I was wondering if y'all could give me a little advice. My horse experience is minimal, I never had the chance to ride much as a kid. My four year old is becoming obsessed with them and her father and I are considering lessons for her soon. What should I look for in regards to finding a good instructor/barn to ride at. There is one we are considering heavily since they have lots of experience teaching small children. We toured the place and it seems relatively well kept and the ponies/horses seem to be well cared for and quite calm. Just wondering if anyone has any extra tidbits of advice for a novice momma :)

Hi! I know you posted this a few months ago but I figured it might not be too late to contribute. I actually teach at my barn and my advice would be to ask for a tour/meet and greet with the lesson horses which you already did as well as asking if it's alright for you to sit in on another students lesson so you can see the instructors methods. Personally I would look for an attentive instructor that isn't just sitting down in the ring but actually walking along and engaging with the rider and horse. You want to see that the instructor is not only paying attention to what the child is doing but also paying attention to the horse. Happy and willing horses are what you want to see as well. Watch how the horse watches the instructor and behaves around them. That will tell you a lot about them if you can read what the horse thinks of them.