That is enough.  [/quote]

They're all "useless", soccer, little league, ballet.  Even piano or violin lessons, drama, art classes.  All useless, if you mean that they won't lead to a professional career. So that's a meaningless point. [/quote]

MY kids do swimming and tennis.  I would consider both lifelong sports to keep themselves physically engaged as adults and not "useless." Music also have lifelong benefits and helps with brain development.  [/quote]

Equestrian sport is about as lifelong as a sport can get.  Nick Skelton, the gold medalist in show jumping at the London Olympics, was 58 at the time.

Being around horses also facilitates the development of the brain, particularly EQ skills.

Horses have been a lifelong passion for me, and have taught me innumerable skills.   The sport fosters hard work, determination, grit, and humility.  It fosters a team relationship -- with your core teammate, your horse.  Those "boring" horse shows?  A lot of hard work goes into those 5 minutes in the ring, and then you aren't always successful.  There is a lot to be learned about how much work goes into 'success' from competing in equestrian sport.

I would not be half the person I am today without horses in my life, and all that comes with them.  The ups and the downs.

That said, it is dangerous and expensive.

--For what it's worth, from an equine professional (some of us can and do make a career out of it)[/quote]

Ok, but minus people that make careers out of it..

Most adults don't casually horse ride frequently in the spare time for exercise and socialization- nor do most adults own horses.  As where, swimming is easily accessible, a must-have skill, and good for your body at any age.  Tennis has both social and physical benefits for adults and all you need is a racquet and a court. [/quote]

[b]Many people do ride, just maybe not in your friend group[/b].  My facility caters to adult amateurs who ride several times a week.  we also hold weekly wine and cheese get togethers (before COVID) and hope to start again soon as most of them are in the medical or education fields and have been vaccinated.

Even more people go riding casually on vacation.  It's an incredible thrill to go, say, hunting with the Galway Blazers or trekking across Mongolia, and that is something you cannot do without significant experience in the saddle.  Riding is also a lot like riding a bike -- you can, in fact, pick it up again casually and be safe enough to canter around a foreign landscape, though you won't be ready to go out and compete at a high level without spending some more time buckling down on your skills.

Tennis is fine if that's what you like, but it's hardly comparable.  Do most adults own tennis racquets?  I doubt it very much.[/quote]

Our barn has about 30 adults who ride, maybe 1/3 of which who show. Same thing with socials, etc. [/quote]

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