Our whole world is made up of colors and shapes. They are often the first ways we learn to interact with the world around us: a red square, a yellow ball, etc. Colors and shapes are extremely noticeable. We see them and recognize them and categorize them every day; much more than we do with numbers or letters. This is a big reason why children learn colors and shapes first.
Colors are one of the first ways we begin to differentiate between objects. This makes it an easy first step for riders to start differentiating between toys. Riders might understand “go to red” better than they understand “go to A” because they learn colors before letters. As I wrote about in this blog post <>> I often use colors in my lessons as a directional cue. Once riders understand red is to the right and yellow is to the left, I can start incorporating other cues.
Colors are one of the first ways we begin to differentiate between objects. This makes it an easy first step for riders to start differentiating between toys. Riders might understand “go to red” better than they understand “go to A” because they learn colors before letters. As I wrote about in this blog post I often use colors in my lessons as a directional cue. Once riders understand red is to the right and yellow is to the left, I can start incorporating other cues.
Differentiating between colors is the first step to learning to sort and categorize, which are both important learning tools for mathematics, reading, and writing. When riders can differentiate between colors, they are learning a skill to help them differentiate between letters and numbers. The other main way I use colors is as for coordination. You can read more about that in my blog from last week, linked above.
Colors are used in our world everyday. Working with colors is a great way to bring the riding experience into the classroom and beyond. It is a skill that will benefit riders outside the barn, just as much as inside. Using the horse to help riders learn colors can make it more fun for the rider and more of a therapeutic riding activity for instructors.
I am sure that we all use colored toys in the arena, but next time you play with toys, make a conscious effort to focus on the importance of colors. Are you using colors because the rider likes colors or because it’s easy to differentiate between toys? Is it as easy for your riders to differentiate between colors as it is for you? Pay close attention to your riders when you play with colors in your next lesson. Let me know any observations you notice below!
The Equine Impact 
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