Rider nerves at the beginning of lessons

[Starmix]

Hi Guys, been nosing through this forum and decided to join and get some advice

Firstly I have worked with animals all my life, since very young wanted to ride but sadly never had the money to really get going with it, now im a university student training to be a veterinary nurse and am utilizing the riding club at the university.
I am not scared in the slightest by horses or big animals except for they sometimes make me jump

I have had 3 lessons in two weeks, two at one yard and a third at a different yard to check it out.
My problem is I seem to waste the first 10 mins or so of my lesson being scared stiff, I have no idea why, I try breathing and relaxing but I literally cant get it out of my head the impending doom of falling off in walk and the embarrassment but at the same time I do not want to be a lesson on my own as I learn alot from watching other people especially seeing the rhythm of movement etc.
Second problem is, I have just started to learn sitting and rising trot, sitting comes quite easy to me as I just seem to get it and can stop myself bouncing about and feel alot more relaxed. In rising trot I feel like I am all over the place, I have figured out how to rise and I can rise and steer quite well but I cannot get the nack of giving squeezes between rising? any tips?

Also this is abit of beginners blues, I think I am being far too gentle, horses never seem to listen to me, for some reason in rising trot I can maintain the outline really well but in walk the horse just ends up deciding where it wants to go, once i get going on the outline i can usually hold it pretty well but find getting into it really hard. I get told to use a heavier hand and leg but I feel abit mean?

Any advice would be brilliant! Thanks in advance

 

[Twinkley Lights]

Try Rescue remedy before your lessons it just takes the edge of nerves and really helped me when I was learning. As for the trotting well done it's hard to sit to a trot so your seat must be good and rising trot will come good as your balance improves. In the meantime try having your feet with stirrups on under your toes as opposed to balls of feet as this will mean that your don't push your foot thru too far if you overkick whilst asking for trot. Try to keep your heels back and relaxed and loose knees and thighs. Each time you rise give a squeeze / kick dependant on how forward going the horse is and get the rythmn rise kick, don't rise too far and try to move your body slightly forwards but not as far as a jumping position. This should all help balance until practice makes perfect. In the walk use a stronger outside rein and inside leg to anticipate drift from the track and maintain position. If you are too soft with the aids they will make decisions for themselves and they are really good at that

 

[Starmix]

I kept having mini heart attacks on Wednesday as well because the horse I was riding would all of a sudden put his head down and I was convinced I was just going to go flying over his neck!
think im still building the right muscles up at the moment which might explain why I am kind of struggling, just ill get the rhythm sorted then the instructor will ask me to do something and I feel like i'm losing my seat or my feet start slipping out of the stirrups then I panic not because im putting weight into them but because they make me feel a little safer.
Will deffo try rescue remedy, tried it for my exams and it worked really well, it weird because once I start going I totally forget about being nervous, think I anticipate something to go wrong too much

 

[Twinkley Lights]

Try sticky bum johds as well for a while good luck.

 

[RainbowDash]

Everything you are feeling is quite normal. Don't be so hard on yourself - learning any new skill takes time and a lot of practice - whether it is riding, learning to drive etc.

Relax, take rescue remedy before your lesson if it helps - everyone learns to ride at a different rate xxx

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

You're not wasting the first 10 minutes of your lessons, you are warming yourself up, just as you are warming up the horse and getting yourselves both ready to learn.