What do you get from your lessons, and your instructor?

When I returned from Australia in 2008, I had a lesson with an old PC instructor I'd not seen for years bt thought we might get on better now I was an adult (she has a nice jumping field lol). I'd basically not ridden for 18 months so was very rusty. Her first comment after seeing me ride for 10 mins was 'well let's face it, you ride like *****' so not changed at all from PC days when she told me the day before my b test I'd never pass. I should have walked out then, but I'm English so didn't.

I haven't had a lesson in over 18 months (lameness, pregnancy, bf transition) but think I've found a good one. She gets after me, but in a good way, and tells me things I never knew all the time, despite being around horses my whole life.
I want a lesson with a new SJ instructor as not had one in years, but it's often hard finding a SJ instructor who does more than keep putting the fences up and shouting come again at you! Still if they're cheap sometimes that worth the use of facilities and having a fence putter upper ;)
 
I actually couldnt ask for a better Coach - she is way more than just an instructor!
She has been teaching me since I got back in the saddle just over 2 yrs ago & I actually bought my Mare from her... There is always a plan of action in place - based on what we are aiming to go out and do.. After a total confidence knock she stripped everything back & knew when to keep things basic & when to push me a bit out of my comfort zone. . She is always on the other end of the phone if I need advice or have had an issue schooling.
I get " Homework " every week aswell which helps keep me focused - She is firm but fair & will give praise where praise is due but will come down on me aswell if necessary lol.

She also at home tells me I am jumping 60's when in fact it is over 80cms lol so when I go out I think courses look small:) & for someone with confidence issues jumping the way she does this totally works....
Also if I am struggling with a certain exercise she will hop up & run through it as generally I will " Get it " when I see it being done. I hear of way too many instructors these days that refuse to ride.

We also tend to do a " lunch session" where we discuss plan for month ahead, outings and have a good discussion on what is going good & what needs improvement on.

If Im having a bad day & feeling unconfident I tell her & we work through it - There isn't anyone else I feel would " Get " myself & my horse as much..
 
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My instructor was the first to actually say "lets ignore the horse for now, lets have a look at you". She spent many months undoing (or trying to!) all the bad habits and "rebuilding" me. She pushes me, which sometimes is frustrating because it would be nice to have one lesson when I come away thinking it was easy! She always gives me something to work on and can tell if I've been practicing (which kind of encourages me as I want to impress her lol).

She also breaks things down easily for me and explains them in a way which, because they are funny, makes me remember them. For example, my habit of riding with elbows pinned to my side, I have to ride like I'm doing the funky chicken. Also the loss of topline and contact is because "I have fallen out of my bra, therefore the horse has".
 
JennBags said:
Surely it depends on what your aims are? If you're a happy-hacker (absolutely nothing wrong with that) then why would you have lessons unless you had a problem? But if you want to get out & compete, then I can't understand why you wouldn't have lessons. This particular livery (and money is not an issue with him) has recently bought a 5yo mare, she's lovely but she is already getting her own way the whole time. If she wants to jog, she will jog - he laughs about it. If she wants to stand and plant her feet, he laughs about it. No problem, as long as she remains a safe ride - but if you want to go out & compete, wouldn't you want to put everything into their education that you can? I don't understand why you would wait until you were out competing before getting lessons.
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Like I said, some people just want to do their own thing.

I'm not just a happy hacker, but I'm also not competition crazy either. I'll do the odd one here and there and feel confident enough that I can manage without lessons. I really enjoy watching clinics and seminars online, and actually prefer to be 'taught' that way. I'd rather sit at home in the warm with a cup of tea learning to be honest! Obviously watching things online won't be tailored to me and my horse (unless I'm watching something specific to us), but it's surprising how much you actually can learn.

I do think a lot of people rely almost too much on their instructors sometimes, but I'm clearly in the minority ;)
 
Love lessons with my new trainer, it's taken me a long time to find someone to really help, only had 3 sessions so far - she has made some minor and some more major changes and things are progressing well. I usually take a couple of hours to half a day and we work through groundwork, lunging, classical in hand work and ridden work - really really happy after a long time without any good instruction.

I also then go to an international dressage rider who helps with ring craft and also is great for giving exercises that help the horse but doesn't really work on the rider. The two trainers complement each other very well
 
mairiwick said:
I'm yet to find an instructor that I get that feeling from. I'm just about to start looking for one but I am very apprehensive that I might not get what I want. I quite like the biomechanics of the horse and I know my position needs a lot of work. She's just come back from an extended period of on/off box rest and I've come back from having a baby so we've done a lot ourselves just in walk and I have finally managed to get my hands to stay still and not wiggle my fingers, god the improvement in our contact is amazing! Just started our trot work and she is being a delight but I need to find someone locally now who can pick up from where we are and push us onwards (any recommendations around Cheshire please feel free to PM ;-) )
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I've sent you a PM
 
swampdonkey said:
I think the key is to finding the right instructor for you. I haven't found anyone that makes me feel the way you do about your lessons. (I would love to)
I have a limited budget for lessons and wonder how many instructor frogs I will have to kiss to find my instructor prince!
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"Like" - this made me chuckle - I have kissed a few instructor frogs too - though most I just find mediocre rather than terrible.
 
What do I get from my lessons? I come away feeling like something else has slotted into place, something else makes sense, we put another piece of the jigsaw into place. Some lessons I come away having had real lightbulb moments. Other times I've gone in with a particular problem and we've worked through it. That can be something as small as (and this is what I intend to work on this week in my lesson!) "my right arm feels wobbly and my contact on that rein is inconsistent, and I'm not using my right leg effectively". I always come away having at least made some progress towards solving whatever my problem is, even if it hasn't been completely resolved. I come away with a better understanding of what I am doing correctly and incorrectly, how it is affecting my horse, what I need to improve in my position and riding to improve the horse, and *how* those things impact on him. I have a clear plan of what I'm working towards. My instructor also schools my horse once or twice a week for me so she has a really good understanding of the issues he has, where he needs to improve and how I can help to improve him.

I use the same person for everything, generally. She has evented at Intermediate so for me doing 90s, I get everything I need. Our DR is consistently improving, our SJ is analysed to the nth degree. We've spent a long time working on a) making the horse stronger and more supple so he has a good, powerful SJ canter, and b) improving my riding and feel so that I can get that canter, ride it and can adjust it. This time last year I was wetting myself about jumping 80cm, the canter wasn't there and we were just getting by in our SJ. Now jumping 95cm - 1m at home feels normal, our 90cm rounds are tidy and I actually feel like I'm riding rather than just a passenger who's clinging on and hoping. We've worked endlessly on my position, my approach to the fences, riding corners and turns to get a good approach, distances, etc etc. I do have XC lessons from the same instructor if I go someone local to school, otherwise if going further afield I will find someone local to that venue and book a one off session. Last one was with Andrew Heffernan who, whilst he's v shouty, had the same analytical approach to my jumping as my usual instructor.
 
I get seriously aching muscles from mine!

I love my lessons and have just started them back up again. She works us both really hard and pushes us, but I always learn things in each lesson and come away smiling and with homework.

I had a lesson yesterday, and so did my sharer on my little 5 year old and another young girl on the yard. My instructor is so flexible. She taught me first and we worked on collection with my gelding, then she went right back to basics for my baby pony, then the last girl was bucked off last week so she worked on confidence with her.
 
I'm super excited, I asked for instructor recommendations on here a few weeks ago and I have my first lesson booked for this Thursday. I haven't had a lesson for over a year now although I have read a lot and tried really hard when riding alone. In fact this is the first year when I've felt like schooling is a constant conversation, rather than just well...sitting there. But I'm keeping everything crossed that this lady is as good as some of your instructors seem to be.
 
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I go to two of the very best SJ instructors who I gain a huge amount from, but not very often due to distance/ logistics. They have sharp eyes, tell it like it is and expect me to act on their advice without finding excuses. They get me riding properly on the flat too although I do take advantage of a visiting dressage trainer at work who usually has something useful to add in, but not enough to justify travelling to her.
I have had one worthwhile XC lesson in my life and I'd love to train with him again but he's a little preoccupied training the British team!
 
It's great to hear that other people love their lessons too, and really gain from them.

Chestnut cob, that's how I feel (and want to be feeling in the future) about my lessons. I wonder if the analytical thing is an eventing thing...it seems to be a common bond.

KatPT hope your lesson lives up to it's expectations :D
 
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