Operation: Learn To Ride

[oldie48]

Looking back I have spent too much time having lessons with trainers who pretty much ride the horse for me and then when I'm on my own and don't have a constant flow of instructions coming at me, I am a bit lost and I think it's more difficult to develop "feel". I'm sure I'm not the only one who has fallen down this particular hole! I do wonder if this is why the UKCC approach is focused differently. I think it's so much better to have a supervised schooling session as long as there's a good "pair of eyes" on the ground who will ask you questions when they can see something needs addressing rather than just telling the rider what to do. Ingestre sounds great, wish it was closer to me!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Schooling session of 2 halves today. Lottie started feeling AMAZING. The nicest canter work I've ever had from her. Not falling in and not rushing. If only I had left it at that! Though we were only 20 minutes in by then so it did not really feel time to stop. But as soon as she has cantered once, she starts to take over more. So I re-established the trot than decided to run through the test I'm doing next weekend.

The canter in the test practice was AWFUL. Falling in and as soon as I put my inside leg on, running off in response to it. I'm sure it's an evasion. She does know what the inside leg is for. She moves off it nicely plenty of times. So maybe she was just getting a bit tired and for her it is hard staying balanced, engaged, round and upright in canter? So she falls in and instead of moving out in repsonse to the inside leg she runs from it. Anyway she was blowing through the aids so I did a few of those half halt and then straight to rein back if she ignores me exercises in repsonse to her ignoring the half halt. But she got upset. So the half halt which was her 'come back to me now' cue became a cue for her to run off. I guess out of anxiety. Great I managed to train my horse to RUN AWAY FROM a half halt. Argghhhh. So I needed to stop, regroup, go back to basics with halt/walk/halt/walk/trot/walk/trot/canter/trot etc Making sure she was always calm, obedient and listening. Finished with a nice controlled canter not worrying roo much about the falling in - just getting the control back.

I am really trying to 'ride what I feel' after all those supervised schooling sesisons at Ingestre where I am encouraged to assess what is happening then correct it using my own initiative to come up with a plan. But then I have a day like today where I mess it all up and come away thinking I have de-trained my horse, made her anxious and made everything worse. Which is why I rely so heavily on lessons and set homework tasks. I have had some lessons that feel pretty awful too, but I feel less guilty that way.

Oh well, tomorow is another day.

 

[Roxylola]

They don't learn anything in one session, even unwanted behaviours.
You win or you learn, today you learned - when it's good it's fine to finish early ?

 

[Ample Prosecco]

They don't learn anything in one session, even unwanted behaviours.
You win or you learn, today you learned - when it's good it's fine to finish early ?

Thanks that is a very encouraging way to look at it! x

 

[palo1]

Thanks that is a very encouraging way to look at it! x

Everybody has bad days but they are never wholly bad - as Roxylola says, you learnt today. Hopefully you won't need what you learnt today next weekend but if you do, you will be glad of that opportunity!! Lottie has clearly learnt this previously so it is very unlikely that you have taught her something horrible today lol. Norty!!

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Resurrecting this thread…. I loved my ‘supervised schooling’ sessions at Ingestre but could not justify the ongoing cost. So I’ve just been riding Lottie for a year or so. It doesn’t feel enough saddle time to make much progress. So - encouraged by a friend - I’ve offered to school/exercise horses on my yard for free. (I’m insured as I need insurance as an instructor for my confidence work, and have included riding client’s horses in the policy so I can hop on to show riders their horses are sane and fine).

I was worried that people would have no interest in using an average rider like me. But within a day I got 3 horses to ride! Rode the first 1 today whose owner is scared because horse naps and is spooky. Was a bit nappy at first but it was no problem to address. Spooks were half hearted and also stopped when I got the horse more focused on me. Owner delighted with how well horse went after some brief protests - and I enjoyed the session too.

Next non Lottie ride tomorrow. And later in the week,I am riding an experienced eventer whose owner has lost confidence after health issues have led to a long gap. So I’m getting horse going again then owner will take over.

Free riding! Hurrah!!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Resurrecting this thread…. I loved my ‘supervised schooling’ sessions at Ingestre but could not justify the ongoing cost. So I’ve just been riding Lottie for a year or so. It doesn’t feel enough saddle time to make much progress. So - encouraged by a friend - I’ve offered to school/exercise horses on my yard for free. (I’m insured as I need insurance as an instructor for my confidence work, and have included riding client’s horses in the policy so I can hop on to show riders their horses are sane and fine).

I was worried that people would have no interest in using an average rider like me. But within a day I got 3 horses to ride! Rode the first 1 today whose owner is scared because horse naps and is spooky. Was a bit nappy at first but it was no problem to address. Spooks were half hearted and also stopped when I got the horse more focused on me. Owner delighted with how well horse went after some brief protests - and I enjoyed the session too.

Next non Lottie ride tomorrow. And later in the week,I am riding an experienced eventer whose owner has lost confidence after health issues have led to a long gap. So I’m getting horse going again then owner will take over.

Free riding! Hurrah!!

I have got a few people similar to yourself to ride mine when i had confidence issues it's a great idea and everyone benefits I know I did definitely.

 

[Caol Ila]

I love riding other people's horses. I don't have time now and no one ask (thankfully) because it looks like I don't have time.

I wish you were here, though, so you could ride mine should I go out of town. I trust so few people with them unsupervised. The one friend I would trust (who owns Hermosa's son) now lives in Germany. A bit far.