What is a NOVICE rider ??

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Eira

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What is your definition of a novice rider ???
I would say its someone that hasn't got and independant seat and that can't competently walk trot canter jump etc .
But some people have different views
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So what is your opinion and if someone turned up to see your horse that 'is not a novice ride' how would you expect them to ride ?


Thanks in advance
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I would agree with you, I consider myself a novice rider as I can't competently canter or jump yet. (i could once, 10 yrs away from the horse world, it's not like getting back on a bike is it?) I could kick myself for giving it up years ago and can only aspire to be as good as you guys on here!!
 
Mmmmm I have ridden for years and years, however would still class myself as a 'Novice' .... I can stay on
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but I am not good at that Dressage stuff
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I just find it interesting how people define it ,
YM today told me if I wasnt capable of a PN event or couldnt jump 1.10 he would class me as a novice
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In that case i'm off the chart
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Me!! I agree with your definition. I wouldn't class myself as not a novice until I felt I could jump on and ride any horse and was confident galloping and jumping
 
personally I think that if you cannot comfortably and competently control a range of (non-riding school type) horses in all four paces in the school and in open spaces then you are a novice rider.

An experienced rider could be someone who has competed to a high level OR someone who can handle ANY horse in the aforementioned situations. And of course there are all sorts of levels inbetween.

Jumping I would say is slightly different as I know some very experienced riders who never leave the ground. (and some novices who jump 3 foot
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I am a novice! I can walk, trot, canter, do little jumps, gallop...but only on MY pony, who I know and trust. I fall off a lot, and I guess one of the main things that makes me a novice is that I don't know enough really to teach my pony (know knows nothing!!) anything new.
 
it depends what context your classing 'novice' in, id generally agree with you
I wouldnt say your a novice if you cant do a PN evenct or jump 1.10m
Im a novice at competition, ive only ever done one ridden show, though i have expericance, have and independant seat and a 'natural' understanding of horses (in general), i can ride reaosnably well and wouldnt class my self as a novice in those respects.
But, as i said, in terms of competition and individual phases of riding, yes.
it depends what stage you would say comes after novice? intermediate? I thnk it also partially depends on the horse as to how you class youself, or others would class you, if you have an easy going horse you might get away with riding incorrectly, compared to if you had a difficult horse, where you'd be considered novice because of the horses trianing...
 
If I was advertising a horse as 'not a Novice ride.' I would expect the person who was coming to try the horse to be happy and competent rideing a horse with a little more fizz in and and i would expect them to be happy should the horse do a spook or jog.

I don't really beleive that jumping should dictate weather or not a person is a novice or experienced rider. I know quite a few accomplished people who compete at advance medium plus in dressage but have never EVER left the ground.

Obviously a person who can not walk trot and canter in a stable and balanced seat is not anything more than a novice rider, and in the same breath, if a person ishappy at these paces and is balanced but panics when a horse jogs, they to me are a novice ride.

Lou x
 
If I was advertising a horse as not a novice ride, I would expect the person to be of BHS Stage 3 and above to ride him/her (roughly
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cos I have seen some people of stage 3 level and do wonder how they manged to past their exam
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[ QUOTE ]
I just find it interesting how people define it ,
YM today told me if I wasnt capable of a PN event or couldnt jump 1.10 he would class me as a novice
blush.gif
In that case i'm off the chart
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[/ QUOTE ]
I think people define a novice based on their own level and in what discipline aswell. I dont jump 1.10 but dont class myself as a novice just because I dont do that. See what I mean? Rambling because Im bored at work
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I just find it interesting how people define it ,
YM today told me if I wasnt capable of a PN event or couldnt jump 1.10 he would class me as a novice
blush.gif
In that case i'm off the chart
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]
I think people define a novice based on their own level and in what discipline aswell. I dont jump 1.10 but dont class myself as a novice just because I dont do that. See what I mean? Rambling because Im bored at work
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totally agree !!
It came up in a convo when YM was selling a horse and he was shocked at the people that came to ride it . Even though I didnt think they looked novicey atall
 
Well, this is a difficult one.....I would say that I am experience as a rider, however, put up huge fence and I would be a novice! I compete in dressage and have backed my own horses, but would not be condident in jumping, does that make me a novice or just confident in my own field?
 
I agree with Arwen here. I think you have to be able to show control over a number of horses. I know people who class themselves as experienced riders but have only ridden their own horse for the last ? years. So, yes, they know that horse inside out but it still doesn't make them an experienced rider IMO.
 
Just out of interest where do I fit in to all this? I have competed in very, very basic dressage and been placed. I can walk, trot, canter and gallop my own horse and I will ride my friend's horse and am happy to jump him. However put my on a horse I don't know and I'm not very confident at all. I do occasionally get the wobbles when riding but get over it very quickly. I'm really interested in everyone's opinion.
 
I agree with shilasdair
Also what is a 'not novice ride horse'
Iwould think that it means one that is not suitable for a novice, or does it mean you must never ride it if you want to live? or its ok if you ride it for 20 miles EVERY day? or if you lunge it for two hours before hand it might not buck/rear/bolt?

ps - hope I spelt your name right, its to far up the screen and I can't be arsed to check
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i suppose that comes into the type of horse your looking at..

For example, a 14 year old advanced dressage horse that is not a novice ride is going to have different quirks that a 14 year old ex-race horse that is not a novice ride...
 
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I agree with shilasdair
Also what is a 'not novice ride horse'
Iwould think that it means one that is not suitable for a novice, or does it mean you must never ride it if you want to live? or its ok if you ride it for 20 miles EVERY day? or if you lunge it for two hours before hand it might not buck/rear/bolt?

ps - hope I spelt your name right, its to far up the screen and I can't be arsed to check
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lol - such a wide range of horses fit into this category.

I have two horses that I would advertise as 'not novice rides'. However, one of them a novice would 'probably be ok on' (but would struggle a little) and the other would probably put a novice in casualty
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The trouble is 'not novice ride' is so often a euphemism for 'complete nutbag'. But what I would call a nutbag might not be what the next person would - so it is all down to perception. In other words - a complete minefield!
 
That's what I would have said. I don't think I will ever be more than a novice as I'm too nervous a rider. I love my pony and trust him and am happy to do practically any discipline with him but riding another horse is a different matter completely
 
I consider myself a novice, I've ridden for 31 years, but 30 of those at riding schools, I can walk, trot, canter, gallop and jump small jumps and look after a horse - but I am not very good at dealing with the unexpected and I can get quite nervous.
 
Hmm the thing with the term "not novice ride" is that it's so broad. It is not always a euphamism for a crazy horse, although I'm sure that is quite often the case.
For example I would class my horse as "not a novice ride" even though he is bombproof, and jumps pretty well, he is very hard to get moving and tense in dressage, and my friend who is an AI couldn't ride him at all because you've really got to "gee" him up so a novice rider wouldn't ride him very well.
I would class a novice rider as one that isn't too confident, but has the basics and can jump small fences.
 
What about

' Requires confident rider' ?

My mare wouldnt be suitable for a novice as she can tend to throw some impressive bucks and rears... however i would say im quite novice but can deal with her as i know her.

Id also say she needs a confident rider as she gains alot of confidence from her rider esp jumping. She has an awesome jump but tends to duck out if her rider isnt 100% sure (as im not too often it seems- however i woulnt say iwas not a confident rider!). This doesnt mean she is crazy... or a nut job, she is very sane and level headed most of the time. So what do people understand 'requires a confidnt rider' to mean.

(sorry to have rambled... the chocolate is getting to me)
 
See this is where i get stuck

I can ride pretty much anything and am always the crash test dummie for getting on new horses and for schooling those on.

I can and will jump gallop ect on anything. I might not be the most classically trained rider but have the seat and balance.
 
This is actually something that I have been thinking about. I worked at a dealer's yard for 6 years (from the ages of 12-18) and rode anything/everything (not as happy on anything over 16hh but stick me on any horrible pony and I would have some fun).

I probably wouldn't do it now, but my ponio (in the signature) is not the easiest sometimes (I have duckling from the forum riding her atm, and she rides her beautifully, but described her as not a novice....damn)...and can be nappy, threaten to rear, jog, be a general mare. I don't care what she does...except, I won't jump anything over 2'6! Not a chance! Just a strange fear.

I may not have had a lesson in years, but I can get on and control most things, and get them working 'properly', even if my methods are a bit skiwiff (to get her to stop leaning on my hands I lock them over my knees to give me leverage, she stops, I soften, works for me!). I can't do shoulder in, barely understand half pass and will never get an extended trot, but I won't be flapped. It does really depend.....
 
That is exactly what i am like but will happily jump anything that is put up for me. The bigger the better lol!!

However trying to get me to stuff like shoulder in and half pass and im left scratching my head
 
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personally I think that if you cannot comfortably and competently control a range of (non-riding school type) horses in all four paces in the school and in open spaces then you are a novice rider.

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i agree with arwens definition here, this sums it up well for me
 
Someone once told me you need to spend x hundred hours in the saddle before you can be considered experienced. (I'm not sure - it may have been 900???)
I bought a horse which was sold to me as suitable as a first horse but is a real handful (ex-race TB!) not really naughty but very spooky - I feel she is making me less of a novice ride by the day
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hmmm, I'd class my self as novice ish. I have been riding for years but then gave up, and lost my confidence along the way.

I can walk, trot, canter, gallop etc (and stay on lol) I can sit a decent buck, ride through napping, rearing etc (though I prefer not to). And I can school to a certain level.

I'd class a novice rider as one who you wouldnt put on your average highly strung or quirky horse.
 
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