Survey questions for riders beginners to advanced please help

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Beryltheperil

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This is for research I am doing for a teaching course. I'd be very grateful for your experiences to help me find out more about the problems riders face within their riding lessons and with instructors.

Thank you in advance.



1 What was/is the most difficult thing about learning to ride or improving your riding?

2 Why was it difficult and have you overcome it? How?

3 Do you find it hard to understand what your instructor is trying to communicate? Sitting trot for example. Please explain why or why not.

4 Does your body do what you think its doing? If not please explain why not?

5 How does your instructor help you to understand how to change your perception of your body control?

6 Are there teaching methods that help you more than others? For example do you prefer to watch a demonstration or have someone constantly give you commands as you ride? Does reading books about riding help?
 
I have regular lessons as I haven't got my own horse at the moment so hopefully I'll be able to help you.

I have used quite a few instructors and they all have their strengths, although I have a favourite using an instructor with a different style can be really useful from time to time, especially when you are trying to overcome a problem.

1 What was/is the most difficult thing about learning to ride or improving your riding?

I learnt to ride as a very small child so can't remember things like learning rising trot. My current "issue" is my jumping position, and in particular not letting my elbows flap. Probably the hardest thing since I came back to lessons as an adult was getting a horse connected and on the bit and learning the feel and how to do that without simply waggling their head in.

2 Why was it difficult and have you overcome it? How?

With learning to get the horse on the bit it was probably hard because you can't simply be told what to do, it is a big combination of things to do and varies between horses. So much of it is feel that you really need to discover it for yourself. I have overcome it now and the biggest help was sharing a horse that was not a riding school horse and had decent schooling (although not a schoolmaster). As he was fairly easy to connect it enabled me to get the feel without having to battle with a grumpy school horse!

3 Do you find it hard to understand what your instructor is trying to communicate? Sitting trot for example. Please explain why or why not.

Normally I don't have a problem understanding what my instructor is communicating but that is because I only normally have lessons with instructors who I "get" their way of teaching is very important when I choose who to have lessons with. I like an instructor who is prepared to let me go away and experiment and try things out rather than making me ride exercises. I also like to be given questions rather than instructions.

4 Does your body do what you think its doing? If not please explain why not?

Yes I normally know when my elbows are flapping like chicken wings over a fence my brain just doesn't always manage to stop them! It is more of a problem if I have something else to think about, an awkward stride or something, if there isn't too much going on I can think "relax the shoulders elbows in" as I jump.

5 How does your instructor help you to understand how to change your perception of your body control?

Asking us to examine our faults and why we have them, what worsens them etc - this makes it easier to control them rather than just constantly shouting instructions which can lead to developing a "compensatory habit".

6 Are there teaching methods that help you more than others? For example do you prefer to watch a demonstration or have someone constantly give you commands as you ride? Does reading books about riding help?

Generally I find talking about something then going away and doing it with input where necessary is the best way for me. Generally I don't like having a stream of instructions, however one instructor that I like tends to teach this way and it can be hugely useful when learning something completely new or something confusing. When doing half pass or a pirouette having someone talk me through it is really beneficial.

I don't often have chance to watch a demo when I am having a lesson but I do find watching others in a group lesson useful, even if they make a hash of something there is a lesson there. This is particularly true when jumping.

I do read books and find them useful to a point, they assist in understanding the mechanics and the reasons for doing things but are no substitue for trying things out and feeling them for yourself.
 
thank you absolutely brilliant answrs and very very helpful.

I should have said that I am doing a small presentation on Monday to my class - a small group doing a generic teaching course - all of whom are non-horsey. I may use quotes from your answers if that's ok. The point is only to illustrate what teaching methods work and what don't.

Please let me know if you have an objection to this and please keep answers coming!!

thank you so much!!
 
I'm happy to be quoted. If you need anymore detail then let me know ASAP as I don't often login on the weekend.

Personally I think it is a lot to do with different learning styles, I did a bit of training on how to be an effective trainer (to deliver training on a new system at work - noothing horsey) and the different learning styles were really interesting and I often notice the various characteristics in my riding lessons.

What does surprise me is how many people have difficulty taking in instructions as they ride the two people I sometimes have semi private lessons with really struggle with this and so many instructors don't realise. Both are fine if you pull them into the centre, explain what you want them to do and then send them off to do it but useless if you try to tell them about the next stage of an exercise while they are still riding.

I think putting an instruction is understandable terms is important too. The number of times I see instructors talking to 5 year old beginners and talking about the inside/outside hand.... :}

I think taking things outside the riding world often helps too (and I find into the gutter normally helps it stick in the mind!) I remember my instructor trying to explain about jumping position and rather than telling us to fold rather than tip over the fence (which lets face it pretty difficult to visualise when you are doing it) she said to imagine that you are going to the toilet in a really icky public loo and you don't want to sit down. When you think about it that is exactly the position you need. On a similar vein I've also been told to imagine trying to squeeze out a fart to get the feeling of connection through your core, and I've heard children being told to imagine that they have a big fat belly full of chips to get a similar effect and to get them to sit up without hollowing their backs.

Hope the presentation goes well.
 
You are right about learning styles - my research and presentation are all about inclusive learning and communication so this is all very helpful stuff.

The presentation is Monday but my research continues for a week or two so anyone who wants to add anything please do
 
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