Tips for teaching children how to ride please!

[zip]

Hi, i have an 11.2 on part loan for my children (twins age 6) the pony was just for my daughter to carry on learning to ride on but my son has started riding too, and I am over the moon!!!! Anyway both are wanting to trot, so i wanted some tips on how to carry on teaching them. They know the basics now but my son hasnt got much of a seat or balance right now. What do i do in the school? Im currently leading them round with a lead rope clipped to the underneath of the noseband as pony doesnt like a lot of contact on her soft mouth. In fact i walk mostly beside her.

What do i do next ? Start lungeing soon? Any tips ?

Thanks so much

Zip

 

[mulledwhine]

Hen I intoduced my daughter to trot , she was around 2, we did a very steady trot almost a fast walk, and I help her leg at the same time, she boinged around for a while, just so she could get a feel for the different gait.

Then we practiced at halt going up and down in the saddle counting 1,2 1,2, at about the same speed that she would have to go in trot.

Luckily this is all it took for her, but other children sometimes need some one at the side just holding their clothing at the back to make them feel mire secure.

Not a very good description sorry, but mist of them get it after a couple if goes.

Also practice fun things like, around the world, to help improve confidence and balance in the saddle

 

[flying solo]

Kids love doing pc games, practise in walk then do the straights in sitting trot etc also I called rising trot doing our 'up, downs' my daughter loved showing everyone how good she was at them! You have two children so make it as fun as possible, swapping mid way through the ride and doing stuff like the sock and bucket race, a bending race... You get the picture! Good luck x

 

[Lexie81]

I used to lunge my daughter when she was that age, lots of work with no stirrups touch your toes touch pony's ears etc in walk then progressed to in trot. Excercises like around the world, half scissors etc. And lots of hacking just to build her confidence in the saddle that really did do wonders for her.

 

[OldNag]

I've got two girls who started almost a year ago at a riding school. We didn't get our pony until the summer. I find that they don't listen to me (well the 6 year old does a bit) so even though we have our own pone and another we borrow, they get a lesson once a week. I'm lucky in that we have an on site instructor. In between I take them out on/off lead rein and we mix in doing stuff in the school mixed in with hacking round the yard, doing round the worlds etc, whatever they are interested to do. We also hack out when I can borrow another person to lead.
Have fun!

ETA I am finding that the emphasis is making it fun. The more time they're in the saddle, the more secure and competent they get. But I find the main problem is that they just don't want to listen to me! Sounds like you're doing great with your two, I'd carry on with what you're doing and just progress it to trot doing the same.

 

[Littlelegs]

Lots of good ideas & sounds like what your doing is good too. I'd wait till your son has got the rough idea of rising before lunging in trot tho just because its often harder for them to get it on a circle, its great for them to practice once they've got the up down bit tho. I'm a big fan of no stirrups for getting balance & a good seat, even if at first its just pulling his feet out for a few strides of walk before halting pony & getting him to try putting his foot back in himself. If your daughters more balanced get her doing it in a trot. With littles Simon says, tig & head, shoulders knees & toes makes it fun. Simon says is one of my favourites cos you can remind them about their position in a fun way & bring in balance exercises such as rising with hands on heads etc. Traffic cones are also a perfect height to lean of an 11.2 to pick tennis balls etc off, without them having to dangle off the side too much.

 

[zip]

Thanks, great tips. Littlelegs, good idea about using cones to put balls etc on top. I might put some out in the school tonight to teach them how to weave in and out etc.

Any ideas for getting the pony to trot without dragging her head? I start running, clicking my tongue and get the kids to shorten reins and hold the pommel. She will trot for a few seconds then puts her head down ....

Zip

 

[Littlelegs]

Stay at her shoulder & flick her with the leadrope behind your leg when she stops with a sharp trot on. I'd try it without a child on board first incase she does a tiny buck tho. If her heads going down to eat a daisy rein would help too. Most good first ponies often are a bit unfit when they get a new jockey, so should improve with time anyway. Have fun.

 

[Garnet]

To prepare for rising trot, I get little ones to practise standing up in their stirrups and balancing for a moment or two, first at halt and then in walk. Then you can give the commands "stand up . . . sit down" at varying speeds until they can rise and sit at a similar speed to what they will need to do in trot. In fact, learning to balance without pulling the reins whilst standing in the stirrups at walk and trot is a good exercise for anyone and great fun for children to see how long they can balance for!
With the pony, you need to practise with her in hand without a rider, so that she is responsive to your voice aids - you will need this to be fairly reliable before you start lunging anyway . . .
When you do start lunging, the children can do lots of work without reins, such as the above balancing exercises to develop an independent seat.
I use slow-walking and fast-walking to encourage children to control the speed of their ponies, moving on to slow trotting and fast trotting, using phrases such as "how slow can you trot/walk without walking/stopping?"
Make it all fun and play as many games as possible - children learn loads that they don't realise they are being taught whilst they think they are having fun playing a game. Have you got some poles? Can they halt the pony in a "box" made of poles? Can they halt the pony with front legs on one side of the pole and back legs on the other side?
The only limit is your imagination! Have fun!

 

[Ladydragon]

With a young daughter and grand daughter who are fairly new riders this thread has been really interesting...

Grand daughter has lovely balance but little confidence so tends to just sit a little rigid and not move much whereas daughter has almost too much confidence but struggles with her balance... She lands on the floor occasionally but in all fairness hops back on very quickly with a smile...

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Egg & spoon race (best done with potatoes) is great for developing balance. The rider MUST concentrate on the 'egg', so forgets about their own body/nerves and relaxes, great hilarity ensues when the 'egg' is dropped but can soon be picked up again.

 

[Honey08]

Six is a great age to start.

I used a lot of games with my stepson at that age. Robinsons is great as they sell cheap gymkhana stuff. We use cones for bending, poles for moving plastic cups from one to another, buckets and balls - even fishin nets for them to fish balls out of buckets..

When you get them off the leadrein you can play tag in the school. You run to a point in the school and they have to steer to you and tag you, then you move somewhere else..

I agree with the exercises already mentioned - around the world, scissors, touching toes, ears, tail etc.

I would do less in the school and more on hacks if the roads are safe at that age. We used to do trotting from one lampost to the next, or halt at the next gate, count to five and walk again... Just do tiny trots - they may not get rising trot for ages, let them find their balance and confidence first..

Pony club, if there is one near, would be great as they'd have other diddies in their group to "play" with on lessons, but you would have to swop kids halfway through!