Horse enthusiasts usually want to engage in some type of riding activity. The great thing about this is there are all different types of riding that one can be involved in. Which is the best is going to depend on the level of skills of the rider, the type of horse that is available, and what the rider is most interested in.
Those that are about to embark on their first riding activity would do well to start out with simple leisure riding. This means riding a horse around a coral or 
on a trail usually along with others. Once this type of riding has been mastered then the horse riding enthusiast can move onto other types of riding. Not everyone wants to start out with trail riding but would rather participate in the English form of riding. This too is a good starting point for the beginner who prefers this.
From this point, many riders want to go onto riding activities that may be more competitive. Many like to enter the show circuit. Doing this presents the opportunity for many different riding activities like dressage for those who lean towards English riding. Then for the western riding enthusiasts, there are many different activities like pleasure showing, barrel racing and even entering events at the rodeos.
What is important is that when venturing into new riding activities that the rider is confident in applying the skills that are necessary for that a
ctivity. Each activity requires a different set of skills aside from the basics. The basics include knowing how to handle and control the horse no matter what activity they are participating in.
Choosing the right horse for a specific activity is also going to contribute to a good riding experience. For example, racehorses may not adapt well to pleasure riding. An older quarter horse that has never been trained for barrel racing may not give a good riding activity experience in this category.
No matter which activity is being participated in it must be fun for both horse and rider. All of the safety rules in general and for the specific activity must be well known and practiced.
Some decide to go to a professional level in their chosen riding activity and this is whole new realm when it comes to riding.
