After 11 riding lessons

[Grajo]

totally agree. I can't see what OP is learning. I would find somewhere with a mechanical horse where you can sit there, forget what the horse is going to do or if it is going to move and then you can concentrate on exactly what your body and balance are doing at all paces.
Then follow teapots suggestions. Find a school where you can go on the lunge where you will ache like mad but will be moving and have to learn to accommodate your body.

I think it is time to move up a gear.

You are missing the point. Mechanical horses do NOT run. That's what my posting is about - getting the horses to run with one kick - not over excessive kicks

 

[Grajo]

Tacking up, grooming, boots - all 'theory' in the loosest sense

I have to learn all of these basics. I can learn "theory" like name of brush and what dandy brush is for (example) but would need practical to use them on as well.

 

[ester]

You are missing the point. Mechanical horses do NOT run. That's what my posting is about - getting the horses to run with one kick - not over excessive kicks

err they do 'run'

 

[teapot]

You are missing the point. Mechanical horses do NOT run. That's what my posting is about - getting the horses to run with one kick - not over excessive kicks

Real horses don't run either - sorry grajo, but if you're keen to learn which you clearly are, you need to learn the proper terms at least.

 

[Grajo]

Real horses don't run either - sorry grajo, but if you're keen to learn which you clearly are, you need to learn the proper terms at least.

Cos I booked already after the 10th lesson - not the 11th lesson

 

[FinalCanter]

I think you might be out of luck if you're expecting a horse to 'run' with just one "kick"..
Riding and finding your balance takes time, and learning on the school horses you have--for the skill level you're at right now-- will do you good.

 

[paddy555]

You are missing the point. Mechanical horses do NOT run. That's what my posting is about - getting the horses to run with one kick - not over excessive kicks

If by run you mean canter then they will teach you the movement of the horse at a canter and what aids to give the horse to ask it to canter.
If you really just want to run can I suggest a trials bike? Mine ran with no kicking and very little effort on my part.

 

[Shilasdair]

Grajo, what are the aids to make a horse 'run'?
What are the sequence of footfalls in walk, trot, canter left, canter right, gallop, rotary gallop?
What does the inside leg do on a circle?

You don't know? Yes, that's because you are nowhere near ready to leave the 'lazy cobs' behind and ride a horse which 'runs' with 'just one kick' unless you want to fall off and hurt yourself.

You have had some very good advice from fellow learners, and from riding instructors on this thread - and should listen to them.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I'm going to put in a good word for mechanical horses. They are great for working on position (you dont have to worry about corners) but depending on the model and the setting, boy do they go!

They have pressure pads under your legs as well as under the saddle. My instructor got me to try halting the mechanical horse by sitting deep and holding my core, she said dont worry as hardly anyone gets it the first time. I did, it was amazing. She did admit she'd left it on more of a beginner setting after having a pro in the week before who asked for trot a little too firmly and got an instant gallop. As I ride I big sensitive horse (he is like those riding school plods who won't go forward unless I'm in balance) she was worried I'd be accidentally galloping off too. I loved being able to ride a perfectly straight moving, responsive horse, in my own saddle.

 

[DressageCob]

What about a riding holiday with instruction to help you get going, if you're not enjoying riding at your current place?

I am not from the area and have never heard of it, so I have no idea if it's a good riding school or not. It looks peculiar to me, being part of a larger activity centre. I'd never heard of such a thing, but every day is a learning day!

Anyway, a mini break in the UK to have a change of scenery, charge of horse and change of instructor may do you good.

it's a shame more riding schools aren't accessible on public transport. None of the ones round me are.

 

[GreyMane]

What about a riding holiday with instruction to help you get going, if you're not enjoying riding at your current place?

I am not from the area and have never heard of it, so I have no idea if it's a good riding school or not. It looks peculiar to me, being part of a larger activity centre. I'd never heard of such a thing, but every day is a learning day!

Anyway, a mini break in the UK to have a change of scenery, charge of horse and change of instructor may do you good.

it's a shame more riding schools aren't accessible on public transport. None of the ones round me are.

I remember in student days I used to cycle into town, get a bus, then get a lift to the stables... those who claim you can live without a car have not tried to learn to ride! I see a niche market opportunity here for a "Rider's taxi", taking people to lessons without complaining about horsehair on the seats...
?

 

[Parrotperson]

I think we all need to remember that Grajo isn't a native English speaker (or at least I dint think toy are Grajo-apologies if so!). His English is very good but sometimes he'll say things that soigné of you are mocking slightly and that's not fair

Grajo you are genuinely keen to learn and that's great but dint get ahead of yourself. Give yourself time to learn to do it properly.

Then the horse world is your oyster as it were.

 

[Shilasdair]

I think we all need to remember that Grajo isn't a native English speaker (or at least I dint think toy are Grajo-apologies if so!). His English is very good but sometimes he'll say things that soigné of you are mocking slightly and that's not fair

I wasn't mocking at all.
One of the key things for anyone serious about a sport is to learn the terminology - in the language of the country in which one is learning.
And Grajo, who is clearly very keen, could start doing some homework outside of his/her lessons by learning the natural and artificial aids (shocker - there's a whip involved) and the horse's paces.

 

[paddy555]

I think we all need to remember that Grajo isn't a native English speaker (or at least I dint think toy are Grajo-apologies if so!). His English is very good but sometimes he'll say things that soigné of you are mocking slightly and that's not fair

Grajo you are genuinely keen to learn and that's great but dint get ahead of yourself. Give yourself time to learn to do it properly.

Then the horse world is your oyster as it were.

I'm getting a bit lost here. This is how Grajo described himself

My name is Graham and I live in Portsmouth. I am am adult, old enough to be your father

I thought from his pic and posts he sounded like a student and was off to uni on one thread. I'm getting really confused but apologies if I have got it wrong. Don't want to upset anyone. Can anyone clarify

 

[Arzada]

Years ago I watched a short video of Mary Rose FBHS teaching a competent young rider who kicked the pony and seemed not to be able to anything different with their legs. To help the rider understand how such kicking felt at halt she asked the rider to rest the reins on the neck and put their arms out to the side at shoulder height. At which point Mary gave the rider the experience of being 'kicked' by 'kicking' hard with her hands on both sides of their waist at the same time.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Grajo, you have previously posted that you are profoundly deaf, and that you need to look at your instructor to see what they are asking you to do.

This will impact on what horse you are given. If a livelier horse goes forward rather more than you are expecting, you may find yourself too busy just staying on to be able to look to your instructor, and that might not end well.

Getting more of the basics on a mechanical horse first would be of huge benefit to you. Then your reactions will be more instinctive when you do ride.

Modern riding simulators are brilliant. A lot of us more experienced riders would benefit from a brush up course of sessions on one .

 

[ecb89]

You can’t compare a polo pony to a riding school horse. It’s like comparing a sports car to family saloon

 

[ecb89]

Also, polo ponies respond to a completely different style of riding. To go you literally just lean forward. I had a lesson recently and it completely blew my mind to begin with

 

[Charley657]

I understand where you are coming from, having had many more lessons than 11 you can spend the first 10-20 minutes of a lesson getting that dead to the leg horse to move forward. All instructors are different and some will know when the school horse is being extra lazy which may be why you got a whip that time but learning to ride them forward without one will help you improve as a rider. It just doesn't feel like it.

Like others have said, the instructor or any of the staff would have climbed on board and gotten a different response because the horse would have known it wouldn't get away with it with them.

No harm in trying another riding school - ask for something a little more forward going so you can feel the difference. Some people really do just prefer a more forward going horse.

 

[muddybay]

Being able to get a horse that’s dead to your leg to move off of it is a great skill to learn! After learning on cobs and lazier horses a few years ago I went to a higher level riding school and rode one of their 'lazy' horses, everyone always moaned about how dead he was, the instructor in the lesson was shocked how forward going I got him because I hadn't grown up riding push button ponies.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If by run you mean canter then they will teach you the movement of the horse at a canter and what aids to give the horse to ask it to canter.
If you really just want to run can I suggest a trials bike? Mine ran with no kicking and very little effort on my part.

I have had sessions on a mechanical horse as part of rehabbing a broken ankle, the rider has to be able to give the aids to change gait, not kicking actually.

 

[ycbm]

I think there are two issues here.

Graham is a novice rider who hasn't the words yet to put what he's trying to say into meaningful statements for the rest of us.

And he is learning at riding school which is renouned in the area for its lack of quality training.

Somehow, the two need to be separated.

Graham, you have advice from two locals of other riding schools where you should progress better. I would take their advice.
.

 

[ycbm]

I have had sessions on a mechanical horse as part of rehabbing a broken ankle, the rider has to be able to give the aids to change gait, not kicking actually.

Ooh, why haven't we had updates about that PaS ? I would LOVE to hear about riding a mechanical horse!
.

 

[ester]

You can’t compare a polo pony to a riding school horse. It’s like comparing a sports car to family saloon

The ones I've seen beginners on looked like total saints, and IME don't seem to trot much anyway straight walk to canter which is probably much easier for a novice.

 

[GreyMane]

The ones I've seen beginners on looked like total saints, and IME don't seem to trot much anyway straight walk to canter which is probably much easier for a novice.

If learning to ride is a staircase, the step between "Can stay on at walk and canter" and "Can ride, without gripping, at rising and sitting trot" is a particularly big one! Later steps feel much smaller.

 

[Parrotperson]

I'm getting a bit lost here. This is how Grajo described himself

My name is Graham and I live in Portsmouth. I am am adult, old enough to be your father

I thought from his pic and posts he sounded like a student and was off to uni on one thread. I'm getting really confused but apologies if I have got it wrong. Don't want to upset anyone. Can anyone clarify

oops. must have missed that. His posts always sound a bit like someone to whom English isn't a first language!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Ooh, why haven't we had updates about that PaS ? I would LOVE to hear about riding a mechanical horse!
.

It's not related to the recent injury. I have a plate in the opposite ankle from a fall in the yard (not from a horse) 13 yrs ago. At the time there was a mechanical horse housed in a local tack and feed store with a local horsewoman who was a trained sports therapist giving lessons on him. I had some sessions on him a few years later, when I had a trapped nerve in my neck from a fall from the ID, while she was recovering from her back problem (acupuncture sorted her out).

I am trying to sort out some more sessions but the nearest mechanical horse now is 30 mins away in Greater Manchester. I have had some physio sessions there through the RC but I'm not sure what they are doing now because that horse is housed in a closed strucutre about the size of a garage. I haven't rung the EC yet because i expect them to be very busy during the school holidays. I did look up the phone number earlier today, though.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

There's a mechanical horse at Kelsall now. That's the one I used. My horse is an odd shape, very big and makes me feel like a novice so it was amazing to get on a 'perfect' horse and realise that I do actually have a decent position and I am an effective rider...on a 'perfect' horse. My horse has a long way to go before I look effective on him.

Please PM if anyone wants details on booking for training at Kelsall and I can get you details.

 

[Pippin and Poppy]

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.

Absolutely this!
To suggest that 'plods' are deliberately trained to be dead to the leg is nonsense. RS horses and ponies learn to phase out/become unresponsive to cope with their situation, its self defense.
In what other situation would it be acceptable to tell a child or adult to kick an animal?
Also considering the physical nature of kicking - it reduces contact and does not support correct position. I led horses and ponies for the RDA for many years before covid hit and I always asked my riders to squeeze their mounts - give them a hug with their legs. I never asked them to kick.
Worse still was the YouTube I watched recently where the woman training was explaining how to incorporate the side of a metal stirrup into the kick so hitting the side of the horse with it. Surely this is abuse?
I think it was Parelli who said/quoted 'any fool can make a horse go, the art is in stopping them'.

 

[Kaylum]

I am not a bully. I, personally do not like keep on kicking horses. I would only like to kick once at a time. In my 1st ever sat on a horse during Polo Experience Day in Argentina 6 years ago, it took my ONE kick to make her run!!

You dont kick a horse when your riding it. I dont understand sorry.