Following on from delusions about ability...

Blinking heck, if you lot are novices, what does that make me?

I bimble about at a walk, only trotting if I need to get out of the way of something. I regularly forget how to steer, whether I should grip with my thighs, knees, calves or not at all. I can sit spooks, but last fell off at a walk when I forgot to tighten the girth properly......!

Therefore, if you lot are novices, I am useless. Which actually I pretty much am!
 
I'd just call myself fairly average I guess - can do a half decent (65% ish) Novice dressage test, can do a variety of dressage/schooling movements (rein back, shoulder in, leg yield, medium paces etc), can pop over a jump or two and can hack out on a nutty spooky mare. Can sit bucks extremely well (current mare wants to be in a rodeo), cant sit rears but then again tend to avoid riding horses that rear!

I'm not experienced with youngsters (under the age of 5), I wouldnt know where to start breaking a horse and I'm no expert on the vast medical issues that competition horses seem to have. I'm still learning a lot and have a long way to go but I know generally if you plonk me on a horse that doesnt want to kill every human on earth then generally I'll be able to ride it reasonably, some better than others depending on horses training. Its the training of the youngsters I cant do, and when you plonk me on a horse that may have reached 6 or 7 and has had poor or little training, that is where it shows me up. But if you plonk me on a horse that has had basic correct training I dont look too bad.

So I think that makes me fairly average - I'm no dressage superstar, I'm no gifted horsewoman, I just enjoy riding and try and learn as much as I can as I go on and try not to look to terrible when I'm in the saddle. And most importantly I am the first to recognise when I cant ride a horse well and it needs someone better than I am.
 
When I was younger and left my RS to delve into the world of sharing/loaning I would have classed myself as an advanced rider. I rode in the top lesson so to speak and was always the first on the new horses or was always swapped onto one if someone was struggling with it. What an eye opener it was for me! I cringe now when I remember I used to tell people I was an advanced rider! I'd say now I'd class myself as a competent novice. Im currently preparing for my stage 3, ride novice dressage tests at unaff. level and have competed BN on a day ticket. I tend to do well out competing, particularly at dressage and have schooled the horse I compete myself, with a lesson every other week. I think to class yourself as an advanced rider you have to be seriously moving up the ranks in your chosen discipline. Im not sure how to classify a rider who doesn't compete though? I'm sure that there are hundreds of people who don't compete who could totally put me to shame on the horse I compete
 
kc100 said:
and I'm no expert on the vast medical issues that competition horses seem to have.
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Well if we're talking about veterinary knowledge not riding I'd qualify as advanced. Have a horse that has every ailment possible including ones that have the vets at the local horsepital scratching their heads and telling you it's only the second time in their career they've seen one of those - provided me with a crash course in that area.
 
It depends on the situation. At a trekking centre or riding school advanced. Compared to the average happy hacker I'd say intermediate. Looking at the greater scheme of things definately a novice! I tend to avoid classifying myself as to be quite frank I don't know.
 
I would say I'm competent at what I want to do, (mainly hacking, often at speed!) which is all I want to achieve really. I'm sure I am not a technically good rider, I've never had an interest in dressage and don't particularly relish the prospect of any sort of schooling sessions. I'm not competitive at all and know that there are many many riders who would put me to shame! I wouldn't be able to bring on a youngster or improve a horse's ability without an instructor.

That being said, I am completely confident and safe riding a very lively, forward going and often spooky PBA who always wants to race, and think I could confidently handle most horses so long as they weren't really dangerous. So for me that experienced enough for what I want to do :)
 
MrsElle said:
Blinking heck, if you lot are novices, what does that make me?

I bimble about at a walk, only trotting if I need to get out of the way of something. I regularly forget how to steer, whether I should grip with my thighs, knees, calves or not at all. I can sit spooks, but last fell off at a walk when I forgot to tighten the girth properly......!

Therefore, if you lot are novices, I am useless. Which actually I pretty much am!
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:D I bet you've got a horse that you love and wants for nothing though!
 
A lot depends on confidence I think. My husband decided, after 10 years of not seeing me at weekends, to start learning to ride last September. He's doing really well - did rising trot at his first attempt, cantered after 3 weeks. Last weekend he learned walk to canter. Does he look like he's competent and experienced? Of course not! But recently he's started talking about buying a horse, selling the house and moving to a place with land so we can have the horses at home :eek: Over the Christmas period he's come up to the yard to help me with my pony a few times and it's great to have the help, but he has no idea how to do things I take for granted, he doesn't get the whole body language/horse mindset thing yet and he's definitely in the "doesn't know what he doesn't know" category. And I consider myself to be just beginning to get competent on the ground after 3 years of horse ownership!

I wouldn't describe my husband as the cocky know-it-all type at all, but I guess men tend to be more confident.......Needless to say there is no way he's buying a horse for some time yet! :D
 
I can steer the horse and generally know where the gears are, using the brakes has improved over the years too....

I'd call myself a bimbler, as someone else has said!

...can we add that to the classification??
 
Cowpony said:
A lot depends on confidence I think. My husband decided, after 10 years of not seeing me at weekends, to start learning to ride last September. He's doing really well - did rising trot at his first attempt, cantered after 3 weeks. Last weekend he learned walk to canter. Does he look like he's competent and experienced? Of course not! But recently he's started talking about buying a horse, selling the house and moving to a place with land so we can have the horses at home :eek: Over the Christmas period he's come up to the yard to help me with my pony a few times and it's great to have the help, but he has no idea how to do things I take for granted, he doesn't get the whole body language/horse mindset thing yet and he's definitely in the "doesn't know what he doesn't know" category. And I consider myself to be just beginning to get competent on the ground after 3 years of horse ownership!

I wouldn't describe my husband as the cocky know-it-all type at all, but I guess men tend to be more confident.......Needless to say there is no way he's buying a horse for some time yet! :D
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Lucky you!!!!! Very envious of this!
 
we need some more words to classify, as i only ever hear beginner, novice and experienced. but after novice there should be intermediate, local rc level, all sorts of 'levels'. i would say i am intermediate and relatively confident, as i have ridden for 12 years and own 2 horses, one of which can be challenging when she is in a bad mood! i would ride a horse even if it is a bit strong or spooky (with in reason!). but i am not a 'professional' level rider. i can ride competently, but not beautifully! i plan to attempt dressage prelim this year, did a few prelim tests years ago and got low 50s.
 
pippixox said:
we need some more words to classify, as i only ever hear beginner, novice and experienced. but after novice there should be intermediate, local rc level, all sorts of 'levels'.
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Perhaps, but mostly I think we need to agree on what constitutes what level although I feel the BHS has done the hard work of that for us.
The stage 1 exam is exactly what a novice should be aiming for- all the basics in place ready to move on.
Not the most elegant looking rider but safe and competent on a well mannered horse in most situations.

Stage 2 expands on that knowledge and introduces some new bits(so a stage 2 rider is intermediate to me) and stage 3 is an experienced rider.

An advanced rider would be experienced AND have something extra to offer. Maybe they have specialised in the early training of young horses for example or have good consistent results at national level competitions.

Of course for the purpose of this discussion I am assuming the rider has hit those marker while learning a "full curriculum" of horse experience and has not just studied to pass the tests in question as some of the cr@p instructors appear to have done.....
 
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In a RS I'd be classed as advanced, in Riding Club, I booked Nursery Novice lessons for jumping, and Novice for flat work.

If I'm describing myself to an instructor, I can walk, trot, canter and do some lateral work, can't jump to save my life these days, and my brave pants have more holes than fabric left.
 
I don't understand the need to classify and would have no idea where I fit in. I rode as a child, had a couple of years of intensive classical dressage training (3 or 4 lessons a week) in my 20s followed by a 20 year gap. I'm back riding now (frequent lessons on my horse and on a dressage schoolmaster) I'm happy to ride forward going horses (even quite hot horses tend to be happy to put up with me because I ride very quietly / don't ask a lot of them) but don't think I could necessarily improve a horse' sway of going. Experienced passenger maybe?
 
I don't think you can say stage 3 is experienced...... I'm working towards that level (there with schooling and beyond, but not jumping yet) and don't feel 'experienced' but rather gaining experience of correctly work a horse, instead of just learning to ride/sit on a horse.
However I do feel like a competent rider/owner. I will get on anything that won't kill me, and most things I can get on and ensure it works correctly. I can also improve a horses way of going up to elementary and would be quite happy to teach/train a horse up to elementary. But there are still many experiences I need to have before I consider myself an experienced horse person!
 
I'm 34 got my first pony at 4 years old , since then I've had 11 horses.

Competed affiliated BS/BE, 3 day event etc.

Rode a inter II horse for 8 months and could do a lot of advanced moves on him.

Had regular lessons on flat and SJ since I was a child.

So on a level of it being only a hobby I'd say reasonably experienced.

I come from a horsey family, where parents and siblings all rode.

Yet I have over horsed myself with 1 horse I owned and he was as calm as donkey 99.9% of the time.

Yet some of my horses prior to him where total nutters and I managed fine.

But he was a large young talented WB, and for me Mrs Joe Bloggs amateur rider , he was too much. I think some of this is due to getting a fear of being hurt as I've got older. Something I never had in my 20's .

10 years ago I think I could of rode anything but in front of me, would I of rode it well..?? Hmmm that would be a matter of opinion

So I'd say a experienced hobbiest 😉
 
oldie48 said:
I think this is where so many people come unstuck, so to speak. Making that transition from a RS to owning or loaning a horse can be massive. I guess this was about my level when I bought my first horse, I was lucky that I bought something forward going but very safe so she wasn't a big step up from what I'd been riding at the RS but riding on my own and dealing with situations that came up on hacks was a steep learning curve. Also, if I'm honest my aids were pretty basic and again I was lucky to be on a yard with a supportive and knowledgeable YO who helped me hugely with care, loading and all the stuff that goes with ownership. Trouble is you just don't know what you don't know!Two years later I moved to a house with my own yard and over the years have handled fit competition horses etc and competed myself but I have had periods with new horses when I've felt a bit over horsed but I've always had supportive and very experienced trainers to turn to.
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I've seen so many people make the wrong horse choice and the misery that being over-horsed causes that I think it's made me really cautious.
I've looked after my friend's two ex racers when she goes away and I help out at another friends place and ride her horses and am ok handling on ground and doing the basics of schooling and ground work. I've got reasonably well informed about ailments and feeding and foot care and but ownership still scares me ! :o
 
Tricky. I'd say I'm very experienced with young horses, breaking in and producing, experienced with rehabilitation and retraining (five years on a breaking and reschooling yard and two years rehab and retraining with a rescue organisation) and an an experienced pleasure rider and probably reasonably experienced schooling horses on the flat (have schooled to about adv medium) but I'm a novice competitive rider, and whilst I used to exercise polo ponies I've never worked with fit, hard working horses like hunters/high level eventers/dressage horses/racehorses. However I work in equine health and am doing my masters in equine nutrition and sports physiology so have more knowledge there.
 
Well I don't honestly know in truth, I have been riding and owned horses for the last 23 years, I have ridden all sorts, difficult and easy. I certainly think that when I was young I was a pretty good little rider,not amazing or talented per say but a good little rider when I think back, now at 32 I just don't know,I feel more critical of myself now that is for sure. I am an ok rider but not great, I am certainly always learning, particularly as I am bringing on my young mare who I backed last year, she has turned into a cracker but I do not feel like I can take credit as I think she is a good little horse,not that it has been plain sailing as it has not, but very rewarding,perhaps I am not as bad as I think, oh I don't know, argh! Who knows, so difficult to judge really....I will shut up with my useless rambling now!

Oh and for any that don't know I am a happy hacker,I can and have jumped but hacking is my thing and the only thing I can say I am ok/competent at ;)
 
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I think it's all very relative really. I'm pretty competent, but compared to my sister I'm terrible. She's very competent and fairly experienced- competed up to 1.10m eventing on horses/ ponies produced herself, and is currently a working pupil at a top eventer's yard. But she knows that compared to the two pros on that yard she's pretty mediocre (but still competent).

So it's hard to judge!
 
So if we had to come up with better classifications of rider ability what would they be?

I just tried to come up with some myself and after coming up with pre-beginner, beginner, pre novice, novice I realised how tricky it would be, there's so much to consider.

But if someone else would like to have a go, it'd be interesting to see.
 
I would describe myself as reasonably competent, but not always confident - and when my confidence is low, my competence suffers!

I love TBs and my current ex-racehorse has challenged me - a lot! Nappy and rearing and spinning hacking out but I can now get her to go most places - but we still only compete at intro dressage! I've backed my first youngster now too who I hack out alone and I'm proud of that. BUT if either of them start messing when I'm out hacking, I still freeze, even though I know what I should do to tackle it. So competent yes, but confident, no!
 
I have been riding for 50 years owned horses for 45 of them and I would still say I had more to learn than I know. I am an instinctive horseperson I know when something is right or not right I know how in theory to put it right and when to get help. I love to learn so spend a lot of time researching and listening to others views but I am now a bimbler and when I ride I do so for fun. I love to produce in an amateurish sort of way my natives for shows and have great fun watching them do the things with others I no longer want to myself. So how would I class myself well I suppose I would be classed as experienced but I dont feel very confident in that description so Better described as a" jack of all trades master of none"
 
Competent with lack of confidence. Me and my old boy alf were planning our beginner dressage tests before he passed away last dec. haven't ridden much since, but have bought a youngster who I will have to ride. Horsey friend always says you learn more of a difficult horse. I'm hoping I'll learn more but then also hoping it's not difficult hahaha. God help me
 
depends on the horse and my moods! I have nerves and electric pants so make horses go crazy so I stick to the quiet ones. I have not the patience nor the ability/brain to get around teaching a young horse how to do something - but under instruction I can get some good moves from a horse. Obv the better the horse the better I would ride it - under instruction - left to my own devices I am sure it would be a CF!

I've ridden since 94, but on and off, and owner ponies and horses on and off so I still class myself as a novice. I can jump a round of showjumps at 90cm , 110m is pushing it. I cant see a stride and I find it hard to tell which diagonal I am on or even canter lead but that's just me, I know what it should be, but I cant physically feel it.

That said a few years ago I managed a jumping lesson with a trainer up here, and despite having NO muscles what so ever after pregnancy and a bad c-section he though pretty highly of my ability and how I rode and how my fat cob jumped, so I must do something right.
 
Elvis said:
So if we had to come up with better classifications of rider ability what would they be?

I just tried to come up with some myself and after coming up with pre-beginner, beginner, pre novice, novice I realised how tricky it would be, there's so much to consider.

But if someone else would like to have a go, it'd be interesting to see.
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Is a "pre-beginner" somebody who hasn't even started yet?! ;-)
 
I've been riding 38 years with a few small breaks for Uni and jobs etc. and owned own horses for around 20 of those.

I would consider myself experienced and competent enough to know my ability and what I definitely would or and more importantly what I would not get on. Part of this is actual physical ability and part of this is mental attitude in that even I could I do not want to ride some challenging horses for fear of having an accident. Due to this I haven't ridden the range of horses I would need to become the rider I could be certainly as a mature adult.

I can school reasonably well and know lot of the principles but certainly I still need lessons and regular direction to stop me getting into bad habits or to deal with new problems. I started going to the gym 2 months ago because I can feel my physical ability declining which makes me less confident.
 
Interesting thread. I'm like a couple of posters - I started riding when I was 9, am now 49 and have pretty much ridden and owned horses all the way through. Because I was never taught to ride but just learnt through trial and error and library books, I think I lack the finesse of a lot of well trained riders. Am happy to ride my own horses anywhere, but am wary of other peoples. I like the familiar I guess.

However, over the years I have shown both in hand and under saddle, ridden endurance to 3*, bred a few and started them, am learning about dressage (after discovering I could do it) and have played around with a very little bit of jumping. There is a list of stuff I still want to do, and a plan for when I can no longer get a leg over.

I guess I'm experienced, but I hate the word "expert", as I believe that if you think you are one of those around horses, you are doomed to fail. There is a ton of stuff I am looking forward to learning (flying changes !) but that is what is so great about this sport of ours. You never stop learning.
 
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