A bit of advice needed for teaching someone...

[kylie88]

Hi all,

My bf cousin has asked me if I would teach her to ride, I have had horses all my life so don't remember how I learnt to ride, tbh ive just grown up doing it. So just woundered if you kind lot would give me some ideas on what to do with her.

Shes 23 and rode for a little bit at a RS when she was younger but thats about it. Her position isn't to bad really but shes quite weak and needs to work on her balance and her seat in the saddle.

Shes on the lung and just wanted some excerise to do with her so shes sticks to the saddle alot more lol!

Any advice much appreciated x

 

[montysmum1]

To be honest, if you're not sure then you're better off getting a qualified instructor to help out with a few pointers, especially if she's not very 'sticky'

If she's on a quiet and well balanced horse a bit of work without stirrups in walk and trot will help to deepen her seat, and concentrating on her position in transitions especially will also help her to improve her balance.

Hope this helps

 

[DuckToller]

Is your horse suitable for your cousin? I second the above, as a good instructor will get the job done quicker. But if your horse is suitable, you could get her to practice stuff she has learnt and help her build up her core muscle strength.

Lunging a beginner is great in walk, and you can do lots of things to help balance. Take her stirrups away and do exercises like pretending to cycle, legs up knees almost touching at the pommel, then down again; legs away, relax; wrap legs around the horse and lean forward (make sure lower leg doesn't go back); lean slightly back, again keeping lower leg in place. Arms out to the side, twist to face you and the other way, touch horse's ears (don't grab them though!) and turn to touch tail (same again!) on both reins, always watching that lower leg.

However I don't like lunging beginners in trot - centrifugal force takes over, and they can slowly overbalance and go out the side door! Maybe lead her in a straight line when she is balanced enough to try sitting trot without stirrups, holding on with a few fingers under the pommel. Does that bring back memories of what you learnt?

 

[ossy]

Its a tricky one teaching if your not sure yourself, when I first started I had the beginner children at the RS to do and I couldn't remember how i'd learned rising trot let alone teaching it, but I was having teacher training from my trainer/mentor. Are you fully insured, first aid trained ect to be doing lessons as, in the "no win no fee" society we now live in these are must for me!

If it is her balance she needs work on, you need to be doing basic walking and trotting practise and lots of it, correcting her position as you go, for example when children are strating out doing rising trot I find they also seem to stick their legs out straight to help get them out the saddle and you need to be constandly asking them to move the leg back push down not forward ect even running beside them holding in position one step and letting go for one, you just need to think as you go and as you correct basic position faults everything else will come, then there are more excerises to do from there. There are a number of books out there with basic excerises for teaching beginners and children to ride that I used to use.