After a year?

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Mickle

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After one year of fairly regular lessons (weekly for the last 8 months) how much would you expect a 9 year old child to be able to do?
She is average abiltity, fairly confident around ponies and tries hard.
If she was yours what would you expect?
 
I would expect my child to have a respect for horses as living things... not machines!

I would have expected my child to show a love of horses and be as interested in learning about caring for them as riding/driving them.

I would expect my child to be having fun and making new friends, talking excitedly about the yard and the great times they have with the ponies.

As to riding ability... does it matter?!!!! All children develop at different rates and have their own personal goals. At that age ther will be some kids who would be disapointed not to be jumping a clear round at 3'6" Some will have amazed themselves that they managed to do a 'round the world' all by themselvs.
 
Thank you for that interesting reply!
As for the points you raised - I'm not sure where I said she thought horses were machines. She reads every book and magazine she can get about ponies, has done many pony days where she is learning to look after them whilst making many new friends.
She talks ponies with her friends and everyone and is currently planning a second fundraising day for pony charities.
As for the riding ability it was me that was questioning the quality of the instruction she is getting. Lessons are not cheap and I just wanted a reasonable view from people. Also I don't care if she never jumps 3'6" as long as she is safe and enjoys her riding.
OH and by the way she is fantastic at round the world!!
 
After I had been riding for a year I had mastered rising trot and could canter to the rear of the ride. I was 11 when I learned to ride but probably nearer 15 before I was confident enough to ride a pony round a small xc course.
I think if I were you, I'd be disappointed if she hadn't learnt to canter on her own yet but above all else I would be disappointed if she wasn't enjoying herself.
 
Thanks nicki68.
Although she enjoys her lessons she is still on the lead rein/or has someone walking with her. Her trot is fine but she has not started cantering yet.
I think part of the problem is she has an instructor for a few weeks and than it changes and each teacher sticks her back on the lead rein. She is starting to lose confidence in herself because of this.
She/we really loves the yard and the people there are so friendly and nice, I'm just not sure about the instruction.
 
Ditto, I think at that age I could walk, trot and canter off the lead rein and was starting to pop small fences. Also we learnt things like colours of the ponies in the lesson and points of a horse (and depending what was on offer at the riding school start learning basic pony care etc).
 
Hi.... I have sent you a pm, but now seen your reply above....

Unless she is very nervous then I am afraid I would be very disappointed to find that a child would still be on a lead rein at this stage......

Is it that the ponies are not trustworthy and safe enough though.... or that they are napping to the others.... It might not be your daughters problem!!!
 
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Thanks nicki68.
Although she enjoys her lessons she is still on the lead rein/or has someone walking with her. Her trot is fine but she has not started cantering yet.
I think part of the problem is she has an instructor for a few weeks and than it changes and each teacher sticks her back on the lead rein. She is starting to lose confidence in herself because of this.
She/we really loves the yard and the people there are so friendly and nice, I'm just not sure about the instruction.

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I think i know what you are talking about here. My daughter went to a riding school, fantastic at first, but then there was different instructors every week.
She did have her own pony and competed, often winning, always placed. She ended up trot to the rear of the ride, canter to the rear of the ride on both reins then over a 'trotting pole'. I did have a word but things got no better. My daughter had many friends their but even she asked to move. I now drive to a different county for fantastic instruction where she has come on in leaps and bounds. She has made new friends. Although it was a hard decision i am glad my daughter made it. Worth thinking about! Lessons are not cheap.
 
She did have one instructor who taught her for a few months and she had her trotting over poles and even the smallest cross pole (with a leader most of the time but not all the time), but she seems to have disappeared.
Am I really being unreasonable in expecting her to be off the lead rein?
 
My son who is now 10, started riding properly last year, ( he rode a bit on lead rein as a toddler) within 6 weeks he was cantering and jumping and did his first fun ride, BUT he is a natural sportsman and quite game.
 
[ QUOTE ]
She did have one instructor who taught her for a few months and she had her trotting over poles and even the smallest cross pole (with a leader most of the time but not all the time), but she seems to have disappeared.
Am I really being unreasonable in expecting her to be off the lead rein?

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This does depend on your daughter. If she is capable and confident it is a long time.
 
Also to add that when I learnt to ride aged 10... I was never on the lead rein..... ever!!!!

But that was back in the 70s and the Sue and Blame culture had not arrived then..... if you fell off or were carted then it was all part of the process of learning to ride......

These days the riding schools are scared of the clients sueing (sp) them for every incident, let alone accident.!!!
 
I wouldn't have thought it would be unreasonable to expect a child to be off the lead rein after a year though, when I used to lead for the beginners lessons as a kid they were usually only on the lead for about 3 months (depending on the child obviously)

Is your daughter confident and balanced enough to be riding on her own? Have you tried having a little word with the instructor? Otherwise it really sounds like it might be worth trying else where. You could always have a trial lesson somewhere else and then go back to the original yard if your daughter doesn't like it.
 
The instructor who disappeared / left? let her do most things on her own and would only put her on the lead rein for certain things such as the pop over the cross poles.
 
I would be VERY disappointed if my child was not riding independantly and pretty competently by this time. I would be looking for another establishment TBH with you.
 
As a riding instructor who teaches a lot of children I would say unless there have been real confidence issues she should definitly be off the l/r.

For example, I have been teaching a 6/7 year old for about the same amount of time, although her lessons have not quite been weekly and she can trot around the school doing a decent rising trot and perform school movements such as circles, serpentines and changes of rein. I am thinking she will start cantering sometime soon. She did have confidence issues early on where a friend of the mothers came and lead her, the pony shook as she went from trot to walk and she came off!
shocked.gif
Poor little love. But kids bounce back quick!

She can also bring pony in/out from field, rug, groom and tack up by the way. She does have private lessons though.

I would suggest having a chat with the owner of the riding school with your concerns. If your not happy with the response find another school.
 
I started riding lessons at age 6. By the time I was 8yrs old I had my own shetland on loan from the riding school. I was happy jumping courses (obviously tiny, but the shetland was only tiny!) and hacking out in company. I'd be worried by the standard of teaching. It is important for your daughter to feel as though she is progressing. It is extremely disheartening to constantly be doing the same thing without feeling as though you are improving. I would look for somewhere new because long term your daughter will lose interest.
However beware, us pony mad youngsters who don't grow out of it do end up costing our parents a fortune! My mum swears she would have never started down this road had she known what it entailed - she doesn't mean it really!!
 
My cousin has had 7 lessons (she's 6) and had two lessons on the lunge, in walk, then the thrid lesson she was trotting on the lunge, 4th lesson she was off the lunge and doing everything herslef (although in walk), 5th lesson she was back on the lunge but on a 16.3hh, walking and trotting, she's now off the lunge and trying to do rising trot!!

I'd be dissapointed if in 8 months she was still on the lunge TBH with you. Is there not another riding school around you?
 
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