I was six years old when I rode a horse for the first time.
Technically, she was a pony, and "rode" should be taken lightly, as I sat there while an adult led us in circles in the round pen.
But that day began an obsession that wouldn't be fulfilled until many years later, when I was fifteen and got my first job at a small equine boarding facility, and rode an actual horse for the first time.
I had never been a part of the horse world until then, and I quickly realized that some people weren't all that thrilled to have me. That's when the first seeds of Urban Riders were planted, and I thought to myself,
"I wish I had someone who could teach me all this without judging me."
Five years later, here we are, and now I'm making the resources I always needed.
I quit that job and didn't go around horses again for a long time simply because the relationships I had built in that industry brought stress at most and hurt at best.
I'm learning horses again, and this time, I'm sharing what I find with people who are in the same boat as me.
Urban Riders is a digital equine education platform built for adult beginners, returners, and new horse owners. Here you can find solid research, easy learning, digestible lessons, and blog posts, all without the overwhelm or elitism.
In this blog post, I'll break down for you exactly what Urban Riders has to offer, what resources are available, how to use the site, and what you can expect to find in the future.
Our Mission
For years, I have been fascinated by the idea of having a personal resource library. My own private collection of articles, journals, books, thoughts, and research. Full of things that have interested me over my lifespan. Dark-stained bookcases full of journals that have been filled with information that I've collected, catalogued by date and topic to be looked at and used whenever I need them. Maybe even to be shared with others when they need them. Binders stuffed with laminated research articles I found particularly interesting, saved to be sent to a bookbinder. Nonfiction on history, architecture, art, horses, agriculture, business, and writing. Anything I would ever need to reference later is shelved.
But you know what? I never actually did this. It all seemed like too much work. I wanted the aesthetic of the idea, but I never wanted to put forth the effort into making it a reality. Until now.
The change in mindset happened when I began college and started writing real research essays, working with my college's Phi Theta Kappa organization, and collaborating on research projects. That's when I realized I needed to start creating my personal resource library. So I invested in a travel notebook setup to carry multiple journals with me, and began my journey as an unofficial archivist.
Something occurred to me in putting all that together: that's exactly what Urban Riders is about. Collecting information so others can reference it, people collaborating on their interests globally, and fun and quick education. It's what I've been doing on physical paper but in a digital format, and it's what I've wanted to do for years, but never realized it.
To educate means to provide quality information and research, offering a new perspective on what's already known.
Encouragement means to create or foster courage in every person who engages with this business. The goal is for you to walk away confident and capable.
Passion without direction usually leads to burnout, but Urban Riders is here to help you find that direction. That is what it means to guide those who are hungry.
Promises to You
We promise to anyone who uses this site the following:
- We do not publish anything written by AI. All products and posts are written by human minds and hands.
- You are allowed to be a beginner here. We will never assume you already know, and will teach from the ground up.
- Everything is built with you in mind. Every product and post is produced by asking, "Will this benefit the people who support us?"
- We'll teach you why something works, not just how, by using reliable research and good science.
Available Resources
Urban Riders offers a variety of ways to learn; our content is broken up into categories, as well as formats, for your convenience. This site is always a work in progress; some resources aren't available yet, but keep an eye out! The things listed here are priority projects and should be up soon.
Research Papers - These are open-access, academic review papers that you can find in The Journal in our Library. If you're looking for pure research with an academic tone, you can find it here.
Learn With Me series - This is a collection of videos where you can come with me to different farms, shadow different equine careers, and interview pros in the industry. You can find them under our YouTube profile.
Blog Posts - These are informal and reflective compared to our research papers, where I talk about lessons I've learned, conversations I've had, and summarize the most recent Learn with Me video. You can find these in our Library, linked here.
The Newsletter - A free monthly email where we offer research and solutions on topics and questions our users have submitted. Want to learn more about something specific, like hoof health and constant turnout? Submit your topic, and we'll cover it in the next letter!
Looking Forward
In the future, you can expect additional resources to be available. These are currently being built, and I hope you're anticipating them as much as I am!
Mini-courses - These are specialized courses that you can complete in three hours or less. You'll have videos (all 15 minutes and under), quizzes, tests, and added links or information at the end for your perusal. You will also receive PDFs, booklets, and a piece of bonus content of your choosing. Access to these will be permanent once bought, and you can retake them anytime you wish. Eventually, a course certificate will be available, equivalent to college course credits.
Presentations - We know reading and interpreting research can be intimidating, so we've created interactive presentations for you to flip through. These are paid, full-length presentation versions of our research papers, where you can directly interact with key points and receive additional information not included in the papers.
That’s the gist of Urban Riders. We’re constantly growing, adding new resources, and refining the ways we help you learn and experience the equine world. To stay updated on new blog posts, research papers, videos, mini-courses, and special content, sign up for our monthly newsletter. We'd love to have you.
Welcome to Urban Riders!