When did you learn to ride?

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I started riding aged 8 cos one of my friends had horses at home and I loved them! Leased my first pony aged 10 after I won the walk and trot dressage comp at the yard on him. Second leased pony aged 12, third leased pony aged 13 and then within 6 months the beast I own now turned up at the yard to be sold and we bought him!
 
I have always had ponies and horses since the age of 5 - but I have never 'learned' to ride as in a RS...my mum just taught me and then I learnt by taking out trekking horses, I guess thats why I ride like a cowboy!!
 
I got my first pony when I was 2 years old but proabably didn't start riding till I was about 4. Pretty much had horse ever since, apart from last year when I was in the states and 3 years ago when I went ti Inida. Most have been on loan.

My dad only started riding at the same time I did! He was about 37 and did his first pre-novice at the age of 50.
 
First sat on Mum's Donkey at 6 months, not really been off since.

Longest I have not ridden for was 3 moths when my spleen ruptured & Doc forbade it. Mum hid my tack
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i started to ride when i was about 4 or 5 with weekly lessons, then moved to scotland when i was about 10 and started helping out at the local riding school. by the time i was 12 i was offered one of the horses there but parents weren't too keen, but then spent the summer on some grey pony who spooked at everything and liked throwin people off! i took him to pony club camp and then at the end of the summer took him to Pony club show and managed to get him round a sj course. My parents then agreed to buy me a horse.
somehow we ended up with a 3 1/2 year old IDxTB, not your average first horse as a 13 year old girl. but we still have her and have learnt so much from here and wouldn't know what to do without her.
 
first sat on a horse aged 2....lucky enough to grow up on a farm and my Dad kept & bred horses, inherited the pony my big sisters learned to ride on when I was 5 or 6, went to Pony Club for lessons & my first pony 'for me' my Dad bought for me the year before he died (when I was 8)....ended up going away to boarding school at 10 and all the horses/ponies were sold off as Mum wasn't directly horsey & had enough to cope with with the four of us and a farm to run.

Started riding again at about 25/26 and bought my first horse at 30!
 
Started riding at around ten ( 34 now) had private lessons once a week for I would say nearly 2 years. Then I just mainly went on fun rides, hacks, own a pony for a day etc.
Gave up the lessons when I was younger as friends I went with both had wealthy parents ( mine were on the verge of divorce) and bought them ponies including one of the favourites I used to ride, a pony called Brandy.
I found it very hard as they changed as kids and just saw me as the tag along as mum and daddy had bought them a pony etc. Call it jealously, call it what you like. It's hard to describe how a child's mind works at 11 or 12.
Continued with the riding but not in the school. My mum was not into horses and my dad could not care less he was too busy concerning himself with his new partner -just a few years older than me at the time- and later a new family. Dad never came to see my ride and was not bothered about anything I did hobby or school wise for that matter as he never attended one parent's evening!
My instructor told me I was a good rider and could have gone further but what was the point without the backing of your parents how else could a 12 year old kid go it alone in the horseworld.
Now 24 years on have finally got horses of my own and as my daughter is a horse lover too I would love for her to be able to do the things I so wanted to at her age.
When she had lessons about 4-5 years ago she was a natural and had a sticky bum lol.
Sadly though where we are stabled there is no real school for her to work in. Would like to be able to send her for lessons again as she did enjoy it and I'm not a parent who is trying to live through my children if you follow.
We will see what happens but I know sometimes she tells me she would like to be a jockey, however at 5ft 5 and she is only just turned 12 I have a feeling she will be too tall lol
Cazx
 
First ride aged 7 but then i properly learnt age 8 (the first year was spent at a bad riding school where I just learnt how to fall!!!!) have been riding ever since!

One man at my yard learnt to ride at age 50!! and now owns two horses aged 65 rides regurlary and can get on his 17.1hh shire form the ground (he is 5ft 5!!!)
 
Had lessons from about 9/10 and then rode till about 13 then gave up till I was 28! now knocking on the door of 30 and so glad that I went back to it! xx
 
I only learn't to ride the year before last and TBH am still very much a beginner.

I hacked out on occasions before that as a child and on holiday but never had a lesson.

I have now had Bert a year and feel I have learnt more in that year than 6 month of lessons before.
 
I think I was about 5 when I started to ride. My uncle had a riding school and, when we went to visit I remember being chucked on a shetland and going off at high speed around a field after my uncle smacked it hard on the arse!!!!

Spent my entire childhood, riding out, hunting and hacking with my friends but didnt get my own untul I was 14.
 
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