Riding lessons

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Bilbo2009

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Jul 17, 2009
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Hampshire
Could people please give me some advice.
I am 24 and been riding since was 16. I moved riding schools once as wasn't learning to canter at other one. Am not sure what rider I would class myself as ie noice or intermediate. I can walk, trot both sitting and rising, trot without stirups (am a bit rusty on that), canter and jump small jumps. But I can't ride spooky horses, bucking or rearing ones as I can be a nervous rider. Could you please give me some advice on what level I am at and how to get more confident riding

Sarah
 
Hi, and welcome! I am no expert, but it sounds to me like you might be a novice, just like many of us :rolleyes: All I can suggest to help you get more confident is more riding. Do you hack out, and do you ride different horses? Once I got to a stage where I felt that my greatest need was just more riding time, rather than just more lessons, I found myself a share horse - best thing I ever did :D. Now I can cope with spooks and planting and general sillyness without panicking.
 
Hi, i'm 15 and i can pretty much do that same as you (walk trot canter jump etc) except im more or less fine with some spooky horses. and i consider myself an in intermidiate. i would think that you would be an intermediate too, because i think a novice would be someone who can walk trot and just starting to canter.
 
if you came to me i would put you in a novice, intermediate i but as someoone who can canter independentaly
because you said you can canter, but wasnt learning to at the other place is a bit of a missconception, because if you could canter you shouldnt be a lesson that teaches only walk and trot. and if your jumping then you should be able to work without striups in walk, trot and canter. (unless this was a long time ago ie when you started then i would think more intermediate but would suggest an assement like the RI decide)

also i would expect an intermediate rider to be able to cope if the horse does something unexpected ie spooks or bucks etc, there is a difference to nerves and being able to and nerves and not being able to if you know what i mean

and confidence you just need to work through it, there is no quick fix, i always get the nerveous riders to ride different horses usually 2 weeks on the same then change. i dont give them the chance to get into a safe zone, as esepically with older riders and older starts you find it harder to get them to change.
so make sure you ride lots of differnent kinds of horses.

also my only other suggestion is sit up and think hey im in a school or field and if i fall off there are people to help and the horse isnt going anywhere. your RI isnt going to ask you to do something totally above what they htink your capable of. might be daunting at first but you again have to push the nerves aside and get on with it.
 
lessons reply

Hi,
thanks for the advice rgbileu. I'm not so nervous when in lessons as I don't do group lessons anymore just private lessons. Suppose just got to work on my confidence issue when hacking and when asked to do something new.
 
lessons reply

Hi
What lessons do you have at your riding school then livvy?is it just
private lessons. I think by the feed back I would class myself as a intermediate as I can canter properly , but not very well, I think i'm not that good rider, but people who watch me say I am good?:eek:
 
Bilbo2009 said:
Hi,
thanks for the advice rgbileu. I'm not so nervous when in lessons as I don't do group lessons anymore just private lessons. Suppose just got to work on my confidence issue when hacking and when asked to do something new.
Click to expand...

maybe a group lesson might help, i find when working private my competitive nature isnt brought out as much so i dont tend to push myself to making everything perfect and am quite happy to not go beyond what i know i can do (this happened when i was learning piaffe was more then happy private not to push to do it in a lesson i had to work my ass off because i wanted to be the best (without wanting to sound like i'm a cocky sod if you know what i mean)

and hacking is one of those things you need good experiences to build it there because obviously when you get older you take more notice of ditches, and the traffic and how the other horses are acting then you do when your younger and carefree

best of luck to you!!
 
lessons reply

Hi,
I tend to go for private lessons, as I think I get more done, as when I am put in a group lesson I don't like too many people in it as I can't stand anyone getting in the way, and the group lessons tend to be with little kids in it thats not what I want. Any advice how to get rid of nerves before I go out hacking? I always get nervous don't know why??
 
Bilbo2009 said:
Hi
What lessons do you have at your riding school then livvy?is it just
private lessons. I think by the feed back I would class myself as a intermediate as I can canter properly , but not very well, I think i'm not that good rider, but people who watch me say I am good?:eek:
Click to expand...

same here. personally i don't think im great but lots of people say im a natural (its always nice to recieve a compliment):D

anyways, my school is quite a small place, and they only have groups for people who can walk trot and canter to a decent standard, and they have two jumping groups.
if your a beginner at my school you have to have private untill your able to go into a group.
the groups are sorted by age really.
 
Bilbo2009 said:
Hi,
I tend to go for private lessons, as I think I get more done, as when I am put in a group lesson I don't like too many people in it as I can't stand anyone getting in the way, and the group lessons tend to be with little kids in it thats not what I want. Any advice how to get rid of nerves before I go out hacking? I always get nervous don't know why??
Click to expand...

yeah i know what you mean. lucky that there is only one other person in my group!

when i first started riding at about 12 or 13 (i think) i felt really embarrassed because i was with 8 year olds and i looked really odd. so i had private for quite some time, then i moved schools. the only problem with private is that your selection of horses is quite limited.
do they have groups based on age at your school?

and i dont think this really counts as advice, but take deep breaths and feel confident!
 
Last edited:
lessons reply

Hi livvy,
no they don't have groups based on ages at my riding school. Because they only do 1 group lesson alternative weeks on both days, so anyone any ages rides in them. Thats why I have private lessons and hack out with one other adult rider. For my rpivate lessons I can ride a different horse if I ask which is good.
 
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