Childhood Memories... learning to ride

[Kenzo]

Can you remember your first trot?

Vigorously bumping up and down, nearly biting the end of your tongue off (while poking it out in sheer concentration) and clutching onto the pommel so hard with your tiny little fingers, wearing an old velvet riding hat that fell over your eyes and was about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

Slowly sliding to one side while leaning back towards the middle until...ups too late!...you've gone! but it took at least 5 minutes before the leader (that is busily being dragged around by the naughty welsh section A that I doubt had even been broken in with a week!) had noticed your not on board and you were laid busy spitting out the wood chippings...that's if your riding school was lucky enough to have an arena surface!

Screaming blue murder and vowing never to get on a pony again, storming off with ya little crop (not that you needed one when you were about 4 years old lol) tear in your eyes and snot down ya little chin, with your hands on your hips, in a pair of jodhpurs about 4 sizes too big for you stuffed in pair of bright yellow Padding Bear Wellington boots because your parents were too tight to buy you boots in case you lost interest...along with a big bottom lip ..you couldn't sulk any harder if you tried...oh those were the days!

Come on share your child hood memories and give us a chuckle...

why is it I can't remember learning to jump though?

 

[CorvusCorax]

Ah - lovely, 28-year-old Skippy with eight-year-old me on board - trot, cough cough, trot, cough cough, trot.

My first canter on him was an accident, he took off while doing bendy poles at day camp and deposited me in a large pile of jumps lying in the corner, chipping the end off my elbow.
We did win the dressage that day, though.

I love watching the little ones these days, wee drama queens done up to the nines in their body protectors and ventilated hats!

 

[Kenzo]

He hee hee, oh and the times when they used to stop and shake...I used to scream!

and the ones that used to just stick there heads down to the grass all the time, you held those reins so tightly ...you just when with em lol ...straight over the heads!

I used to nag my mum to take the lead rein off and used to get in little paddy's if she ever grabbed the reins when I was supposed to be 'riding by myself' LET GO LET GOOO STOP GRABBING THEM MUM!..I CAN DO IT MYSELF!!! I used to shout

sooo funny

 

[CorvusCorax]

I came off shaking horses TWICE!!!
In fairness, I'm not very big and I was even smaller back then.

 

[Emma24]

When I was little we had two ponies at home, my brother rode one and I had the other because he was younger he always had the saddle and we only had one of them so I used to hack out on my 13hh on the road through fields and jump all without a saddle I used to hack for hours without. Now I probably couldn't even manage a trot without my saddle!

 

[Cop-Pop]

I don;t really remember learning to ride - I just remember riding

I was very lucky as my neighbours had a retired RDA pony I learnt on and rode until I was 7 and he fully retired. I can remeber my first lesson at a proper riding school though - I was 7 and an evil little boy tried to push me off Pepsi because he wanted to ride him so I kicked him in the knee and he howled

 

[Enfys]

Like Zalacca, I don't actually remember learning to ride, I can't remember NOT riding.

I do remember riding at Prep School in Honiton though, it was on the curriculum. I had non stretchy batwing jodhpurs and it was OK to ride in school shoes! We had to walk up what seemed like hundreds of steps and about a mile of paths to the school stables, my favourite ponies were Lady and Friday, although I remember most of their names! Shandy, Brandy, Piper, Pip, and a coloured whose name escapes me...that was over 30 years ago!

 

[jellyshake]

oh yes, the memories of instructor shouting 'up down up down' as we all bounced round the little school, wellies and jeans for us and smelly riding school hats with elastic under the chin, no harness' back then lol.

And trying to hold the reins wearing 'glubs' that my nan had knitted

think i deliberately forgot them after 2 lessons

 

[L00bey]

I remember those smelly hats that had the strap that went on your chin and they never had hat silks on. I also remeber my first pair of long rubber boots that were always 100 sizes too big. I remeber trying to polish them with boot polish and obviously failed miserably when dad told me you cant put that on rubber boots

Also remember learning to canter my instructor Ria telling me to go sitting trot go abc KICK and canter. I used to go ride in shorts all the time too.

 

[somethingorother]

i remember i fancied one of the farm hands when i was about 7 and i suppose he was about 15 lol, i remember my first canter too coz it made me scared of cantering for ages. I always liked the big posh looking horses even tho i was a big wimp so i rode a 15hh chestnut when i was about 8 and it was time for our first canter (i should also point out i was a tiny midget, a spec on him). He was really giddy but usually good. When the pony in front went off and i was halted at the front, Thomas decided he could do that too and did halt to canter and wouldnt stop til the back with me crying saying make him stop. I always pretended i had a tummy ache after that.
Also worth noting, the nice thick riding coat my dad got me when i was about 12, saying i would grow into it. I'm 20 now and its still huge!!

 

[Tinker_Belle]

I learned to ride at a not very reputable school....

Old velvet hats with stretched elastic, kids in wellies & shellsuits, concrete under the (very thin layer) of sand in the arena.

I actually mastered rising trot in my first lesson

& was pulled out into the middle of the school to demonstrate what a straight back should look like

Very nearly changed my mind when 'my' pony came face to face with his arch enemy & reared up with me clinging on by the reins

We were encouraged to catch, tack up, un-tack, groom (before & after) & turn back out or stable afterwards.

I think the only experience the instructor has was various experiences of riding semi sane - absolutely nutbag screw loose horses....

Oh yes, & the saddle I learned to ride on was an old racing saddle. And some weeks the shell suit changed to psychadelic leggings (I pretended they were jodhours as the fit was similar)

 

[LizGooch1]

I do remember but recently when seeing my other half have some riding lessons and him trying to learn to rise to the trot i had tears in my eyes. It was so funny (not for him obviously!!!) i must be a very wicked person!!!!!