Best way to progress as a rider

[Irishdiamond]

Hello Everyone! What would be the best way to progress as a rider? (without my own horse) I feel like if I stay in riding school lessons I won't progress much but currently I could only afford 2/3 private lessons a month. My situation keeps changing due to loss of jobs/different circumstances but eventually I want to get in regular lessons. In my usual lessons I don't want to jump so It's "follow the leader, trot canter, poles and the odd no stirrups" I've been doing this for a few months but felt I'm not learning much. I spent years in lessons as a kid/teen not really progressing and only now decided to be serious about it.

I had thought maybe a few lunge lessons would be more beneficial than riding in a group lesson. It would enable me to develop my seat though I'm nervous of no stirrups or reins (ahhhh) What are your thoughts? I really want to get into classical riding and develop a steady walk,trot,canter. I have plans to do a working pupil apprenticeship in Canada in 9 months so want to be ready for it.

I want to develop a deep seat first and focus on actually learning to ride a horse vs sitting there following the leader. Private lessons are so expensive and I just can't afford to ride more than once a week if even, so I want to figure out the best way to get the most from the lessons

Sorry this was abit of a ramble but hoping someone will have had a similar experience??
Thanks

 

[OrangeDinosaur]

Pretty much all of my riding experience has come from being in a riding school. I found the mixture of private and group lessons beneficial as in a private lesson you can work on you and then continue to work on the points given by the instructor in the group lessons whilst doing what ever you are meant to be doing.

To get a deep seat it takes work, no stirrups is what I feel is the best way and doing it on the lunge is great. From personal experience I went from not having a canter seat at all (so little that I was petrified as I just bounced around the place on a too small pony!) to having one lunge lesson with lots of no stirrups and no hands (not as scary as you think as you don't really need to control the horse at all and helps to remove the reliance on the reins for balence) and it helped my seat so much that my canter seat then came very quickly after as I had a better feel.

It might be worth as well trying going to different riding schools to experience different horses and techniques with different instructors who will pick up on different things and then provide you more pointers and aims.

All in all though, to get better you have to keep at it and do whatever you are told really and be willing to take (and ask for) constructive criticism and where you can next go. Riding the same horse for a while can help with learning how to get the most of them although it is also good to ride a variety.

Having someone come and watch and take a few photos and/or videos can also aid you in what position faults you want to work on as just riding you can inly rely in your feel and the instructor who gives you points.

Sorry for a long confusing reply not sure if any of it is helpful but this is what I've done during my time having weekly lessons to try and get better.

 

[Irishdiamond]

Pretty much all of my riding experience has come from being in a riding school. I found the mixture of private and group lessons beneficial as in a private lesson you can work on you and then continue to work on the points given by the instructor in the group lessons whilst doing what ever you are meant to be doing.

To get a deep seat it takes work, no stirrups is what I feel is the best way and doing it on the lunge is great. From personal experience I went from not having a canter seat at all (so little that I was petrified as I just bounced around the place on a too small pony!) to having one lunge lesson with lots of no stirrups and no hands (not as scary as you think as you don't really need to control the horse at all and helps to remove the reliance on the reins for balence) and it helped my seat so much that my canter seat then came very quickly after as I had a better feel.

It might be worth as well trying going to different riding schools to experience different horses and techniques with different instructors who will pick up on different things and then provide you more pointers and aims.

All in all though, to get better you have to keep at it and do whatever you are told really and be willing to take (and ask for) constructive criticism and where you can next go. Riding the same horse for a while can help with learning how to get the most of them although it is also good to ride a variety.

Having someone come and watch and take a few photos and/or videos can also aid you in what position faults you want to work on as just riding you can inly rely in your feel and the instructor who gives you points.

Sorry for a long confusing reply not sure if any of it is helpful but this is what I've done during my time having weekly lessons to try and get better.

Thank you and I understood everything you said perfectly! Can totally relate! I found that no stirrups with one hand on the neck strap balanced me perfectly but the fear of taking that hand off...
I also rode bareback last week but think I found it easy as I held onto the neck strap oops..

I totally agree about riding different horses, I've gotten use to riding my favourite who I LOVE but I won't jump on her as she's a rocket. She was my steady horse but has started acting up and taking off in canter(out of pure bordum) which i suppose is giving me more experience on controlling her as I do have a tendency to ride on the buckle.


I've had a few different private lessons with different teachers and each tell me the same things but I've still not found a way to correct them.

-Tilting forward, even when I try to sit straight I feel I'm sitting behind my seat bones and nearly falling back into the saddle.
-Heel and leg going up when asking for canter
-Dropping the reins. 😅 I'm a very light handed rider and constantly
get told off for letting the horse have its head during walk as its dropping contact.

Also in trot my feet slip right through the stirrups, I make an effort to keep toes up heels down but somehow my feet always end up in the stirrups and I have to come back to walk to fix them.

^^^^ definitely need to take away the stirrups. I will get a lunge lesson even though I know it'll be scary for the first 10mins 😅 Thank you so much X

 

[Mince Pie]

I'd go to your local unaff. dressage competitions and volunteer your time as a dressage writer, from the judges comments and watching the people in front of you, you will understand what is looked for when riding.

 

[Roxylola]

Basically riding. Ideally, yes you will progress more with privates but there comes a point where spending time in the saddle is more valuable than the intensity of that time. Are you riding once a week in a group currently? Could you miss one group a month and replace it with one private? Lunge lessons are helpful but it depends on where you are at as a rider. If no reins or stirrups is going to make you tense and worried it may not be very beneficial at the moment. If you instructor is any good they are the best person to speak to really.

 

[Mince Pie]

From the sounds of it I think it would be really useful to swap your group lessons for lunge lessons. If you're tipping forwards, and gripping with your knees (which will cause your lower leg issues, and your feet going through the stirrups) then you essentially don't have a seat and can't be an effective rider until you do. Yes the first one or two may make you tense, and they will be bloody hard work (trust me I know - I didn't get stirrups for 6 months when I started!) but they will be really worth it in the long run.

 

[HamSandwich]

Hello Irish! I am in exactly the same position as you (this is my first post on H&H in fact). I started riding again last October after a few years off (and way more years before that) and really want to get beyond just trundling around a school not progressing.

What I've found absolutely brilliant was joining my riding school's branch of the Riding Club, essentially, Pony Club for adults. It's meant regular lessons doing all sorts of different things, including my first times riding a canter track, and riding in a field, as well as doing flatwork and stuff without stirrups to improve my seat. I'm trying to go each week, and then the school also does additional courses. We also have a lecture after the lesson each week, so there's something to add to our practical work. It's really nice riding with the same people at a mixed level (some people are fantastic riders or own their own horses, others are intermediate like me) and there's so much to learn from the riders as well as the instructors.

Best of luck learning, and happy riding!

 

[LadyDarcy]

I've been riding almost once a week for almost 9 months now, I second trying different stables. my friends and I had to take a break from our regular centre for the summer holidays so we've moved elsewhere for a few weeks and the horses feel so different to me. I feel like I am riding a horse and not sitting on a robot following the leader. The instructor there also is so enthusiastic about teaching and really cares. It's also great to meet new people and experience different teaching styles.

I hope I get to try lessons at other stables also as I think variety can help me decide where I want to settle a a rider long term.
I hope to try getting a lunge lesson soon too to improve my seat like you.

Hope we can all get to where we want to be!

 

[Shay]

Different schools is a good idea. Some are better than others at actually teaching good classical riding. Also if you can afford it what about taking a riding holiday / break where the focus is on improving your riding? Often improving riding is about hours in the saddle as much as it is about anything else. Spending 2 or 3 days riding several hours a day will help. (And hurt like heck...)

To avoid disappointment do find out what your WP apprenticeship might be looking for. I don't know about Canada but in the UK would would find it very difficult to get an apprenticeship (other than possibly racing school) with as little riding experience as you have currently. You might find getting your BHS stage 1 or BHS progressive tests would help make sure you can secure that slot!