Getting back into riding after 6yrs+ out of the saddle

[asterope]

Hi all,

I've just started getting back into riding after 6 years out of the saddle. I rode for all of my childhood (4-18), then stopped when I went to uni. Now I'm older and financially stable (fingers crossed) and in a much better position to start learning again.

Although I didn't own my own horse when I rode before, I was a confident, independent rider who would regularly school young horses for the stables I rode at. I had my first group lesson at a different stables, which was the first time I've sat on a horse in over six years! I was pleased that my position was still OK and that my balance is fine (and that I can still do rising trot!), but the experience wasn't an amazing one and has knocked my confidence a bit. The instructor was quite brusque - I had been back onboard for about 5 minutes and was snapped at for shoving my seat in walk and told "you will make your back sore and her back sore", which seemed a bit of overkill when I'd been doing it for only about 30 seconds! I also later got told I had heavy hands and that I had already made the pony's mouth sore from one incident where, admittedly, my hands were harsher than ideal after the pony I was riding decided to tow me to the back of the ride as being away from the ride made her anxious. The pony was fine in her mouth for the rest of the ride and didn't show any signs of discomfort. I was also told off for changing my diagonal (which is pretty much automatic) as I apparently had "enough to worry about" when trying to get said reluctant pony into trot.

I accept that I am not the rider I was, but this was a bit disheartening - I wasn't trying to show off by changing my diagonal or riding into the corners, I just did what I always would have done when riding before. I got some (limited) positive feedback when I made adjustments while riding, but at the end the instructor just said it was difficult to assess our riding properly in a group lesson - there were only 4 of us and it lasted for an hour.

As it's the only riding school nearby that isn't extortionate, I want to go back - part of me is thinking I just need a thicker skin as the instructor's comments weren't wrong, but I'm also not sure just telling me "don't do that" is helpful when if I knew how I wouldn't be doing it! I am also wondering if I should get private lessons. I don't mind group lessons where there's a clear aim and everyone is on the same page, but this wasn't that - it was just a chance to get back on a horse, with people who stated that they had the same level of ability but didn't really. I think I would be a lot happier being able to talk to the instructor more and have a bit more freedom to potter about by myself, although I recognise that it might be a very long time before my riding level is anything like it was before I stopped.

How have other people got back into riding as adults?

 

[Widgeon]

Private lessons is how I did it. Fortunately we had a good small local riding school that wasn't overly expensive (£25 for half an hour) so I rode there for a couple of years.

Your instructor sounds bored, rude, and / or just not very good (any or all of those!), and is probably used to shouting at large groups of beginners every day. I would forget the group lessons and try private. I'm also a bit surprised that the riding school dumped you straight into a group lesson without a private one first to assess your current ability. None of it would have me exactly rushing back.

I know you say the other local schools are extortionate, but perhaps it would be worth it if you're going to get better quality teaching (and horses - being towed around by a lazy horse who wants to plant its nose back in its friend's tail doesn't sound much fun) - maybe at least worth a look?

Also, try finding somewhere local, like a trekking centre, that does faster rides for non-beginners. That was how I got my hacking fix as the local place had no hacking.

Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for you.

 

[smolmaus]

Spooky, I could have written almost exactly this about 4 months ago! Same riding school from 7-25 then a 5-6 year gap.

Except the first school I went to the instructor was a bit too soft. If the pony tanked off to the end it was "oh well haha", it was sit-and-kick for canter (no thanks) and gently-gently with the critique. It was great for getting me back on a horse but I don't think I learned much. I moved house and riding schools and although my now-instructor sounds much more like yours (your hands are too hard, hands too low, why are you checking for a stride you don't know enough to do that etc all at 110dB) I am at least definitely learning (and un-learning) and I've gotten used to her style of things now. It wasn't great for the confidence at all to begin with but now I know her better I'm able to take the comment and let the tone slide off me a bit.

I think private lessons would be good for both you and the instructor so you both have time to explain why you're doing things and get used to eachother. I had a few privates with the school owner before she placed me in a regular group which was very helpful as we are all on a semi-similar level, even though her comments on my riding were different again to the group instructor! I have another school I'm going to check out eventually as well, just to see. It's extra hassle and expense but I think worth it to find where suits you best.

How extortionate are we talking btw?

 

[jkitten]

You have my sympathies! I'm about to take my first lesson in a veeeery long time, but a few years after I left my childhood RS I had a brief stint of lessons (so brief that I had forgotten about them when I made my introductory post, oops!), and I got something like your 'not showing off' comment as well. It really surprised me at the time because really that had been the last thing on my mind. I think in retrospect it was that some things came back automatically, like you changing your diagonal, and some things really didn't, so probably the visual impression was rather awkward and perhaps inadvertently showy due to how much emphasis.

This time around I'm starting out with private lessons, partly because of that experience. I hope you are able to gel better with your instructor, or else find someone/somewhere more suitable. I agree with @smolmaus that a little extra hassle and expense is probably going to be worth it to find somewhere that will be a pleasure to go to.

 

[Trouper]

Well my "gap year" was a lot longer than 6 years and I, too, was pleased to find that muscle memory kicked in quite quickly although muscle strength and control took longer. I found I did need a good instructor and it would be worth paying for it - even if it is less frequent than you would like. Your instructor sounds anything but good - that is no way to give people the confidence to get back into riding. You may have been doing things that were not helpful to the horse but there are ways of telling students that!!

 

[maya2008]

My husband started again after a ten year gap. He found riding schools didn’t work for him at all, because they were pushing him to do too much too soon, assuming he didn’t know how to ride, rather than helping him regain the muscle he had lost. He was constantly frustrated because his brain told his body to do one thing, but it was doing another because there was no longer any muscle to execute the desired action! That and the horses were often stiff and unresponsive from endless daily lessons with novice riders. So he found somewhere smaller that actually listened when he said he still remembered what to do but had no muscle (he never stopped being my eyes on the ground!). Lots and lots of lunge lessons were then had, focusing on his balance and building strength. He was much happier then and progressed faster.

 

[AUB]

I had a 7 year gap and went straight out and got a horse on loan. I really didn’t feel like starting lessons on a riding school.
I had the horse as my own and rode every day and within a few months I felt as if I had never had a break from it.
Then I went on maternity leave from riding for a year and bought a young mare when my son was about 1 year.