Where should I expect to be?

[Dawny]

I have currently been riding just over 3 years ( Began late december 2012) and I was wondering what I should be able to do by now. I was 11 when I started so obviously I started a fair while after most people start, and I want to know what I should be able to do competently by now. I have had weekly lessons since i began and recently I have been lucky enough to get an additional lesson sometime during the week. Currently I am jumping around 2 ft 6 - 3ft and riding 3 different horses, 1 rising 6 1 rising 7 and a 14 year old. I feel like this is pretty decent for my experience but it seems pretty small compared to other people who ride, but then again most have been riding over 10 years now. Am I doing alright?

 

[alainax]

Are you learning a specific discipline or general riding?

How high you can jump annoys me as a way of measuring ability. Other things are far more important, for example if you have a light, balanced, independent seat.

 

[Dawny]

General riding, and I'm not really sure about the second part. I feel comfortable jumping that height and I don't feel like I have a bad seat but i may just not realise what i'm doing wrong.

 

[Shay]

One of the bugbears, I find, about the horse world is that we tend to judge ourselves (and one another sometimes) by what we can "do". What is it that you want to achieve with your horse-y life? If you are happy where you are then that is just fine. If you are at the stage of thinking you might want to make a career out of this somehow then you are at the right stage to be asking if you are where you need to be.

There isn't really an answer to your question as you have phrased it to be honest. There are systems available by which you can benchmark your achievements and find a plan to progress if that is what you want. But if you are happy with what you are doing then carry on doing it.

 

[sarahw123]

At 11 years old and 3 years of lessons I think you sound like you are making great progress
Certainly more than I made within my first few years of learning.
Hope you continue to enjoy and remember you never really stop learning.

ETA re-read your post and can see you aren't 11 but started riding at 11 sorry! Either way you still progressed quicker than I did