What would you class as a novice?

[SamanthaUK]

I'm going to be honest with myself and with you guys,
i've been riding for 12 years in July. I can walk, trot, canter, gallop, jump etc.. although the highest i've jumped is 2ft 9. Anyway, I'm confident and I know how to control and ride etc.. The only problem is my balence. I can't trot in a school and ask for canter, I bounce all over the place and it's getting me down.

Would you class me as a novice? And how can I help this problem? :}

UP: I've been hunting, i've showjumped, i've also done ridden classes at shows.

 

[nikicb]

Just a quick reply on the 'what you can do' part of you post - can you have a few lunge lessons so you can really work on your position and seat - that should help work out what you are doing wrong and help you to get the feel.

I'll leave the experts to define 'novice' - I think there was a thread about it sometime back and opinions varied greatly.

 

[Brandy]

You know I was only thinking about this last week when there was a lot of discussion about novice riders/riding school riders etc and I'm not sure what I would class as novice!

I have ridden all my life, and am 34, I've owned horses since I was late teens. I've done BHS stages, but don't teach (can't stand teaching!!) I've worked in riding schools and a decent dressage yard, and a showing yard, I've broken in, brought on, a little bit of buying and selling (not much as I hate the selling) and completed sucessfully at county level showing, and unaffiliated dressage. I would consider myself as experienced in that I have experienced and learnt a lot.

However, I have never really jumped much - if a horse can and will jump, I am happy to let it take me round any course, but I don't have experience of helping the horse when it comes to jumping. So I would class myself novice with jumping I guess.....saying that, I have done quite a bit of jumping with the ones I have had that DO jump!

I saw a thread on here the other day where someone had jumped a MASSIVE hedge. Well theres just no way on earth you would get me doing that!! Is that a confidence issue or becuase I am novice? I don;t know.

Re your transition - sitting trot, sitting trot and more sitting trot. Practice, short bits to start, keeping your hips and legs relaxed - if you tense up you bounce.

 

[soulfull]

I wouldn't say you were novice per se a lot of horses are unbalance in this transition themselves therefore unbalancing the rider. On some horses I find it difficult to not bounce as they make the transition

Try lunging the horse so it learns its own balance. Then look over you right shoulder when you ride it.. The other thing is to ask from rising trot while horse get its own balance

If others can do it on him then you need to work on your core strength

hope that helps

 

[Suziq77]

I don't think you ever stop learning with horses. I read something the other day where a very experienced horseman said "anyone who says they've never failed with a horse is either lying or they haven't worked with enough horses".

One of the great things is that we all get different experiences and there will always be someone with more experience than you in the area you need help with.

I can't really see a hard and fast rule about when someone stops being "a novice" in the horseworld.

 

[SamanthaUK]

It's just because I was going to view a horse at the weekend and I told them about the trot to canter transistion problem and now they don't want me to come see their horse. Which I can understand and it's just upset me a bit.
Need to get a really novice horse now to practise on.

 

[sandi_84]

Trot to canter - what I was told was lots of sitting trot with or without stirrups, on the lunge if you feel more comfortable. But what really helped me was getting told to relax and imagine weights in my butt cheeks that were pulling me into the saddle (some people imagine being glued in) and small weights on my heels pulling my legs down. Sometimes I still do the sack of tatties canter but I remember my old instructor shouting weights in your bum! and usually I sort myself out

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

Get some lunge lessons.

I think a lot of riders bulldoze through the different stages of riding without actually getting all the little details about their riding 100%. There's no finesse. Mainly because people are in such a hurry to be able to canter, jump etc. I can't talk, I've been exactly the same. I wish I could turn the clock back 18 years and start riding all over again. I wouldn't let MYSELF off the lunge for a good 3-4 years and I'd be VERY thankful for it now.

There's a reason why countries like Holland produce fab, balanced riders. They stay on the lunge for many years and get everything precise and refined and therefore the majority (probably) manage to avoid gaps in their training showing, like being unbalanced in asking for the canter.

ETA- I wouldn't class you as a 'novice' by the way. However, unless you'd produced horses to a good and decent level I wouldn't class you as experienced either. You're probably what most of us are- average

 

[Suziq77]

It's just because I was going to view a horse at the weekend and I told them about the trot to canter transistion problem and now they don't want me to come see their horse. Which I can understand and it's just upset me a bit.
Need to get a really novice horse now to practise on.

I wouldn't beat yourself up about it - I bet you're a lot better than plenty of other people who don't even realise they have room for improvement

The main thing is you would like to work on it and there are some good suggestions for you.

 

[yasminA]

Try doing some pilates classes, it really helps to strenghen your corse and will help with your balance

 

[LizzyandToddy]

I find this something really hard to classify, I wouldn't relate it to something you can/can't do, more in terms of the 'experiences' you've had - but this is just me.

For example I would say that although I have had alot of jumping experience, I would consider my self borderline novice as a dressage rider - rarely braving above prelim/novice level - this is an aspect I myself am frantically working upon . I think it depends on which aspect your talking about. Although you might be a novice in one aspect you probably aren't in others ?

Like others I probably wouldn't classify you as a novice, but I know that lunge lessons are helping me alot!

 

[Fellewell]

Sounds to me as though you're on a horse who's a bit green when it comes to schooling. Either that or you're trying to impress someone and getting your knickers in a twist
Think back to how you usually get canter, sit well down and RELAX

 

[Puzzles]

I definitely wouldn't say you're a novice - I'd say you're a competent rider who knows that she has a weakness. There are so many different dynamics of horse-riding/management that can help to define what level of rider someone is: someone may have ridden for 20 years, just hacking but confidently dealing with all the hazards that hackers face, or someone could've ridden for 6 years and be competing in elementary level dressage level, but is too nervous to hack or jump. We all have weaknesses with our riding! I am mildly dyspraxic and have poor balance and coordination (aka I'm a clumsy clot) but there are always things you can do - it's an ongoing process. Chin up hun, we all have things to work on as riders, and you will be great at things that many other riders find difficult.

 

[JFTDWS]

This forum is unbelievable sometimes - I've seen many posts berating a rider trying a horse for being "novice" for less than this, yet today the consensus is that you are not a novice

It's very hard to judge on a description, to be honest. If you're slightly off key with a horse who is unbalanced himself, no it doesn't mean you're a novice. However, if you're bouncing about on normal, balanced horses (noting the plural) during the transition, I'm inclined to think you probably are more novice than you realise - it's unlikely that you would be unbalanced solely in the canter transition, it is more likely that you either lack core strength (easily rectified) or you have an underlying position/balance problem which will affect other areas of your riding even if you're currently unaware of it. However, most riders I've seen competing at unaffil shows and "normal" horse owners aren't any better, often merely oblivious to their flaws - so it's not the end of the world.

On the other hand, you could be one of these very self conscious people who become obsessed with one of their "flaws" which actually isn't nearly as bad as they make it sound...

 

[rhino]

This forum is unbelievable sometimes - I've seen many posts berating a rider trying a horse for being "novice" for less than this, yet today the consensus is that you are not a novice

Ah, that's one of the unwritten rules of HHO, JFTD. Same as if you are selling a horse people will tell you it's worth £5000 but if you were buying the same horse you will be advised not to pay more than £1.50

OP - does it really matter? Even the top riders will have some things they know they find difficult.

 

[JFTDWS]

Ah, that's one of the unwritten rules of HHO, JFTD. Same as if you are selling a horse people will tell you it's worth £5000 but if you were buying the same horse you will be advised not to pay more than £1.50

OP - does it really matter? Even the top riders will have some things they know they find difficult.

Good point. Half the posters are "yes men", half are vicious predators waiting to jump on anyone who shows weakness and the other half are merely trolls

Actually, I agree with rhino, OP - it doesn't matter. You'll always be a novice in some people's eyes and not at all in others. It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[rhino]

Good point. Half the posters are "yes men", half are vicious predators waiting to jump on anyone who shows weakness and the other half are merely trolls

Your maths is as good as mine

 

[JFTDWS]

I was doing the Milton Jones "grandfather" joke

 

[Rb1]

I certainly wouldn't say you are a novice! But the description varies so much and is normally a matter of opinion, as others have already said, I will leave it to the experts!
I am again just repeating what others have already said but try a lunge lesson if you can. I was sceptical but my instructor convinced me to try it and it helped me a lot, if my horse hadn't gone lame then I would have continued probably having about 20 minutes of each lesson on the lunge, then probably taken it down to every other lesson after a while.
Also, another vote for try pilates! Really helps your core strength and balance.

 

[traceyann]

Teach walk to canter a miss out the trot no problems then most horses should be able to do this unless young Not saying you should never trot i have a bad back so i just do walk to canter on my bad days

 

[Tammytoo]

I wouldn't call you a novice rider, we all have our weak points and I'msure if you had some lunge lessons on a good schoolmaster you would soon find out what your problem is, if indeed it is you and not your horse.

 

[rhino]

Sorry but the second someone say's 'I can gallop' I think 'Numpty' simply because its not often you are somewhere with enough space to truely gallop and the majority of people don't aim to when they ride.

Really? I find most leisure riders will enjoy a good gallop out hacking, and it is pretty much essential for fitness for xc/eventing/racing etc..

It wouldn't suggest numpty to me, especially as it is something a lot of riding schools don't teach

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

A novice is someone who thinks they know more than they actually do!

I would suggest seeing an osteopath, doing pilates and lunge lessons to help with your transitions. they are the most important and fundemental part of riding- it's an incredible feeling when you get them right!

 

[JFTDWS]

Sorry but the second someone say's 'I can gallop' I think 'Numpty' simply because its not often you are somewhere with enough space to truely gallop and the majority of people don't aim to when they ride.

I sort of agree with the first half of this - I tend to find people saying "I can do x, y, z" makes them sound novicey - because normally I don't think it matters what you can do, but how you do it, how the horse ends up, how you influence the horse etc which is more important...

But *******s to that - if the going is decent and I'm heading somewhere I have space to gallop (which is reasonably often) I damn well aim to have one, most of the time when I'm hacking. Anyone who does any demanding sport seriously will incorporate gallop work for fitness.

 

[Kacey88]

Try doing some pilates classes, it really helps to strenghen your corse and will help with your balance

I totally agree with this. I had only ever hacked around as a little kid and then gave up riding until my early twenties. I ride without stirrups half the time and am schooling a rather unbalanced little horse! I definitely put it down to pilates. And once you've learned a few core building exercises, it becomes so easy to keep up your strength at home. (Also makes for a tight and toned waistline!)

 

[rhino]

Exactly, 'Proper' or 'Pro' riders wouldn't bring it up as something they can do, its a given. In my experience its the one's that claim they can ride, then can't even do rising trot that claim they can. Sorry no offence meant Sam.

You seem to be confused with the difference between Novice and Numpty then. The OP was regarding the term Novice, and I think to infer someone is a 'numpty' because of what they have said is unpleasant.

Novice does NOT equal numpty. I would rather have a novice who knew where her problem areas were and asked for advice than a more experienced rider who had no self knowledge or wish to improve.

 

[LouS]

If my choices were to class you as either novice or experienced and nothing in between then I would class you as a novice.

However I know people who have several of their own horses who I would also class as very novice riders, yet I guarantee they think themselves experienced. I can't explain to you what it is, but its not what you can do on a horse, its how you do it. I don't even like the word experienced because some experienced people ride terribly.

Good for you for realizing you have things to improve on and being honest about it. I think its easy to get stuck in a rut riding the same horses or at the same riding school with the same instructor and never improving over years. Could you maybe try getting some lunge lessons on a proper schoolmaster and have someone really work with you on your seat?

I'm going to be honest though, when I had people emailing me about my sharp mare, I had a few emails off youngish teenagers saying 'I can walk, trot, canter and gallop' and I immediately said no. Its just not terminology that someone experienced would tend to use, it just makes me think novice and I'm not sure why. I was having this discussion with someone the other day and they agreed.

Are you looking for a horse to buy or loan? I wouldn't go into so much detail about that one particular issue when you phone up as it will put people off, I'd just go and try the horse and see how you feel.

 

[rhino]

Rhino, round these parts Novice = Numpty, and you'r version of Novice would be referred to as a beginner. (sp)

So you think it is fair to 'label' people as numpties? Now I'm starting to realise why a lot of RS riders feel like they are constantly being belittled by others.

 

[PaddyMonty]

I'm going to be honest though, when I had people emailing me about my sharp mare, I had a few emails off youngish teenagers saying 'I can walk, trot, canter and gallop' and I immediately said no. Its just not terminology that someone experienced would tend to use, it just makes me think novice and I'm not sure why. I was having this discussion with someone the other day and they agreed.

I tend to think the same.
when someone asks me about my riding I tend to reply in terms of
Can ride dressage up to medium
Jump 1.40mtr
Used to riding quirky / young horses etc
Saying I can walk, trot, canter, gallop, jump never enters my head as just take that as a given.

 

[SpottedCat]

OP: If it makes you feel better, I was looking for a youngster to buy the year before last. I have evented up to Novice level BE on a horse I produced myself from a 5yo, and have backed etc in the past. I rang up about a 4yo from a stud (someone down south who is well known - just not for horses!). The owner grilled me (fine) but basically implied I couldn't ride well enough to come and try her 4yo. I'm more than capable of producing a 4yo to go well, and have the competition results to prove it, but she was having none of it, and TBH I wasn't about to argue with her and plead to see her horse - there are a lot of horses for sale out there, and I got the impression she didn't want me anywhere near hers. Take it on the chin - it happens occasionally!