Why don't riding schools teach people how to ride...

[Kub]

This is interesting as I've kinda got experience from both sides now...

I started riding lessons again just ove 2 years ago, and I started at beginner as I hadn't ridden for a good few years and I wasn't a small child anymore lol. I was originally taught to do everything with my reins, no leg or core movement, and I didn't know this was 'wrong' until a good horsey friend told me. After about 8 months, we did start to get taught about riding with leg on and such, but it was much harder to stop myself using the reins and start using my body.

I then stopped for about a year and have just started riding again. The instructors now teaching me are amazing, and it makes me realise how teaching newbies the wrong way doesn't really help, or at least that's how I feel personally. They're being brilliant and really helping me get rid of my bad habits. I had a lesson yesterday and the horse actually started working off the bit for me, I have never had that feeling before and also wondered how I would tell, now I know!

My bf has just started lessons too at the same place, and I was so pleased when they told him from the off about how the reins are not the control, teaching him about contact and core body and movement. He's had 4 lunge lessons learning his rising trot and they're really taking it slowly with him, to make sure he's learning the right way from the start.

Tbh, I just find it amazing how much these two places differ, and how actually, the proper way to ride is so much easier and the horse and you are some much more connected and responsive, I wish I had restarted this way originally! Though I think some schools teach you the wrong way first because it is easier and quicker to get going like this, especially in group lessons. I don't think you could get the same tutition my bf is getting if it was a group, which is a shame really.

 

[Sayra]

"some schools teach you the wrong way first because it is easier and quicker to get going like this, especially in group lessons"..dont know how to do the quote thingy!

I agree Kub, I often had to teach up to 7 people in a group lesson and many people would not ake advice when told that private lessons were better for them until they had improved. When you need to get the whole group doing something its easier to get them to kick and/or follow a more forward going horse than to teach people to do it properly. Believe me, I knew it was wrong to teach people in tis way but when people only have half an hour each week then they want to do something. Ideally I wold have liked people to start by learning ow to tack up, lead, mount/dismount, groom etc but parents dont want to fork out £x for half an hour of the kids "not doing anything".

I have taught lessons where I woudnt let the people trot until they walked properly, position, using seat and leg aids correctly, horse walking activley from behind etc but that could mean some people spending the whole lesson in walk and in general paying customers do not think this is value for money regardless if if it correct or not.

 

[Kat]

And from the opposite point of view, I've ridden in riding schools for most of my life, as has my husband. Plenty of people I ride with are able to ride subtlely - not invisibly, I think that even the top riders struggle with that!

I'm regularly dismayed by the standard of riding by private owners and wonder why they don't spend some money getting decent lessons rather than buying colour co-ordinated rugs, that match their joules sweater. I can guess which their horse would appreciate more.

I've lost count of the number of awful dressage tests I've watched where the rider wiggles their ankles every stride to get the horse moving, yanks its gob in every transition, wears spurs despite their awful lower leg position etc etc etc. And the show jumping is normally even more painful to watch. Then there are the horses I've gone to view to buy and their jockeys....... Or the people who come for lessons on the school horses prior to their exams who haven't a clue how to ride a horse that doesn't do it for them.......... Or the people hacking out who appear to have mistaken their horse for an armchair.....

At the end of the day there are bad riders and ignorant riders everywhere, and you can't lump everyone in together. An awful lot of riding school clients put a huge amount of thought and effort into their riding and read around the subject and try to get fit out of the saddle because they appreciate that they are limited by their lack of a horse of their own. I'm getting really sick of reading posts on this forum that assume that just because you ride in a riding school you are some kick kick pull pull numpty that can only ride a horse that has had a lobotomy. Can we stop the riding school bashing now please?

 

[happyhack]

When I started riding, I went to a RS. I was basically taught to stay on.

When I went to college I learned to ride. I went to college when I was 16 and was COMPLETELY confused by "inside leg on the girth, outside leg behind" to get the hose to canter, I had NO idea how to make a horse "work" in an outline...or even what an outline was!

 

[fatpiggy]

When I'm teaching I remind people about the swan - gliding along smoothly on the surface and pedalling like mad out of sight. The rider must make it LOOK effortless, but that takes a great deal of hard work at times. I also remind riders that it is the horse's job to work, and we must school them to do this. If you want to be a passenger, be a happy hacker but don't complain when the horse does what it wants, when it wants. I make sure that the rider learns to feel what is going on under them, to listen to the hoof beats, watch the horse's ears, whatever. All are clues to what is going to happen in the next second or two. It always amazes me how many riders are taken completely by surprise when the horse falls back into trot from canter, or shies at something in the hedge, because I on the ground could see it brewing but the rider doesn't notice a thing until it is too late.

Incidentally, when I used to teach in a riding school, I made sure no-one hacked out unless they could canter and jump without stirrups and what to do in an emergency - how to circle a horse that is running off, if necessary using both hands on one rein, or other circumstances. People just freeze when the unexpected happens and that is just no good.

 

[Tinkerbee]

Had a conversation yesterday with someone who soley rides at a riding school and she couldn't understand the GP dressage to music as she couldn't see the rider's aids (a common non-horsey person comment and I was surprised that she said this). She was very much along the lines of "but I can't see them kicking" to which I explained about subtle aids, the seat, back and core muscles etc to which she was really confused, and still said "but don't you still have to squeeze hard with your thighs?"

WHY don't riding schools teach people that riding is about doing the minimum? Or are there any that do? I understand beginners need to start on a safe, fairly unresponsive horse until they can control their body movements, but even the more experienced riders seem to kick kick all the time. These people then buy their own horses and it carries on, then later on may have to completely re-train years of this over riding. I have been there! A nagging leg is a very difficult habit to break. I have even seen a GP rider corrected about this in a lesson with Jean Bemelmans.

Just a thought. I just feel sorry for the school horses, and the riders who ride them are obviously keen to improve so why is there this riding school mentality of kick on or pull the reins

She might just be a **** rider?

I'm sure a lot of the pro riders had lessons at a riding school at some point...

I've never really ridden anywhere other that RSs and I've certainly NEVER been taught "ick on or pull the reins"

 

[dressager]

Interesting mixed views everyone.

She might just be a **** rider?

I'm sure a lot of the pro riders had lessons at a riding school at some point...

I've never really ridden anywhere other that RSs and I've certainly NEVER been taught "ick on or pull the reins"

I think you'll find a beginner is only as good as the person that trains them. They can't just magically improve on their own. If they were taught properly then they wouldn't be a **** rider, EVERYONE had the potential to improve and a good trainer can tap into this. I find it awful you can even label a beginner at a riding school in that way, we all had to and still HAVE to learn.

I'm not having a go at novice riders, I'm trying to determine why they don't get taught things like the scales of training or what schooling a horse is actually trying to achieve, rather than just riding round in circles. I'm sure in Germany the whole structure of riding tuition is very different and much harsher (in general).

Can someone who has only ridden at one riding school be able to tell how good the tuition actually is? I personally don't think so, and it leads to a very blinkered view. It's interesting that the people who have progressed on from riding schools can objectively look back and realise the faults along the way, that is exactly what I was getting at.

 

[dressager]

Also interesting hearing opinions from riding instructors. As you say, it's a tricky balance of teaching them but not scaring them away! And I appreciate time and funds are limited.

Fatpiggy your swan analogy is great and so true! Motivating your clients to want to look elegant and ride quietly is so important, much more so than how high you can jump etc.

Health and Safety is a hinderence these days as someone said with riding schools erring on the side of caution.

 

[Firewell]

I think that its very hard to teach someone to ride properly on a riding school horse, in a riding school environment. The horses are not sensitive enough and usually its a group of not very good people lumped together. They have to teach the weakest rider and keep it seriously safe.

Everyone i've ever met who was taught soley in a riding school cannot ride properly. They have no seat and fall off at the slightest buck or spook. They do however look correct lol. Years of being told 'heels down, thumbs on top!'. They also have no concept of 'feel' which riding properly is all about.

Riding schools are good for giving confidence but I think to learn properly people should combine riding at a riding school with finding a share horse or something more independant to ride. IMO a lot of people only really start learning to ride properly once they get their own horse and start falling off, you soon learn seat and feel then .

I was lucky I came from a horsey family and I can't even remember learning to ride. I was doing pony club events at 7yrs on my own loan pony. I used to fall off a lot and I would go galloping round bareback in just a headcoller, getting my pony stuck in dykes and falling on my head trying to jump 3ft6 XC fences on a 12.2hh. Thats how you learn

 

[Sol]

I have to wonder the same thing.... In fact, it's infuriated me since I was about 10
I also have a major issue with RI's who just tell you to do things - not why, or how, or the reason, or how it'll help you as a rider or help your horse. Especially if, when questioned, they refuse to answer! This has led me being told to leave before now, which I admit I did quite happily (and went back to finding my own wonderful freelance instructors who were much better!)

Then again... as much as books don't teach you to ride, I think it would be great if people learning to ride made an attempt to educate themselves a little too. At least then, they may have just enough knowledge to question the poorer instructors! I've helped out as well as ridden at a number of riding schools, and it's astonishing how little both kids and adults know or WANT to know about the horses, aside from 'get on and kick!' which I found a little disappointing :/ Not talking about young children either! But I remember as a pony mad kid, I couldn't learn enough about horses and was always eager to learn! (still am!)
Friend has recently started riding, she's 16, and even now I encourage her to not only have as many lessons as possible, but to read, watch videos, watch other peoples lessons and to help me out at the yard as much as possible. Simply because I don't think you can learn to ride simply by riding!

 

[Kub]

Sol - I totally agree about the learning to ride is not just about sitting on the horse. So many times things have been mentioned on here that I don't understand, and I'm straight onto google to find out what people are talking about! I have learnt so much that way and it really makes a difference

 

[Kat]

Interesting mixed views everyone.

I think you'll find a beginner is only as good as the person that trains them. They can't just magically improve on their own. If they were taught properly then they wouldn't be a **** rider, EVERYONE had the potential to improve and a good trainer can tap into this. I find it awful you can even label a beginner at a riding school in that way, we all had to and still HAVE to learn.

I'm not having a go at novice riders, I'm trying to determine why they don't get taught things like the scales of training or what schooling a horse is actually trying to achieve, rather than just riding round in circles. I'm sure in Germany the whole structure of riding tuition is very different and much harsher (in general).

Can someone who has only ridden at one riding school be able to tell how good the tuition actually is? I personally don't think so, and it leads to a very blinkered view. It's interesting that the people who have progressed on from riding schools can objectively look back and realise the faults along the way, that is exactly what I was getting at.

I think you are forgetting what a long road learning to ride is. Riding schools do teach the scales of training, I get regularly quized on them in my lessons. But talking to a beginner still on the lead rein about the scales of training is just going to confuse them. You have to learn to ride to a certain level before you can begin to train a horse and put the scales of training into use.

With a complete beginner, you have to focus on the controls for stop go and turn, in language they understand and within the bounds of their ability to control their own body. I can't believe that there are any instructors so awful that they genuinely teach kick/pull. But the subtlety of the aids is something that comes with experience.

I think the person you encountered was either extremely novicey, at the not long off the lead rein stage where they have not yet learned to use the weight/seat/core in addition to the hands and legs or they were the sort of rider who has little interest in the technicalities and simply wants to be able to stay on to go fast (there are a few out there sadly).

I have ridden at several different riding establishments, have taken a few exams (pony club/abrs/bhs progressive tests in the past), and had shares, I'm currently in the process of buying my first horse.

I know looking back that the first riding school I went to was very much rough and ready and the tuition was not that great, but they taught to the best of their ability, with the horses welfare to the fore and did teach correct aids, even lateral work, although weren't averse to the occasional pony club kick, and didn't really get going "in an outline". I should think it was typical of most teaching in the 70s and 80s, it has stood me in pretty goodstead really, I know that there is more to it now but the rough and ready experiences taught me a lot. Now I'm at a very good riding school, that has a decent quota of responsive horses, schoolmasters and plods, with excellent instruction and where to train status. Again there is none of the teaching you talk about, in fact there is a very high standard of instruction with a great many instructors having a classical focus.

When it comes to allowing other people to ride my horse, I know that I could trust any one of the people who rides in our group to get on a strange horse and ride it sensitively. Our instructor is planning to bring her top show hunter down for us all to try, as she has similar confidence in our abilities. I have seen much worse riding from people who reckon they are good riders because they've had horses all their lives, or because they compete to whatever level.

 

[BentleyBelly]

I think the standard of instruction varies wildly as well as the standard of the riding schools in general. Throughout the years I have had many different instructors all with completely different ideas on how you should ride, its very confusing! I have now found one who makes a lot of sense, she explains what my horse and I should be doing well but its very hard to break the old habits. One previous instructor gave me several lessons on a schoolmaster and had me riding with my hands as wide and as low as they would go to make the horse work long and low, I then did this with another instructor who asked me 'what on earth was I doing, sit up and ride properly'?! I know everyone has different ways of doing things but you trust that you are being given the correct tuition and unfortunatley a few years of lessons with a bad instructor has left me a bit of a leg nagger now too I guess at least i'm aware of it and am trying to correct it, poor pony!

 

[Katie]

hello i've just joined and this is the first post i've seen i have something to say on!

a lot of riding school horses are 'plodders', and the instructor doesn't want the rider to sit there perfecting their invisible aids, while their horse is being a slug! they want the rider to get him responsive - correctly, not kick, kick, kick, kick! invisible aids, IMO, aren't too important until you get to a level where they're needed - not saying you should flap around the place.

i have lessons on my share pony with an experianced rider,she competes in dressage, so knows what to do. she has never, as far as i can remember, told me to make me aids invisible.

 

[CalllyH]

mmmmm Ive just given up a share to go back to lessons - mainly as I wanted more time for me but im more and more thinking I did the wrong thing eeek!

However last time I went for a lesson last summer I explained I wanted to do some jumping but hadnt done so for 6 years. And this is just brilliant - they put me on a fizzy £25k Grade A show jumper that they had in to sell on. Luckily i got on ok with the horse put god knows if id been more nervous or a rubbish rider!

 

[zefragile]

Riding schools are good for giving confidence but I think to learn properly people should combine riding at a riding school with finding a share horse or something more independant to ride. IMO a lot of people only really start learning to ride properly once they get their own horse and start falling off, you soon learn seat and feel then .

I'm going to slightly disagree with this- not all riding school ponies are plods. When I left the riding school and started sharing I didn't find that my seat was any worse than some of the other owners who had had ponies of their own for years, because I had been riding some serious snots at the riding school and had my fair share of falls and had to learn to sit it too.

 

[Dubsie]

I do think RS tend to offer different things. My daughter has ridden at many of the local RS and we've taken different things from different RS.

For example, one locally is great for very little ones - excellent, friendly, patient, qualified instructor good with the basics, gaining confidence and getting going. However if you wanted to do more or had older children/teenagers there are other schools that would be better suited. Another RS is great if you want to hack, a third does good clinics with visiting instructors and a fourth lets you loan ponies through the school - great for older kids and teenagers wanting to learn more about the stable management side of things. A fifth is great for older ones and adults that want to progress - plenty of ponies/horses/instructors for all abilities and ages and very good facilities, bit pricier too (but the hacking is a tad boring according to daughter). At this last one they will not put you in a group until you've had 2 or 3 private half hours to assess you and your ability before putting you in a group, whatever ability level you're at.

My advice to would be pupils is to ask several people about their experiences with local RS, visit and watch some lessons and see if it will suit you - not everyone wants to have their own horse, and not everyone will want to reach the levels some schools will take you to (think I would cop out of the 2-3ft jumping and XC my daughter does at RS no 5, I prefer the good hacking RS - I'm quite competent at walk and trot and a bit of canter, thats my level!).

 

[MagicMelon]

My issue with riding schools is that most of them dont let riders learn about the basic care of a horse. I know of a few people who go to riding schools or trekking centres, when they arrive they are presented with a tacked up horse and when they get off its whisked away! All of them say they would love to be taught how to tack up or even brush the horse! How can any of them become horse owners without even learning basic stuff?

 

[CalllyH]

My issue with riding schools is that most of them dont let riders learn about the basic care of a horse. I know of a few people who go to riding schools or trekking centres, when they arrive they are presented with a tacked up horse and when they get off its whisked away! All of them say they would love to be taught how to tack up or even brush the horse! How can any of them become horse owners without even learning basic stuff?

So true - I didnt know for about 6 years! I was a good rider and luckily taught by a couple of good instructors and rode some amazing horses and borrowed friends horses but ask me to tack up and i wouldnt have had a clue!

 

[billy2]

Difficult one this. Most parents can't, or won't, pay for private lessons, so a lot of children have a half hour a week group lesson, with parents complaining if the child isn't off the leadrein pretty quickly. The RS I work at recently bought a fantastic pony that does everything, but it's fast developing issues. And I don't think that's the fault of the instructor, she has no problem communicating with her pupils, it just seems that a lot of children lack nerve (the same way I did when I started driving - 'OMG I'm doing 5mph!')

 

[CalllyH]

when i was teaching years ago (very basic stuff) the kids would cry the whole half an hour and the parents would still say how much they loved it!

 

[WishfulThinker]

In my experience it is because a lot of instructors may be good riders but can't explain how. And that's the most important part of teaching others.

Although the first 15 years of my learning to ride were much as you said above, and the instructors couldn't ride for toffee either.

The good teachers get better money freelance though.

I agree with this! And I am a kinda pants rider, but have been told that I explain things very well - so much so that a girl I taught to ride was placed ABOVE me at college.