I have ridden competed at various stages in my life. Yes, you can probably find a cheap barn to take weekly lessons--in your case, bisous, I would say you would have to drive 2 hours inland to find that!!! I will confess that I am glad my kids were not bitten by the horse bug. Lots of money and time. In any area, there are usually cheap lesson programs through parks and rec. For us, figure skating was dirt cheap and each kid did 6 weeks of lessons once (thank goodness not more--cuz that is big bucks after a while). Ski/snowboard lesson/rental programs through the schools or various organizations are cheap here. It just depends. What about water sports in California? I have a friend here who loves kayaking. You can rent kayaks at REI or at a local college/university sometimes. She goes to local reservoirs/lakes and kayaks with her kids. You can find cheap boats on local "craigs list" type things or see if those rental places are selling any.