Lesson plans for novice

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horsegirl

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I am "teaching" a friend to ride and he is now able to do rising trot on the lunge without reins, sitting trot with and without stirrups (again no reins) and he does not need to hold on most of the time. I would like to get him off the lunge now before he gets bored but does anyone have any suggestions for things we can do in the lessons rather than just walk and trot round the track and how can I teach him to be lighter with his hands when I let him have the reins? I have suggested he needs to think about proper lessons now.
 
How about introducing circles and serpentines and similar. Getting him to ride straight lines ect...

Teach him how to get the horse to respond off his leg better and how to ride transistions from walk to trot, trot to halt and halt to trot ect...
 
You could teach him how to steer with his legs and adjust speed using his seat so he doesn't depend on his hands. Lots of circles, rein changes, serpentines etc too
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He ought not to be doing sitting trot at this stage in his lesson! he will not have the core stability that allow you to absorb the movement within your lower back, this will inevitabily encourage him to balance himself with his hands making him heavy handed and pulling the horse in the mouth at the same time. I would put a neck strap on and as some of the other replies have said do lots of serpentines but just by teaching weight aids so not using the rein for steering, trotting across the diagonal to teach about change of rein, decreasing & increasing circles purely by using outside then inside leg as this will teach him independence of leg aids too.
 
Pssst! It's actually now considered unsafe to take away both the rider's stirrups and reins simultaneously.
I'd advise him to go to a riding school and have lunge lessons there, then join a group lesson for a while.
You could always take him out on walk/trot hacks to let him practice.
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He ought not to be doing sitting trot at this stage in his lesson! he will not have the core stability that allow you to absorb the movement within your lower back, this will inevitabily encourage him to balance himself with his hands making him heavy handed and pulling the horse in the mouth at the same time.

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If you read my post you will see that he does sitting trot, and indeed so far ALL trot, without reins!!
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I have a balance strap on the saddle in case he needs something to grab onto as a neck strap just encourages the wrong position. I never let people have reins to begin with!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Pssst! It's actually now considered unsafe to take away both the rider's stirrups and reins simultaneously.
I'd advise him to go to a riding school and have lunge lessons there, then join a group lesson for a while.
You could always take him out on walk/trot hacks to let him practice.
S
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Unsafe? How can this be? As you don't use the reins for balance I don't understand how taking them away can be dangerous? How else can you learn to balance and develop a decent seat?
 
You have asked for help yet poo poo'd both our advice!!! Sitting trot should not be taught until the rider is far more advanced as it is unfair for the horse and as I said earlier the rider's Core Stability is not formed enough to absorb the movement! This is partly why you do not have to do sitting trot in a dressage test until Elem/Med!!! A neck strap is not used for balancing, it is used for slowing a horse down without haulling on the reins and wrecking the soft tissue of the mouth, A system that a lot of decent riding establishments now use!. No reins or stirrups : Health & Safety now frown upon this line of teaching and should the pupil fall off and injure himself you could be negligent in a court of law.
 
I advise you to sent him to a BHS approved RS. As an instructor in one we follow the advice given to us by H&S inspectors when it comes to taking away reins and stirrups, as in you never ever take them both away at the same time.
I also agree that you shouldn't work a novice rider in sitting trot. It takes a long time for a rider to develop strong core muscles, but very little time to damage a horses back from a rider who doesn't understand nor have the ability to absorb the movement.
There is also the question of insurance, is this person covered by insurance for you to teach them? they may be a friend now, but if things go wrong that may change.
 
No I have not poo'd your advice. All I did was point out that you had not read my original post as you say he will be pulling the horse in the mouth when he doesn't have reins and to ask why it was considered dangerous to take away reins and stirrups when you do not use the reins to balance so how is it any different to trotting just without stirrups? How do you develop a good seat if you do not work without reins and stirrups? He does not need a strap to slow the horse as he is on the lunge. Millions of people learnt to ride like this (incl me) and jumped without reins & stirrups, did round the world while the horse was moving, ridden bareback etc. IMO people are far too concerned with ludicrous H&S advice and it is a great shame that riding school pupils will miss these experiences. He is an adult who wants to ride my horse entirely at his own risk, I have warned him that he will fall off and offered to lend him a body protector. He does not pay me, he just comes to ride for half an hour at the weekend. All I was asking for was ways to make learning to ride a little more fun until he is able to jump and canter. Let's hope he masters those before the H&S people deem those too dangerous for rising schools!!
 
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