Riding school - having to give the horses a good boot??

[TrasaM]

These horses will weigh you up the second you get on them. If they know that you are reluctant to give them a harder kick if they ignore lighter aids they will take advantage of it and put in minimal effort. If you start off as if you mean it and are strong when they ignore your aids you may well find that you will then be able to use lighter aids for the rest of the lesson.

So true. The horse I was taught on ( started riding just over 2 years ago) was really good at sussing you out. His default pace was halt lol. However I was switched between him and another more slightly willing horse for my first 6 months of lessons. The things that poor horse had to put up with as he was the horse if choice for all adult beginners. If a riding crop was used he would throw in a half hearted buck but would then actually start to comply.
I too was told to boot. However I've got a very ineffective boot and still do,' I resorted to nudging with my heels. Not good either as it meant that I started to lift my heels so I've had to unlearn this too.
I too was totally fed up with plods after a few weeks but then the not so ploddy horse taught me a lesson. I was learning to canter and he decided it'd be fun to charge off around the school at full tilt and I couldn't get him to stop. It was one of the few times I've been truly scared on horseback. ! This is why plods are used for beginners. It's safer.
As to the kicking ; I totally agree that it should not be necessary and that poor horse has just learnt to ignore it.
After 6 months I was moved on to a horse who was the complete opposite. I'd actually picked up the courage to ask if I could start refining my aids a bit rather than having a constant battle just to keep moving but they were a step ahead and had already decided to do so. His default speed was, and can still be at times, fast as possible and don't stop! I've loved every lesson I've had on this horse and I'm still getting the hang of him 18 months on and I so wish he were mine!
I still have lessons on him now and he has taught me so much. I dread to think what'd happen if someone booted him though.

Good luck with your lesson OP and well done fir recognising that booting is neither effective nor kind.

 

[stacey87]

So true. The horse I was taught on ( started riding just over 2 years ago) was really good at sussing you out. His default pace was halt lol. However I was switched between him and another more slightly willing horse for my first 6 months of lessons. The things that poor horse had to put up with as he was the horse if choice for all adult beginners. If a riding crop was used he would throw in a half hearted buck but would then actually start to comply.
I too was told to boot. However I've got a very ineffective boot and still do,' I resorted to nudging with my heels. Not good either as it meant that I started to lift my heels so I've had to unlearn this too.
I too was totally fed up with plods after a few weeks but then the not so ploddy horse taught me a lesson. I was learning to canter and he decided it'd be fun to charge off around the school at full tilt and I couldn't get him to stop. It was one of the few times I've been truly scared on horseback. ! This is why plods are used for beginners. It's safer.
As to the kicking ; I totally agree that it should not be necessary and that poor horse has just learnt to ignore it.
After 6 months I was moved on to a horse who was the complete opposite. I'd actually picked up the courage to ask if I could start refining my aids a bit rather than having a constant battle just to keep moving but they were a step ahead and had already decided to do so. His default speed was, and can still be at times, fast as possible and don't stop! I've loved every lesson I've had on this horse and I'm still getting the hang of him 18 months on and I so wish he were mine!
I still have lessons on him now and he has taught me so much. I dread to think what'd happen if someone booted him though.

Good luck with your lesson OP and well done fir recognising that booting is neither effective nor kind.

Thanks for the reply
I know it's safer to be on a plod at the moment and i am thankful for that for safety whilst learning but i justhate booting her as she's soo sweet but she must be soo used to it now bless her

 

[livetoride]

Many if not most school horses are disposed to do the minimum amount of work possible and will test each rider at the start of the lesson. A couple of good whacks behind the leg, with the whip held upright if necessary, at the beginning of the lesson is a lot more effective with most school horses than constant kicking and a lot kinder too. The rider can then concentrate on developing their seat and refining their aids and does not have to spend the lesson thinking about nothing else but impulsion.

 

[TrasaM]

Many if not most school horses are disposed to do the minimum amount of work possible and will test each rider at the start of the lesson. A couple of good whacks behind the leg, with the whip held upright if necessary, at the beginning of the lesson is a lot more effective with most school horses than constant kicking and a lot kinder too. The rider can then concentrate on developing their seat and refining their aids and does not have to spend the lesson thinking about nothing else but impulsion.

Totally agree. I know of onLy one exception to this at the RS I go to. Even some of the newer horses who start off quite forward soon learn to do as little as possible. I was told to do exactly what you said, use the crop rather than keep nagging with my leg. Sadly however some of them also learn to ignore this too whilst I've met a few who know that all it takes is a buck when slapped and the rider will back off. Crafty souls and who'd blame them.

 

[Leaveittothediva]

Hi there, maybe someone like me who has only access to riding school horses will let you in on a little secret. A riding school will buy a new horse, ask to ride it, it will walk, trot, and canter, when asked. It will do circles, turn well, jump very well, give the horse a few months in the riding school. You will be exhausted at the end of a lesson trying to get it to do anything. It will have been subjected to so many different riding styles, its mind will be boggled. Likewise Riding Instructors,(who do a fab job by the way) but like us all, they too get jaded, I could probably write a book on the quotations they use in every lesson, but I don't want to bore you. Oh Yeah, and did you know that whenever I go to holiday in England and go to a riding school to have a lesson, I am thought of as a very good rider, funny that at home my instructor thinks I'm crap. Hey Ho, thats Riding Schools for ya got to love em, got no choice if we want to be around horses. Take Care sure its only a bit of Craic

 

[Echo Bravo]

Wouldn't be one of the RS in Mid Beds would it? you will find most horses/ponies in RS are dead on their flanks and in their mouths and mostly their brains as they have been kicked, pulled in their mouths they switch off, it's a shamed to see some lovely animals ruined.

 

[Biska]

Interesting thread, I am just now coming back to riding after a 30 year gap! I had my own horse until university! Well what a revelation, I decided to pick a "decent " school with nice forward horses and get private lessons, Yes I can still ride, I discovered....but boy am I unfit...LOL. I chose a dressage yard that teaches. But the quality PSG horse I ride who is gorgeous is a lazy devil and I have not the strength and the fitness to get the best or even the average from him. Being told to "beat him up a bit so he knows you are the boss" does not float my equine boat.... I am now looking for a loan where I can develop a relationship with a horse and get a quality local trainer to improve my fitness and my seat and have some fun with a responsive horse. I would be interested to hear from others coming back from a HUGE break! I might start a separate thread. Good luck OP!

 

[stacey87]

Wouldn't be one of the RS in Mid Beds would it? you will find most horses/ponies in RS are dead on their flanks and in their mouths and mostly their brains as they have been kicked, pulled in their mouths they switch off, it's a shamed to see some lovely animals ruined.

Yes i'm Bedfordshire near Shefford area

 

[viola]

This is something very close to my heart as an instructor who is trying to fight with the "booting culture" ...I really hope OP that you find another riding school where standards are higher and understanding of teaching in place.

I wouldn't believe everyone who says months of lunge lessons are boring as they most likely did not experience a good, fun, creative and educational seat training programme. If they did, they may have another opinion of lunge lessons
I very highly recommend them as seat education for beginner riders is the first step to get rid of switched off/resigned horses.

The time spent on the lunge depend on your general learning ambitions. As an example I keep my beginner riders on the lunge for minimum of 3 months. That's for your average leisure rider.

If your body awareness and alignment are very good (as advised by your instructor) it might be that you need to focus more on how to use this good posture you have in a way that helps the horse rather than demands...

I must add - I think it would be great if you wrote to H & H with your experiences. The booting culture must go if riding schools are to survive. More and more riders want to have good basics and ride well. Leisure riders shouldn't have to loan or buy horses to experience high quality education, they deserve to learn at places where horses are not used as kicking boards.

Good luck with your search

 

[sarahann1]

Get your instructor to show you just how hard you should be using your legs, then ask her to show you how the pony goes when she rides it. I'll bet he's just a good RS pony who knows when to ignore his rider.

This, I used to teach at a RS, just lower level stuff, I would happily get on any of the horses and show the customer what the horse could do if they found the right buttons. It shut many a customer up who told me "this horse can't/won't do it", if they couldn't/wouldn't, I wouldn't be teaching with it! If any instructor can't get on the horse and do it better, they shouldn't be teaching.

And yes, in more than one occasion I told customers to boot the horse in question because it was taking the mick. But, it was a safe horse, that's the thing, we had more sensitive, easier off the leg horses, but riders graduated up to them, putting them on that type to start with would have been carnage. In time, all my customers ended up being able to get great work out of these horses, made me and them smile no end when it all fell into place Then they got to ride our more sensitive types

Remember OP, you've only been riding a comparatively short time, your muscles won't be as developed as an longer term rider, so what feels like a big boot to you, probably isn't all that hard to the horse. My one piece of advice, make sure when you are kicking on, your not tensing yourself up in the process, it's very easy to end up in a spiral of kicking and being tense, then getting nowhere (because the horse is being blocked by your seat), try, once you've kicked on, to take a breath and role your shoulders a fraction to help you stay loose.

 

[hnmisty]

Thanks for the reply
I know it's safer to be on a plod at the moment and i am thankful for that for safety whilst learning but i justhate booting her as she's soo sweet but she must be soo used to it now bless her

I think that's why you are being told to boot her- RS horses who are ridden by beginners a lot tend to just switch off and go into autopilot "I'm not going any faster". That's why I think even the novice RS horses benefit from having someone more experienced getting on from time to time.

I personally would look elsewhere, at least to find an instructor who appears to care for the horses she uses to earn her living! Riding schools really do vary- I started out at a place that had me learning to jump on a fat and lazy 5 y/o who was also learning to jump. I was capable but not the most confident...so hey what, we stopped a lot! I rode there for almost 2 years, then moved elsewhere. First thing my new instructor said to me was "do you know you always ride with the same shoulder in?". Instructor at the old place had never noticed!

Good luck

 

[bex1984]

Get your instructor to show you just how hard you should be using your legs, then ask her to show you how the pony goes when she rides it. I'll bet he's just a good RS pony who knows when to ignore his rider.

Completely agree. Sometimes the more laid back horses need a good kick on. Generally once they know you won't take any nonsense they'll start listening to you.

Ets: I own a rs pony - he'll try and do the minimum but if you push him he's very capable, can go nicely and jump well. He's just a bit lazy. But he'll look after anyone and keep them safe.

 

[oldie48]

Pity the poor RS owner, if they have safe plods that do as little as they have to, they get slated if they have more forward going sensitive horses and a client falls off, they are likely to get sued! Personally, I think lunge lessons on a well schooled horse are great for developing the basics (and a lot more) but they ARE expensive and not many places are able to offer them but if OP can find somewhere suitable, then I'd really recommend having some. It is very difficult to find suitable well schooled horses for beginners that don't become sour as they are very saleable to the leisure market but I was lucky to find a school in the Midlands that was excellent for giving me the basics but it was still a huge shock when I got my own horse and discovered it had a mind of it's own! Please don't rush into buying or loaning too quickly as it's too easy to end up with something completely unsuitable.

 

[Kelly9512]

The problem with a lot of riding school horses and ponies is that due to the fact that are ridden by many different people and many beginners, they become dead to the leg and some do need waking up.

I'm afraid it takes a lot longer than a month to learn how to ride correctly, although you do seem to be making quick progress. I was learning at a riding school for around 9 years before I reached the top level.

However I do agree that the instructor shouldn't be encouraging you to "boot" it. I would watch some lessons by other instructors and see if you think you would prefer their method better. Or go to other riding schools and do the same before you book any lessons.

All riding schools are different and all have different standards of instructors. I still ride at the riding school and all the instructors encourage you to use your seat to influence the horse rather than boot it and also encourage you to use you legs and seat for turning. If you don't show evidence of this, you don't progress through the levels.

"Shop around" for other instructors or riding schools

 

[Dave the dog]

Hi Stacey, You need a more informative instructor. I had the same problem in my early days, lack of assertion, still have it sometimes. The trick is more contact and lean back to put more weight on the hind legs and squeeze hard with the calves, as soon as horse moves for ward relax legs push with your pelvis in rythm with the horse and maintain contact, about the same amount of effort to hold a bag of sugar in each hand and keep your weight on the hind end. If you lean forward horse will stop. Often you may have to repeat the squeeze to keep the momentum. Just telling you to boot your horse is not value for money. Any fool can thrash a horse, it takes a special kind of fool to ride one. Good luck Happy landings

 

[Princess16]

Hi Stacey, You need a more informative instructor. I had the same problem in my early days, lack of assertion, still have it sometimes. The trick is more contact and lean back to put more weight on the hind legs and squeeze hard with the calves, as soon as horse moves for ward relax legs push with your pelvis in rythm with the horse and maintain contact, about the same amount of effort to hold a bag of sugar in each hand and keep your weight on the hind end. If you lean forward horse will stop. Often you may have to repeat the squeeze to keep the momentum. Just telling you to boot your horse is not value for money. Any fool can thrash a horse, it takes a special kind of fool to ride one. Good luck Happy landings

OP original post was 2 years ago! Think she probably knows what she's doing now lol

 

[Dave the dog]

doh thanks for that lets hope she wasn't put off

 

[mighty attom]

look up ride with your mind, mary wanless. get in touch with a coach in your area and ask if they can recommend a suitable riding school. start correctly , don`t hesitate to change! I certainly wish you were in my area. ( westmids ). good luck

 

[iestynlad]

Dead to the leg! Moving your legs that much to get it going is not going to do much for your seat. Find a new school or buy a schoolmaster horse/pony, good livery yard to guide you through initial ownership with a good manege and a good instructor. Your life will change believe me!

 

[Dave the dog]

Mary Wanless is right on the money. the more I ride the more I learn how the seat leads the way and horse and I enjoy the intuitive victory's and in turn the more subtle my riding. I've been lucky with an excellent school and instructor with a wide variety of horses, but for one thing, What doesn't seem to factor into the BHS curriculum is in hand ground work for the beginner. After all if you can move them around by posturing on the ground then moving them in the saddle must come easier.

 

[HorseNeverWrong]

I think there is always a delicate balance in selecting the right horse for any rider, not just a new rider, in a lesson program. I have to say, looking back, although I was/am a very timid rider, I wish I had more forward horses when learning to ride. I learned lots of bad habits like letting my leg slip back to kick the horse before my muscles were strong enough to squeeze, simply because the horses would not move.

I do wish I had more lunge lessons when I was starting off but quite often instructors don't always know how to give such lessons effectively or have a horse that can lunge properly and effectively for an extensive period of time.

 

[Dave the dog]

Know what you mean, my first ever lesson was on the lunge and I did wonder what it was all about felt safer and was able to feel the horse without the obvious responsibility. But, in my post about ground work I was referring to actually being on the ground with horse in hand no tack just rope and halter moving with the horse as it follows your lead, and standing still as the horse follows your directions. Very subtle, very close, very rewarding to be able to command the old boy without actually touching him. Also a great cure for timidity or nervousness in horse or rider.

 

[triple]

I can't say I completely agree with the comments re changing schools. There is a school where I keep my horse, and the riding school ponies will usually need "a bit of a boot" to get them moving in the more novice/intermediate lessons. However, put an experienced rider/livery on them, who can apply the leg firmly and effectively (through practice and developed muscle) and the horses are instantly more receptive and the booting vanishes.

Riding school ponies are smart - they know if a rider is capable of correct aids, and aren't going to put themselves out; quite often they will ignore a flapping leg and are conscious of inexperienced riders and will not shoot off from the leg; having learned from past experience that this quite often unseats the novice rider and the horse is rewarded with a bang on the back and a pull in the mouth.

You say you have been riding a month and a half; from experience as a rider, owner, and instructor, it is highly unlikely that you have developed the seat and leg strength to deliver a clear, precise aid every time. As such, your instructor is most likely trying to give you "saddle time" - i.e. encourage you to get the horse moving in order to develop seat and leg at the various paces to allow you deliver correct, tidier aids. I can guarantee you that the "flap" or "boot" most novice riders employ is a significantly lesser deal than receiving a sharp, well placed dig from an experienced rider for failing to follow the aids.

If you wish to speed up the process, you need more time in the saddle. Private lessons, lunge lessons, whatever. You need to develop to a stage where you no longer need to give the horses a bit of a boot to get them moving; this is significantly more to do with rider than horse.

 

[Sukistokes2]

Just to say Stacey Your inbox is full, you need to delete some messages .