Hello, I'm a newbie

Dazzle

Dazzle

New Member
May 27, 2016
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Devon
Just wanted to introduce myself and say how glad I am to have found this forum! I've recently started having riding lessons again after stopping riding when I was a teenager (some 30+ years ago). I've found the experience a bit of a roller coaster and I'm relieved to find I'm not alone. I've had 6 half hour lessons now and simply loved it from day one. However, I had thought much of the technique would be stored somewhere in my head and would all come flooding back, but no...

I'm finding it incredibly challenging and at times I get so upset with myself because I feel that I'm not improving. I found this forum because I was exasperated after another lesson where I simply could not get the horse to stay in a trot. I'm about to start cantering but it seems crazy when I can't even get her trot most of the time. I googled for some advice and found many posts on here where people appeared to be experiencing similar problems to me. I am constantly being told by my instructor to keep my leg on, and like others I don't really know what it means! It's brilliant to know that it's not just me and that this is something most learners wrestle with. I look forward to learning a lot from you all here!
 
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Hello and welcome.
It's a very friendly site, you'll get lots of encouragement here.

I think you may find that asking your horse for canter, will actually improve her trot afterwards. My pony has an amazing trot after we have done canter work...it seems to make her so much more forward and enthusiastic.
Looking forward to hearing about how you get on in future lessons.
 
Hi welcome to NR :D you definitely aren't alone in that one, I've been riding over 30 years and have occasionally gone to a RS for a lesson while on holiday or whatever only to find I have the same problem :p RS neds can be challenging at times :p
 
Hi and welcome :)

Just like you I returned to riding after about 30 years. I never had my own pony as a child (although I dreamed of it all the time) but I spent all my weekends and holidays at the riding school. Eventually when I was about 15 I realised that my parents really weren't ever going to give me a pony, plus boys started to become more interesting ... so I stopped riding, other than the odd trek on holiday.

I well remember 'leg on' when I first came back to riding - I just couldn't do it. My mind was willing but my leg didn't know how to respond. I really think riding uses a completely different set of muscles and it takes a while just to discover them, never mind get them to a point where they are properly functional! I also think that a lot of people who have ridden for a long time don't understand, because they don't know what it's like to not have the necessary muscle. Pleased to say that 8 years later I can now put my 'leg on' with ease, although co-ordination is a bit problematic (ie doing different things with different legs etc).

Don't get exasperated and upset - it's all good learning, and you'll be surprised one day when you look back and realise how much you've achieved :)
 
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Hello and welcome to NR :) you'll get there honest, some RS horses are definitely not the easiest horses to keep going and your legs will soon get stronger.
 
Hello, nice to meet you!

I never really learned to ride even when young but after a couple of flirtations in my 30s finally took the plunge and got my first pony when I was 50. He has not been easy and I have had to learn to ride, but I just love him. Enjoy your lessons and take comfort from the fact that we've all been there!
 
Hello and welcome. I'm another who rode as a child, went back, stopped, went back, stopped, and so on. I m nearer 60 than 50 now. I always found myself coming back to horses, but only ever as an RS rider really. Don't panic. How riding is taught had changed a lot over the years. Most of what I learnt is ancient history in terms of style and approach. It may be the same for you.

Don't feel too low. RS horses can be a very varied bunch. Put me on an obliging, forward pony and I can ride freely in open order in all 3 paces. jump a little course and feel pretty pleased, starting to think I am not a bad rider. Put me on a canny experienced pony who needs exactly the right buttons pressing and I will end the lesson with exhausted legs, red and sweaty ready to fall out of the saddle and limp away. Take heart - we've all been there.

And don't worry about the canter to start with. Let's face it. even a few steps of canter will be fun to start with. And as Star the Fell says cantering can wake some horses up a bit and get them moving more freely. You may be back on here in the future asking about how to slow a horse down - we've all been there too!

Enjoy.
 
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Thanks everyone, I don't think I have notifications set up so I hadn't realised anyone replied! I'm really grateful and finding this forum terrific for helping me feel less rubbish about my hopeless riding ability. It's strange how much it matters to me but I can see that it's the same for others. After beating myself up over a particularly bad lesson this morning I've come to the conclusion that I'm lucky to have found something that challenges me so much and makes me feel so passionately, also I've worked out that I've only had the equivalent of 4 hours on a horse (8 half hour lessons), so maybe I'm expecting too much too soon really!!
 
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The best thing is that you feel passionate about it. If you do, that will take you such a long way. Don't worry about the bad lessons - they come and go - have a look at @chev 's recent thread about losing and regaining her mojo!
 
Absolutely don't beat yourself up. Early riding lessons are often hard going for adults, and it is just a question my OH says of putting in the saddle time.
Remember that what you are going to learn eventually is how to communicate with the horses you are riding. But a teacher can issue only rather broad instructions suggesting some visible action, i e with your legs.
The Important thing is to enjoy each lesson.
One suggestion I do have is to learn how to get out your horse and put him away after the lesson. Leading and controlling a horse from the ground is massively important. And it is easier to learn in the early days as ones feet are on the ground, and having a horse obey your instructions will give you confidence.
 
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