How long to learn to ride?

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HelenMac

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I’m getting a disheartened.

I learned to ride as an adult. In my 20s I’d manage weekly group lessons for a 6 month stretch then have an enforced 6 month gap etc. I made the most progress in my late 20s and finished up a confident novice. I jumped 95/100 in the school but only ever attempted a very low course once. I couldn’t remember it for the life of me! I was starting to do a few lateral moves, like shoulder in, badly.

I then got dumped in a verge by a young horse on an assessment at a new school. I know! That hurt a LOT for some time but nothing broken except my confidence. So I stopped riding.

I’m now in my 50s, started again in January and I have had a weekly private lesson. I’ve gained my confidence back. But I am making such slow progress. It’s snails’ pace.

Getting the horse moving forward is such an effort. It’s not him, I’ve seen him ridden by an instructor and he’ll move. It’s me. I just can’t seem to get my leg on him effectively. A full circuit of the school in trot has me dying with the effort of keeping him going. I’m doing strength exercises and going to the gym to improve myself. I’m stretching my hips, quads, calves etc. I’m doing cardio and Pilates. I like the instructor and the school very much.

But I’m wondering if this is really worth it. I’ve managed lessons twice weekly over the last few weeks but need to go back to mostly one a week. I so want to get my own horse but this seems more and more like an unattainable dream and I wonder if I’m just being unrealistic. Apart from anything, there seem to be few horses suitable for novices ever offered for sale.

I feel like every horse owner learned as a child and I’ll never actually get to that relaxed and competent stage of riding. Do I admit defeat? Or am I being impatient?
 
I would discuss this with your instructor. Maybe you are blocking him in some way, or sending mixed messages, mixed aids like asking for stop and go at the same time. Or it is a loss of balance and he is looking after you.

Do they do lunge lessons at the school, when the instructor is in charge of how fast the horse is going and you are concentrating on your position and balance and not worry about what the horse is doing?
The mechanical horse sounds like a good idea too.

Or can you do a quiet hack occasionally and not a lesson?

It sounds as though you are doing all the work, but it should be the horse doing the work and carrying you!
 
If you've previously had confidence issues then it's very possible that the issue is that even though your leg is saying "go", literally everything else that your body is communicating is saying "stop".

The problem may well be that the horse is listening to you, rather than he's not.

Think about what your body is doing when you're asking him to move forward. Are you thinking 'forward'? And is your body saying 'forward'? Is your chest up and open across your collar bones? Or are you hunching slightly over and collapsing into your core? Is your chin raised and determined? Or are tucking your chin down and drawing the eye gaze to his neck? Are your hands softly allowing his neck to lengthen as he takes bigger steps? Or are you using them to balance yourself or holding on too tightly? Is your weight sitting just in front of your seat bones so your body is just ahead of a vertical line? Or are you sitting behind the movement and getting left behind?

Tiny subtle things make the hugest difference but they all come down to how your posture responds if you are thinking 'forward'. Think about what naturally happens when your are just about to spring out of a chair with anticipation versus what happens if you're in a car with some who is driving too fast. Where you tip your weight and angle of your pelvis will be completely different.

I'd probably practice just sitting without the horse, consciously controlling that posture. Pilates would definitely help with that too, focusing on changing the angle of the pelvic tilt using core muscles.

When you next ride, I would ask to add a neck strap if you don't already have one, and use that to stop any subconscious movement to balance yourself on the rein. And a neck strap can also help you to pull yourself into that slightly forward position but remember to engage your core whilst you do that so you don't end up collapsing through your middle and ending up very heavy over the horse's shoulder, which if you can envision, almost blocks the shoulder from moving. You want to be light and balanced over the horse, thinking up and open with your chest.

I don't know if I'm explaining this in a way that makes sense at all.

I also agree that getting some time on the lunge might give you the space to work on your position and be confident in thinking 'forward' whilst having a little bit of extra support in steering the horse.

Let me know if anything there sounds like it might make sense, or whether you think I'm way off the mark.
 
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Is it time or money that is limiting your riding opportunities? If either then getting your own horse will make the issue worse in all likelihood. I would ride 3 or 4 times a week, a mix of private/group arena work and hacking. The hacking is particularly important as so many schools now don’t teach road/hacking awareness. Only by practice can we get better but it’s not always the best idea as a novice to buy a horse and hope to acquire the “saddle miles” through ownership. Up the frequency of lessons and ask for different horses to ride.
 
I rode a bit, less than you, as a child. Stopped early teenage as lessons too expensive. I started again in mid 50s, like you lesson once a week. Then through a friend whose family were horsey I started riding once a week, hacking out on point to piont racehorses. I was completely novice, but turned up every week, rain or shine, and it was the time in the saddle, and riding different horses that gave me experience and confidence, as well as knowledge of horse care. The horsey family were just happy that someone was helping to exercise their horses. I did that for years, eventually moving on to a horse of my own. I realise that is much less common these days, but there are still such people out there, maybe in you area?
 
LadyGascoyne said:
If you've previously had confidence issues then it's very possible that the issue is that even though your leg is saying "go", literally everything else that your body is communicating is saying "stop".

The problem may well be that the horse is listening to you, rather than he's not.
Click to expand...

Just want to reinforce this.

I have a baby horse. I'd seen our trainer ride him in canter and it did not fill me with confidence, nothing naughty but he looked so uncoordinated and needing a lot of support.

At my next lesson our trainer was keen that I get canter on him, in the school (not safely on the gallops where there aren't corners) but in a tiny 80m x 50m arena!!

After 3 or 4 large circles of failure I was frustrated and trotted to the trainer and said I just dont get it, why cant I get canter?

Trainer quietly told me I just didnt want him to canter and as much as I was giving go signals, the rest of me absolutely wasnt.

Took a deep breath, got back on the circle, sat down and got the canter in the first few strides of asking.

Also, baby horse doesnt actually have the canter buttons yet but trainer didnt tell me that until a few weeks later 🤣
 
Midlifecrisis said:
Is it time or money that is limiting your riding opportunities? If either then getting your own horse will make the issue worse in all likelihood. I would ride 3 or 4 times a week, a mix of private/group arena work and hacking. The hacking is particularly important as so many schools now don’t teach road/hacking awareness. Only by practice can we get better but it’s not always the best idea as a novice to buy a horse and hope to acquire the “saddle miles” through ownership. Up the frequency of lessons and ask for different horses to ride.
Click to expand...
Well I’m not ready for my own horse yet but I’m wondering if I ever will be a good enough rider to have my own. If it’s going to take another 5 years then I may as well ditch the dream now.
The riding school is a 50 minute drive away. That is limiting.
 
cold_feet said:
I rode a bit, less than you, as a child. Stopped early teenage as lessons too expensive. I started again in mid 50s, like you lesson once a week. Then through a friend whose family were horsey I started riding once a week, hacking out on point to piont racehorses. I was completely novice, but turned up every week, rain or shine, and it was the time in the saddle, and riding different horses that gave me experience and confidence, as well as knowledge of horse care. The horsey family were just happy that someone was helping to exercise their horses. I did that for years, eventually moving on to a horse of my own. I realise that is much less common these days, but there are still such people out there, maybe in you area?
Click to expand...
Possibly but no one wants a novice on their horse. Or they simply aren’t a good match for a novice.
I’ve only lived here a year. My neighbour has horses but I wouldn’t dare ride her thoroughbred and I doubt if her other horse would be suitable as I think she can be a little quirky.
 
LadyGascoyne said:
If you've previously had confidence issues then it's very possible that the issue is that even though your leg is saying "go", literally everything else that your body is communicating is saying "stop".

The problem may well be that the horse is listening to you, rather than he's not.

Think about what your body is doing when you're asking him to move forward. Are you thinking 'forward'? And is your body saying 'forward'? Is your chest up and open across your collar bones? Or are you hunching slightly over and collapsing into your core? Is your chin raised and determined? Or are tucking your chin down and drawing the eye gaze to his neck? Are your hands softly allowing his neck to lengthen as he takes bigger steps? Or are you using them to balance yourself or holding on too tightly? Is your weight sitting just in front of your seat bones so your body is just ahead of a vertical line? Or are you sitting behind the movement and getting left behind?

Tiny subtle things make the hugest difference but they all come down to how your posture responds if you are thinking 'forward'. Think about what naturally happens when your are just about to spring out of a chair with anticipation versus what happens if you're in a car with some who is driving too fast. Where you tip your weight and angle of your pelvis will be completely different.

I'd probably practice just sitting without the horse, consciously controlling that posture. Pilates would definitely help with that too, focusing on changing the angle of the pelvic tilt using core muscles.

When you next ride, I would ask to add a neck strap if you don't already have one, and use that to stop any subconscious movement to balance yourself on the rein. And a neck strap can also help you to pull yourself into that slightly forward position but remember to engage your core whilst you do that so you don't end up collapsing through your middle and ending up very heavy over the horse's shoulder, which if you can envision, almost blocks the shoulder from moving. You want to be light and balanced over the horse, thinking up and open with your chest.

I don't know if I'm explaining this in a way that makes sense at all.

I also agree that getting some time on the lunge might give you the space to work on your position and be confident in thinking 'forward' whilst having a little bit of extra support in steering the horse.

Let me know if anything there sounds like it might make sense, or whether you think I'm way off the mark.
Click to expand...
Yes it all makes sense but from what my instructor says I just can’t seem to give the leg aid correctly. Legs too weak? Horse too round? I don’t think that helps if I’m honest because I have very short legs too
We’ve had sessions on the mechanical horse too but it’s so much narrower than the real thing and feels so much easier.
My balance feels way better than it was months ago. I know I’m not hanging on the reins. I’ve done lots of work on my core because i think when i started I was falling forward a bit.
I’m starting to think if i just can’t get it I should be giving up. I like the instructor very much and I’ve seen the horse ridden properly so I know it’s me.
 
Not sure if this would be an option for you but it sounds like you are spending a lot on lessons anyway - have you considered going away for a few days / week on an instructional riding holiday? Riding twice a day with a nice gap between soon gets you going. I've been a few places where they do cater for less experienced people (such as Hacienda horses near Malaga) and you get a ride out in the morning and a lesson in the afternoon or whatever suits you. I know if I had learned to ski as an adult with an hour a week I'd prob have given up, but by the end of a week you see real progress. Just a thought and it may not be an option for you
Also - the particular horse you are learning on, while he might go well for others, might just not be the one for you. Thats OK too
 
HelenMac said:
I’m getting a disheartened.

I learned to ride as an adult. In my 20s I’d manage weekly group lessons for a 6 month stretch then have an enforced 6 month gap etc. I made the most progress in my late 20s and finished up a confident novice. I jumped 95/100 in the school but only ever attempted a very low course once. I couldn’t remember it for the life of me! I was starting to do a few lateral moves, like shoulder in, badly.

I then got dumped in a verge by a young horse on an assessment at a new school. I know! That hurt a LOT for some time but nothing broken except my confidence. So I stopped riding.

I’m now in my 50s, started again in January and I have had a weekly private lesson. I’ve gained my confidence back. But I am making such slow progress. It’s snails’ pace.

Getting the horse moving forward is such an effort. It’s not him, I’ve seen him ridden by an instructor and he’ll move. It’s me. I just can’t seem to get my leg on him effectively. A full circuit of the school in trot has me dying with the effort of keeping him going. I’m doing strength exercises and going to the gym to improve myself. I’m stretching my hips, quads, calves etc. I’m doing cardio and Pilates. I like the instructor and the school very much.

But I’m wondering if this is really worth it. I’ve managed lessons twice weekly over the last few weeks but need to go back to mostly one a week. I so want to get my own horse but this seems more and more like an unattainable dream and I wonder if I’m just being unrealistic. Apart from anything, there seem to be few horses suitable for novices ever offered for sale.

I feel like every horse owner learned as a child and I’ll never actually get to that relaxed and competent stage of riding. Do I admit defeat? Or am I being impatient?
Click to expand...
Ok. Deep breath.

This is completely normal!!

Yes the instructor can make him go because her seat and legs and general ability is higher than yours. You need to learn it all again.

Things that will help would be having a half hour lunging lesson every week. It means you can concentrate on your position and not worry about getting horsey forward. That’s the lunge instructor’s responsibility. Do exercises whilst lunging such as:- (no stirrups)

Draw your legs up like a jockey then push them down and out. This exercise helps you find you seat bones.

Life your leg (upper part as well) away from the saddle and move one forward the other backward. Carry on like you’re ‘walking’. Again helps you find your seatbones and lengthens your legs

Do sitting trot (with and without stirrups) whilst holding onto the pommel of the saddle. That way you can hold you seat hips etc into the movement and feel how you need to sit.

When riding independently try and concentrate on not gripping with your upper leg and knees. And putting your weight into your pinky toe.

You’ll get there. There’s no rush!! Everyone learns at a different rate. Have fun.
 
Not every
HelenMac said:
I’m getting a disheartened.

I learned to ride as an adult. In my 20s I’d manage weekly group lessons for a 6 month stretch then have an enforced 6 month gap etc. I made the most progress in my late 20s and finished up a confident novice. I jumped 95/100 in the school but only ever attempted a very low course once. I couldn’t remember it for the life of me! I was starting to do a few lateral moves, like shoulder in, badly.

I then got dumped in a verge by a young horse on an assessment at a new school. I know! That hurt a LOT for some time but nothing broken except my confidence. So I stopped riding.

I’m now in my 50s, started again in January and I have had a weekly private lesson. I’ve gained my confidence back. But I am making such slow progress. It’s snails’ pace.

Getting the horse moving forward is such an effort. It’s not him, I’ve seen him ridden by an instructor and he’ll move. It’s me. I just can’t seem to get my leg on him effectively. A full circuit of the school in trot has me dying with the effort of keeping him going. I’m doing strength exercises and going to the gym to improve myself. I’m stretching my hips, quads, calves etc. I’m doing cardio and Pilates. I like the instructor and the school very much.

But I’m wondering if this is really worth it. I’ve managed lessons twice weekly over the last few weeks but need to go back to mostly one a week. I so want to get my own horse but this seems more and more like an unattainable dream and I wonder if I’m just being unrealistic. Apart from anything, there seem to be few horses suitable for novices ever offered for sale.

I feel like every horse owner learned as a child and I’ll never actually get to that relaxed and competent stage of riding. Do I admit defeat? Or am I being impatient?
Click to expand...
Not everybody learnt as a child. I rode about once a year as a teenager and only took up riding regularly much later at around 45.

I've seen a mare that point blank refused to move for a rider and the instructor has asked me to get on to wake her up; after that the original rider got on and the mare was fine for the rest of the lesson... it was just that the first rider was not properly "in charge" and the mare understood that she could have a quiet hour doing nothing.

I found riding to be a lot like skiing (that I also started as an adult) in that at first it was a lot of effort, made me hot and sweaty and tired me out quickly. Then, as I found out which muscles to use best and how to work with less effort, everything became easier and less tiring.

I'm fairly resigned to the idea that I'll probably never own my own horse. I need to work to earn a living, meaning that I don't have the time to take care of a horse; if I took time off to care for one, I'd have to stop working and wouldn't have to money to pay for feed and vet's bills.

But in the meantime, I have got to know a horse that belongs to a woman who teaches and organises trips out (half day, whole day, three to seven days away) and we get along very well.

We've literally done over 800km together and gone overcome a wide variety of obstacles and ridden over very difficult terrain (tunnels under loud motorways, crossing fast A-roads, stairs, fording rivers and crossing bridges, encounters with pigs, sheep and cattle, drones, steep inclines both uphill and down, sand dunes, sea...).

What I'm getting at is that it's completely normal to find riding tiring, to find that you're not making progress (measuring progress is hard); and it's normal to get frustrated at the lack of perceived progression.

Make riding fun! Go out hacking and for example practice leg yield to go around low branches or rocks and puddles instead of doing it around cones in the arena or school: make the stuff that is taught as an exercise into a useful technique for going out and about.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Well.its 60 years since I first sat on a pony and I'm still.learning, if that helps. You might find that lessons on a mechanical.horse are an effective way of developing your riding muscles.
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LOL, only 56 years for me, but yes, still learning. Still having confidence peaks and dips. And, yes, still not capable of what I was when I was younger.

Smashing replies by others too.

Whereabouts are you? Such as I have a horse suitable for a lightweight novice that I'd be happy for someone to hack out with me on, and a novice person would be fine. He's an oldie but a goodie, has had kids to 70+ yrs on him and he's happy just to be going out some in his retirement.

I'm sure others will have similar too, especially if you could contribute to chores or some expenses. Maybe there is a local FB group where you could advertise your services?
 
I wonder if it’s the right R/S for you. Back in the day, I started at one but made much better progress at another. I had my first lesson in years yesterday, on the steadiest ever cob. My instructor told me everything I did showed I know what I’m doing, but I just needed a reminder. It’s a bit like driving, you have to juggle multiple tasks, mirror, think where you’re going, turn your head, give it some gas, but all pretty much at once. You know what to do, but are you doing it?

Plus, as it’s quite far, as was mine (wanted to avoid my students!), this is pretty limiting. Is there nothing closer?
 
It’s really really hard to learn to ride on a horse that will not go forwards. Yes your instructor can but she’s got legs like iron and is a qualified expert.
When my son was young he did so much better on a slightly whizzy yet safe pony.
Can you try a different mount?
 
It takes several lifetimes to learn to ride, you'll never know enough, so I think its really important not to be frustrated at not reaching a certain goal, you have to learn to love the journey.
 
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Clodagh said:
It’s really really hard to learn to ride on a horse that will not go forwards. Yes your instructor can but she’s got legs like iron and is a qualified expert.
When my son was young he did so much better on a slightly whizzy yet safe pony.
Can you try a different mount?
Click to expand...
I agree with this. My Rigs is safe but whizzy. He is outright fun! The GO is covered. You just steer him about. Hacking anyway, he is a bit more reserved on the school.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Well.its 60 years since I first sat on a pony and I'm still.learning, if that helps. You might find that lessons on a mechanical.horse are an effective way of developing your riding muscles.
Click to expand...
I’ve done quite a few. It was a good way to get me back in and develop some confidence before graduating to the warm fluffy equine ☺️
I had a mechanical lesson last week too, to try to develop muscle and like a sort of a fitness lesson
 
All excellent advice above.
Its been 60 years since I first sat on a pony as well [a Shetland in the Villa Borghese gardens!] Rode all through my kid years. Massive interval of 20 years not riding, then back into it 16 years ago. Have owned four, and loaned two.

I like what was said of the great Spanish Riding School director, Alois Podhajsky, that even on his deathbed, he was confessing to be 'still learning' and that his horses were his teachers.

Am riding a Clydie x for a friend and have done so for about three years. Most darling horse, but a big unit. Nearly 17hh and a good 850kg. But he is so light and in front of the leg; and I put this down to what I learned from my Mary Wanless certificated coach. To go up a gear, I 'open' my seat, to give him permission through his spine and rib cage; seat bones spread and lightened, soften thigh and knee. The aid is invisible. He's just too big too 'wrestle' ...

Admittedly he's got an extensive dressage education. More than a riding school horse, [though he's been loaned to RDA and adapts to his rider]. Sounds like your 'clamping' somewhere in transitions. Since your being told that riding is all about strength and fitness and 'more leg'.

No, it should be a dance, not a struggle. The problem with riding -- besides lessons on mechanical horses, is that there is not much that is anything like it that you can 'practice' at home. Its postural and balance/rhythm oriented, like a cross between dancing and surfing.

And, I have to say, without shocking anyone, or raising the spectre of Herr Doctor Freud, [and who I think was quite wrong about girls and horses!] that its a bit like sex, only in that you have to be willing to give over a part of yourself in order to 'tune in' fully with an Other separate and sentient being. That's why the riding holiday suggestion is good, because your 'tuning in' all day everyday, rather than once a week.

But its not out of your wheelhouse to learn, and get better. And there's no magic 'cut off' age. Popped this here for you for inspiration ... just joined it on FB. There are people out there in their late 70s having a ball with their horses, and that's just the men!

Over 60yo Horse Riders https://www.facebook.com/groups/604944826325506
 
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HelenMac said:
I’ve done quite a few. It was a good way to get me back in and develop some confidence before graduating to the warm fluffy equine ☺️
I had a mechanical lesson last week too, to try to develop muscle and like a sort of a fitness lesson
Click to expand...

sportsmansB said:
Not sure if this would be an option for you but it sounds like you are spending a lot on lessons anyway - have you considered going away for a few days / week on an instructional riding holiday? Riding twice a day with a nice gap between soon gets you going. I've been a few places where they do cater for less experienced people (such as Hacienda horses near Malaga) and you get a ride out in the morning and a lesson in the afternoon or whatever suits you. I know if I had learned to ski as an adult with an hour a week I'd prob have given up, but by the end of a week you see real progress. Just a thought and it may not be an option for you
Also - the particular horse you are learning on, while he might go well for others, might just not be the one for you. Thats OK too
Click to expand...
Well I did want to do this over the summer but very unfortunately my husband had an accident so I had to stop most plans to look after him blah blah.
I agree it’s a very good idea. If I can get the grumpy husband to agree I may be able to do something like this at half term.
 
HelenMac said:
Well I did want to do this over the summer but very unfortunately my husband had an accident so I had to stop most plans to look after him blah blah.
I agree it’s a very good idea. If I can get the grumpy husband to agree I may be able to do something like this at half term.
Click to expand...
A lot of the places to go are genuinely nice and grumpy husbands might like them too :-) Feel free to PM me for recommendations
 
HelenMac said:
I’m now in my 50s, started again in January and I have had a weekly private lesson. I’ve gained my confidence back. But I am making such slow progress. It’s snails’ pace.
Click to expand...
I started aged 60. I had two half hour school lessons every week. I was completely out of my depth and taught by a bullying teacher. I sat in the car and wept after every lesson. In my second year, I did the BHS stable management course so learned to pick out feet and tack up.
In my second year I changed teachers to a teacher who gave lunge lessons and who concentrated on balance on the horse. I also started to hack and thus learned to canter after learning for 18 months,
HelenMac said:
I feel like every horse owner learned as a child and I’ll never actually get to that relaxed and competent stage of riding. Do I admit defeat? Or am I being impatient?
Click to expand...
I regarded it as going through the UK education system. Learning lots of sujects to O level GSE, then two years to A level. A level means specialising in the things you want to do. For me that meant dressage and hacking. I never wanted to jump.

Remember you are the customer who is paying for lessons and you can shop around and find the right horse and the right teacher for what you personally want to learn next.

There are enrmous difficulties in continuity when learning to ride due to frequent changes of young staff and of ponies. I three times had teachers and their lesson horses move away from our area.
As you say, it is snails pace. But in the long run my OH was right. He said what mattered was saddle time and that I should go to any RS where I could sit on a safe and suitable horse. And that is what I am still doing twenty years later.
 
I'd say go hacking (lots can be learnt in quiet, unstructured riding) , make sure you can power walk for 20 minutes, try a different horse, try a different instructor, try some lunge lessons and lessons without stirrups. But definitely don't give up!
 
Still learning aged 61 but I would say the basics can be learned in a year. Depends how often you have lessons or have the opportunity to ride a forgiving horse. If you’re riding wily old riding school horses that don’t want to do it it’s a lot harder to learn!
 
LadyGascoyne said:
If you've previously had confidence issues then it's very possible that the issue is that even though your leg is saying "go", literally everything else that your body is communicating is saying "stop".

The problem may well be that the horse is listening to you, rather than he's not.

Think about what your body is doing when you're asking him to move forward. Are you thinking 'forward'? And is your body saying 'forward'? Is your chest up and open across your collar bones? Or are you hunching slightly over and collapsing into your core? Is your chin raised and determined? Or are tucking your chin down and drawing the eye gaze to his neck? Are your hands softly allowing his neck to lengthen as he takes bigger steps? Or are you using them to balance yourself or holding on too tightly? Is your weight sitting just in front of your seat bones so your body is just ahead of a vertical line? Or are you sitting behind the movement and getting left behind?

Tiny subtle things make the hugest difference but they all come down to how your posture responds if you are thinking 'forward'. Think about what naturally happens when your are just about to spring out of a chair with anticipation versus what happens if you're in a car with some who is driving too fast. Where you tip your weight and angle of your pelvis will be completely different.

I'd probably practice just sitting without the horse, consciously controlling that posture. Pilates would definitely help with that too, focusing on changing the angle of the pelvic tilt using core muscles.

When you next ride, I would ask to add a neck strap if you don't already have one, and use that to stop any subconscious movement to balance yourself on the rein. And a neck strap can also help you to pull yourself into that slightly forward position but remember to engage your core whilst you do that so you don't end up collapsing through your middle and ending up very heavy over the horse's shoulder, which if you can envision, almost blocks the shoulder from moving. You want to be light and balanced over the horse, thinking up and open with your chest.

I don't know if I'm explaining this in a way that makes sense at all.

I also agree that getting some time on the lunge might give you the space to work on your position and be confident in thinking 'forward' whilst having a little bit of extra support in steering the horse.

Let me know if anything there sounds like it might make sense, or whether you think I'm way off the mark.
Click to expand...
You put this so much better than me!
 
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