Lessons, but not competing??

[Sol]

Just curious really, about peoples views on having riding lessons, but not competing, whether it be because you can't (like me, no transport/money!) or don't want to (nerves or just no interest.)

I would love to train Dan to whatever level I can for dressage (elem/medium at least?), but can't see me ever being able to compete beyond the odd RC/unaffiliated elementary test at most! That's unless I manage to find a good dressage-loving, horsebox-owning friend!

Because I wont be competing, I almost feel like it's 'wrong' to want to learn...? This probably sounds stupid But my current instructor is very competative, so I'm almost made too feel like I ought to be competing if I'm having lessons, or else I might as well not bother But I enjoy learning, and having a well behaved horse, and don't WANT to do 20m circles all my life!

I rambled What do you say??

 

[smellsofhorse]

Its your horse and your time.
You are paying for an instructor to help you learn not make you compete!

If you want to learn and improve thats great.
Do it just for your satisfaction and pleasure not because you feel you have to compete at the end of it!

 

[eahotson]

Its YOUR riding and YOUR horse and YOUR money.Its your call.Things may change in the future, they may not.Sounds like you may needa change if instructor though!

 

[NeedNewHorse]

I'm not competing and have two lessons a week!!

Though I do want to compete, hence the lessons. It's something I really want to do and I have transport too. (though I am really bad rider so technically could compete now at a walk and trot as it would be mine and horses first comp but am too nervous but will soon i hope!)

But.. the point I am getting at is, you may get transport - so why not prepare OR...

if your anything like me I love schooling and what it brings and getting that bit better and enjoy so much so does it matter that you don't compete?? I mean, does it matter that someone just likes hacking. It's all a personal choice what we do with our horses and no one should be made to feel otherwise.

Anyway, I would carry on with the lessons you never know when you'll win the lottery and can buy your oakley!!!! lol

 

[emm0r]

In my opinion every week you ride without a lesson is a week you pick up a bad habbit !!! The best of us need someone to just watch them and tell them !! There is no harm in wanting to be able to ride your horse well just for fun .... Its better than the people at my yard who blame other horses for them falling off their own when infact maybe if they bothered to have a lesson they might have been able to stay on their own (sorry for rant)

 

[Sol]

Thanks everyone I tend to need someone to confirm that I'm not going loopy and being a twit when I come up with these strange thoughts, which you've all done very well

Can't really find time for weekday lessons now anyway, which is all my instructor does, so I have a good excuse to change! Just got to find an instructor who will travel to me at weekends now

Bad habits I have many of! I'm currently trying to teach myself to stop drawing my heels up to give aids with my legs, although this also seems to mean I have to retrain Dan to accept that my legs give the aids now, not my feet!

heidirusso - you are right, I love flatwork, and there is nothing to stop me doing interdressage type stuff, until I win the lottery!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Competitions are not every horse riders aim in life. Having lessons on your horse is primarily to enable you to ride to the best of your ability- to be knowledgeable and sympathetic and to improve the horses' way of going by being balanced, flexible and able to cope with the demands riding puts upon him, mentally and physically.
Lessons help to motivate, give ideas on schooling and something to work towards for your own satisfaction. Its for those 'lightbulb' moments when something clicks into place and suddenly you feel a difference in how your horse goes. A horse that is well schooled and ridden well should have a better chance at remaining sound for a longer working life. Not to mention, that if, heaven forbid, you ever had to sell him, he would have a better chance of a good home.
For me, that is the point of lessons. Competing is just the icing on the cake for those who enjoy doing it. It doesn't make you a less serious rider, in fact, the opposite, it makes you a genuine rider.

 

[Steorra]

I did this for 10 years with my horse, for various reasons.

The main reson was that he didn't travel. Despite lots of expert help and trying everything we could think of, we just couldn't resolve the issue for him.

However, I very much enjoyed schooling him at home, and seeing how far we could go. Actually I think it was MORE enjoyable with no pressure to move up a class or perform if neither of us was in the mood. Knowing I had time to spare meant that I could bring him on gradually and work through problems slowly.

I learned a lot, my horse learned a lot, and I have no regrets about not competing. To the end of his working life he was a quirky, unpredictable ride, and trying to produce consistent results with him would have been like banging my head off a brick wall. By taking competing out of the equation I was able to enjoy him for who he is and what he could do, instead of cursing him for what he couldn't.

I used to get a lot of 'such a shame you can't take him out anywhere!' type comments from people who watched him work, but I could just smile serenely and say it didn't bother me, because it was absolutely true. I loved every inch of my talented, quirky, opinionated, generous horse for who and what he was, not the impression he made on judges.

If you have the opportunity and enjoy it then go and compete! But if not, just enjoy riding and training your horse. True achievements are made at home anyway.

I have also rambled, possibly sentimentally

 

[Sol]

Steorra - sentimental ramblings are fine I agree about cutting out the pressure, I have enough of that in other aspects of life! I definitely do not need it when it comes to something I'm supposed to enjoy I sounds like you really appreciate your horse for who he is

 

[chestnut cob]

I don't see a problem with it. There is nothing wrong at all with simply wanting to learn, doing it simply to improve your own riding and your horse's way of going. Not everyone is competitive and I don't see why you should be made to feel you *have* to compete. Only compete if you enjoy it. IMHO, dressage in particular should be about working at home to improve your horse and yourself then using DR tests away from home as a marker to see how much things have improved and find out what you need to improve on. Or at least that's how I would like to view DR tests...in reality they make me incredibly nervous, I find everyone even at unaffil Prelim/Nov to be incredibly competitive and serious about it, and I never enjoy it. So I don't do it any more. Personally, I like schooling at home but don't enjoy DR comps so I don't go to them. I have flatwork lessons every 1-2 months and my instructor gives me lots of exercises to work on between then and my next lesson. I look at the lessons as a way for me to find out what I've been doing well, what I need to improve on, how my horse is moving, how his muscle development is changing etc etc. I don't have lessons with the aim of going out to compete at DR, I have them because I want to learn how to make my horse more athletic and gymnastic so that he carries himself properly, is supple and feels well.

On the other hand... I started having SJ lessons with a pro-SJer about 6 months ago and am now using this as an outlet for my competitive streak. He keeps telling me that my horse has loads of scope and should be out jumping regularly. I originally started the lessons purely to improve us both but have found that we're actually reasonably good at it and that's making me competitive! We're out at a SJ comp again this weekend but the difference is that I really enjoy SJ comps as the atmosphere seems to be so much more relaxed. However, I do firmly believe that all of the quiet work we do at home (our "dressage") has helped the SJ enormously. I don't have any illusions that we will ever be especially good at SJ and in some ways the SJ comps are just another way to find out whether we are continuing to improve - things like knowing I had a rubbish canter in a class 2 weeks ago which led to a very lucky clear round, then being able to sort that out in the second class to get a very nice clear round, and coming home to work further on it.

Different people have different aims but you should only compete if you enjoy it.

 

[jenbleep]

Having lessons is not all about improving each other so you can go out to win rosettes - it's also about making you a better rider, improving your horses way of going and musculature so (in theory) it's easier for him/her to carry a rider and ultimately make him/her an obediant and safe horse to ride!

 

[Spudlet]

What is it about the horseworld that makes people feel they have to justify what they choose to do with their horse? You hear it when people get embarrassed about being 'happy hackers', or 'only' competing at a certain level too. If the rider is happy, and the horse is happy, what's the issue?

OP, if you are enjoying yourself and your horse is enjoying yourself, then crack on!

 

[Sol]

What is it about the horseworld that makes people feel they have to justify what they choose to do with their horse? You hear it when people get embarrassed about being 'happy hackers', or 'only' competing at a certain level too. If the rider is happy, and the horse is happy, what's the issue?

OP, if you are enjoying yourself and your horse is enjoying yourself, then crack on!

You do have a very good point there. I really do wonder why?

I'm not sure that Dante would say he was 'happy' with all of this flatwork, but he isn't complaining much either thanks!

 

[catkin]

Have to agree - why the shame if you don't compete? As long as both horse and human enjoy themselves then that's the important thing.

Lessons are fun, you quite often surprise yourself at what you and your 'unsuitable' horse actually can do, and they motivate both of you. Any instructor worth their salt won't care whether you want to compete - as long as you are willing to learn. Competition prep training sessions are different to lessons IMO as the goal is different.

To me, lessons are a necessary expense of having a horse - bad habits are very easy to get into, and a well schooled and properly gymnasticised horse is a pleasure to ride (and usually stays sounder!!). If they're good enough for Olympic riders then they're good enough for me

 

[ironhorse]

Change your instructor!
Our mare has been competing at a high level in western, but last summer I started having lessons on her with my old dressage instructor again. With the western competititons and family/work commitments my chance of getting to a dressage competition was virtually zero, but I thought it was good for her to do something different, and the way of going for 'english' riding also helped her fitness.
My instructor totally concentrated on getting her to go correctly and be easier and more obliging to ride, while subtly correcting my awful position!
I had very different goals to those that my OH had for as a competition horse, and I think it was a fun , positive move for all concerned!