Your Riding experience. Self taught or professionally taught?

How did you learn to ride?

  • Total voters
    0
EffyCorsten

EffyCorsten

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 March 2013
Messages
622
Visit site
I'm really interested to hear how many of you have either had no professional lessons, some lessons or completely self taught.
 
Surely a lot depends on what you want to do & if you are happy with your horse & riding - if I feel out of unsure as to how to get the results I want then I will have some extra lessons - a lesson once a month also helps to stop the bad habits x
 
I had a few lessons as a child then didn't ride again until I was 23 when I started having a weekly private lesson. 3 years later I own my own horse and am having weekly lessons with a classical riding instructor. Prior to that I took a break from lessons and loaned a school mistress who really taught me how to ride! My own horse is young and is a complete to different bag of tricks, I learn every day with her!
 
I haven't had a lesson since 1997. I work ride racehorses on a daily basis, back, school and show my own natives with success and retrain racers to be show horses successfully as well so I figured that I can't be doing that badly. I know what bad habits I have and to be honest - if I had a lesson I would be in wrack and ruin afterwards!
 
I had lessons weekly RS lessons for 7 yrs, then sis and I got our own horse, almost 40 yrs ago. Since then I've had lessons on and off, including on a mechanical horse and sis and I help each other with schooling sessions or lunge exercises to help our positions. It is very easy to slide into bad habits.
 
Professionally taught (riding was on the school curriculum :D ) for years.
Talland featured somewhere in my education, and there was some dressage chappy in Germany I used to go to, oh and some show jumpery bod, forgot about him. I have also had many scary lessons from military instructors :( who don't mince their words, or show mercy.

Then I lapsed 20 odd years ago and it all went to straight to hell when I started work riding, I know my faults, but I also know that I am quite competent, not particularly pretty, but competent, I could no longer ride a dressage test, and would be laughed out of an equitation class, but as I have no intention of ever doing that again it doesn't really matter.

When you are hunting, fast, doing the Man from Snowy River thing down the side of a mountain, who gives a toot about pretty, all you are interested about is being on top when you reach the bottom :D
 
Last edited:
Well I wouldn't say I was professionally taught when I started, yeah I had lessons at a riding school but they don't have the best rep..

Iv had lessons on and off through out my riding 'career' but I don't ride anymore.
 
There isn't an option for me. Aside 3 lessons at age 3...self taught until I went to Hartpury at 16. I did it back to front, lol
 
Started off in riding school, got first pony, kept it as livery at my riding school for support to start so got lessons with him. Got second horse, got job working with horses, kept him where I worked and got lessons there. Got third horse, then decided to get a proper job and moved him to a private yard, did six months without lessons competing with him then he got injured and had to be pts... next horse, started him myself and was going well until we started jumping - teaching an ex-racer to jump properly is something I hadn't done before, so got back into lessons. Now get lessons from an eventer, a dressage rider, a show jumper, PC rallies with their instructors, odd clinics from another eventer, and clinics with whomever I am able!! I feel that now, having my own style, I can take different things away from different people, so get a lot from trying different instructors out.
 
I am learning all the time, some lessons I pay for and some are for free,like watching Mark Todd warm up a horse for the showjumping at Ardingly. It is amazing what you can learn if you just look around ,open your eyes and think.
 
Mike007 said:
I am learning all the time, some lessons I pay for and some are for free,like watching Mark Todd warm up a horse for the showjumping at Ardingly. It is amazing what you can learn if you just look around ,open your eyes and think.
Click to expand...

So true. I was the same at Blair this year - rocked up early on the Friday morning to catch one of the CCI** riders getting a quick lesson from what looked like a battleaxe out at the XC warmup arena (not in use for xc obv). Was brilliant to watch.
 
Mum taught me to ride at 5 on my first pony over 40 years ago. Had lessons professionally over the years. Am still learning and have lessons occasionally. My philosophy now is as long as we have fun, stay on board and get home safe then the techno bits of riding are not quite as important nowadays.
 
Mind you! I am still somewhat in shock that he(MT aka God) recognised me from the year before and asked how I was . The only conection was that the I had asked the starter about the failing light ,as "A " was due to go xc and he said that MT was going to give them a sitrep after his next round. MT finnishes and says it is still OK , but says that he has another horse before "A" and will let me know. Rides horse AND RIDES OVER TO ME TO SAY ITS ok. The man is a total credit to the sport !
 
A few lessons as a child, then learned my seat riding and backing a dealer's horses as a teen - with tons of bareback riding. No more lessons (and not much riding) for 30 years, then combination of reading, trial and error, some clinics, and lots of observation to re-learn as a western rider :-)
 
Like Enfys I had riding lessons as part of the curriculum at my school. I had them from the age of 5 to 16. Lost interest (found boys!) then went back to it a few years later. Always had riding lessons, My jumping has been taught by a 4* eventer and my dressage has been taught by Itermediate level 2 person. I believe you should always have lessons whatever level your at, by someone who can connect to you and your horse. If someone ever says "I don't need them anymore" then they are probably in some serious need of one! You learn till the day you die and anyone who thinks otherwise is well... a bit deluded.
 
Started off at a riding school for years :) eventually got my own pony and stopped most of the lessons, instead I went away to a yard with lots of other kids and did all the fun and crazy stuff you're meant to be doing at that age while you have no fear. I had a six year break in riding while I went to college and then university, and it was the memory of bombing around the beach bareback with my friends that lured me straight back to horses when I was done. So for me the things I learned on my own (or the lessons my pony taught me) were more valuable.
 
Lessons as a child weekly for a few years sometimes with mad student teachers who would have me blindfolded and riding or no reins, stirrups over poles. Had pony on working livery so also helped out with all the RS ponies, riding and leading down roads with a head collar bareback, seemed totally normal at the time! Had a 20 odd year break lived in France so decided to have lessons again, first lesson I was brilliant ( I thought) forgotten nothing. Turns out I was on a faithful school mistress who was totally forgiving and did what she thought I was going for as the next week on one of the regular RS rides I couldn't do a thing I was hopeless. Had a few months at that got better only after I gave up the dressage with adult lessons, which I hated and joined the teens sat morning lessons where I remembered the fun side. Not had a lesson now back in the uk but will do over winter.
 
I was a bit "back to front" too. Mum taught me when I was little then no lessons for 20 years, just rode my own ponies every day and had "Pony" magazine on subscription :) and then in my 20's I had some lessons and joined riding club. Lost all my confidence on an unsuitable pony and instructor was fantastic and really helped me. Now it's winter and I have 2 in full livery so have to think about how much I spend. I try to have 2 lessons a month (through riding club). They're shared to keep costs down (regular lessons can be quite pricey). Really enjoy them and we've always got something to learn :)
 
Weekly lessons from the age of 6-11, hated them, learnt absolutely nothing except how terrible I was, switched to hacking, loved it - did nothing but hack on my own pony until I was about 17 - discovered boys/going out, horse went, rediscovered my love for horses about 8 years ago but remembered my hatred for lessons!! Am now a "happy hacker trying to break the habit" - buying a horse and planning on private instruction - with a whole lot of hacking in between!!
 
Yes.

I currently have a couple of lessons a month - sometimes more, sometimes only one a month it just depends - with a 2* Parelli instructor (who incidentally has also events up to Intermediate level & to a high level Western).

They include groundwork & ridden stuff - whatever we feel we need to work on at the time. I've had lessons how to hack out, to load as well as online/ridden stuff. We cover a lot of theory too, although I also watch a lot of relevant DVDs & books etc.

I've always had lessons of some description most oft riding life - from BHS or Enlightened Equitation instructors.

I also go to Parelli/NH clinics & really enjoy watching other professionals competing & in the warm up, as others have said.
 
Taught by Mum and then professional and pony club in teens. Now have lesson from professionals at least once a month, sometimes every week depending on time of year. Not sure how far you could go being entirely self-taught? and I know I would fall into bad habits if I was by myself without even realising it.
 
i was taught how to ride by my mum, she wasn't a instructor but she was a great rider, i did do a lot of pony club before i went to boarding school, but when i went to school and took my pony with me i went alone and have been since, i work in ireland now on a yard and i had a lesson with Tom Holden and i pride myself with what he said to me "i am suprirsed you haven't had lessons in years! you may not be perfect and you need to improve but you have done well by yourself" this comment has made me so happy and proud! When i start eventing again i will have lessosn though because it is all about the perfect dressage test these days, and its such an expensive sport these days that i think its imperative to have lessons, but if you are happy where you then carry on as you are!
 
I had weekly lessons for about a year when I was a child, but it was very hard for my parents to get me to the stables etc after the lessons stopped I rode sporadically, never got to any kind of great level, never competed or even went on any serious hacks.

Didn't see a horse for nearly 10 years, then daughter caught the riding bug, got daughter a pony, other horses followed. Was daughter's chief groom and driver for about 12 years, learned a lot about horses and their behaviour, observed many, many lessons but I was too fat to ride.

Then, during 2011/12 I got really ill, bright side being that lost about 4 stone so I could finally ride. A friend at the yard began to teach me on her lovely cob, had a few basic steering lessons in the school and then she chucked a Western saddle on horse, told me to "hang on" and off we went hacking on the Downs! That was brilliant! Sometimes I was scared, and unexpected things happened but my friend was always calm and my riding muscles developed a bit as we went along.

Within 3 months I was loaning my lovely mare, a saint of a horse, from another friend at the yard and within another 3 months I bought her outright. I hack out nearly every day and learn from every person I ride with. I watch what they do, how they deal with a flighty horse, how they use their bodies, how they hold their reins ,everything. I ask questions, for example, recently I rode with new person on yard and they explained how lower leg is your seat belt, and now I ride with this in my head all the time.

I think the danger of not having lessons, for a novice rider like me anyway, especially if your horse is saintly (I am not complaining AT ALL!) is that you can get bad habits before you have even properly established the good ones. I don't hack out alone and really to some extent I'm reliant on my horse's saintly nature and the other riders for my control. I have literally galloped before I could walk so to speak, and that is not good.

So now I get my daughter to go in the school with me once a week and make me work at it, and in the school I realise what an utter novice I am, so I think lessons are a good idea, but I do feel sorry for people who only have lessons on school horses once a week and never get to go on hacks .
 
I started riding at the age of 10, had my first pony at 12 and haven't really been without one since. I competed (SJ, XC, showing & gymkhana) and hunted throughout my teens, then had my first ever lesson at the age of 32!

Am now heading towards 50 and have just bought a 5yr old, have had a few lessons with him and more to come.
 
I grew up with Pony Club, so always had the odd group lesson to establish the basics.

Im now 19, and very rarely have lessons. Ive been competing a long time and had a really successful eventing career this year with many Dressage's in the 20's, and I have infact qualified for the BE Grassroot Championships at Badminton!

Its been a bumpy ride, but Im a huge believer in learning by your mistakes, its the way your learn the quickest! I cant afford a dressage and jumping lesson every week between 3 horses, or Id be spending £180 a week on lessons!

Im cranking down on lessons in the New Year, simply because I want to move a level up and a few of the horses struggle with the movements. Plus we all get a bit rusty after Christmas!
 
Had lessons with a local lady as a kid, she's great with naughty ponies. Mainly self taught with Pip, had occasional lessons but nothing regular. I have definitely got as far as I can without tuition though. Booked some lessons for the next few weeks, hoping to improve a bit :)
 
Self taught at 8, own pony at 13 and had to unlearn (and learn more) bad habits. On and off lesson with a range of instructors over the years.

Taught myself to break and bring on which is what I enjoy doing.

Not many riding schools in NZ you really need your own horse to get lessons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top