Create'a'Jockey....

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RuthM

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I want this to be open to instructors, non instructors, raw beginners, parents, non parents - anyone who's ever pondered or practised what they'd do or do differently to give new riders the best start.

Taken as a given:
General safety.
The rider wants to ride.
It's hypothetical, half baked ideas are absolutely welcomed.
(..and that I might nick really ace ideas!).

I used to have a hand in bringing on younger yard staff/weekend volunteers. If there was one thing I'd change it'd be to teach seat first (lunge/LR), balance well through 3 paces with neck strap and to be able to do independent hand movements (pretend reins) before getting the reins. The only downside is the rider would need to buy into it and invest effort before having the control themselves.

I've never tried this out, never taught from scratch or heard of it done but using reins to balance seems such a lousy place to have to teach a feel for something as tender as a mouth.
 
I have always started beginners on the lunge, except very small children in case they lose balance, they ride with no reins until they can balance in trot holding their hands as if the reins were there. It works really well especially with novice adults as they really get going without trying to control the horse.

A few years ago the uncle of one of my liveries wanted to learn the basics, he had three lunge lessons and was rising to his trot holding the reins and able to go round the school on his own without pulling the horses teeth out.

Most RS cannot use this method as it is too labour intensive, private lessons are often not encouraged for this reason.
 
I tip my hat to anyone with a class to teach! I would teach saturday helps who'd given around 12 hours hard work for 1 or 2 lessons therefore they had earned and got total attention, most were mid teens and highly motivated, respectful and trusting. It was part of my job but as they worked hard for the yard I considered it part of the deal in keeping the 'way of things' right.

The biggest hurdles with them coming out of more usual/class teaching was a lack of independence, fear (moments of, not dreading riding kind) leading to rein grabbing and set hands/lack of seat.

I think most imaginative stuff would be one to one but I'd love to hear lesson ideas just out of curiosity.
 
Or you can take a 10yo child who has no experience but is capable of following a string of instructions accurately having had ballet lessons from quite a young age, explain to it how sensitive a pony's mouth is and how to not hurt it, that steering is accomplished by bodyweight and then stick it on a really whizzy strong boy's jumping pony (known locally as The Hooligan!) with no stirrups and a pelham with roundings.

This was my daughter's first time riding.

wibkinta41.jpg


I loathe teaching so wanted to get the basics understood asap and leave her to it:D Sure she needs not to look at her hands - but then she'd not held reins before! I deliberately put her in the orchard so that she had to do some steering. She's a lucky girl in that she has had access to some first class tuition after my first sticking her on that pony but she's still very sensitive to the pony. Her gentleness and kindness to the pony was reflected in the pony's attitude to her, something none of the small adults who came to try her out when she went on loan would ever have believed as she carted them left right and centre!
 
I have had the opportunity to create my own jockey on several occasions, with several small children for a few years, one novice 9 yr old for several years & my now 7 yr old who's ridden from months old. I have taught others too but the above were the ones where I was able to do it entirely my way with no rush for them to use reins etc & no outside influence, plus the ideal ponies.
In short I like them to have no responsibility for control, so no use of aids at all until the seat & balance are second nature. For position I only use bareback or a pony pad with no stirrups, provided they are relaxed this results in a natural classical position without needing to nag about it. With their hands I will use a neckstrap but try to move on to hands on heads, touch your knees etc so the hands aren't ever relied on for balance. Once core stability is in place, keeping the hands still is pretty simple. I also will teach use of the legs & seat as aids before introducing the reins. When I feel the child is ready I give them the buckle end of the reins, held correctly but too long to be used & concentrate on elbows at sides, thumbs on top etc. Only then do I allow them to have full control. I also prefer to use a forward going pony that is in front of the leg for teaching the aids, so kicking & pulling don't ever come into effect. This is possible because by the time I allow the legs to be used, the lower leg is stable enough not to accidently move around.
I have to say that while in the short term progress appears slower, long term the results are far more productive. Although I do realise that its not always possible.
For specific exercises, I focus on games, but it very much depends on the child. Toddlers love nursery rhymes with actions, older kids do popular dance routines, gymkhana games are good too.
Op- if you have a particular person in mind if you give me an idea of age, ability, confidence etc I will try & give specific exercises.
 
I've never created from ABSOLUTE scratch, but I had 'made' a very half decent jockey out of an extremely nervous, un experienced young girl whom I started to teach aged 8.

her legs kicked always in trot, she hung on for dear life, she cried at EVERYTHING, she was often very 'bratish'(and I say that without being nasty)

For a month or so, of me teaching once / twice a week, we 'played' quite a lot. We just toddled about the school, her getting her confidence in me, learning to trust me, to trust the pony, we just done a little bit of what she had done before, and I didn't go correcting everything I seen wrong at once.

After that month, I started niggling at her for little things - heels down etc. I only concentrated on one thing, and praised her etc when she in turn focused and worked on it. I also during this time (with complete support from her lovely mum) was very firm with her, and didn't take her little 'turns' when she wanted her own way. Many a time I told her that if she wasn't prepared to try (TRY being the word - not DO) what I said, then she should get off the pony because I couldn't teach her.

Then I started working on her position - she was very nervous to the point that she didn't like not being 'in control' hence why I didn't lunge from the start. Said pony I had known for YEARS previous to this little girl having him, so I knew he wouldn't mind her for a a little while longer. Although I corrected her for washing line reins, I didn't nag her to take up a 'full' contact just yet. when her position was looking much better, we played with poles, circles, movements etc. We did walk, trot and canter, again, she wasn't sitting perfectly etc but at this point, I wanted CONFIDENCE! she fell off a few times to say the least, but the more she fell off, the less it bothered her! she started to instinctivley reach back for the pony the minute she got up instead of crying and going straight to mum. obviously she hardly falls off now as she's a much better rider but it's taken time :P

I then moved onto lunging her. I actually introduced this with her IN THE MIDDLE with me, helping me lunge the pony (this is wear I taught her WHY you lunge - and bless her she started getting up to lunge pony before school on says she was busy after!) I showed her how from the middle I was in control, how I stopped, started, slowed, quickened, etc. Pony was brilliant as always.

I then let her lunge pony, and then her mums horse with ME aboard. This was actually great fun as I told her to 'teach' me and put my heels up, had too long reins etc. She really thrived off this and was then ready for me to take her reins / stirrups off her and lunge her.

I then worked on balance, I took her stirrups away from her first, reins on ponies nose strap and a neck strap. taught her how to RELAX first of all, and stay loose. soon had her trotting and cantering round with no stirrups / bareback. then took reins off her, but with stirrups back for a while. arms out, arms up, arms on neckstrap... soon cantering round on lunge arms out no stirrups laughing her head off. Also worked on staying relaxed through transitions, which also taught her to stay relaxed if pony ever Pi**sed off - made her shut her eyes and I would make him go walk to canter - great fun and much giggling entailed!

By this point she was becoming a lovley quiet rider with a beautiful independent seat. taught her about weight in the saddle and gave her abck her reins.

MY FAVOURITE EXERCISE FOR MAKING WOBBLY HANDS STILL!

I made her stand next to pony (wall does fine too!) facing his shoulder, with her hands in 'rein' position against the pony, told her to rise but keep her hands where they are- this taught looseness in her shoulder and made her arms independent from her shoulder - voila - after about half an hour of practice she was well on her way to having lovely still hands (beautiful still hands these days! totally perfected)

further along the way I have jumped her on the lunge with no stirrups / reins, she's a lovely 'effective' rider, has started learning how to collect / extend. with a little help she can work a horse correctly, she BEAMS confidence and will try EVERYthing I ask,

She now rides her mum's highland who can be such a pain, but she in her mind is now 'boss' and is riding him forward more every day.

She's now only ten and I'm very proud of her, this is a long post and I have hundreds of things I have done with her but I'm not boring you any more! She's come from a nervous, shy child who clung on like a limpet and wouldn't to anything, to a confident, forward thinking young rider who is an absolute joy to teach!
 
Not paired with a pony yet. Of course I'm gonna nick any excellent ideas but it was as much curiosity as anything.

Judging by the popularity of seat first I can't help but wonder why it isn't somewhat standard, even if just for a lesson or two where class teaching is the only option.

I also have a rocking horse and tell her how to hold reins etc, which side to get on. :o
 
As to why not seat first, I think even rs have a go, but in one lesson a week in a group it would be very difficult to do the same as I, or anyone else, can do with 3x 20 mins one to one, with no none horsey outside influences pushing for riding alone. And in truth, I know a few adults who've ridden all their lives who still have unbalanced seats & 'legs to go, hands to stop' styles so it stands to reason they'll teach their kids the same or be happy with a rs that teaches that.
But to be fair, what my daughter has been able to acheive with one to one tuition & having ridden all her life with access to a range of great ponies would be impossible for even the best rs to recreate with an older child on a weekly lesson.
 
Shockingly I've done this almost solo. Adult rider.

Definitely not one for not being in control. However was told to hold saddle, or, better, mane, rather than mouth. Not stupid or cruel (and IS quite brave) so has never used hands to balance. Although I did insist on a neck strap ‘just in case’ for bareback.

Leg position not great and doesn’t use them perfectly AND rebelliously less BHS in many ways than me, but, better hands than many. :-) Will now steer ‘by thought’ (ie weight, but without doing it consciously) out hacking.

Mine hands are also pretty gentle despite RS start… learning in a city park I spent a fair amount of time on LR from another horse which helped I think.

Plenty of ‘drop reins and see if you can steer around cones’ games are fun even for adults!
 
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