Website/Book Recommendations

[Fizzy Rerider]

Hi everyone,

I used to ride as a child and returned as an adult (about 2 years ago). I'm loving being back in the saddle but feel I'm not really progressing. I am looking at changing riding schools for various reasons (see below) but in the interim I was hoping for some recommendations please...

Does anyone recommend any books or websites that are good as a reference for using various cues/techniques etc? My trainer says things like half halt up, half halt down, outside hand to inside shoulder etc and it seems she means something different each time. I learn best when I can sit down and understand the theory, as well as putting it into practice. It would be nice to have something I can refer to, to see when I should use a half halt, what the correct cues are for different situations, what I should be doing for each gait/move to ensure I'm asking for it correctly and am not making it harder for the horse! I can ask my trainer (and do) but when there is a gap in doing something, it jumps straight out of my head!

For an idea of my current level, I have weekly lessons which involve a mixture of walk and trot mainly. Lots of leg yields, serpentine loops, 15/20m circles and that's about it (so it's getting quite repetitive). I canter sometimes but that is limited as the school doesn't currently have many horses capable of cantering due to their age and I end up usually on the younger horses (some backed end of 2021, some ex racers that haven't had much schooling) and my trainer doesn't want those cantered yet as they're still learning. The lessons on these younger horses can be fun and challenging but I don't feel I learn much (other than getting used to them being a bit spooky and getting better at keeping my seat when they have a bit of a wobble). As I'm effectively teaching the horse, I don't feel I'm actually learning much myself as the focus is on the horses learning...

I am keen to improve my canter. I have a decent seat in canter, I don't bounce around. However, I feel quite unsteady even if I don't always look it. It can be months in between cantering which is frustrating. I've had hacks elsewhere and cantered without any issues there but it's not the same. I'm also wanting to do some dressage and start jumping again (I jumped as a kid). I am looking at getting my own horse in the next year or so and am sure things will improve then (and when I change schools) but any recommendations of books/websites for me to improve my knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[stangs]

Sylvia Loch’s The Classical Seat or Sally Swift’s Centred Riding would be my recommendations.

 

[Juniper Jack]

Congratulations on getting back into riding!
I hope you can find a different riding school. Hopefully one that will put you up on a schoolmaster who can help your trainer teach you/refresh the good things you learned as a child. It sounds like your current instructor is letting you pay them to help school their green horses.
"Outside hand to inside shoulder" is a new phrase to me; "inside leg to outside rein" I understood a little better. In my experience, no two trainers seemed to agree on what a half halt was or how to do it.

 

[Fizzy Rerider]

Thanks both. I've actually booked a lesson for tomorrow morning at a new school and for the first time in ages I'm actually excited!

 

[stangs]

Likelihood is you'll be stuck on a steadier mount for your first lesson, but it's the quality of the instruction that matters. Good luck!

 

[Juniper Jack]

Thanks both. I've actually booked a lesson for tomorrow morning at a new school and for the first time in ages I'm actually excited!

Yay! Have a wonderful time. And please tell us all about it afterwards.

 

[Skib]

I have a Carl Hester paperback Down To Earth Dressage.
It goes carefully through every gait.

I also had DVDs by Richard Davison, and Hawksfield, Enjoying Dressage Wirh Richard Davison 1. and (later) disc 2

When I started riding there was very little on line or on VHS and I watched Pippa Funnell Training your Young Horse. Most of it was lost on me but her dealing with a horse that spooked, possibly at a van, proved particularly helpful out hacking and when my RS escort thought I needed more control of the horse, I was told it was time for my Pippa Funnell act.

 

[TPO]

I haven't read them but a friend had the "Leerning to ride as an adult" books and seemed to get something from them. I think she spent a bit of time on a gym ball with resistance bands following the books instructions.

I like Susan McBanes books. They are well written and easy to read without being hard going. Her "100 ways to" series are worth the few pounds thst they cost second hand. There's a 100 ways to improve your riding and 100 ways to improve your schooling iirc. The riding one is very well illustrated with photographs.

There's also a 100 ways to improve your equine partnership which may help you to consider things from the horses POV and why they do what they do which may help if you're looking to get your own. She also has improve health and improve behaviour books in thr series. So yeah I recommend all 5.

Susan Mcbane also has books on horse keeping and how they think that aren't too full on but provide insight.

Richard Maxwell books aren't about riding as such but lots of training on the ground to tra safer to ridden work as well as ha doing on the ground. Always good to have some tools in the box for horses that might be sharp or unsettled on the ground. Maximise Your Horsemanship and the ither is something along the lines of Unlock your horses talent in 20mins a day

Handy to have an anatomy book to making speaking to a vet easier. Some conformation books are worthwhile too especially if you're going to be horse hunting.

 

[Fizzy Rerider]

Thank you all, I'll be looking into these. Poor postie might have a lot of deliveries this week!

 

[Fizzy Rerider]

Just had my lesson at the other riding school. Like a different world, loved it.

Horse was a little bit naughty and was doing some wiggley kicks as I was mounting, had a little spook as it started to rain suddenly (?) and did a few little kicks/mini bucks when I was getting him into trot so that part wasn't ideal but the instructor was very calm and reassuring and had told me in advance he was a bit fidgety when mounting and I had no issue dealing with the rest, only minor things. However, I've had similar happen in my original riding school and never felt as reassured.

Did some no-stirrup work in walk and trot (which I've done very little of before), did lots of halt-trot transitions (which I've never done before) and did a little bit of canter. Instructor said I'm nowhere near as bad as I think I am ? and that I look a lot steadier than I might feel.

He took the time to explain why I was doing things, why I was moving my leg/hands in a particular way and said he likes to acknowledge what people do well, not just focus on where they're not so good. He said he likes his riders to have a plan too so we're doing a few lessons on lunge (never done that before) as he said one or two of those will have me sorted with my gait transitions.

Very professional set up, everyone so nice and friendly, the instructor kept checking that I was happy with the lesson and what he was teaching me and he was happy to take it at my pace. Strange enjoying it so much when the horse was a bit naughty but the way it was handled filled me with confidence as we all know horses can have a bad day!

The best bit was probably the three waggley tailed yard dogs that greeted me and followed me around until I have them ear scratches. My own dog was suspicious when I got home! I've a big stupid grin on my face for the first time in ages after a lesson ?

 

[View]

Sounds like you got so much more out of this lesson. Glad you enjoyed yourself - after all this is why we do it.

 

[Juniper Jack]

Just had my lesson at the other riding school. Like a different world, loved it.

Horse was a little bit naughty and was doing some wiggley kicks as I was mounting, had a little spook as it started to rain suddenly (?) and did a few little kicks/mini bucks when I was getting him into trot so that part wasn't ideal but the instructor was very calm and reassuring and had told me in advance he was a bit fidgety when mounting and I had no issue dealing with the rest, only minor things. However, I've had similar happen in my original riding school and never felt as reassured.

Did some no-stirrup work in walk and trot (which I've done very little of before), did lots of halt-trot transitions (which I've never done before) and did a little bit of canter. Instructor said I'm nowhere near as bad as I think I am ? and that I look a lot steadier than I might feel.

He took the time to explain why I was doing things, why I was moving my leg/hands in a particular way and said he likes to acknowledge what people do well, not just focus on where they're not so good. He said he likes his riders to have a plan too so we're doing a few lessons on lunge (never done that before) as he said one or two of those will have me sorted with my gait transitions.

Very professional set up, everyone so nice and friendly, the instructor kept checking that I was happy with the lesson and what he was teaching me and he was happy to take it at my pace. Strange enjoying it so much when the horse was a bit naughty but the way it was handled filled me with confidence as we all know horses can have a bad day!

The best bit was probably the three waggley tailed yard dogs that greeted me and followed me around until I have them ear scratches. My own dog was suspicious when I got home! I've a big stupid grin on my face for the first time in ages after a lesson ?

Great news! Thank you for your post. There is nothing like a "big stupid grin" ride and I am so glad you had one. I had a couple myself last year (not riding this year -- yet) and it's a wonderful feeling.
My cat is often suspicious too when I come home.