horse riding lessons questions

Greetings ~

DH and I are thinking of giving ME horseback riding lessons for Christmas and my BDay. So, as usual, I'd thought I'd look here for advise ;-) My ultimate goal would be pleasure trail riding and learning horse care (in prep for the day, hopefully only 2 1/2 years away), when we'd have our own peice of land and maybe a few horses (going to start our livestock commitment with a few goats, then maybe a raise up a pig or two, or a few head of beef, so actual long-term horse commitment is more like 5 or 6 years out :-(

So, on with the questions...

1. What are the top 3 (or more) things I should look for in a teacher?

2. Western vs English - I currently have no preference

3. What type of clothing/equipment should I purchase for myself (specific brands if you have a favorite), such as boots, gloves, etc. ... and if I need to buy over a period of time, what should I get first and what is ok to buy used, and what should I absolutely buy new?

4. Any tips for an over-35 year old new rider in moderately fat condition?

5. I've been starting to excersize (for cardio and stamina reasons - weight loss will hopefully be a happy byproduct!), so hopefully will be somewhat in condition by the time I actually take lessons. Any particular type of excersize that are good for conditioning me for horse riding?

6. answers to any questions i am too naive to ask ;-)
Thanks a bunch. I'm so excited.