Beginner ~ Fear and Confidence issues :-(

Proper spelling is *stirrup. You don't have to worry about it so much as long as you have a pair of boots or sturdy shoes that have a heel that is about 1 inch high. The heel will prevent your foot from sliding forward in the stirrup and getting caught. You can also get safety-release stirrups which, in the case of a fall, either pop entirely off of the stirrup leathers, or have a rubber side that comes off to let out the foot.

Another option instead of taking riding lessons is to take a friend or two who know what they are doing and go to a place that offers horse rentals for trail riding and the such. These horses are pretty much bomb proof and are used to all sorts of people and many types of riding styles (not so much riding styles, but rather are used to people who might have incorrect posture or are unbalanced or hold on tight or hold the reins too hard or too loose.)

Baby steps are you're best option, and I agree that asking your neighbors if you might help with them groom and tack their horses on occasion will really help you.

I think if I were in your shoes, I would start out by looking for an older quarter horse or paint gelding. But the main thing would be to find a horse that has experience with beginning and novice riders. Not all horses are overly forgiving of timid and inexperienced riders, even if they tend to be calm natured and really well trained. So make sure you find a horse that has been there and done that with every kind of rider on his back and that he is just as happy to carry someone on their first ever ride or their thousandth! And ride the horse more than once before you commit to buy. There are lots of horses out there that are suited to your needs, so don't settle on something you're not totally comfortable with or that doesn't meet your needs entirely! That's my advice. Good luck!

Old, "been-there, Done-that", patient. . . Such a horse is definitely worth its weight in gold!

Thanks Salila for your great advice and tips, good to know... I would love to purchase safety release stirrups when the time comes. And yes I would need a horse that would be willing to forgive my beginner mistakes, I know there will be many...lol. The paint I took lessons with years ago was really forgiving and calm, even when my intructor said my legs were hugging him too tightly because I was nervous, but he put up with me. ;)

Thank you for your advice Cobalt! I plan to use it when the time comes

Thank you Payette!

I had a horse that was crazy...she totally distroyed my confidence. I decided that I would stop riding her and went looking for my horse that I have now 5 years later :) he's a thoroughbred gelding and lazy as!! Hahaha, he baby sat me when I would think him sneezing was an attempt to buck!! Hahahaha I was TERRIFIED of trail riding and leaving the safety of the arena. That's because of my previous horse. I spent 2 years getting over my fears riding out with my horse ozzie and I never fell off. He looked after me, I had my first gallop on him, my first beach ride, my first comp, my first ribbon and first forever horse.
In the time i've fallen off I never gotten stuck in a stirrup nor had I seen it happen. Sure i've fallen off soooo many times and I have hurt myself. But I just thought that I need to do this and I gotta suck it up.
Now ozzie can throw anything at me and I just don't care. He gave me sooo much confidence that I never want to lose it again. I even got an off the track throughbred who's 5 years old. I had him 3 weeks and I took him out to a training day run like a comp and I didn't know how it would have turned out. He was an angel and I was relieved :) but it goes to show that anyone can get over their fears if they face them. It's empowering to know that you can do it. You just need to find that horse you will trust and love forever :)
I'm proud of you for not letting fear rule your life :)
Here's my favourite site: look at the "the power of the one rein stop" in this aswell, I use this when I need to and it helps you feel & be in control

www.horseproblems.com.au

Thank you for that awesome link corporate pride! I feel like my brains a spunge when reading that website, I think may have to re-read a few for them to sink in since i'm not too aware of the terms yet used with horses etc. It was very helpful and if you have any others you'd love to share I would more than appreciate it! Thanks again!

Ok, first off I am 11 so I am definitely not an expert on horses. But, out of all the horses I have ridden at the barn where I ride the females are much calmer and gentler. So from my experience I would choose a female. Also, older horses tend to be calmer than younger horses.

I know what it feels like to have a fear of horses; I've been close to being dragged before. When you ride a horse, ride through your fear. I had a fear of cantering after a bad experience, but now I am more confident as I have been cantering more. Actually, it was a male horse I got dragged by, and in order to build up my confidence again, I rode a female horse that was older. Just keep trying. That's what I do. And, take small steps in order to build up your riding level. Practice the posting trot for a few days. Then, ease into practicing the sitting trot, and so on.

-Hanna

I didn't see that this has been answered--but the difference between cold blooded and hot blooded isn't based on temperament, it's actually based on location. Hot blooded horses originate from deserts and the like, like Arabians and Barbs. Therefore they're very thin and fast and such. Cold blooded horses are often larger, thicker furred, and generally calmer, and they originate from places like Norwegia or something like that, someplaces cold. ^^