Horse Riding : natural ability or a taught thing

[FionaM12]

It would be interesting to see if there is a correlation between those "naturals" who had also grown up with, say, dogs around the house and those who had no contact or had never developed a close relationship with any animals at all.

I definitely think that riding can be a natural ability. I was put on a pony aged 6 months, mum always had ponies around and so it was natural for me to sit on them,

It's the old "nature or nurture" argument I think. To me, saying something comes naturally suggests you were born with it, not that it came via external factors.

If someone grew around dogs so is comfortable with animals, or was put on a horse since they were a baby, that does give them an advantage over people who didn't have that experience. but it is surely the experience which gives them that advantage, not "natural ability"?

 

[Caol Ila]

Obviously someone who was put on a pony at aged 6 months and who's parents ride will have an advantage over someone who learned to ride at age 30. Same with these people who learn Irish traditional music from their parents and were given a tin whistle at age 3.

There are too many variables -- motivation, background, how much time you spend doing it, and yeah, there's something to be said for in-built athleticism on top of all that.

And hey, to whoever said "a girl at my barn hasn't gotten any better in 5 years," I resemble that remark. In fact, I've probably gotten worse in the last 5 years. As someone who has zero natural ability, I wince a bit when reading posts that say, "I have lots of naturally ability." Good on you, mate.

Funny enough, when people have this very same discussion on an Irish music board I frequent, no one says they have natural ability at music. They all say they worked bloody hard at it.

 

[deoni]

Has anyone heard of 10,000 hours? I kind of agree with the concept. I saw this guy live who explains it perfectly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=y8XTddTUbh4#t=132s At 2.12 mins in.

Basically it's not about natural talent, its about how many hours and work you put into something. In the following song on the video he says, "The greats weren't great because at birth they could paint,
The greats were great cause they paint a lot"

 

[POLLDARK]

I feel that some people lack co-ordination in every thing they do & so find riding, which requires loads of it, difficult. Also nerves play a large part, even if they say they are relaxed they are not. That will block out what they know they should be doing & untutored behavior kicks in.

 

[Farma]

I think that its the number of hours spent riding from an early age, I think it's often quite apparent whether someone started as an adult or not.
I think those people that spent their childhoods on numerous ponies every evening/ weekend just rack up the hours and experience and look totally natural whereas people that do weekly riding lessons just don't get enough time in the saddle.
Also sometimes people are damn lucky to get a really great horse that forgives all their mistakes and gives them all the confidence in the world to do more and will make them look really good whilst other equally good riders could end up with a horse with a bit of a piggy temperament and they are then never really considered good riders.

 

[pansymouse]

I was taught to ride my a bad tempered pony - if I did anything wrong she would hurt me. I spent quite a lot of my childhood covered in bites and kicks so I guess I didn't have natural ability

 

[FfionWinnie]

I started riding at 3 but had very very few formal lessons until I was 15. I rode every Saturday and as much as I could in the holidays. My family are not at all horsey yet I was asking to ride from when I could talk. I had various horses on loan from 15-18 then bought my own. I read every book available on horses and that's how I learned about technical aspects. Incidentally my immediate family are townies and I am a shepherd. 3 generations back and my Dad's cousin are farmers. No one rides. So I think there is a genetic element otherwise what attracted me in the first instance, it wasn't nurture, although my parents were very supportive.

 

[Flame_]

I'll always remember a (sort of ) compliment I got back at college that me and another girl had a way of sitting that just made horses want to go well, which was odd because we were both short and dumpy's, in not so many words.

I think I do have good feel for horses and while far from the most effective, hard-working rider in the world, most horses like me. I put it down to having had Flamey, spending many years from 9 - 14 at a a proper BHS riding school with an excellent horsewoman instructor who didn't hold back on the no stirrups, no reins, no saddles drill work, gridwork, races, etc, a few ride with your mind lessons and I've always enjoyed outdoorsy riding more than arena based stuff.

We all know people who've been riding forever and still aren't much good, but they are rarely horse-people on the ground either and they just don't really get horses at all.

 

[Christsam]

the problem is nowadays because of accident claims and hence insurance riding schools cannot allow people to ride without stirrups, reins etc as its not safe. Nothing wrong with a good old lunge with no reins or stirrups but still having to rise to the trot!!! I know of people who say they are excellent riders and go on about they know because "youre not a rider til youve fallen off ten times" old story and they have done. Yeah love, thats not just dropping off for no reason falling off!!! rant over....

 

[TrasaM]

I've always loved horses but only started riding 16 months ago aged 52. I did grow up on a farm so I'm familiar with being around animals and am generally calm and quite. Natural ability to do anything requires that you have certain characteristics required for that specific task. I had kept quite fit and I had the desire to learn to ride properly and not just to be able to sit on the horse and be a passenger but to become as good as I possibly could given the relatively limited time left to me to so. I have made the effort to read and learn as much as I can about horses and how to ride correctly. I seem to have the ability to keep a nervous horse calm but I think this is due to me being able to stay calm and relaxed which transmits to the horse and not being afraid or panicking. I have a long way to go but I'm working on it.
I ride with some friend's who have been riding forever and I don't think they understand why I keep on having lessons because to them I seem to be an ok rider. but to me being a good rider does not mean the same as it does to them.
In summery I'm putting a lot of effort into being a natural with horses.

 

[Wagtail]

It is a bit of both. There is some natural ablity and some learning. Some people will never ever be good riders, no matter how many lessons they have. One person I teach has made virtually no progress in six years! I would think it was down to my teaching but everyone else I teach has improved greatly. Some much quicker than others.