Where did you learn to ride?

[Swift08]

Started at a local riding school aged 6, had a great instructor who really got me going! She spent time teaching me things to get my balance and position correct but making it lots of fun, never putting me on a lead rein (but happily took reins off me!) and I was trotting easily by the end of my first lesson. A few months later she left and was replaced by a horrible woman who just let me plod round the school for my lesson - more like a pony ride.
Moved to a holisitc riding school and spent 5 years there having a fab time! My instructor was like my first one and I was opened up to so much more, regularly hacking out, playing gymkhana games and learning the management side of things as well. I was also able to ride a variety of different ponies and horses, some were real good 'plodders' whilst others were only just broken. I owe so much to that place, yes it's not everyone's cup of tea but I was happy there, learnt so much and it has continued to benefit me. Compared to friends who spent years doing as I would have done if I stayed at the first riding school (i.e. nose to tail around a school for an hour, never learning about anything else), I was SO lucky and learnt so much more.

 

[hcm88]

My parents are horsey, so I was around horses from birth yet didn't properly learn to ride (bar the odd let's plonk the toddler on the horse moment!) until I joined a riding school when I was very young (possibly age 4). I then was bought my first pony age about 6 I think. I then learnt the hard way....

 

[Elsbells]

At 51, still learning and still self taught. Hence, I'm rubbish

 

[Silmarillion]

I sat on Mum's friend's horses when I was little, then started at a riding school at seven years old. I then went to a private instructor for a year or so as we moved, then we moved again and I started riding and helping at a different RS. When we moved again when I was 12, I got a pony to ride belonging to a local. She was five and just broken! A year or so later I got my own and started lessons with a private instructor, then helped with her horses, then moved my pony to her yard. I sold my pony after four years as she ruined my confidence, and started riding anything I could get my hands on.

That, coupled with my working at another local yard and having lessons there, was when I started to learn to ride.

I'm now 24, still riding where I used to work, still riding anything I can (though I'm still a wuss!) and some people consider me a good enough rider to pay me to school their horses

So, though I started in a riding school, I didn't start to ride properly until I worked with and rode lots of different horses, and had lessons with my two "current" private instructors

 

[AprilBlossom]

I had a year of weekly lead rein rides around Normanby Hall in lincs, then moved to Hampshire and grew up spending all of my spare time at Tanglewood, eventually getting a weekend job there and teaching unqualified under an AI (hurrah for non approved establishments!)

I learned through good, honest instruction however would have liked to have learned more refined riding at an earlier age as I spend most of my teens riding shoddy handmedowns and my loan, often lame, old welsh cob who was pretty much gifted to me as was no use for school work any longer (sadly, after a long stint of walk only to get her right she went lame again within weeks and we let her go as wasn't fair to keep her going in pain) Quit for a couple of years after I lost her and then going to uni got me back into riding and subsequently shares and loans now in y local area.

I do worry more now than ever that I have no safety net of a YO as my lad is on DIY and its highlighted to me just how little I know, however we've been muddling along ok for the past year or so know

 

[jenki13]

I got plonked on my aunt's pony when I was 2 & then on a variety of loan ponies.
Can remember having lunge lessons on riding school ponies when i was about 4.. learning to trot by "imagining there was a spike on the saddle".
I got to ride a pony called copper to hunt & have lessons on... in all honesty A LOT of my jumping experience was out in the hunting field - no idea how to see a stride or get a "showjumping canter" - my first owned pony (willow) could jump 3'6" hunting & at home but point blank refused to do more than 1 round of competition.

I also got flat lessons from a german instructor on her pony called Dempsey nicknamed "devil-horse", I think we got them almost free as the pony needed exercising. I can distinctly remember being carted around the arena a fair few times & the little sod had a hefty buck continued lessons with said instructor on willow... who also had a tendency to buck & an aversion to canter - had a lovely extended trot though apparently

I finally got a pony on loan called Robbie who was 24 when I got him at 12/13 & I joined the pony club.... got shouted a lot but he taught me a lot & gave me the experience of competition.
I then had another couple of ponies that didn't work out before picking up my current horse (who i've had 6yrs) - definitely still learning especially about the technicalities of jumping & about real school - never had anything that would comply before!! Hopefully getting some serious training & competition in this year after basically having 3 years not doing a lot whilst i've been at uni

Ooo that's a bit of an essay! Sorry!