After 11 riding lessons

[Grajo]

After 11 riding lessons with Fort Widley Equestrian centre, I still enjoy riding horses, learning new and having lessons, but at this point, I wish to try on a different horse. I have had lessons with 2 lazy cobs (3 with Timmy and 8 with Blarney).
I had to keep on kicking them to make them trot and they stopped when they feel like - and when re-start kicking, they not always keen to trot. On the 10th lesson with different instructor, I was given a whip which worked well. But in today's, with the other instructor, she refused to give me whip, telling me to keep on kicking. My legs are very stiff when I got home - almost every time! I feel like I only had 10 minutes riding lesson instead of 30 minutes!

What shall I do? Do I need to find new riding school with better quality of horses that are willingly to run - even with one kick?

 

[blitznbobs]

10 lessons is barely anything. Horse riding is not something that you just have a few lessons and can do. There will be a reason they put you on the kick along horse… and it’s safer in the beginning.. it may well be that the horses walk when they feel you losing your balance and are therefore keeping you safe. learning how to make a slow horse go is a skill in itself, I bet if your instructor got on the horse it wouldn’t “do what they feel like” think of it as a challenge… can I get my horse to trot all the way around the arena without stopping and concentrate on this. And try to remember in equine sport, it’s never the horse‘s fault but always the riders.

ps your legs are stiff cos you are using muscles youve never used before… riding is not a passive sport so don’t worry about that it will pass in time.

 

[AUB]

Thing is you also need to learn how to ride the less forwardgoing horses without having to pony club-kick. You need to learn how to get them off the leg with subtle but clear signals.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

They tend to put you on the half dead ones until you have established your balance.

No harm in trying other schools if you have good ones in the area, however as you will be new to them, they will almost certainly put you on the same type of horse.

They will move you on to something more forward going once they think you're ready.

 

[Red-1]

There are many different establishments, offering very different services at different price points.

This place seems to have given you a grounding, in that you are still confident and wanting more.

If you are wanting a different service, I would first of all talk to them. They may be able to offer a more forward horse as a private lesson, or lunge lesson.

This will probably cost about 3X what a group lesson costs, sometimes for about half the time.

It is the way I prefer to teach, but many people are not willing to pay for the extra time and expertise this requires. Minute for minute, you are looking at 6X the cost of a basic group lesson.

If they are not able to offer what you require, and are not able to explain why to your satisfaction, and you still wish for a different service, then you could research a different place that does offer what you want. As a youngster, I would go on a weeklong riding holiday. In later life, I would go for a week's training. In essence it was the same thing, concentrated instruction on specialist horses.

I would, however, agree with others that, if the instructor got on, I bet the cobs would lift their skirts and go perfectly well. There is much to learn. I would also caution against a 'name and shame' approach, as it could sour your relationship with the riding school you have.

 

[Parrotperson]

well as an instructor myself I suspect you aren't quite ready yet for anything but ploddy cobs. You have to learn to balance whilst you learn to use your leg (at the moment kicking but eventually nudging or squeezing)

be patient. I've been riding for 52 years (yikes!) and I'm still learning. And everyone is different. Some people get balance fairly quickly others don't.

And tbf I can totally get why she wouldn't let you have a whip as it solves nothing. Just gets you to hit when you should be learning a strong leg contact for a plod cob type. When you advance onto better horses you thank her believe me.

 

[oldie48]

Agree with all the above comments and just to add, if you can afford it and if you can find a suitable place, why not have a lunge lesson. I think there's a balance between having a safe plod v riding a horse that is under control but allows you to work on your position and balance.

 

[ycbm]

I recall on another of your threads that a local person advised you that you were planning to learn at a riding school which they would not recommend. Perhaps check back and contact that person to ask where they suggest you learn.
.

 

[Antw23uk]

Don't underestimate what these horses are teaching you. Your tired? you ache? ok, well get on with it, get better, learn how to ride them, don't just expect to sit there, riding is hard work. These guys are invaluable and worth there weight in gold. They are safely putting up with an unbalanced, new rider who flaps and kicks and gets frustrated with there laziness and wants a whip ... maybe they'd like better riders on them instead!

Trust me you will look back at these two in a few years and realise how awesome they were and how they made you a better rider. Good luck and kick on

 

[J&S]

You might be a little surprised when/if a RS gives you a more forward horse!

 

[Pipps]

I get so carried away in my head knowing that I want to do so much more and so quickly but really I know that if I move off my nice ploddy cob just yet, I'll quickly regret it. I just keep trying to think of the extra time it's giving me to perfect other parts of my riding (balanced seat, quiet hands etc.) without having to worry about not being able to control the horse. I also see it as a nice challenege when we come to trot to see if I can get better at getting her going straight away and how far I can keep her going, my instructor tells me where to trot up to but then if she sees me doing well shouts to keep going if I can and I feel a real sense of achievement from it.
I know this isn't necessarily any help to you but just wanted to give you my perspective on a similar situation.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Have a chat with your riding instructor to guage if they feel you are ready to move on to other horses.

But remember, whilst the RS are offering a service they also have a service to their horses to provide them with a rider suitable for them. There is nothing more unfair for a more forward horse to be caught in the mouth by unsteady hands, an unbalanced seat and a wobbly rider. Not all horses are as forgiving as Timmy and Blarney to a beginner rider & it will keep you safe too by hosting you appropriately.

I'd highly doubt after 11 lessons you have an independent seat, hands and are generally balanced and light in the saddlefor a more forward horse - and no one would expect you toat this stage! But it is vital if you ride more reactive and forward going horses for both the welfare of the horse but your safety as a rider too, that you are physically able to.

Instead of frustration, try to see it as an opportunity to learn what you need to help make the horse more reactive. It's a whole skill on it's own & just as much skill is involved in riding forward horses as getting more forgiving horses going as lightly as possible.

It sounds like you are making good progress though

Pilates and yoga are really helpful for helping build core strength off a horse too, so you might find that helps.

 

[Skib]

About the constant leg aid needed. This is normal. My current (solo) hack similarly needs a leg aid to continue in trot or canter. RS horses are trained this way for safety. I could teach her not to need leg when I am riding her, but decided against it. A safe horse is a treasure when canterng in wide open spaces.

Three suggestions. You dont need a hard kick the first time of asking. Just a nudge. Remember that a horse can feel a fly on its skin.
Next, in order to move, the body of the horse needs to be free to swing side to side. If you close your legs on both sides, the tummy of the horse cant swing. Even my old legs can brake the horse by pressing on the sides. And if you ever ride dressage, using your legs to halt is the way to a neat square halt.
Thirdly make sure your hands are soft and loose on the reins, like holding fragile china. If you hold the reins tight, the horse will stop. It needs to move its neck, especially in walk and your hands should be able to move forward and back, allowing this.
If your hands are unsteady rest them on the horse just in front of each side of the saddle.
But above all, shop around for a different school and take a few lunge lessons.

As for riding ploddy, RS horses. I dont ride cobs (too wide for me) but when I go for a trial lesson I do get given the oldest safest horse. There is an art to getting canter from these horses. After warming up, I usually ride transitions. Transitions means changing gait. Halt to walk is a transition. Let us say, 6 steps walk, halt, then 6 steps walk and halt. It is easier for a RS horse once it knows what you would like it to do. So repeating things makes them easier and easier. Once halt walk is easy, move on to 6 steps walk, 6 steps sitting trot. (or rising trot).

With canter, I always ask the RI how they ask this particular horse for canter and on which rein (clockwise direction or anti clockwise). Then I do what is suggested.

Giving the horse a succession of instructions for transitions gets the horse to pay attention to you and one gradually reduces the strength of the aids. Once a horse knows you, if you relax your hands and thighs it will probably go into trot all on its own. But RS horses cant do that, as a beginner would fall off.

Above all bear in mind that you are an educated human being. The horse is physically stronger than a human but you have far higher intelligence. You can adapt, problem sove and outwit the horse. So do you enjoy doing this? What would make you happy? I am pretty sure you would not enjoy a horse that set off round the school in an out of control and high speed canter.

But it might be different going fast in a large open space, if you learned to ride by hacking for example. That is how I learned most. Or if you were inspired to ride by riding a polo pony, is there a polo club near to you where you could learn to ride and play polo?

 

[ecb89]

As a very novice rider you will not have the core strength or balance to sit to anything more than a ploddy cob. Riding school horses are worth their weight in gold. Riding is hard work, it takes a long time to be ready for more than a ploddy cob.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

I’m also an adult beginner who’s had a similar number of lessons. For my first assessment lesson I got put on a safe, plodding cob - I struggled to get him to trot, and keep him in trot but he very kindly stopped when I lost my balance.

After that, I had several lunge lessons where I didn’t have to worry about keeping the horse going and could work on my position. I’ve been doing lots of no-stirrups and no reins and my lower leg is much more secure.

Last week I had the same cob as I’d had for the first lesson and it was like being on a different horse! His trot had so much energy and it was really good fun. My instructor said the horse hadn’t changed since my first lesson, but I had!

From reading your posts I suspect you have the advantage over me in being a lot younger, probably fitter and more confident (possibly too confident?). However I have the advantage of having watched my daughter’s lessons over the last ten or so years so I know how long it can take to become an effective rider and what it looks like when it’s being done well (there’s no kicking!).

I would really recommend lunge lessons and maybe ask your instructor to give you an achievable goal for each lesson so you feel you’re making progress.

 

[tristar]

just know that a well trained horse will move forward from a gentle touch, and in my humble opinion you should not have leg ache from having ridden a horse who has responded correctly, you need to know this so further down the road you can seek out the experience of subtle aids

muscle ache occurs when you are working harder than the horse, and to start with its a strange mix of not falling off or getting run away with, so you can get the bump in trot, i think you are right to seek out new experiences and question everything you feel when on the horse, the main one being when you get on how to start a conversation with, or get to know who you are riding, not just listening to a voice instructing you, and helping the horse to give what you are asking for

then you will be able to advance

 

[scruffyponies]

If you close your legs on both sides, the tummy of the horse cant swing.

One of my sharers is a novice child who is upset that her pony is slow and doesn't want to go forward. I can see that she is doing exactly this, and until she relaxes, the pony is being asked to go and stop simultaneously. It's a saint, so is patiently putting up with this treatment, but both he and I will be very glad when the rider 'gets it'.

Incidentally, the last time I rode this particular pony, we cantered off on the second stride. It isn't a riding school plod.

 

[Parrotperson]

Agree with all the above comments and just to add, if you can afford it and if you can find a suitable place, why not have a lunge lesson. I think there's a balance between having a safe plod v riding a horse that is under control but allows you to work on your position and balance.

Yes. This. V good idea. I’d have one once a week if you can. Does wonders for your balance

when I was training for my teaching qualifications I had lunge lessons 3 times a week. The improvement in a few months was massive although obviously I started from having always riding.

 

[littleshetland]

The riding schools job is not only to teach you to ride, but to keep you safe. If you were put on a more 'forward' horse, chances are you wouldn't be able to cope at the moment. You may well find that as your balance improves and your aids, the cobs may well become a bit sharper to respond to you a bit quicker. I've met a few cobs over the years who have endured no end of unbalanced novice riders on top, heels drumming away endlessly, and they plod stalwartly on....but stick a more experienced rider on top and it's a different horse. Cherish these lovely RS cobs...they're teaching you more than you think!

 

[Goldenstar]

You’re tired and you ache well suck that up that riding for you .

Less reactive horses horses are safe that’s why they use them the fact they gave you a whip and the horse perked up shows it’s your riding and that’s what they are working on .
School horses are very canny they learn what the riders capable of and adjust effort accordingly.
You will advance quicker if you go and take one to lessons on the lunge .
I warn you though ,you will ache epically after that .

 

[Leandy]

I’m also an adult beginner who’s had a similar number of lessons. For my first assessment lesson I got put on a safe, plodding cob - I struggled to get him to trot, and keep him in trot but he very kindly stopped when I lost my balance.

After that, I had several lunge lessons where I didn’t have to worry about keeping the horse going and could work on my position. I’ve been doing lots of no-stirrups and no reins and my lower leg is much more secure.

Last week I had the same cob as I’d had for the first lesson and it was like being on a different horse! His trot had so much energy and it was really good fun. My instructor said the horse hadn’t changed since my first lesson, but I had!

From reading your posts I suspect you have the advantage over me in being a lot younger, probably fitter and more confident (possibly too confident?). However I have the advantage of having watched my daughter’s lessons over the last ten or so years so I know how long it can take to become an effective rider and what it looks like when it’s being done well (there’s no kicking!).

I would really recommend lunge lessons and maybe ask your instructor to give you an achievable goal for each lesson so you feel you’re making progress.

This is very well put. No harm in the OP seeking other riding experiences if there are suitable other riding centres around and then be in a better position to judge which place has the horses and instructors which best suit. Do please know however that as you are still a very in-experienced rider, you need to come at this more from the perspective not that it is the horse which won't go but you which cannot persuade it to do so very effectively at the moment. Having said that different riding schools do tolerate the boot, boot, boot approach to a lesser or greater extent and for my preference, horse welfare is important and clients should not be encouraged just to boot, boot, boot to encourage a horse forwards. Until a novice rider has developed a more subtle and effective leg aid, in my view the instructor should be assisting from the ground using a lunge whip or similar, or a lead horse for the other to follow, as required to keep the horse a little more forward and manageable for the rider, until the rider can do that themselves. Then both rider and horse will have a more satisfying experience. So OP, if you can find a local riding centre which takes this approach, you may have a better ride. Or discuss with your current instructor whether they can help in this way.

 

[MagicMelon]

Don't underestimate what these horses are teaching you. Your tired? you ache? ok, well get on with it, get better, learn how to ride them, don't just expect to sit there, riding is hard work. These guys are invaluable and worth there weight in gold. They are safely putting up with an unbalanced, new rider who flaps and kicks and gets frustrated with there laziness and wants a whip ... maybe they'd like better riders on them instead!

Trust me you will look back at these two in a few years and realise how awesome they were and how they made you a better rider. Good luck and kick on

This. You'll be very unbalanced still, these horses will put up with it. A more forward going horse is more unlikely not to which is when you'll get tanked off with or simply chucked off... riding is not easy, you're being put on safe horses because thats what you need to learn on at this stage...

 

[Mudfukkle]

I've heard good things about Quob riding school
https://quobstables.com/
Try them if you think you're getting nowhere at Fort Widley.
There's also Pinkmead
https://www.pinkmead.co.uk/
And Lavant
https://lavantequestrian.co.uk/

 

[RachelFerd]

No-one thinks it is an absolute tragedy that we've got riding schools out there teaching people that 'kicking and whipping' are how we train horses???

I taught in riding schools for years and years and the tragedy of teaching with half dead cobs is real - it doesn't teach people to ride well and it isn't a necessary stepping stone. It is absolutely appropriate to teach people to ride on forward going but well schooled horses in private lessons. This 'kick kick kick' teaching style makes it harder to teach people to ride correctly in the future and does nothing positive for the profile of our sport.

 

[IrishMilo]

No-one thinks it is an absolute tragedy that we've got riding schools out there teaching people that 'kicking and whipping' are how we train horses???

I taught in riding schools for years and years and the tragedy of teaching with half dead cobs is real - it doesn't teach people to ride well and it isn't a necessary stepping stone. It is absolutely appropriate to teach people to ride on forward going but well schooled horses in private lessons. This 'kick kick kick' teaching style makes it harder to teach people to ride correctly in the future and does nothing positive for the profile of our sport.

Yes and no. I think it's weird that at beginner levels, we're all told to 'Give a big kick!' and then the more experienced you get, it's all about learning how to get away with giving the most minimal of aids and doing a pony club kick would look hilarious for an established combo.

I don't know why we don't start as we mean to go on. But I don't think learning to ride on super steady/lazy horses is a tragedy. It's hard work, yeah, but their purpose is to keep people safe and I don't know a tonne of super well schooled, forward horses who would put up with a beginner bouncing around like a sack of shit and using the reins to balance etc. Lazy horses are still horses and you still need to learn how to get a tune out of them.

 

[canteron]

I think it is so easy to get over confident on a riding school horse and want to do more.

How many of us have had partners who think it is so so easy, until something goes slightly wrong, they fall, get scared and never ride again.

Talk to your instructor and have some sort of a plan and understanding of what you need to achieve, if so are really brave, or upset about it, you could put a video on here and ask for views on whether you are ready!!!! Instructor really don't like filling in accident forms.

 

[Kaylum]

You should absolutely not be kicking a horse.

Change your riding school.

Its cause people have kicked them that they are like they are. Numb to the leg.

I hate schools like that.

Horses can be ploddy but responsive and safe.

One child was removed from one of our lessons and given a good talking to for bashing it's legs into the the side of the horse and that's how it should be.

 

[littleshetland]

I completely get what you're saying, and have to agree to a point, but to supply well schooled, forward going horses to every complete novice that wants to ride doesn't sound very realistic. Also, private lessons tend to be cost prohibitive for a lot of people. Novices need to be taught about horses going forward off the leg, and as we progress with our riding, we learn to fine tune those aids at the same time, learning to keep the horse between hand and leg, thus generating energy in the correct way. Perhaps well schooled and forward horses would not be as forgiving when an unbalanced, kicking and pulling first time pupil clambers on board, and could potentially be quite dangerous. Novices have got to start somewhere, and I think a 'dead to the leg' RS cob that knows exactly what's expected of it is probably the safer option especially while they're carrying an unbalanced dead weight on top. As for whips...people have to learn that sometimes just carrying a whip can make a difference as well as learning that a whip is not for whipping, but encouragement. I think a lot of people are 'put off' riding by their first experiences on RS horses..they're such hard work...but if they really want to learn, they'll persevere and realise it does get easier eventually. Also the person who's actually giving the riding lesson has a responsibility for the success of the lesson and wellbeing of the rider and the horse....and not all instructors are equal. Its all part of the learning curve I suppose!

 

[GreyMane]

No-one thinks it is an absolute tragedy that we've got riding schools out there teaching people that 'kicking and whipping' are how we train horses???

I taught in riding schools for years and years and the tragedy of teaching with half dead cobs is real - it doesn't teach people to ride well and it isn't a necessary stepping stone. It is absolutely appropriate to teach people to ride on forward going but well schooled horses in private lessons. This 'kick kick kick' teaching style makes it harder to teach people to ride correctly in the future and does nothing positive for the profile of our sport.

Real world versus ideal world ?... so many of my horse thoughts are like this, these days.
If the learner is an adult, and can afford the greatly increased cost, the above is great.
Learning as a kid, on ponies, they quickly know how much control you have, and I am not sure you could prevent them realising it! Lesson plans that are boring for ponies and riders don't help, there is surely scope for some imagination here.
Maybe if beginner horses were all trained for lunging, the instructor's voice cues/lunge whip signals could also be used in ordinary lessons to assist the rider if the horse didn't respond to aids.
There's also a difference between sending a horse on with force compared to raising your intention/energy, voice, gesture, tapping the whip on your own boot, etc. We can teach that there are alternatives to hitting/kicking the horse, even when it's being sticky.
How do other countries do beginner lessons, are there other methods out there?

 

[Lou27]

No-one thinks it is an absolute tragedy that we've got riding schools out there teaching people that 'kicking and whipping' are how we train horses???

I taught in riding schools for years and years and the tragedy of teaching with half dead cobs is real - it doesn't teach people to ride well and it isn't a necessary stepping stone. It is absolutely appropriate to teach people to ride on forward going but well schooled horses in private lessons. This 'kick kick kick' teaching style makes it harder to teach people to ride correctly in the future and does nothing positive for the profile of our sport.

100%. It’s not only awful for the horse who’s learnt to zone out but counterproductive in many ways to the rider who will have to unlearn much of this as they advance. In an ideal world, beginners should have many lessons on a simulator horse before any ridden.