Your first riding lesson is more nerve-wracking than you expect. A horse is big, you don't know what you're supposed to do, and the instructor uses terms you've never heard. This page is the starting point: a short answer per question, with a link to the guide that goes deeper.
Which Riding School Do You Choose?
You are looking for a place with school horses, an arena and an instructor. The words manege, ruiterschool and hippisch centrum (riding school, riding academy and equestrian center) overlap strongly and are not a quality mark; the difference is explained in types of riding schools explained. How to assess a place (the horses, the stables, the safety, the group size and the tone of the instruction) is in signs of a good and safe riding school. If you live in Belgium, read learning to ride in Flanders.
A riding school often calls itself "recognized." Since 2025 that word is vague. The KNHS (the Dutch equestrian federation) and the FNRS (the Dutch trade association of riding centers) used to cooperate, but that cooperation ended on January 1, 2025. The KNHS now works with a license called Partner in Paardrijden (Partner in Riding) and its own riding course. The FNRS assesses its members every 2.5 years and has had its own learning path, Plezier met Paarden (Fun with Horses), since January 2025. So ask what the riding school actually has.
A separate question is the safety certificate. Stichting Veilige Paardensport (SVP, the Safe Equestrian Sport Foundation) issues it to premises that meet basic requirements for safe riding, and an SVP inspector assesses the premises. Whether a riding school has one, you can see on the map of certificate holders on SVP's website.
For Whom and From When?
On the best age to start, read what age can you start riding. If you start as an adult, starting horse riding as an adult helps. If you wonder about your weight, read is there a maximum rider weight.
What Do You Wear and What Do You Need?
You don't need to buy anything new for your first lesson. What you do need:
- Long trousers. Leggings or stretchy jeans work. Shorts chafe against the saddle.
- Sturdy shoes with a flat sole and a small heel. No sneakers and no boots with deep tread. The heel stops your foot from sliding through the stirrup.
- A closed jacket or sweater without loose parts. Scarves and wide sleeves can catch on something.
- A helmet. At premises with SVP's safety certificate, an approved helmet is mandatory for riders. Ask beforehand whether you can borrow one, and ask for the right size: a helmet that is too loose does not protect.
More is in what to wear for your first riding lesson, in riding helmets, vests and airbags and in what equipment beginner riders need (and when).
What Happens in the First Lesson?
A first lesson has three parts.
- Getting to know the horse. Your instructor picks a calm school horse, an experienced horse that carries beginners. You learn how to greet the horse and lead it by the reins. Grooming and saddling often only come after a few lessons; see grooming and saddling a horse.
- Mounting and seat. You get an explanation of how to get into the saddle, from a mounting block or from the ground. After that it's about your posture: straight back, heels down, shoulders relaxed. That feels unnatural at first.
- Walk and light trot. Most first lessons stay at the walk, sometimes on the lunge, a long line with which the instructor guides the horse. Why that works is explained in what is lunging. You build up trot and canter later: learning the posting trot and your first canter.
A riding school has rules of conduct, and you will hear new words. So read riding school etiquette for beginners, the horse terms you'll hear in your first lessons and dressage arena letters and figures.
Nervous, Stiff or Unsure?
Nerves are part of it. Overcoming fear of horses helps you stay calmer. Soreness after the first lessons is common; see muscle soreness after horse riding. The most common slip-ups are in common beginner riding mistakes, and after a fall, getting back on after a fall helps. To find out how fast it goes, read how fast you progress in riding.
Private Lesson or Group Lesson?
Both work. The pros and cons are in private vs. group riding lessons. Ask whether the instructor has a diploma: at premises with an SVP safety certificate, instructors who earned their diploma from 2020 onward may only teach with an ORUN diploma.
What Does It Cost?
Prices differ per riding school and per region. The cost overview gives indications per lesson, per card and per membership, and shows what a horse of your own costs afterwards: what horse riding costs. Only buy your own gear once you know that riding suits you, and begin with single lessons or a short card before you sign up for a membership for a whole year.
And Then?
If you want to continue, you can follow the riding course (ruiteropleiding). The KNHS riding course has three phases: bronze, silver and gold, of which gold is still in development. Bronze starts with the first riding lesson and ends at F12 in dressage and S80 in show jumping; you take lessons at a riding school with a KNHS license or at a KNHS club, supplemented by the book Leer paardrijden met plezier (Learning to ride with pleasure). At the FNRS the learning path is called Plezier met Paarden, with tests in dressage, show jumping and skills.
If you want to ride outdoors independently, there is the Ruiterbewijs (riding certificate), an exam at SRR Nederland from age 12: Dutch Ruiterbewijs. If you want to ride official competitions, you need a KNHS startpas (competition pass): applying for a KNHS startpas. Which class you then choose is explained in Dutch competition classes explained. Riding without a horse of your own is also possible through a rider-share spot: riding without owning a horse. A riding camp or riding holiday is another way to begin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need my own helmet for my first lesson?
Ask the riding school beforehand. At premises with SVP's safety certificate, an approved helmet is mandatory for riders. Whether the riding school lends one differs; a good riding school has loaner helmets for trial lessons.
How do I know whether a riding school is safe?
During a visit, look at the horses, the stables, the arena and the instruction, and ask about the safety certificate. SVP's website has a map of all certificate holders. FNRS businesses must hold the certificate and are assessed every 2.5 years; for the KNHS license the certificate is a condition.
What does "KNHS-recognized" mean?
Nothing unambiguous. Since January 1, 2025 the KNHS and the FNRS no longer cooperate. A riding school can have a KNHS license (Partner in Paardrijden), be an FNRS member, hold an SVP safety certificate, or a combination. Ask which affiliation it is exactly.
What is the KNHS riding course, and do I have to follow it?
It is a learning path in three phases (bronze, silver, gold) that starts with the first riding lesson. Whether a riding school offers the course differs: only KNHS clubs and businesses with a KNHS license may do so. Ask your riding school about it.
What is the difference between the Ruiterbewijs and a startpas?
The Ruiterbewijs is an exam at SRR Nederland to show that you can ride outdoors safely, from age 12. A KNHS startpas gives access to official competitions. One does not give access to the other.
In Short
- Choose a riding school with school horses, a qualified instructor and a helmet that fits; visit the place beforehand.
- Since January 1, 2025 the KNHS and the FNRS no longer cooperate; ask what "recognized" means at that riding school.
- You don't need to buy anything for your first lesson except possibly a helmet, which you can often borrow.
- Begin with single lessons and build up calmly.
Sources (verified September 2, 2026, KNHS, FNRS and safety November 2, 2026): KNHS: About the KNHS riding course · KNHS: Riding course phase 1, bronze · KNHS: Partner in Paardrijden License · KNHS: Annual report 2025 (sections 1.2.1 and 4.4.1) · FNRS: Quality, safety and welfare · FNRS: Plezier met Paarden for riding school owners · Plezier met Paarden: riding course · SVP: Safety certificate · SVP: Certificate holders · SVP: Safety helmet · SVP: Safety requirements and handbook · SRR Nederland: the Ruiterbewijs
See also: Signs of a Good and Safe Riding School · What Horse Riding Costs in the Netherlands · Glossary for beginners · Level: Just Starting Out