Translating outdoor confidence to lessons - Long

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Wishful

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I'm a relatively novice rider, coming back after a long break. I can walk, trot, canter and jump and have galloped once (beach ride in lake district).

When I came back, I got a couple of lunge lessons, which sorted out my sitting trot, but I still have issues getting the riding school horses to go forward in the school, and get quite nervous of canter transitions a lot of the time.

I also go riding at a trekking stables on Dartmoor. Last weekend went out for a 2 hour trek in heavy rain and wind, and had a fanstastic time with lots and lots of canters. Obviously on safe sensible trekking centre horse, but fairly forward going, and also well schooled - will do leg yield, extended walk, extended trot (first time I rode him I didn't collect him up enough when asking for canter and got extended trot!!!). Didn't have any worries when I asked for canter at all - no nerves, just the buzz from the long fast ride.

At the RS, I get really nervous asking for canter in a confined space. The horses I ride are really safe and sensible, but responsive if you get it right, although one likes to amuse himself taking the mickey a little. Somehow I get far more nervous of hitting the horse when doesn't respond to my leg, and get really nervous of cantering, unless I'm jumping, when I'm more focussed on getting the horse to the jump with impulsion and rhythm and canter just happens along the way, which doesn't scare me at all!

Any suggestions how I can take my Dartmoor confidence and bring it to cantering in lessons without being a total wuss!

Thanks for reading!
 
Could the problem not stem from the lessons and confined space itself but the trust you have in the horses, purely from your descriptions I would guess you trusted the dartmoor horses a lot more than some at the RS
 
Don't think so - RS are sensible confidence givers, but will go when told properly. I don't think I'm telling properly.

It seems to be the transition that scares me - I'm fine once I'm cantering and feel really stable, just the upwards transition is hard.
 
Maybe you are more relaxed when you're out because you're not worrying and thinking too much, just enjoying the ride? I know when I'm in the school I am really concentrating but it seems to make me quite tense and I can get nervous really quickly!
 
Hi Wishful, I think you are creating the problem by becoming nervous of it! If you THINK that you are not going to be able to get the transition you won't get it because you will have tensed and sent the opposite message through to the horse. You need to forget about your nervousness, enjoy the moment, concentrate on other things and just let it happen for you.
crazy.gif

You probably know how to "ask" for a transition, don't be scared to look untidy in your position when you are asking for the transition, a lot of horses become lazy in the school and I suspect this is what is happening to you and your horse. Take a long schooling whip and use it as a back up to the leg, if you ask for canter and nothing happens, ask again and tap behind the leg with the whip.

Try not to make a big deal out of it, practise practise practise
wink.gif
 
Thanks everyone. Can't get private lessons at the moment, stables are booked up from now to eternity it seems!

Don't quite trust myself with schooling whip - every time I go to hit horse with short whip, I hit myself on the leg! OOPS! I feel like I tip forward through the transition a bit, would I be better to focus on sitting up straight, looking forwards etc, to make sure my balance is right. Hands keep straying to mane, martingale strap/breastplate, so I keep throwing away the contact.

Need not to be a wuss - then it would all be fine.
 
Wonder where you go riding, it can't be far from me! (I always sent people to three places, Penny Hill for lessons, Sticklepath for general hacking, and foxworthy for fast hacks...)
A trick I used to teach is in your head say "And CANTER!" as you ask, the and sort of prepares the horse a bit like a half halt, but it also gives you a two step aid which makes the actual asking more precise.
To feel completely confident cantering you need to be able to sit totally securely, this is best achieved by doing a very slow canter and imagining you are as light as a feather on the horse's back. Most beginners go tense and then bump against the movement, once you can relax it's a doddle.
Another thing to practice is walk from canter, I rarely trot before cantering and it's
much easier to keep your balance that way.
Don't forget too most hirelings know exactly where the canter places are and are ready for that when hacking, the riding school ones tend to avoid work if possible!
The difference when the insrtuctor gets on the same horse that refuses to canter for you and it effortlessly canters is mostly in the mind, when we get on it's "You will canter at wherever I say or else!" and the horse can feel that attitude instantly.
I'd offer to help next time you come visiting your OH but I don't think I have anything sensible enough!
 
We ride at Cholwell Farm, near Tavistock. So not really your direction. OH's choice as he knows them.

I am fine if it's "And Canter". The problems I get are more "And canter, please, sometime this week, maybe, now, oh ok, I'm completely off balance better walk instead". I think what I need to do is get RS pony going properly in walk, which involves use of stick, so I can then get a proper trot that is worth trying for. Problem is RS pony is used to taking the P and tends to try kicking out if I (or anyone else) hits him as it stops lots of people hitting him. Then I only want to hit him if I've checked my balance first, by which time it is too late, so I don't, so he gets away with not walking properly, not trotting properly and generally being lazy. If I could get past the "don't want to hit horse" issue, I'd probably have to hit him less and would get canter easier.

Out is so much easier, there's none of the faster unbalanced trot that is really hard to sit. They go with the lightest squeeze (or before on the word canter from ride leader).

I agree you probably don't have anything sensible enough. I am definitely a novice.
 
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