Lesson ideas for adult beginner

[Remi'sMum]

I find myself in the nice position of having a non- horsey other half who is becoming increasingly horsey ?. He is already well trained in mucking out, feet picking, grooming, poo picking etc and in the summer we got him started with some lessons. He has mastered rising trot and understands about starting, stopping and steering and had cantered (slightly inelegantly) a couple of times both on and off the lunge.

We’re now able to have him ride a lovely cob mare who belongs to one of my fellow liveries. Mare is currently unfit and a bit tubby so we’ll be taking it steady.

I need ideas for giving him lessons - my plan is to teach him myself for a while at least. I’m a competent rider but other than giving lessons to kids at a RS 25 years ago when I was a teenager, my teaching experience is pretty limited. And he will be having ‘proper’ lessons from an instructor again if he’s still keen in a couple of months.

Ideas please for keeping lessons interesting and relevant and progressive for a very novice adult.

Thanks in advance!

 

[be positive]

As he has the very basics in place and the mare is unfit the best way for him to progress in a meaningful way would be to get out hacking so they get fit together and are better prepared for lessons if and when he wants to get more serious, it would be a nice way to do something together without the pressure of lessons, he should make plenty of progress if the hacks are used in a constructive way.

 

[View]

Agree with BP - I like to get my adult beginners and novices out of the school and out hacking ASAP. I find that "teaching" as the necessity arises e.g moving the horse away from the leg while opening a gate or to go around a manhole sinks in better.

 

[Skib]

I learned out hacking. But in the school and mostly in walk and poles I learned how to place the horse's feet. The difference between riding the arc of a circle and a right angle. It is also good to ride transitions.5 trot 5 walk etc. Add trot halt trot and backing up like teaching to drive a car.

 

[Red-1]

Mr Red learned to ride. He had a few riding school lessons but they were mainly rubbish! He bought Charlie Horse from me (just because he did not like the people who came to try him) and then learned at an accelerated rate. The secret for Mrs Red to teach Mr Red was... not to try to teach him!

He went in the school on his own, and did a lot of hacking. More hacking than schooling. Initially I did have to give some lessons, until he was secure at canter, then I let him experiment. I remember giving him the goal to do 4 circuits and 4 circles at trot, on each rein, without stopping, in the school. It initially seemed like an impossible goal as he could only manage half a circuit at trot, but he took himself into the school and kept trying. It was soon done, then he could work on canter.

The best thing was that I was still competing my new eventer, and Charlie Horse occasionally, so we would go out hacking together, go to a field and do our own schooling, then hack back. Mr Red soon learned to canter on a slope, canter on a track etc. Then, when I went out hiring a XC course he would come along just for the hack and gad about a bit, even jumping the odd log or ditch.

One time, I had a rubbish result in a dressage competition, and he was laughing, so I told him that if it was so easy, he should have a go. Next week he did, and got placed. He didn't really enjoy jumping so did not pursue that.

People who tried to 'teach' their other half seemed to end up with other halves who did not ride. I let him be in charge of his own horse. Let him make some mistakes and learn from them, once he was generally secure.

 

[Remi'sMum]

Thanks all for your your replies. There will be hacking but realistically only once a week at the moment due to limited daylight hours. And he definitely still needs supervising in the school for the time being, especially as it’s not our own horse he’s riding.

 

[Hack4fun]

Can you concentrate on seat, legs, hand and balance - just to get a good position?

 

[Theocat]

Some of the games that are useful for kids are just as good for adults. Walking or trotting around a "course" of poles scattered on the ground is fun because they can try for a better "score": how many can you steer over in 60 seconds? Things like bending also help with steering and confidence. The ideas above - aiming for X number of strides, or X laps - are great. I would also try the maximum number of transitions they can achieve in a single lap. This also gets them using the corners properly if they're intelligent and competitive.

As long as they're safe and getting more secure, don't worry too much about heels, thumbs or anything else. All that can come a bit later. I have taught a few adult men and they tend to prefer cracking on; too much niggly detail about position can kill their enthusiasm completely. Annoyingly, they all seem to have natural balance in any case - and men who don't get rising trot very quickly don't usually want to keep learning in any case!

 

[J&S]

You can teach him school movements, even at walk, and then explain what is the rational behind each movement. Move on to trot, serpentines, 1/2 voltes, loops etc to learn accuracy, flexions, etc. Don't forget halts!

 

[Trouper]

Think I would ask if he minded my watching his lessons (always a bonus to ask first!) and then pick up on what the instructor is working on currently and help him to consolidate that while out hacking. Sometimes it can be confusing to have two styles of teaching when you are learning so I would try to follow instructor's way.

 

[canteron]

Effective stopping, especially an emergency stop - I find lots of men very keen on the go - and forget about the stop until it’s too late!!

 

[Skib]

and men who don't get rising trot very quickly don't usually want to keep learning in any case!

Not true of my OH. He first rode in UK aged 67 to prepare for riding western in USA. He learned sitting trot really eaily and then canter. But it was almost a year before he got rising trot. Our RI was in despair.

 

[Theocat]

Not true of my OH. He first rode in UK aged 67 to prepare for riding western in USA. He learned sitting trot really eaily and then canter. But it was almost a year before he got rising trot. Our RI was in despair.

Gosh, that's impressive, when you think how many riders can't manage sitting trot even after years of practice! Your husband is clearly cut out for Western?

 

[Skib]

We did have lovely Western holidays. Thank you. Sadly he had to stop riding. Due to age (80) and health.
I did read that a rider who learns sitting first will always fnd it hard to rise and vice versa. You feel the horse's every step through your seat and cue at the right moment.