how to make the most of a riding lesson

[ChasingTheDream]

Hey

I have a riding lesson tonight; and although I enjoy them this will be one of my last lessons, as in future I want lessons on my horse and current RI doesnt travel.

Anyway, recently i feel like I havent been gettingf anywhere; the lessons are all the same.

we normally spend 10/15 minutes warming up, have a trot, sitting trot, change the reins, trot, sitting trot, rising trot, canter , canter 20 m circle, and by now, its kinda got boring.

Instructor is always telling me to focus on getting the horse in an outline, but when other people are constantly cutting you up, i find it hard to concentrate (its a shared lesson with three other people. who have no manners )

so, any tips on how I can make the best of it?

Thanks xx

 

[ridersince2002]

Ask instructor loadsssss of questions, and ask if you can practice different things that need refining with their guidance.
Im not an insturctor, but ive given a couple of friends lessons, not proper ones though, a load of utter rubbish, but i found it alot easier when they told me what they wanted to work on and when they had alot of questions.
Also, if you want to practice something without the others getting in the way ask if the instructor can get them to stand still and watch you and 'evaluate' your riding, it also helps, as some instructors dont pick up on everything, but with having 3 people watch you instead of one, they can give you an idea of what bit need a little more refining

 

[ossy]

Yes... change lessons and instructor. Sorry sounds harsh but we pay alot of money for lessons and you shouldn't need to try so hard to get something out of your lesson, that is what you pay the instructor for. I pay a bit extra for a very very good registered british dressage trainer to travel to me to give me lessons on my horse and I just get in do as she tells me and she always makes sure I have acheived something. Apart from putting everything into what she is telling me to do I do not have to try.

As for just telling you to get the horse in an outline?!? That says it all to me the outline should be the product of getting the horse working well not the means of getting your horse working well. Tut tut

 

[Sessle]

I'm not an instructor, but I would've thought that if she's wanting you to concentrate on getting the horse on an outline she would be getting you to do more exercises than the ones you've said above, in order to supple the horse up etc so that he naturally drops into an outline!

When I used to be able to afford lessons (lol!) I always used to warm up before the instructor arrived so that we could focus on working in the lesson, and ask lots of questions, and make sure you tell the instructor what you're working towards