# In the very beginning, did you have lessons or not?



## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

In my opinion, I think riding everywhere as a kid bareback is a good way to start. We might never be Olympic caliber riders, but we get the job done.

I got a set of 10 riding lessons when I was 8, which were barely "lessons" as they were trail rides where the guide turned around a couple of times saying, "put your heels down," and "when we trot, go up and down in the saddle."

When I was 9 I got another set of 10 lessons with the Girl Scouts. There were 12 kids doing the lessons, so we didn't get much personal attention.

Then I got a horse. Like most kids, I couldn't be bothered with the saddle, and like most kids we rode everywhere, galloped and jumped everything, raced each other, and fell off a lot. I think growing up with horses is a pretty good way to really get a feel for them.

On the other hand, I wanted to be good, so I read everything I could find and practiced (sometimes). In high school, I joined 4-H and learned a lot from that. The other kids in my 4-H club were either very very good (competing in the Washington International) or kids like me with backyard ponies. We did a lot of horseshowing, and I did work hard to ride correctly.

To this day, my form stinks, but I manage to do what I set out to do, most of the time. As my 4-H leader used to say about me many years ago, "She always gets over her fences."

I'm on the side of riding sloppily as a kid. I think you never quite lose that ease and relaxed way of riding.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I don't know that my riding abilties as a kid transferred over at all to my riding as an adult. I had my first pony when I was 5, but was only allowed to sit on her on a lead rope as my older cousin walked me around. She had a bad back, then got pregnant, had a cute little filly that I never got to ride because we moved and sold them. A few years later, my parents signed me up for about 6 months of lessons. I learned more about horse care than riding, which was not a bad thing. I rode the instructor's pretty grey Arabian mare, and I got up to the lope, then my parents figured I knew enough so bought me a horse. Like you, I just rode bareback most of the time, puttered around on trails, galloped across fields (still bareback!). I sold him when I left home to go to university. 

When I bought a horse for my daughter in the fall of 2015, I decided to take a few lessons too. My balance was horrible! I could barely hold the two-point. 25 years or so without any serious riding meant I had lost any balance I ever had. So I might as well have been a total beginner. 

It did come to me more quickly than for people my age who do not have any horse experience, so maybe there is something left of my early riding days. I do wish I had learned more as a child, but my parents figured riding horses was like swimming. Once you knew how, there was no need to keep taking lessons. 

I think mostly, I don't have any fear of horses, or sitting on top of a horse like total beginner adults have. I have seen some just sit on the horse for the first lesson, without even moving! It's nerve-wracking for them, whereas I could just hop on and start trotting right away. Even the first canters at lessons were no big deal for me. I am, however, terrified of jumping. So that's my next hurdle, both literally and figuratively!


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> I
> 
> I think mostly, I don't have any fear of horses, or sitting on top of a horse like total beginner adults have. I have seen some just sit on the horse for the first lesson, without even moving! It's nerve-wracking for them, whereas I could just hop on and start trotting right away. Even the first canters at lessons were no big deal for me. I am, however, terrified of jumping. So that's my next hurdle, both literally and figuratively!


Yes, that is the biggest benefit, I think. I'm 100% comfortable handling horses. I just started jumping a couple of months ago and I LOVE IT. Not as scary as I thought and I'm really loving the adrenaline rush! I think once I take my first fall I may change my mind though.


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

I "learned" to ride in my college days; my girlfriend was a cowboy (cowgirl), as were her family and friends. The "lesson" went something like "There's a horse, and here is his saddle. Go ride him if you want." In all honestly, I got to ride her fathers horse, Tony, who was nothing if not patient and kind.
Almost nothing between then and getting George nine years ago. He had to totally retrain his pet human, and wasn't particularly patient about it, either ;-)
When I was given my TB horse Oily (a retired Dressage horse), a neighbor gave me some Dressage lessons on him. It was more comic relief than anything, but I did pick up a few useful pointers about rider balance (Necessary if you want to stay in an English saddle. Those who have never ridden in one; you should really try it sometime.), and using your legs and butt for control.
Other than that, I am too stupid to be afraid of the big monsters, and too stubborn not to get back on :-D The Missus insisted on a helmet, which has probably saved my coco a couple of times, and I determined the need for a safety vest after a hard landing on my back had me spending quality time in my easy chair with a heating pad.

Steve


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> Other than that, I am too stupid to be afraid of the big monsters, and too stubborn not to get back on :-D The Missus insisted on a helmet, which has probably saved my coco a couple of times, and I determined the need for a safety vest after a hard landing on my back had me spending quality time in my easy chair with a heating pad.
> 
> Steve


Now you have me thinking about a safety vest!!!


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

I started learning the basics about a year and a half ago with a Centered Riding instructor. My proudest achievement then was to be able to guide the horse around a course of offset cones at a trot, turning her with my legs while posting and keeping my hands quiet. Then I moved to a jumping barn where I continued with my flatwork, learned how to canter, control the horse at the canter (spiral in - spiral out, extend and collect), and I started some jumping. That got too tedious as I have no interest in showing, so I switched again to a barn where most of my lessons, other than being evaluated on a new horse, are trail and field lessons. Got my first gallops, my first solo rides, and my first horses that are not push-button. I jump comfortably up to about 2.5 feet (basically logs and low rock walls I come across, not obstacles specifically built to be jumped). I did a lot of no-stirrup riding because that's how you stay in the saddle when your horse spooks over a pile of dead wood in mid-canter and jumps sideways. Sooner or later I do want to return to some formal dressage lessons to improve my leg-seat-hand independence and fine-tune my communication with the horse.

So I basically reversed the order that you took, and as an adult rider, I'm happy with it. It saved me a lot of trial-and-error, and I arrived at the same spot as quickly as I am happy with.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

No formal lessons for me until I was an adult and then just a few. I think I am an ok rider. I have great balance, light hands and can guide a horse with my seat and legs. I just don't think I'm great at it, but I'm ok. At this point, I think it would be great to take lessons if I can find someone in the discipline that I want to do and I like the instructors way of teaching. Haven't found that yet.

I too learned to ride as a young child with not too much supervision. We just did whatever we wanted and thankfully I had a very patient horse. I used to ride this pony named King who belonged to a friend too. He was a stinker and I took some falls from him but hopped right back on. I hardly ever rode with a saddle until I saved my money and bought one, but even then, a lot of times it was just too much trouble to bother with.

I think that there are pro's and con's to starting out this way. On one hand, you can learn all that you want with the fearlessness of a kid. On the other hand, it's hard to get rid of life long bad habits. Like others have said, if the horse understands what you want then who cares, it gets the job done. 
I also think that when you start out young, you don't have the same intimidation factor to deal with. When I got back into horses as an adult and got my second first horse, I was intimidated for about a day and it went away. I think being around them as a kid went a long ways in my being able to read a horses body language now.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I took a handful of lessons when young. Certainly didn't own a horse, and lessons were the only way to get to ride. But I couldn't afford many, and I don't recall any useful advice. The one set consisted largely of the instructor telling me my toes NEEDED to point straight forward...which is bad advice.

When I took up riding at 50, I bought a horse and started riding. I eventually took a few months of formal lessons...but I also bought a lot of books on riding, and tried doing what they said and saw what happened. VS Littauer's Common Sense Horsemanship and the US Cavalry manual both had a lot of influence on how I ride. Others had less influence because following their advice didn't work. 

When I was taking group lessons - 2011? - I noticed most of the students didn't actually DO a lot of what the instructor told them they needed to do. I asked the instructor about it once. She said she could offer instruction. She could charge for instruction. But she couldn't make someone LISTEN to instruction. I may have taken most of my 'lessons' from books, but I arguably was taking lessons while others who paid someone to watch them riding were not...

Young and learning to ride by having fun on and with a horse sounds like a good start. But starting for real at 50, and riding mostly on pavement and in the desert...umm...not an option. I couldn't afford to fall. The "lessons" I took from VS Littuaer were extremely helpful. The live lessons..."_Get on your pockets!_" / "_Toes STRAIGHT ahead!_"...not so much.

BTW - by far the best live instruction I had came when I hired a lady to work with Mia. Two months of ground work (4 lessons/week) with Mia, no riding. Then I got on her, and the lady asked if I wanted to ride, and we did 2 more months with Mia & I getting lessons at the same time. Those lessons had almost nothing to do with position or reins, but were almost entirely about reading and working with one's horse.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I learned the same way you did @Jan1975 and I've still never taken lessons. I'm sure an instructor would be very frustrated trying to break my 50 some odd years of bad habits.


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## Espy (Feb 25, 2015)

I've always had lessons. I had a handful of lessons when I was 6 years old riding a little Shetland pony named PJ. This is where I learned to post at the trot and got some of my balance. I even cantered a little bit, even though it was an accident and I was terrified!

I stopped riding after that until I was 14 (I'm 22 now) and that's when I got my horse Espy and started taking lessons again. I was surprised that my balance and my posting rhythm completely stayed with me from my lessons when I was a little kid. I even had fair balance. I stopped taking lessons when we left the barn I was riding at, but I still do take lessons from my mom who has a lot more experience than me. It also sometimes helps to just have someone who can watch you and tell you what you look like from the outside so you can correct things.

Meaning no disrespect at all to the people who learned on their own, but I am happy I always had lessons. I naturally ride the way I learned to in lessons with all of the repeated phrases ringing in my ears so I can remind myself to have better equitation. I feel like it helped me learn how a horse "should" move and respond, when to give certain cues or when not to, and what I might be doing wrong if the horse is not responding right. I think I learned faster this way and got more out of it. I also actively participated in training my welsh pony under saddle, which really helped me learn a lot about riding, communication, and gaining a better seat (that pony did panic a few times during her training). I never would have been able to train her up into the pony she is today without a trainer and lessons to do so, and that is where I learned a whole lot of what I know now. I still have so much more to learn, too. If I had the opportunity to take more lessons, I would jump on it.

That's my experience, anyways!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

My first riding experience was at about 6 years old trail riding on at camps. No real lesson involved, just how to get on, hold the reins, stop and turn. 

Then in 5th grade a new student arrived who had a pony. We immediately became BFF and I went to the farm where her pony lived. With no instruction (except for books like Black Beauty, lol), I rode the owners ponies along with my BFF. The BO had at least 20 ponies of various shapes and sizes, but all were teams and could ride and drive. 

Like many kids, it was too much bother to get out the saddles, so we rode mostly bareback and even without bridles or halters in the area. Even did free jumping! 

The BO did give me some instruction on driving, but it was just some basic training, probably so I wouldn't bust up his buggies! As it was a lot of trouble to harness and hitch one up, we often just long-lined them for fun. 

He had a huge barn with lots of really fancy carriages in it that we were not allowed to even touch. Even had a horse-drawn fire engine! I thought driving was the coolest thing ever! 

When I was 11 I bought my own pony, and the BO gave me a saddle to use. The pony tossed me many times before I got him trained. I joined 4H that spring and really learned a lot even though the lessons were in a classroom, not mounted. 

Showed that pony at the fair and did quite well. 

The next several years I rode strictly western, but quickly became bored with the western pleasure classes. Enjoyed trail classes and barrel racing best. My favorite was trail riding; racing through the woods, swimming in the lake, and the thrill of leaping over ditches and logs. 

The first time I had formal lessons was in high school. I had discovered that I really loved the rush of jumping, but not the dang horn in the gut. Decided it was time to swallow my "western pride" and learn how to ride English like those "sissies in the helmets" I didn't tell my friends though :mrgreen:

Got married during college and my horse passion was put on hold for a short time. Once the kiddos were in school, I bought a two year old Morgan mare. Trained her to drive first, as she did not seem very steady on her feet. Began riding her when she was three, but before that bought the kiddos an adorable Shetland pony to ride. 

Have had horses ever since. 

I don't remember ever being uncomfortable around horses. Right from the first moment I saw one, I was in love with them. Considering my mother was terrified of horses, I find it amazing that I was allowed to be around them like I was. My father however, had a hard time ever telling me _no_, lol! 

I do believe it doesn't really matter how or when a person starts riding, but how much effort they are willing to put into being the best horseman that they can be. 

IMO If one takes lessons, it is vital that the best instructor available is used. I would rather pay $100 once a month for a good instructor, then pay $25 once a week for a bad instructor. Money is of course not the only deciding factor, but a person can get some really bad habits from subpar instruction. Racing bareback ponies with your buddies will teach a kid a lot about balance and humility!!


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## Kaiit (Mar 28, 2017)

I lived in the city with no transport other than my peddle bike as a kid, so I didn't get to ride much. I dearly wanted to learn though, and as luck would have it, my school offered an expensive week long trip to a really good riding school about an hour away. I managed to persuade my parents to let me go and started my lessons at about 12 years old. I did the same school trip the next year, too. It mostly consisted of horse care (which I really enjoyed and still remember every word of) with a lesson a day plus a hack to the woods or beach on lead rein. My favourite pony was a 5 year old Welsh dun named Pepper. 

I didn't ride again for two years sadly, despite the promises my parents made that they'd take me if I paid for it with birthday money. We have to do two weeks of work experience as part of public school national curriculum in the UK, so I arranged to go to a riding school for that. It was a Lusintano stud and they said they were happy to take beginners but didn't seem to care to help me with my inexperience. I was put straight into a field with a stallion to poo pick and not warned of any dangers. It was basically just slave labour in the hot sun and I only got to ride three times in the two weeks, twice to warm up horses for 30 minutes before someone else's lesson and once more when a horse needed exercise, but we had to share it for an hour between four of us. Their lessons were real expensive, too... about £60 group for 45 minutes so I resigned myself to never being able to afford lessons and kinda dropped the whole idea. 

I made friends with a lady who owned some shetlands that she'd rescued from abuse. I used to go and spend a lot of time hanging out with them just for fun. That's probably where I earned most of my horse sense. I used to do the odd trail ride when visiting different parts of the country, too, like beach rides and rides up in the lakes. 

BUT THEN when I started uni I realised I was an adult with a disposable income and a car. It sounds silly but it was like a sudden epiphany. Who's to stop me now? So I found a school I could ride at with my sister but they weren't very nice and I didn't get on with them. So I got the details of another school off a friend who owns a horse and I've been at the same place since! 

I think my early years really helped because I still remember so much of it but the gaps and bad tuition in between were a bit of a hinderance. I definitely owe a lot of my interest to the Shetland rescue, even if I didn't ride at all at the time. I'm still learning a lot, especially with my own loan horse now, so I wouldn't say I was a good rider yet but the foundations as a kid certainly helped me feel more comfortable as an adult.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Like most of the other posters, I started as a kid of eleven, and had no instruction. There was 4-H, which emphasized horse care, and competing in their very low-level shows, and I did all I could with that. I was hungry for knowledge, but there just wasn't much available. So it was mostly trail-riding with my friends. Then came the 40 year gap. Now I take lessons every chance I get, and I am twice the rider I was, already. 

What a no-supervision, no-instruction horseback childhood gives you, seems to me, is two things. One, you learn how to be comfortable being around horses, read and react to their body language without thinking about it, you learn how tack goes on, that sort of thing. This is no small thing. Two, you learn how to stay on. Nothing like galloping bareback in a halter through the countryside to teach that. You may have very crude aids and no posture but you do learn to how to stick. Also no small thing. 

I kind of feel that maybe it is the best introduction to horses -- trotting sedately around a ring on a school horse for half an hour a couple times a week, which is what a lot of kids nowadays get, does not prepare you for, say, a bolting horse, swimming across a river, or getting a horse out of barbed wire hidden in the grass -- all of which I had to figure out alone, before I was thirteen. 

I see a lot of middle-aged ladies who are finally able to fulfill their childhood horsey dreams and find the time of fearless fun has passed for them. They have don't have the confidence, and it's hard to build it, easy to shake it. So I am grateful for my blissfully ignorant childhood riding years.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

No, I did not have lessons of any kind, until I had been riding for years, self taught, as I grew up with a love of horses, in anon horse family, where horses were used at one point, to work in tobacco. 
The only horse books I had access to, were books like The black stallion and Black Beauty, no TV, inter net, ect

I taught myself to ride on those Percheron, even raised one and taught her to ride and drive
Rode that spoiled stud that my step dad bought me, obvious to the danger of that horse going over backwards
First horse I bought after coming out west, was ;green broke'. I knew zero about training, but eventually rode him in the Calgary Stampede
Ditch rode and rode out west, way before I ever took alesson.
Not until we started to raise horses did I take my first clinic.


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

My first ride was at about five or six on a little Shetland and shortly after that I’d my first lesson at my local riding school. Apparently I was obsessed with the horses in the nearby fields and my parents, who aren’t horsey, thought that the best way to cure me was to send me to our local school. The lesson lasted about half an hour (a pony called Frolic) and in that short time, I was pretty much taught all the basics, from the aids to rising trot. After that, I’d a paid lesson each week and a free lesson(s) for spending the weekends working in the yard with the other volunteers and students. 

It would be considered a very strict riding school by today’s standards; everything was done by the book and if you weren’t up to standard they let you know – usually loudly and in front of everyone else. At one time they had over a hundred horses, so I spent most of my time doing the same jobs over and over again, as well as first aid and the unusual, so things soon became second nature. It meant that there were very few surprises when I finally got my own horses a few years later. 

They had a no nonsense approach to riding; everything was drilled into you. Lessons were a mixture of general riding, dressage (no aids should be seen) and jumping, either in the arena or the cross country course. We had lessons without stirrups; bareback; going over lines of bounce fences without stirrups and reins, arms out like aeroplanes; lessons on how to fall correctly; games such as Around the World (sitting on a horse looking at the tail on purpose isn’t natural); and, how to get on and off in the walk, trot and canter. It was all about teaching balance, confidence and control. 

At that age I was fearless. I remember when I was about ten, coming off a pony named Tiddlywinks and going head first into the boards, I straightened my hat and got back on but I don’t remember getting sympathy from the instructor. 

On the positive side, it gave me a foundation for which I’ll always be grateful, as I know that if I had to start now I’d have a great deal of problems with self-preservation, stiffness, balance and probably nerves.

On the negative side it made me very set in my ways on how things should be done. I had to remind myself that ideas change when I moved schools and spent time teaching and working as a trek leader. I also stopped getting lessons unless I absolutely needed them and I’ve tended towards the more relaxed side of riding such hacking out, side-saddle and teaching rather than competing, which I blame on the strictness of the school.

Overall, I think it worked for me, as don’t think I’d have taken up riding as an adult. I’d probably be watching from the sidelines.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Avna said:


> Like most of the other posters, I started as a kid of eleven, and had no instruction. There was 4-H, which emphasized horse care, and competing in their very low-level shows, and I did all I could with that. I was hungry for knowledge, but there just wasn't much available. So it was mostly trail-riding with my friends. Then came the 40 year gap. Now I take lessons every chance I get, and I am twice the rider I was, already.
> 
> What a no-supervision, no-instruction horseback childhood gives you, seems to me, is two things. One, you learn how to be comfortable being around horses, read and react to their body language without thinking about it, you learn how tack goes on, that sort of thing. This is no small thing. Two, you learn how to stay on. Nothing like galloping bareback in a halter through the countryside to teach that. You may have very crude aids and no posture but you do learn to how to stick. Also no small thing.
> 
> ...


This exactly! We have some friends that live in the Chicago area and he paid a fortune for his daughter to take riding and jumping lessons. They'd come and spend a weekend several times a year and while the daughter had a really good seat she had no idea how to actually control a horse on a trail or open pasture. She also knew nothing about grooming, tacking or cleaning hooves.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

All my life I loved horses and wanted one, I read every book I could find about them and when I finished high school as soon as I could save enough money I bought my first horse when I was 18. 
We lived on the edge of the city but I fenced a small pasture belonging to a neighbour.
My horse had a couple of bad habits, first was bucking but I did manage to stay on (I don't know how, sheer determination?) so he stopped that, second was running away. This was the 1950's and no arenas or schooling just get on and go somewhere so the running away along city streets didn't seem a problem, we just got where we were going that much faster. That also stopped when he realized we were travelling maybe 15 miles or more.
I never had any lessons just rode the horses, I did get some problem horses to work on and I guess I learned through experience how to deal with them and we usually got along ok.
It was a tough way to learn about horses but I did learn and have never been without a horse since then.

I would never recommend this way to learn to ride though.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I am in the learned to ride bareback on the farm group. I spent my time under the tutelage of my grandad who did double duty teaching my cousin and I to ride while at the same time teaching us to train the two foals born every year.

We were responsible kids. I was 12 going on 34, my cousin was nine going on 24 --- we did exactly as we were told because we didn't want to lose any of our horse privileges.

I've never had formal lessons. If I could have a do-over in that regard, I would choose dressage but I would fail because my back is crooked from trauma accidents and has been since I was a teen. That means when my face is looking between the horse's ears, the rest of me is not.

When I look at pictures of me sitting without a saddle, (standing in front of the horse) one leg sits at an odd angle. Yet I have ridden a few show Tennessee Walkers and have been told I made a mistake never taking riding lessons because I sit better than some who have had lessons.

All of my beloved Keeper horses learned to make whatever adjustments were necessary to make up for my shortcomings and they did it without refusing, balking, or bucking. Since I was strictly a trail rider and dependent upon my horses not sliding off the trail and down the ravine, I will take that any day as opposed to perfection


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

As far as lessons go I didn't have many for most of my life, but I watched others and went to Clinics as a spectator and learned a lot that way.
I actually had more lessons after I turned 65 than I had the rest of my life put together, this was because I finally had the money to do it.


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## seabiscuit91 (Mar 30, 2017)

I sort of had both to be honest.
When I first started riding, it was on my mums horse, which was self taught, then I had lessons when I was around 8-10, these lessons weren't really formal, it was always in a large group of kids, in the arena the horses followed each other, but we did some jumping and things as well, it was more point the horse and hold on, rather than technique.
Then we I got my own horse I stopped having lessons and doing it all on my own, I'd go out in the state forest alone, there was a self made cross country style course riders in the past had bushbashed paths around, I'd fall off, get back on to get home, in hindsight, quite dangerous.
But it was the norm, kids were outside, for the longer the better. 
While I have miles to work on technique wise, and I do wish I naturally had a better seat, I think my comfort/confidence being around all horses is definitely down to being at home around horses, jumping all over them, swimming in our massive dam, things that you can't really get a lesson on.
So I definitely think it was a great way to grow up in those aspects!


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

FWIW, I think kids have a huge advantage in learning to ride without lessons.

Starting at 50, the fear factor - particularly when you decide to learn to ride AFTER buying a spooky Arabian mare - is a huge obstacle to overcome. After a bolt or two, or spinning around in circles as traffic is coming and NOT slowing down...one's mortality is excruciatingly obvious. Kind of like having "*You're going to die!*" in flashing neon lights, right in front of your eyes!

Having someone - even if it is someone long dead, speaking via the written word in an out-of-print book - tell you, "_Do X, use your leg like Z and you'll live longer!_" helps!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

No I didn't because I was like 2 or something like that. Some of my earliest memories was climbing the fence and hoping my brother's pony got close enough so I could jump on his back, I think I was about 4 years old then. When I was in 5th grade, a neighbor girl and riding buddy was going to lessons at a barn, I rode with her and watched. I asked how much it would be, it was $5 for 3 group lessons (boy that price sure aged me, lol), so I asked my parents for $5 for lessons. Nope, they said I already knew how to ride, I didn't need lessons, but my riding buddy's dad was friends with my parents so I enlisted his help to convince them, he was a very good horseman, he believed we needed formal training with an instructor. He convinced them, I rode off & on in group lessons with Mrs. Brownless until I was about 13, then they moved. After that, I found various stables where I worked in trade for riding lessons. Then the best thing happened, I got hired at a dude ranch/boarding/training stable, I got paid $10 a week plus tips from the groups I took out, and I got to help train horses! I worked there for 3 summers. It all started from there, rest is history, lol. I am still in touch with Mrs. Brownless' daughter, her mom passed though, and still in touch with my riding buddy, but her dad passed, both still ride, not as much as I do, nor do they show anymore, but they still have horses!


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

The first time I was on a horse I was about a year old. I was taught by my grandma and I don't remember how old I was. I really was able to ride around without her right next to me when I was 7 ish. She did have minis that we climbed on bareback and ran around. Me and my siblings usually got bucked off but we'd get back on and were perfectly fine because heck, the horse is like three feet tall. Rode with a western saddle, then bareback, or whatever. I tried an English saddle and some jumping lessons when I was 14 but never really thought it was all the great. (I love to jump on my mare though, especially bareback. Nothing too high, 2 1/2 to 3 feet) I took lessons for a while and fine tuned some stuff, but mostly did it for fun. So I did take formal lessons, but I already knew how to ride/saddle/care for horses before that. I learned a ton though, you can never stop learning.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

No lessons. Rode the neighbors' Shetland and other horses until I could get my own. 
School of hard knocks. I had a few pointers from a trainer that I babysat for, and cleaned stalls. I did have a couple lessons when I was in my 50's . It was to weird for me, I cannot sit with my knees bent , or underneath me enough. So it was like i was paying someone to nag me while I rode.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

It has been so much fun to read through the replies. I'm amazed at how many did not have a formal start. I thought there'd be more former riding school kids on here. Very good points about how if you're out riding on your own as a kid you HAVE to figure stuff out so you do!


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## BitOfJumping (May 19, 2017)

nope, rode western at my aunts for a while doing western dressage. finally took lessons at a dressage barn before moving to my current, hunter jumper barn


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

I did start out taking lessons at a small barn when I was about 15/16. 
I started out with Western lessons. Then I decided I wanted to try English, & I've loved it ever since. I don't mind Western (heck, I'd trail in a Western saddle!), but yes I'm an English girl now. :lol:

Then I began to feel like I wasn't learning enough there, so I moved onto a different barn, a more 'advanced' barn...from there, I ended up joining a show team/jumping. It was a lot of fun...then, of course, I started college so I had to stop riding for about 4/5 years. :sad:

HOWEVER...I found my old trainer & her daughter (who is my trainer now) who now has her own lesson program at a different barn, and I lease her horse now & I couldn't be happier!  I still take lessons once a week though even though I am leasing & ride 4-5x a week. There's always something new to be learned. 

Love hearing everyone else's stories!  Especially those who taught themselves.


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## BitOfJumping (May 19, 2017)

PoptartShop said:


> I did start out taking lessons at a small barn when I was about 15/16.
> I started out with Western lessons. Then I decided I wanted to try English, & I've loved it ever since. I don't mind Western (heck, I'd trail in a Western saddle!), but yes I'm an English girl now. :lol:
> 
> Then I began to feel like I wasn't learning enough there, so I moved onto a different barn, a more 'advanced' barn...from there, I ended up joining a show team/jumping. It was a lot of fun...then, of course, I started college so I had to stop riding for about 4/5 years. :sad:
> ...


aha yeah, first horse i rode a mini when i was around 5 bareback. I've always had more english posture even riding western


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

No lessons at the very beginning. Just played around with a friend’s pony after school (I was a latch-key kid)…Napoleon, an aptly named little horse whose claim to fame was his ability to run around and buck off his rider; he kicked and bit and was just all around ill mannered. Can’t blame him much, we were pretty much brats. It was amazing that none of us ever broke bones or got a concussion. Looking back, don’t know if the horse had ever been broke to ride. 

After about six months of hearing my stories, mom decided that lessons were in order. I guess she figured if I had already been bit, kicked and bucked off and was still coming back for more there was something to this horse fetish and I needed to learn the right way to do things before I got myself killed.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

My first ponies were kept on a racing yard where my Grandfather kept a few horses in training. The owner or his wife was somehow related to us. One of the stable girls was quite a good young show jumper so she taught me to ride. I don't think there was much health and safety about any of it but it was pretty correct as far as the basics were concerned. When the ponies were moved I had lessons at a local riding school but when I was 12 I got the gymkhana bug and was more into speed and being able to vault on and off at the run than how nicely I sat!!


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

AnitaAnne said:


> The BO did give me some instruction on driving, but it was just some basic training, probably so I wouldn't bust up his buggies! As it was a lot of trouble to harness and hitch one up, we often just long-lined them for fun.
> 
> He had a huge barn with lots of really fancy carriages in it that we were not allowed to even touch. Even had a horse-drawn fire engine! I thought driving was the coolest thing ever!


 I’d love to have a go at driving. A very distant relative had a pair of Cleveland Bays for driving and riding and they were amazing horses to see in harness. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to drive them as they were too much for me, but I did keep my horse in their yard for a time and was able to watch them being worked in a sledge and carriage. 
I was surprised to get stuck behind a pair of ponies being driven down the main road on my way home from work a few months ago. I’ve since seen the same guy out with a different pair, racing them around cones in a field: scurry driving perhaps?
I think I could have hours of fun with them!


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## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

My riding experience is a lot like yours, only I started at nine. I've never had lessons, and until lately, didn't know to much about leg aids. I also usually ride bareback; to lazy to saddle up if I just want to go for a short ride!


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I think for a lot of us older people, learning on our own as a kid was a whole lot different than today. With the amount of cuts, scrapes, broken bones, and stitches that I received (only once from riding horses), my mother would have been looked at a lot more suspiciously these days. Not saying that anything horrible happened in my childhood. I had a great one. Things are just different in this day and age. 

As kids, we were out of the door after breakfast and a lot of times weren't back in until just before dark. Unless of course, we got hurt.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

That they are @LoriF.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

I've been in the saddle since I was 6. In my 60's now, and never had a lesson. But, I come from a horse oriented family. My grandfather raised horses for sale. My other grandfather kept a horse to ride the 5 miles to work and back before he could afford a car. Great grandparents farmed with horses. My father helped with the teams as a child. Grandpa gave us a green broke Shetland when I was 6. I climbed on and haven't looked back. 

I did get some "coaching" from the 4-H club as a teen. I learned more about proper riding from that than from figuring it out on my own. But I learned more about horses working as a stable hand, riding a different horse every day.

Working with mostly green horses all that time, I did develop the "death grip" with the knees that others have mentioned. Only in the past few years or so have I learned to relax that, even on a rough horse. 

Some have mentioned a preference for bareback riding as a child because the saddle was "too much trouble". We rode bareback a lot also. But it was mostly to ride a fetched horse in from the field, (think 100 or more acres) or for impromptu fun. I never considered the saddle too much trouble. We had a used saddle and a shetland pony. I could saddle him myself. I was 6 or 8 years old, and I felt 10 feet tall. 

I will add something I've said in other threads before. Learning on my own taught me to stay on top during all sorts of shenanigans. The coaching I got, coupled with a great deal of reading, taught me how to ride.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

I'm guessing none of us wore a helmet as kids? :lol: I am 100% sure I didn't even know helmets existed for riding until I hit maybe middle school age and started watching 3-day eventing on TV. I didn't have a bike helmet either. Now, my kids both know they don't get on a bike or a horse w/out a helmet (and I wear one too). Funny how times have changed!


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Cordillera Cowboy said:


> Learning on my own taught me to stay on top during all sorts of shenanigans.


Yup; there is only one way to learn to stay on; that being (almost) getting tossed off ;-) Experience. And like riding a bicycle, it don't come out of a book, no matter how many times you read it; don't come from an instructor, no matter how much they nag; don't generally come from riding endless circles in an arena or otherwise "controlled" environment, either.

Kids today are carefully "bubblewrapped" before being sent out to explore the world. We as a society have come to expect that, I guess.

Steve

Jan: Sneakers and a baseball cap. Only wore a helmet on my motorcycle when The Law said I had to. On a _bicycle_? "HaHaHa". Aah; the invulnerability of youth


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> Yup; there is only one way to learn to stay on; that being (almost) getting tossed off ;-) Experience. And like riding a bicycle, it don't come out of a book, no matter how many times you read it; don't come from an instructor, no matter how much they nag; don't generally come from riding endless circles in an arena or otherwise "controlled" environment, either.
> 
> Kids today are carefully "bubblewrapped" before being sent out to explore the world. We as a society have come to expect that, I guess.
> 
> ...


Hmmmm.... well, part of me agrees with the fact that many kids are bubblewrapped, but the mom in me cannot say that things were better when I was a kid. 

And yes, I was one of those kids who grew up at a time when we just spent our days outside unsupervised. I didn't know anything about wearing helmets. I got on my horse and took off for the day. Alone. On a horse that was terrified of water and spooked at cars (I rode on the road sometimes anyway). We spent the summer by the ocean and spent our days wandering around without an adult in sight. We learned to swim by going in the water. We didn't take swimming lessons or wear life jackets. We jumped in a rowboat and went up and down the river behind my parents' house without an adult in sight. No life jackets then either, although at some point, I remember the introduction of a type of floating belt. We never wore them though. And my brother was pulled out of the water face down, not breathing (he survived, but it was close).

Fast forward to the present, when my 8 year old niece who lives in the city is visiting us and runs into the house to tell me my 10 year old son wandered off into the woods. I said so? There are trails all over our 13 acre property. He knows them, and he likes to take walks. No big deal. She was in a total state of panic and could not understand how I could allow this. Now SHE is bubble-wrapped. 

I think there is some middle ground between these two extremes, and as a parent, that's what I strive to achieve. My daughter wears a helmet when she rides (so do I, even when I ride by myself), just like my son wears one when he plays football. They are free, even encouraged to go outside and explore the woods, but I wouldn't be comfortable if they were gone all day, from dawn til dusk the way I was. I did get lost a couple of times as a kid, and it was scary. 

Steve, you say that kids don't learn to stay on a horse by trotting endless circles - I don't totally agree with that. Building the right muscles to have a good seat, and finding balance can be very helpful, especially when you're first starting out. It only makes sense to do that in a controlled environment before you throw them out in a big open field and let the horse go on a full gallop. It doesn't mean that the kid can never do that, just that it makes more sense to make sure they are ready for it - well, as ready as they can be. Just because I did it, and didn't get hurt, doesn't mean I want my kids to do it! 

Sorry Jan - went off topic!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I have never known a life without horses. My Mom was a "horse" person and my sisters and I had ponies before we had bicycles. My sisters and I joined 4-H and took lessons from the local 4-H instructor - we all rode English, Western and did barrel racing. We owned $20 dollar horses that my Mom bought at farm sales. I stopped taking lessons when I was 10 or 12 - I hated them - I preferred to ride bareback on the country roads where I live. I had a good friend that I rode with daily and we would head out and ride from dawn till dark. It was nothing to ride 10-15 miles a day. I still showed up until High School - I sold a couple of my horses when I went to college. My Dad would only allow me to keep 1- I rode when I could and eventually got a job with a trainer and put the first rides on the colts he got in. got out of college and bought the house I grew up in and picked up riding my horse daily - eventually I met my future husband a city slicker and taught him to ride by having him ride double behind me as we rode my horse bareback. We eventually purchased a horse for him and he did ride some. We had kids and my riding slowed way down! As my kids got a little older my trusty mare was in her mid 20's and had to be put down due to founder. I got a young horse and realized I was not as brave as I once was and child birth and added weight made me not as agile as I once was. I did not take lessons but started attending clinics. Hubby's horse went blind on 1 eye and started acting out so we purchased a different horse for him. A trainer built a barn a few miles from our home and hubby decided he would like to learn to "really ride" and he has been taking lessons there for over 2 years. he LOVES it! It is a superb barn with great staff. He has moved up to a different horse and continues to take lessons. he said he wished he had taken lessons from the beginning.

I agree that growing up near horses gives that added comfort level that those getting into horses later in life may not have initially. I don't take lessons and have no plans to take lessons but am so Thankful that hubby has and continues to take lessons.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Acadianartist said:


> ...Steve, you say that kids don't learn to stay on a horse by trotting endless circles - I don't totally agree with that. Building the right muscles to have a good seat, and finding balance can be very helpful, especially when you're first starting out. It only makes sense to do that in a controlled environment before you throw them out in a big open field and let the horse go on a full gallop...


I think trotting a horse in endless circles get the horse and rider good at trotting endless circles. But if you want learn to go up hills, you need to find a small hill and start practicing. If you want to get good at staying on a horse who spins, it helps to have done some tight 180s somewhere. Or 360s. If you want to learn to ride a horse who gets nervous, you are going to have to spend some time on top of a horse who gets nervous, and do so where the horse IS nervous. And you may need to take a few falls and even get hurt.

I read an article on the Internet a few weeks ago. It said a beginning rider needed a minimum of 6 months riding in an arena, under instruction, before they should be allowed outside the arena - and THEN only on a 'been there / done that' horse.

A year or more ago, a guy came out with a mutual friend to go riding. The guy had never touched a horse in his life. He was in his 20s, and a fighter pilot, so he didn't have the "_I'm 50 and aware of my mortality blues_" that I faced. We put him on a reliable horse. Gave him about 5 minutes of instruction: "_Stay out of his mouth. The bit is to hold the far end of the reins. If he bolts, pry your knees apart, hold on with one hand and sing. He won't bolt more than 100 yards unless you KEEP him scared._" Etc.

Then he went out for 3 hours in the desert with the other guy and my daughter. By the time he came back, he had walked, trotted and cantered. On pavement, on dirt roads, on trails and off trail. Up hills and down. He watched our mutual friend deal with some hard bucking and a bolt by my horse Bandit. He wasn't an accomplished rider by the time he returned, but I think he accomplished more in his first 3 hours than a lot of folks will taking a lot of lessons.

If someone wants to achieve a certain goal in riding - to compete in any sport, or to show, then I understand why regular instruction is needed. I also understand why someone starting at 50 may need some extra help in learning. But if it takes someone 6 months of lessons to get ready to ride a calm, been-there-done-that horse in the open, then I REALLY think the instructor should be canned! 

I read part of a book on beginning riding last night. It listed 7 or 8 types of "seats" and a bunch of "rein effects". I discovered that after 9 years of riding, I don't know how to cue a horse to turn. That would probably surprise my horse because we spend a lot of time twisting between the cactus of southern Arizona, but I don't know how to turn a horse. Still don't, after reading how to turn a horse correctly. I don't have enough memory left to keep track of all the things I'm supposed to do to turn my horse to the right. Don't know how to sit on one either, it seems. 

My daughter took lessons from a wonderful woman. Took them for a year or two, I forget how long exactly. Then the lady said, "_If your goal is trail riding, its time for you to go have fun with your horse. Let me know if you ever want lessons in some other type of riding._" As someone who started for real at 50, I've over-analyzed every facet of riding and still can't ride as well as a lot of teens who focus on having fun with their horses...

Note: All that said, I'm glad I've read lots of books on riding and glad I've taken SOME lessons. The lessons I took weren't perfect, but they helped me. And like a lot of older adults who take up riding, I needed help. I just don't think they need to be the end all of riding.


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

I envy the folks who grew up riding. I've always loved and been in awe of horses and horse people. I did not grow up in a horse family - in fact, my mom is allergic to them and my brother is deathly allergic to hay! 

I always played team sports (ringette & ball) - quit them all in grade 10 to start riding lessons. My instructor was not very good, so I kinda bounced to a couple different barns before losing interest - not in riding, but just the kind of lessons I was taking. I wanted more 'hands-on' time with the horses. 

After graduating high school I ended up working at a Standard racing farm - they did it all there - breeding, starting youngsters, training & racing. I learned a lot about handling horse there (not all of it correct!!!). No riding there, as they were all harness racers, but it did allowed me to buy Tiger who I retrained to ride. He was 3 when I bought him and he is 19 now. I did take some lessons on Tiger, but mostly just rode on my own. 

Now I am taking weekly lessons to help train my youngster - and once she is going well I will continue to take riding lessons. I am learning so much about body position, seat & leg aids. I enjoy riding on my own and hitting the trail - there is only so much you can learn in an arena. But I want the best of both worlds...LOL.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

my first rides were just my family's pony & sister's show horses. 

when I got serious about riding i took lessons, but should have sought out a second or third place for lessons as the first one is a great person but didn't teach me the intricacies of "riding" so although I had been trail riding for a couple of years once I spent a bit more time with my farrier i realized my deficiencies so have spent more time with him going over the nuances of riding: the cues from the hands and legs, how my posture/seat will send the right/wrong message, ect...


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Steve, you say that kids don't learn to stay on a horse by trotting endless circles - I don't totally agree with that. Building the right muscles to have a good seat, and finding balance can be very helpful, especially when you're first starting out. It only makes sense to do that in a controlled environment before you throw them out in a big open field and let the horse go on a full gallop. It doesn't mean that the kid can never do that, just that it makes more sense to make sure they are ready for it - well, as ready as they can be. Just because I did it, and didn't get hurt, doesn't mean I want my kids to do it!


Hi AA!

Must be a gender thing; The Missus has a similar Weltanschauung. And certainly having the basics in place are going to help with most anything you attempt in life.

But me, I say: "Hand 'em the reins and get out of the way!" ;-)

I have used the same principal with engineering students, admittedly most of 'em graduate level, so presumably they already _had_ the basics in place, but other than a few general death and dismemberment clauses, the lesson plan went something like: "This is what I want you to do, and here are the tools to do it. Have fun and wake me when it's working." By the time they would struggle along a bit, and slam into a few of the "realities-of-life", the ensuing questions had a certain level of "experience" behind them, and the discussion of possible resolutions was a rewarding exercise rather than a boring lecture.

In my experience, it's the times when things Don't Work Out As Planned that Teach; when things go By The Book, you Learn what the book has to say, and little else. "Tell 'em a dozen times that the pan is hot, but them burned fingers make it a memorable event." Philosophy of Learning, I guess 

Steve


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> Hi AA!
> 
> Must be a gender thing; The Missus has a similar Weltanschauung. And certainly having the basics in place are going to help with most anything you attempt in life.
> 
> ...


Sorry Steve, but I think there is a difference between learning through trial and error, and putting a kid on top of a 1000 lb animal that is flighty and unpredictable and just saying "Go out in that field over there and find out how fast you can go before you fall off." 

I also teach university and agree that it is through practice that students learn best. But I teach French literature. Pretty low risk. The worst that can happen is that they develop a bad accent


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

george the mule said:


> I have used the same principal with engineering students,


Unless the lab equipment has some agency in the decision making and thus produces an additional factor of uncertainty, that analogy only takes you so far when it comes to horseback riding. I learned to ride a motorcycle (as an adult) on the parking lot in front of my house. Yes, going in circles and developing muscle memory for balance and "aids" (gas, brake, clutch, gears, steering) at low speeds that translates to high speeds does work. 

Practicing side-passes in the arena helps, so you don't have to figure it out when you need to get your horse to the side of the road. Spiraling in and out in the arena helps when those turns come up quickly on the forest trail, especially if what you thought was a 45º bend turns out to be a 90º turn...no reason. Cantering over trot poles and cavalettis translates directly to "Oops, there is a log across the path up ahead!" Why on earth would you risk being thrown into a tree or on a rock at speed if you can acquire the same skills risking being thrown into arena footing? 

Going into a field running a straight line at constant velocity teaches you no more riding than going to a highway and driving fast in a straight line at constant velocity on a motorcycle.


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Sorry Steve, but I think there is a difference between learning through trial and error, and putting a kid on top of a 1000 lb animal that is flighty and unpredictable and just saying "Go out in that field over there and find out how fast you can go before you fall off."
> 
> I also teach university and agree that it is through practice that students learn best. But I teach French literature. Pretty low risk. The worst that can happen is that they develop a bad accent


"Mas Certainmont" ;-)

But AA; they're still gonna fall off. Eventually. I challenge anyone who has ever climbed on a horse more than maybe twice, to tell me they have never sampled The Dirt. In fact, I'd suggest that those with a morbid fear of pain should just stay away from horses entirely, because this very fear will soon become a self-fulfilling prophecy :-(

I watched my neighbor, who is a fairly skilled Dressage rider, come totally unseated when her mare spooked at a dog while out on the trail. No harm done, and George and I eventually chased down her horse, but just to point out that arena survival skills are not the same as trail survival skills.

Honestly, the best preventative medicine for a spook, is for The Rider to stay ahead of the game, and move to mitigate the horses anxiety before it escalates into flight. Setting up spooky things in the arena will help, but the predictable nature of this exercise tends to lessen its effectiveness. Unfortunately, and sorta by definition, Chaos tends to be fairly unpredictable.



mmshiro said:


> Unless the lab equipment has some agency in the decision making and thus produces an additional factor of uncertainty, that analogy only takes you so far when it comes to horseback riding.


MM, In Engineering, and particularly on the R&D end of things, we name that agency "Murphy"  In riding, we just call it A Horse, but the net effect is virtually identical.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

bsms said:


> A year or more ago, a guy came out with a mutual friend to go riding. ...
> 
> Then he went out for 3 hours in the desert with the other guy and my daughter. By the time he came back, he had walked, trotted and cantered.


Did *he* walk, trot, and canter, or did he sit on a horse that happened to move at those gaits? How comfortable was it for the horse?


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

george the mule said:


> MM, In Engineering, and particularly on the R&D end of things, we name that agency "Murphy"  In riding, we just call it A Horse, but the net effect is virtually identical.


"R&D" - you mean like in a "lab"? That's a controlled environment, isn't it? Almost like a "sandbox" in Computer Science? Or an "arena"?


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

mmshiro said:


> ...Practicing side-passes in the arena helps, so you don't have to figure it out when you need to get your horse to the side of the road. Spiraling in and out in the arena helps when those turns come up quickly on the forest trail, especially if what you thought was a 45º bend turns out to be a 90º turn...no reason. Cantering over trot poles and cavalettis translates directly to "Oops, there is a log across the path up ahead!" Why on earth would you risk being thrown into a tree or on a rock at speed if you can acquire the same skills risking being thrown into arena footing?...


Actually, all my horses will sidepass on a trail or off trail, but none of them do in the arena. They seem to understand it on a trail, but see no purpose in 'sidepassing' in a wide, open space.

I've NEVER practiced spiraling in and out in the arena, yet my horses have no problems with twisting and turning between cactus as we go across the desert. I doubt I could get Bandit to do a spiral in the arena, but I regularly trust him to keep US safe when WE are surrounded by thorns & spines. And jumping anything is generally a bad idea in the desert, but trotting over poles (which my horses have done) isn't jumping anyways.

Why would I risk being thrown into prickly pear, or large rocks at speed? Well, I only have access to a very small arena where my horses are hard pressed to build much speed. But my current horses really are not inclined to lose their minds. The Arabian mare I learned to ride on did, and we had some pretty scary times until she learned not to bolt. And at 50+, I couldn't afford to fall, so I learned riding on that spooky mare using an Australian saddle:










That saddle plus instruction - written instruction by VS Littauer - probably saved my life. Not so much from bolting, but from the violent spins she sometimes did, or the sideways jumps. She was NOT a good horse to learn to ride on and I would NOT recommend anyone learn to ride by riding a horse like her. But she was an unusual horse.

OTOH, I believe most people can learn to ride well by simply trail riding a horse like Cowboy or Trooper. If Trooper starts running, which is very rare, just give him some slack and pry your knees apart, and he'll slow within 100 yards. Probably 50. I've never seen Cowboy try to run off with anyone, although several people (including my wife) have learned to trot when he's catching up to the others after grabbing a bite to eat. He's a chubby, 13.0 hand pony with excellent judgment and exceptional balance.

Why risk it? 

1 - With a good horse, there isn't much risk. A friend of mine has a ranch. He hires guys from South America to herd sheep. Most arrive not knowing how to ride. They get a few minutes of instruction in his broken Spanish, then learn by spending many hours every day riding in very rough terrain - alone. In 30+ years, he has only had one guy hurt enough to take to a doctor. The doctor wrapped the shoulder and discharged the patient.

No helmets. No arena. No instruction. But the ranch raises and trains their own horses, and the ones issued to the new sheepherders are chosen for their level heads, good balance and patience.

2 - One of the best ways to learn balance is not to focus on it. "Position" is the enemy of "balance". When you feel balanced on and at one with your horse, you probably are. From what I've seen, beginners who ride out on a trail with others don't need to be told to "Look ahead" - they do so automatically. Go up and down a few small hills, and first time riders figure out HOW to balance going up hills and down. They automatically figure out that the leg doesn't have a "position", but that your legs need to move depending on what your horse is doing.

3 - Fear is a terrible enemy of good riding. "Fun" is the enemy of fear. Someone having fun doesn't get overwhelmed with fear.

4 - Riding outside the arena, from the start, teaches you to work WITH your horse. Riding circles on a horse who is bored out of its skull, doing what he has to do in an uninterested manner, teaches a rider to ride an ATV. Not a thinking, interested, curious, good-natured and trustworthy friend.

One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten in my 9 years came from a cavalryman writing in the 1860s:



> ...There is another thing to be considered with regard to the horse's character - it loves to exercise its powers, and it possesses a great spirit of emulation; it likes variety of scene and amusement; and under a rider that understands how to indulge it in all this without overtaxing its powers, will work willingly to the last gasp, which is what entitles it to the name of a noble and generous animal...
> 
> ..Horses don't like to be ennuye, and will rather stick at home than go out to be bored ; they like amusement, variety, and society : give them their share of these, but never in a pedantic way, and avoid getting into a groove of any kind, either as to time or place, especially with young animals.


Someone who learns to carry a crop because otherwise their horse won't trot when asked is learning the WRONG lesson! Someone who learns to ride a horse "straight" in turns, and taught that is proper riding, is learning something the horse will almost never do of its own free will in the real world. And lessons that teach 'this cue gives this result' are harmful to good riding - and almost all of the paid lessons I took involved all those things!

Good lessons, if you can find them, are great. Lessons for specific purposes can be wonderful. A few lessons in an arena before heading out are probably a good thing. But the idea that a person needs to spend many months taking lessons before they can dare to go out on a good horse is false.

"Horse sense" used to mean "common sense". It meant practical, and capable of making good decisions even without a lot of schooling. It is an old term. People now believe horses are fundamentally stupid and dangerous, incapable of making good decisions. But two of my horses have 'horse sense', and the third is gaining it. I don't think horses get horse sense by riding in an arena, and I don't think people learn to trust a horse to use horse sense by riding bored horses on level ground. 

The basics of riding SHOULD include learning to trust your horse and that horses enjoy doing fun things with people. And while I took paid lessons, none of the paid instruction I received had anything to do with viewing the horse as my partner and friend. I think the large majority of beginning lessons should include time outside the arena - on a good horse.



mmshiro said:


> Did *he* walk, trot, and canter, or did he sit on a horse that happened to move at those gaits? How comfortable was it for the horse?


Well, he was taller than this guy riding Trooper:










Only had a 16" saddle, so he was kind of squished in the saddle. At the end of 3 hours, the three horses were sweating hard. But Trooper was moving freely, acting relaxed. I made a point of rubbing his back muscles and he showed no concern. He showed no signs of tenderness the next day. The guy probably weighed around 210, the saddle weighs 30 lbs, the horse is under 900 lbs, 3 hour ride, plenty of hills...

This kind of gets to the bone of contention: How hard is it to figure out how to ride a good horse? 

Kids don't learn to balance on a bike by doing circles around their parents as their parents shout, "Look up! Don't lean! Balls of feet on the pedals!" I don't think learning to move in balance with a horse and learning to encourage our four-legged friend is all that hard. I think we do it instinctively, unless we have someone correcting our "position" and telling us to make our friend obey...


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

mmshiro said:


> "R&D" - you mean like in a "lab"? That's a controlled environment, isn't it?


Well, we do our best. But Murphy often has his own agenda, and the more complex the work-in-progress, the more opportunities it seems to offer.
Complexity. Therein lies the difference between an arena, and a single-track thru the woods.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

*Actually, all my horses will sidepass on a trail or off trail, *

*I've NEVER practiced spiraling in and out in the arena, yet my horses have no problems* 

Are we talking about training horses, or learning how to ride?

*but trotting over poles (which my horses have done) isn't jumping anyways.*

I was talking about cantering over poles and cavalettis.


*Why would I risk being thrown into prickly pear, or large rocks at speed? Well, I only have access to a very small arena where my horses are hard pressed to build much speed.*

One of the horses I ride, a young OTTB, loves to run along windy forest trails, jump logs, and turn at speed. I'm glad for every minute I spent getting familiar with her movements in the arena. I don't call it "spooking", I call it "having fun with a fast horse".


*If Trooper starts running, which is very rare, *

I understand. We simply have different experiences when trail riding, hence different prerequisites in terms of training. You consider "running" an adverse event, I consider "running" and "jumping" something the horse and I look forward to.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

I'd like to chime in & say that horses and bikes are two very different things...it's news to me if a bike is a 1000lb animal with a mind of its own. :O Cannot compare the two at all. *shrug* But, to each their own. :lol:

I go on trails, ride in the fields, and ride in the arena. I think arena work is important too.  I like it. I find it fun. The arena doesn't always have to be 'boring'.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

PoptartShop said:


> I'd like to chime in & say that horses and bikes are two very different things...it's news to me if a bike is a 1000lb animal with a mind of its own. :O Cannot compare the two at all. *shrug* But, to each their own. :lol:
> 
> I go on trails, ride in the fields, and ride in the arena. I think arena work is important too.  I like it. I find it fun. The arena doesn't always have to be 'boring'.


Pop the clutch on a bike as you take off, and you'll see what "a mind of its own" looks like!  The effects are similar to kicking a sensitive, responsive horse hard in the ribs...

I any case, my argument was that, as you engage in complex and risky activities, it is common practice to build up to these activities in a controlled environment. 

You drive for the first time on the parking lot, you ski-jump for the first time into water, you tuck-and-roll from a tower on padding before your first parachute jump, you dry-fire a firearm with snap caps, you juggle with tennis balls before you juggle with torches, etc. etc. 

In short, you start a new activity in an environment that limits risk and isolates fundamental skills when you make the inevitable newbie mistakes. Fighters have sparring partners and coaches because learning exclusively from fighting champions in prize matches is just a very expensive way to gain the same experience. 

Is it _possible_ to get rich trading commodities using your own money from Day 1? Sure. Would I prefer to "test the water" with simulated trades and small amounts before playing with the big boys and girls? Why _wouldn't_ I? You pay for experience either in time or in money. I have more of the former than the latter.

Can a child learn to walk by being left alone crawling on pebbles and figuring out by himself that walking upright is less painful? Sure. Hands up who hasn't learned to walk in the living room! Hands up who learned to walk in the living room and is still limited to walking circles in the living room to this day. 

I pity the horse that never gets to go out on the trail and only sees the arena, that much is certain. The same is probably true for riders, but the riders are the ones who have a choice. But the arena, especially with an instructor who stops you from developing counterproductive habits, is a useful tool in the arsenal available to the beginning rider. It puzzles me why it would be considered redundant or even as counterproductive.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

mmshiro said:


> I pity the horse that never gets to go out on the trail and only sees the arena, that much is certain. The same is probably true for riders, but the riders are the ones who have a choice. But the arena, especially with an instructor who stops you from developing counterproductive habits, is a useful tool in the arsenal available to the beginning rider.* It puzzles me why it would be considered redundant or even as counterproductive*.


I agree 100%, but it seems that there are those who look down on people who take the trouble to learn how to communicate with this living breathing animal who carries us through all sorts of areas.

See in my eyes we have two living things trying to dance in harmony, but we don't share a common language. I see my instructor as an interpretor helping us communicate in a simple way, where neither of us gets frustrated with misunderstandings. I rode for many years with the benefit? of bad instruction backing me up, and I wish I could apologize to all the horses I rode for my unintentional ham fistedness. 

I can't help but see those who are reluctant to get an interpretor, but prefer to use a selection of random horse to English phrase books as being a little selfish. They put their own want to feel competent above the simple way to become effective at what they are doing. 


I any case, my argument was that, as you engage in complex and risky activities, it is common practice to build up to these activities in a controlled environment. 



> You drive for the first time on the parking lot, you ski-jump for the first time into water, you tuck-and-roll from a tower on padding before your first parachute jump, you dry-fire a firearm with snap caps, you juggle with tennis balls before you juggle with torches, etc. etc.


Again totally agree, and in most cases you have someone there helping you.....thank goodness, "Hey look, there's a plane, I've read the book, let's go"

Save​


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Know what? Some people love doing arena drills. Some love going out on trails. Me, I like a bit of both. So what?

Similarly, it appears some horses don't much see the point in riding in an arena trotting circles for 45 minutes. But they still have to do it. Because yet others (my Arab) could trot circles all day, but take them out into the woods and they're a different horse! Harley dislikes trails very much. Refuses to go forward if the rider is not forceful enough (but he doesn't get a choice, much like the horse trotting circles for 45 minutes). Yet this is the horse that, two days ago, was accidentally cued to do tempi changes (flying leads at the canter, changing at each stride)! My daughter did it without meaning to as she was trying to get him to collect the canter. It was a sight I tell you! Harley was truly dancing across that arena, even though he hasn't been asked to perform that manoeuvre in years. It was a joy to behold. But when we tried to get him to follow Kodak on a simple trail, he fell apart. 

Kodak, on the other hand, likes trails. Oh sure, she's anxious and can spook. But once she overcomes it, she's happy to be out there, never slowing down or speeding up unless asked, truly enjoying the adventure. Switch back to Harley who is jiggy the whole time, but especially when turning back towards home. You might say this was entirely their conditioning, but I think there is also a personal preference. They each have their "happy place". Doesn't mean they went there right away. They learned, and were taught over time how to respond to certain stimuli. 

If all you, or your horse (or mule  ) wants to do is trails, then by all means. If you just want to work on complex dressage manoeuvres, then great! But I don't think it means the dressage rider is a worse rider, or vice versa. Instruction is useful for both, and as a parent, I would not have it any other way for my child.


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## Tazzie (Nov 8, 2011)

Acadianartist said:


> If all you, or your horse (or mule  ) wants to do is trails, then by all means. If you just want to work on complex dressage manoeuvres, then great! But I don't think it means the dressage rider is a worse rider, or vice versa. Instruction is useful for both, and as a parent, I would not have it any other way for my child.


AGREED!

As a mother, my kids WILL take lessons. I've tossed my kids up on my mare and given them pony rides, but they will NOT be turned loose. I'll let them try whatever disciplines they want to, but they NEED to learn how to ride even if all they want to do is trail ride.

I just don't feel that reading a bunch of books is going to make you an incredibly competent rider. Do I think it can help? Sure! As a matter of fact, when I was reading a FICTIONAL book with REAL scenarios they explained how they rode the half pass. And ya know what? It helped me out! But it shouldn't be the only way to learn.

Yes, I love my arena work. I love the beauty, the harmony, and the flow of a well ridden Dressage test. I strive for perfection there. But I'm also just as happy saddling up in comfy clothes and heading out on the trails with some good friends.

Even now I still take lessons when I can. And I learn SO much to develop us further! Yes, I can stay on and ride competently. I've been riding about 16 years now, but there is still SOOOO much to learn! It never, ever ends.

Anyway, I FULLY support lessons! Books as supplementary options, but lessons would be my go to for anyone learning how to ride (trail riders or arena riders alike; one of my good friends takes lessons and she strictly does trails :wink


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I think its good to learn the basics in a controlled area and I do think a rider should be able to sit correctly at trot and canter and be able to ask a horse to stop and go and transition down from canter to trot and trot to walk and then to stand and also know how to ask the horse to rein back before they go out into the big world. 
I don't think they need to know how to ask the horse to side pass, turn on the forehand etc before they leave the arena. Those things can come in useful but can be learnt as you progress. I did most of my riding in the days before most people even had access to an arena if they kept their horses at home so you had to rely on using a field or the trails and roads to do your schooling.
What's more important for safety IMO is that the novice rider is on an experienced horse when they first go out.
The place I worked at often took college students for work experience, some of them had never ridden outside of an arena or at least not on a horse that could be a little challenging and yet they were planning on going on to competition yards or hunting yards to work. They could all sit pretty and looked very capable in the manège and they could talk about diagonals and lead changes and all that stuff but the moment a horse got a little strong with them or put in a buck because it was fit and fresh they were clueless. 
My children learnt the way I did - they spent some time learning the basics and then were taken out on the lead rein so they learnt how to control a pony out in the open spaces but still had a safety net riding alongside them 'just in case'


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Different experiences teach different things. If it moves you forward it's all good.

Learning by the literal seat of your pants when you are young and rubbery is, in my opinion, invaluable. Lessons from a skilled and patient teacher are also invaluable. Learning on an Old Reliable is a good thing. Transitioning, when you are able, to more challenging horses and terrain is also a good thing. 

Sticking to a safe routine and never challenging yourself to learn and experience outside your comfort zone is going to limit you. If you have only ridden trails casually and never learned how to ride with precision and softness, never learned how to ask for collection or extension, you are a self-limited rider. If you have only ridden in an arena and going 'outdoors' fills you with dread, you are a self-limited rider. Nothing terrible about it, but I would not call anyone a well-rounded rider if they aren't comfortable at both.

I love learning, and physical things like riding, for me, I can only improve with a teacher. I don't learn from videos, or books, not physical stuff. I adore having the opportunity to have someone watch me ride and tell me how to get a better performance from my horse. I've only taken lessons for about 18 months and both my equitation and my communication skills have really transformed in that time. I was always "good enough" for trail riding. But now I feel a world is opening up to me that I had only watched from the outside, before.


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

I started with public trail rides when I was TINY, starting out by doubling with my dad before I was big enough to sit on a horse by myself. I'm sure it was pure insanity to put me on a horse that young for walk/trot/canter on a bumpy hill trail, and with no one in helmets, but I just held that horn and stayed on.

I eventually got lessons. Started at a terrible place where, in hindsight, I'm lucky I also didn't die there. I then went straight to buying my own horse at 11, and was thankfully directed to board at a place where I got good beginner English lessons that put a good base on me. Did three years or so of weekly lessons there, before having to rehome what was by then my second horse. My instructor had a policy where students could only return if they received a letter inviting them back (she had a waiting list) and the spring after I stopped boarding there... my lesson letter never came. :/

The timing was PERFECT though -- best thing that could have happened to me -- because a new riding stable opened up with a young, energetic, awesome instructor who had just come off the A Circuit and had a GREAT push-button HJ mare who could do ANYTHING. What a change! I went from begrudgingly trotting cross rails for the umpteenth time to cantering 2'+ courses in one season on a horse who was worlds away from the cranky little backyard-bred school ponies I'd been on mostly up to that point. I was one of her first students and enthusiastically brought a lot more people over to her barn. I credit the previous instructor with me getting on the right path with my riding, but she was the one who really showed me what I could do.

After about 15 years off, I picked up riding again not quite two years ago, and it's taken this whole time to get pretty much back to where I was -- though it's different now because I'm a lot more focused on riding nuanced flatwork than putting my energy into jumping. Suits my more cautious 30-something age, now. 

I kind of stumbled haphazardly through my riding journey, but I'm not sure I'd change too much if I did it over again. I'm glad I got to have some reckless fun and come away unscathed, with the trail riding facility where I started. Would I put baby me in that situation to start out again? Nooooottttttt sooooo suuuuuure. At the very least, she'd get a helmet and some boots!!! I did have a lot of carefree fun though, and developed my love for it there. I don't know if I'd have been as into it if I'd been drilled right into lessons at a tiny age. Not sure! Though I think that's how I'd go if I were introducing a kid to it, now.

I never did develop a good seat at ALL until I had lessons, that's for sure. I know that much!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I , too, envy those that grew up on horses, just learning as they stumbled along, naturally. that's such a wonderful way to start. 
there are, however, limits to how far you can go in that space, unless you have a more seasoned horseperson to show you.

but, in my case, I had little choice; the only way to get riding experience, to begin with, was via lessons. I'd have loved the magical, free, ride-my-pony-bareback-across the fields childhood. but I didn't get it. so, lessons it was!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I'm with @*tinyliny* on this one. I love reading stories of all of you on here (and especially @*Foxhunter* 's journal!) about developing your seat and your confidence by just getting on, falling off, and figuring it out. I had lessons in fits and starts as a kid. My grandparents would usually buy me a lesson package at "the barn down the street" for Christmas- since they and my parents were clueless about horses, no one seemed to realize the barn down the street was actually a nationally known Saddlebred show barn that kept a string of lesson ponies out back for the public (to this day, I still have no clue why they bothered with that!). I learned to ride saddleseat there. I'd ride for my 8-10 weeks and then stop again until I got another package for my birthday late in the summer. As I got older, I was very competitive with both soccer and softball, and my parents seem to have invested quite a lot of their disposable income traveling around the northeast with me to compete (I still have no clue whythey did _that _either! :wink. So in middle/high school, I really never rode.

I finished college a semester early and while I was hanging out waiting for my first public school teaching job to start, I took some lessons, pretty typical beginner group lesson barn - generic "hunter/jumper" - where everyone walks and trots in a circle for a bit and then one at a time you get asked to canter a long side and maybe step over a crossrail. I stopped when I was a first-year teacher, and then rode again at a similar barn that summer. 

Eventually I went back to grad school, and realized I had a ton of time and missed being around kids- I happened to find a therapeutic riding program looking for volunteers. I spent a year volunteering in lessons before I asked if they'd let me ride sometimes too. I think that's when I actually _really_ learned about riding as a partnership and adventure between people and horses. The director of the program would take me riding in her pastures (she'd usually be riding too) and give me tips on what would help my horse go better, and we'd go out on trails. Since then, which I guess was about 12ish years ago, I've been riding consistently. 

I had some more formal dressage lessons about 7 years ago, and was doing that when I first met my current horse. After I bought her, I guess my goals changed a lot, and we became "happy hackers" rather than continuing with classical dressage. The couple of trainers I had access to moved, I didn't buy a trailer so was never going to show, etc. I think my riding has improved tremendously since I've had the freedom of going out on adventures with my own horse-at least as far as my ability to ride in difficult situations, stick on, help develop confidence in my horse, etc. but it probably looks uglier to a casual observer and I'm sure with lessons I could ride prettier again. Though truthfully, I think riding is one of those sports where you have natural talent or you don't. Those of us that don't will always have to work extremely hard to present the right picture, while those that do can invest a heck of a lot less time. So even if I did take lessons, I think there'd be some fundamental limits I'd hit up against pretty quickly and can't imagine ever being competitive successfully.


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## MerriBelle1 (Apr 19, 2017)

I rode at a "riding stable" where one pays to ride horses by the half hour or hour. Then my mom had me take western riding lessons which I learned alot. A few years later I got my own horse. Many years later I won a TV auction thing where I got 4 free English lessons. I didn't go back as the 5th week, I was in a car accident and broke my foot. I strongly advocate lessons. One can always learn something new.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

In the very beginning I would follow the vendors through the alleys of Detroit. The ones with horse-drawn wagons. When the men would yell at me to go home, I would just get sneakier (I think!) and continue to follow them. Eventually they started putting me up on the horses back and I'd hang on to the collars. I learned where the mounted police stables were and the officers would throw me up on horses after they bathed them and let me ride while they walked the horses out.

Later, but still in elementary school, I collected returnable bottles, cashed them in and rode a bus to the end of the line, then walked a couple miles to a riding stable. After my one hour ride, I'd just hang out and watch the horses and be sure I was going to die if I didn't get to ride again. Soon.

Finally, through the police officers, word got out that I was extremely horse crazy. An officer who was from Germany paid for lessons for me. When he told my parents that I wasn't too bad at it, they paid for a few, too. 

Somehow, thinking I knew everything, I started begging rides on snotty little hunters in the handy hunter classes at shows around the city. Hang on. Go fast. Don't knock anything down. Don't fall off. Wearing stuff I found in alleys at first and then with cast offs from people who wanted me to ride their horses. I got to exercise at a hunt club, too. Not really sure why they even let me. I felt over-mounted most of the time on those big forward hunters.

On to the track where I finished high school. Managed a small farm. Went west and started ranching. Polo - with lessons!

Sometimes I still wish I had had the advantages that many do. Lessons. Good horses. Showing. 

But it's been fun.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Boots my introduction to horses was somewhat similar, as a toddler I would follow the milk delivery horses around, if Mom missed me she would look for the delivery horse and there I would be.
A little older I would set up a freshie (that's like Cool AId) stand and sell drinks until I had enough money and then I would bike out to a riding stable for a ride.

That was the extent of my riding until I was able to get a full time job and buy my first horse.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

tinyliny said:


> I , too, envy those that grew up on horses, just learning as they stumbled along, naturally. that's such a wonderful way to start.
> there are, however, limits to how far you can go in that space, unless you have a more seasoned horseperson to show you.
> 
> but, in my case, I had little choice; the only way to get riding experience, to begin with, was via lessons. I'd have loved the magical, free, ride-my-pony-bareback-across the fields childhood. but I didn't get it. so, lessons it was!


I dunno, I think the whole experience may be sound better than it really is. It wasn't always magical. When my horse refused to walk over a puddle, a bridge, or any water, really, it wasn't magical. I had no one to turn to for answers so we just made do. I can't count the number of trails we couldn't do because there was water. When he nearly launched himself into an oncoming dump truck, it wasn't magical. It's a miracle we both survived those years. I knew nothing about feed (he got sweet feed), turnout was very limited because my riding instructor said he's be too "wild" if he was allowed out more than 2 hours a day (wt???). He didn't have enough pasture. The fence was inadequate, so he kept escaping. He lived alone, because no matter how much I tried to tell my parents horses needed a companion, they figured I was just trying to get a second horse and repeatedly refused. 

Did we create special memories? Sure. Mostly the quiet moments. Walking him up and down our 600 ft driveway to cool down after a ride, and working on ground manners. Laying on his back at night, staring at the stars as he grazed in the field. But overall, I was ill-equipped to own a horse, given that I had two very non-horsey parents, and I'm sure he suffered as a result of that. It wasn't fair to him. It was nice of my parents to make my dream come true, but honestly, I never advise non-horsey parents to buy a horse for their kid if it's going to be kept at home. Boarding is different, but really, there has to be a knowledgeable adult around to help, which wasn't the case at my house.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I'm sure that lessons would have been great if I was afforded that as a kid, but honestly, if I did it all over again, I don't think I would want to change a thing with my childhood experiences with horses. There was a lot of good times and a lot of freedom. The days of that kind of freedom seem to be over and it's kind of sad.

Maybe my mother would have thought differently if I was over horsed and I constantly came home hurt, but I wasn't and I didn't. My old guy really took care of me through everything and would do anything that I asked of him. I got hurt a couple of times and didn't come home and talk about it because it wasn't the horse, it was me doing stupid things. Those stupid things would have been done anyway. With or without a horse being involved.

My mother is an animal lover and likes horses but she was never really a horse person. I think I got from my dad. Come to find out later on in life that my dad was a cowboy in his younger days working on ranches and gentling colts. I never knew this until about ten years ago. I just thought "oh, that's where I got it from". Animals and kids always really liked and gravitated towards him.


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## Tazzie (Nov 8, 2011)

LoriF said:


> I'm sure that lessons would have been great if I was afforded that as a kid


I didn't get started until I was 14, and never had my own horse. My parents couldn't afford lessons, so I was SOL if I was just going to ask for them. I volunteered in exchange for lessons. Eight hours of work awarded me one lesson, and I worked max of 4 hours a day. The barn I volunteered at wasn't too far from where my parents work, so they dropped me off before work and picked me up at lunch.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Tazzie said:


> I didn't get started until I was 14, and never had my own horse. My parents couldn't afford lessons, so I was SOL if I was just going to ask for them. I volunteered in exchange for lessons. Eight hours of work awarded me one lesson, and I worked max of 4 hours a day. The barn I volunteered at wasn't too far from where my parents work, so they dropped me off before work and picked me up at lunch.


I think that is an excellent way to start. You are not under the thumb of your parents, you're doing your own thing with plenty of mentors around and you learn a great work ethic to get what you want. I think that eight hours of work for one lesson was pretty fair for a kid. Some barns will treat kids like slave labor and cheat them just because it's so easy to do it. 

I remember me and my best friend always asking people if they needed help with their horses because we just loved being around them but we never really got too many takers on the offer. We were about 13 or 14 at the time.


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

Volunteering is a great way to start but I have to agree that some yards, even today, see it as a way of getting free labour. 

I volunteered back in the 70s and early 80s. My parents dropped me in the yard at about 10 in the morning and collected me at 5 at night on Saturdays and Sundays. We didn’t have a set number of hours to earn a ride, so it was always a surprise when they said ‘go get your hat’. It’s a lot to ask of a kid but I used to come home exhausted, filthy and extremely happy. I don’t remember having the same enthusiasm for the rest of the school week!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Even though I had my own ponies I still spent all of my spare time at a local riding school/dealers/competition yard. It was in no way 'posh' but the horses and ponies were all well cared for. I've been back in touch with lots of old friends from those days via Facebook and when we share memories its easy to see that Health and Safety was close to non existent and I think we survives some of the stuff more by luck than judgement but its wonderful how we all remember so much of the fun we had and all the names of the various horses and ponies that came and went. 
Yes we were cheap labour, no doubt about it, but the experience we all got was worth every bit of it. 
The money my parents and grandfather spent on lessons was money well spent because it taught me how to do things properly but those hours and hours in the saddle on so many different horses was what made me a rider


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## edf (Dec 20, 2013)

I always took lessons. However, I don't think I started to really learn on a substantial basis until I leased, then owned. Its one thing to be able to do something with an instructor telling you as you do it, and another to be able to do it on your own. Iam not just talking about doing said thing correctly on your own, but also making the mistakes on your own and ect. Having to think on your own without reminders, figure out how to get unstuck when stuck with something, and only having yourself and your horse to listen to really taught me how to ride. The lessons gives me things to keep working on, add new things into the routine.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

jaydee said:


> The money my parents and grandfather spent on lessons was money well spent because it taught me how to do things properly but those hours and hours in the saddle on so many different horses was what made me a rider


I think this sums things up nicely. Also why I will never be a great rider, at my age. I don't have the energy to ride the difficult horses anymore - at least not different ones! Kodak is enough of a challenge. But I fully agree that to really become a knowledgeable and skilled rider, you need to ride a lot of different horses with varying degrees of polish. The really good ones let you feel what it should be to ride a well-trained horse, and the less polished ones teach you how to cope with challenges. Luckily, I am blessed with a horsey daughter who now loves taking on a challenge. She has the basics (6 years of riding lessons!), certainly is no daredevil, but likes to take it one step further every time. I think she's a lucky kid, and as a mom, nothing makes me happier than seeing her improve all the time.


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## Tazzie (Nov 8, 2011)

LoriF said:


> I think that is an excellent way to start. You are not under the thumb of your parents, you're doing your own thing with plenty of mentors around and you learn a great work ethic to get what you want. I think that eight hours of work for one lesson was pretty fair for a kid. Some barns will treat kids like slave labor and cheat them just because it's so easy to do it.
> 
> I remember me and my best friend always asking people if they needed help with their horses because we just loved being around them but we never really got too many takers on the offer. We were about 13 or 14 at the time.





Caledonian said:


> Volunteering is a great way to start but I have to agree that some yards, even today, see it as a way of getting free labour.
> 
> I volunteered back in the 70s and early 80s. My parents dropped me in the yard at about 10 in the morning and collected me at 5 at night on Saturdays and Sundays. We didn’t have a set number of hours to earn a ride, so it was always a surprise when they said ‘go get your hat’. It’s a lot to ask of a kid but I used to come home exhausted, filthy and extremely happy. I don’t remember having the same enthusiasm for the rest of the school week!


I was the only kid volunteering there for a long time, but in the end I was heavily relied upon (I stayed all through high school, and came back after my first year in college). I didn't always get my riding lesson after two days of work. She had a board in the office where we would write down our hours every day we worked. They would be tallied up, and I'd subtract hours for lessons from that. For Christmas a couple of years in a row my parents did help me by leasing a horse for me to show. It'd only be throughout summer, and I believe it was about $100 a month. My hours went toward ALL show costs, lessons, hauling, etc. It paid my portion of the farrier (half lease) and regular vet bills (we did not pay when tests were run on the mare I'd been leasing and it was found she had navicular, back before all the research with corrective shoeing came around; she was retired immediately.) My parents supported me, they just couldn't financially support it.

I know some barns really slave drive the kids, or the barns aren't all that incredible. But this barn was a pretty darn nice barn with very high quality instruction. And to think, I found her in the phone book :wink:

But anywho, that's how I was able to do lessons. I wanted them, I wanted to be in horses, and my mom told me I should volunteer in exchange for riding. It worked for us and I wouldn't change it :wink: I just hope when my kids start asking for lessons that I at least find a good place where they can learn.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

I did not start with lessons. I lived in remote areas where they were unavailable. I "rode" for years, gaining confidence in being around horses, but at the same time forming many bad habits by reading and trying to interpret what I read and not having a knowledgeable and experienced person see watch and correct me. Taking lessons now has shown me that I had no idea of how much I did not know and thought if I could ask a horse to go, stop and turn, it was "riding". I sure wish I had started right.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Whinnie said:


> Taking lessons now has shown me that I had no idea of how much I did not know and thought if I could ask a horse to go, stop and turn, it was "riding". I sure wish I had started right.



That's where my opinion differs. I don't think either way is right or wrong, just different. They both have their pros and cons and each way builds something different. The good news is, no matter which way you started, you can always take up what you think you are missing and improve on what you already know.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

LoriF said:


> That's where my opinion differs. I don't think either way is right or wrong, just different. They both have their pros and cons and each way builds something different. The good news is, no matter which way you started, you can always take up what you think you are missing and improve on what you already know.


See, in my view, the reason humanity has progressed (although on some levels, one might argue we haven't - but that's another thread) is because we can learn from others. Rather than starting from scratch every time to figure out how to build a fire, kill a mammoth with a spear, and invent the wheel, we learn from our predecessors. Knowledge can be transferred, not just cobbled together from scratch with every new generation. I think it would be foolish to say I don't want someone else to teach me because my way is just as good as theirs, even though they've spent 50 years studying and teaching something, and I've only spent 2. It only makes sense to learn from other, more skilled riders, then take it in the direction we want. So if someone tells me that pushing my weight down into my heels, sitting back into the saddle, and finding my balance will help me stay on my horse in the event that she decides to do something foolish, then assuming I think they know what they're talking about, you can bet I'll do it. Same with learning to use aids you would never discover on your own. I would never just "figure out" that outside leg and outside rein, plus kissing noise, means canter on the correct lead. But someone taught my horse that, so I'd better get up to speed! Now you might say who cares what lead you're in if you're not in a dressage or equitation class. But after hours of watching my daughter practice lead changes on her horse, I can assure you - and she agrees! - that cantering on the wrong lead is choppy and uncomfortable for both horse and rider. 

Some will say they don't care, because they just want to do trail rides, and that's fine too. But going back to the whole secure seat thing, and the various cues and aids, I feel better having a secure seat when I venture out and a deer jumps out in front of my horse. I know now that I will probably manage to stay on (maybe) because of all those hours working in a secure environment, building a stronger seat - and gradually exposing her to various scary things.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> See, in my view, the reason humanity has progressed (although on some levels, one might argue we haven't - but that's another thread) is because we can learn from others. Rather than starting from scratch every time to figure out how to build a fire, kill a mammoth with a spear, and invent the wheel, we learn from our predecessors. Knowledge can be transferred, not just cobbled together from scratch with every new generation. I think it would be foolish to say I don't want someone else to teach me because my way is just as good as theirs, even though they've spent 50 years studying and teaching something, and I've only spent 2. It only makes sense to learn from other, more skilled riders, then take it in the direction we want. So if someone tells me that pushing my weight down into my heels, sitting back into the saddle, and finding my balance will help me stay on my horse in the event that she decides to do something foolish, then assuming I think they know what they're talking about, you can bet I'll do it. Same with learning to use aids you would never discover on your own. I would never just "figure out" that outside leg and outside rein, plus kissing noise, means canter on the correct lead. But someone taught my horse that, so I'd better get up to speed! Now you might say who cares what lead you're in if you're not in a dressage or equitation class. But after hours of watching my daughter practice lead changes on her horse, I can assure you - and she agrees! - that cantering on the wrong lead is choppy and uncomfortable for both horse and rider.
> 
> Some will say they don't care, because they just want to do trail rides, and that's fine too. But going back to the whole secure seat thing, and the various cues and aids, I feel better having a secure seat when I venture out and a deer jumps out in front of my horse. I know now that I will probably manage to stay on (maybe) because of all those hours working in a secure environment, building a stronger seat - and gradually exposing her to various scary things.


All I said was that neither way is wrong and there is always time to learn more.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

> You can also go online to find a web site that promises to teach you to ride in 4 days; that is* IF* you’re an adult and* IF* you spend from 9 AM to 5-6 PM in the saddle for those 4 days, on the trainer’s well trained horses. After 40 hours, an average adult _should_ be able to ride a reliable horse on a trail. They might not be able to walk the day after, but they will be able to ride a horse!! Seriously, can you imagine anyone who has never ridden putting in about 10 hours a day on a horse for 4 days in a row? Oh, the pain of it!
> 
> The length of time it takes to learn to ride boils down to who you are, what you want to do, and how much time you’re willing to invest. Learning to ride a quiet horse on trails can be achieved in 6 months, opening the door for a lifetime of enjoyable rides.
> 
> - How Long Does It Take To Learn To Ride A Horse? |


If it takes someone 6 months of lessons to teach someone else how to ride a quiet horse on a trail, there is something seriously wrong with how they teach. I'd argue she has it backwards - spend 6 months riding good horses on trails, and if you THEN want to take lessons, have at it.

But I also think BOTH routes work! There are obviously many people who learn by taking lessons for whatever length of time, and then (maybe) trail riding. If they are interested, and many are not. 

There are also many who learn by getting on a horse and riding, kind of like how a lot of us learned to ride a bike.

I'm not sure why one route has to be seen as superior. Not when enormous numbers have been successful both ways. I still think riding horses is like learning to play the guitar. You can learn to strum a few chords in 30 minutes, but you cannot master the guitar in a lifetime. You can take lessons. Or not. Or you can take some lessons, go a few years without, take a few, go without for a while...


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

LoriF said:


> All I said was that neither way is wrong and there is always time to learn more.


Not saying it's wrong to be self-taught either. But I get highly suspicious when people say there is no right way to do something. It implies that all riding is equivalent. So I'm just as good a rider as Charlotte Dujardin or Ian Millar. Pretty sure I'm not.


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## RMH (Jul 26, 2016)

I guess you could say I'm an auditor after years of taking my kids to their lessons. Never attended a lesson or clinic of my own but have been to plenty with the kids. My kids take lessons on their own horses so if I have to haul one in I load up another for me to ride during the lesson rather than sitting in my truck playing on my phone like the other parents do. Instructor doesn't mind so long as I stay out of the way.

My kids and I were greatly over horsed when we got our first horses which has contributed to our learning.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

LoriF said:


> That's where my opinion differs. I don't think either way is right or wrong, just different. They both have their pros and cons and each way builds something different. The good news is, no matter which way you started, you can always take up what you think you are missing and improve on what you already know.



I don't believe I said it was "wrong" to not take lessons. Many people are satisfied with their level of riding and think they are so accomplished they do not need instruction. However unless one rides under a critical, educated eye, one may not realize that his/her seat is not the best, hands are not the best, body position and so on, but in their mind's eye they are perfect.


Some people like driving a car with an automatic transition, some can drive a 3 or 4 speed shift and some can drive a semi tractor with many more gears. It doesn't take much to learn to drive an automatic, just press gas and go, stop, turn. Learning to shift gears to accommodate different road conditions takes more skill and knowledge. Same with riding a bike with no gears vs hand brakes and multiple gears. Lots of people like to advance in skill and knowledge and for those, lessons are in order. I would never deliberately encourage a person to NOT take lessons just like I wouldn't hand the car keys to my teen who had never driven and say "You figure it out".


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Whinnie said:


> I don't believe I said it was "wrong" to not take lessons. Many people are satisfied with their level of riding and think they are so accomplished they do not need instruction. However unless one rides under a critical, educated eye, one may not realize that his/her seat is not the best, hands are not the best, body position and so on, but in their mind's eye they are perfect.
> 
> 
> Some people like driving a car with an automatic transition, some can drive a 3 or 4 speed shift and some can drive a semi tractor with many more gears. It doesn't take much to learn to drive an automatic, just press gas and go, stop, turn. Learning to shift gears to accommodate different road conditions takes more skill and knowledge. Same with riding a bike with no gears vs hand brakes and multiple gears. Lots of people like to advance in skill and knowledge and for those, lessons are in order. I would never deliberately encourage a person to NOT take lessons just like I wouldn't hand the car keys to my teen who had never driven and say "You figure it out".



I just don't see anything as right - wrong, bad - good. 

Like I said, you start out how you start out. If and when you see you need (or want) improvement, you seek it out. 

On a side note, I wouldn't hand MY car keys to ANY teen no matter how proficient they proved to be.


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

LoriF said:


> On a side note, I wouldn't hand MY car keys to ANY teen no matter how proficient they proved to be.


Believe it or not, our daughter learned to drive at the Autocross races. My club agreed to let her compete on her learners permit as long as she was accompanied by a licensed driver (me), and my insurance agent agreed to accept that as "Drivers Education" for a discount on her insurance. This driving my very fast "Street Prepared" Toyota MR2.

And yes, she had the basics in place; she knew how to work a clutch, steer, and brake, but no, she didn't get any super-detailed "training"; just some basic instructions like "Try to keep it on course and try not to hit any cones. Other than that, Go Fast." At first, she went slow, and kept the course workers busy re-setting the cones, but as she became better at it, and thus more able to appreciate nuances, she got some more advanced input on what constitutes a _fast_ line, and optimizing control input. By the end of her first season, she was getting pretty good at it, and her course times were dramatically improved. She took home some trophies in the "Ladies" class for her efforts, too. (And weren't her boyfriends in awe? ;-)

Point being, you learn by doing, not by being instructed. Good instructions can show the way, but _you_ still have to put in the time to do the learning, and the best of instructions are meaningless if you don't have enough of the basics in place to comprehend them.

If you like riding in an arena, by all means ride in the arena; certainly there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you hope to ride your horse out in the wide world, the only way for you to really _learn_ to do so is by hopping on and heading out. I just don't think there is any other way to gain the experience, and thus the confidence. And as such, I would suggest that in this case, time spent in the arena is somewhat counterproductive; what you really should be doing is riding out as often as possible.

My $.02

Steve


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

The comparison to driving cars is interesting. How many people continue taking life-long lessons in driving? How many sign up to get a professional license, or take NASCAR training? And if they did, how applicable would it be to their daily lives?

Should I feel ashamed that I haven't had a private driving lesson in 40 years? And while I haven't had an accident in 40 years, does that make me a good-enough driver? Or just lucky?

I recently watched a video on a different thread where one of the big names in western riding showed how he got a horse to be soft. After watching it, I wouldn't let him ride my horse. Not that he'd want to, anyways. Lets just say we have very different ideas about how a horse should be ridden. But he'd charge me a ton of money if I wanted a private lesson, while nobody in their right mind would pay me a penny.

It is an interesting thought, though. Am I good enough to drive on public roads when I haven't had any lessons since 1974?


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Whinnie said:


> I don't believe I said it was "wrong" to not take lessons. Many people are satisfied with their level of riding and think they are so accomplished they do not need instruction. However unless one rides under a critical, educated eye, one may not realize that his/her seat is not the best, hands are not the best, body position and so on, but in their mind's eye they are perfect.



Many people are satisfied with their level of riding, this is true. There are many reasons for one to not opt for lessons but I highly doubt that it is because they feel that they are so accomplished that they do not need further instruction, nor would it be that they think they are perfect in their minds eye. As a matter of fact, most times people are not even looking for perfection, they are looking for enjoyment. 

If they understand their horse, their horse understands them, and the two are enjoying what they are doing, then that is "good enough".


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

LoriF said:


> If they understand their horse, their horse understands them, and the two are enjoying what they are doing, then that is "good enough".


Exactly! There is no right or wrong here. Obviously every horse owner in the world is not taking lessons. All that matters is that you individually enjoy your horse. Who cares what other people do or what other people think.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Acadianartist said:


> Not saying it's wrong to be self-taught either. But I get highly suspicious when people say there is no right way to do something. It implies that all riding is equivalent. So I'm just as good a rider as Charlotte Dujardin or Ian Millar. Pretty sure I'm not.


No, all riding is not equivalent and IMO no one was implying that. Riding the same horse for 30 years with or without instruction is not at all the same as riding 30 years on hundreds of different horses with or without instruction. 

However, IF you were _physically & emotionally equal _to those riders, with the _same drive and ambition_, you might indeed be just as good a rider as Charlotte Dujardin or Ian Millar IF you had the same horses to ride. 

Also a lot depends on what context you are rating them as riders.

Showing Dressage? Driving cattle on the range? Competing in Endurance? Harness racing? Polo? Jumping? Eventing? Starting colts? Vaulting? Hunting? Driving 6 or 8 hitch? 

Don't know of a single individual that is proficient in everything. There just isn't enough time. 

IMO a good (effective) seat and good (effective) hands are the _most important qualities for a good rider_. How you develop those doesn't matter, just so long as you do.


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## demimondaine119 (Jun 11, 2017)

I grew up with horses and a "cowboy" for a grandpa. haha I started on the most patient and kind old QH gelding that I rode anywhere and everywhere until I was 11. Never had a formal lesson save for the last two years I rode him in 4H where we had practice days twice a week for the month before the fair. After Duke was put down, I got a huge beast of a QH who was 3 years old and GREEN. I was definitely out-horsed but I most certainly did learn how to stick in the saddle or dust myself off and climb back on with him. After Bo, there were more green horses in my future. 


I had my first riding lesson last year at 26 years old. When my other half started riding (an adult beginner), I realized I couldn't help him as much as I wanted, especially after he got his first horses (instead of riding my spare "plug"). How can you teach things that were never really "taught" to you? I learned through feeling and being yelled at by my grandpa.. ha 


I look back on my riding background and I'm happy for all that I learned intrinsically the way only a child can. My body KNOWS things that don't seem like they can be taught. I do believe that if I had started lessons around the time I got Bo, I might be a better rider for it. I also would've liked to have learned to work WITH my horse a little more, rather than my grandpa's method. He was never overtly cruel, but he definitely put a lot of pressure on me to spank/force/"cowboy" my horses to submission.


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## demimondaine119 (Jun 11, 2017)

I grew up with horses and a "cowboy" for a grandpa. haha I started on the most patient and kind old QH gelding that I rode anywhere and everywhere until I was 11. Never had a formal lesson save for the last two years I rode him in 4H where we had practice days twice a week for the month before the fair. After Duke was put down, I got a huge beast of a QH who was 3 years old and GREEN. I was definitely out-horsed but I most certainly did learn how to stick in the saddle or dust myself off and climb back on with him. After Bo, there were more green horses in my future. 

I had my first riding lesson last year at 26 years old. When my other half started riding (an adult beginner), I realized I couldn't help him as much as I wanted, especially after he got his first horses (instead of riding my spare "plug"). How can you teach things that were never really "taught" to you? I learned through feeling and being yelled at by my grandpa.. ha 

I look back on my riding background and I'm happy for all that I learned intrinsically the way only a child can. My body KNOWS things that don't seem like they can be taught. I do believe that if I had started lessons around the time I got Bo, I might be a better rider for it. I also would've liked to have learned to work WITH my horse a little more, rather than my grandpa's method. He was never overtly cruel, but he definitely put a lot of pressure on me to spank/force/"cowboy" my horses to submission.


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

Nope, I never had lessons until I was in my late 30's. "Grew up" riding at a local stable (which this type are now non-existent), bare back. Point and ride. I owned my first horse when in my late 30's, but still did not get lessons on him. By the time I got my 2nd horse, a yearling, I knew by the time she was 4 I could not start her on my own. So had her started by a local trainer who did a fantastic job with her. But he did so well, she was not a point and ride horse, LOL. I fell off her - yea she put a few good moves on me, not being malicious, just young and I fell off. Fortunately for me both times I landed on my feet. But after that I started taking lessons with that trainer (and still do to this day ... 15 years later). I used to poo-poo the lessons idea, but now that I am into showing, to get really good and improve, you need that 3rd set of experienced eyes. Now I have TWO trainers who I could not do without to show in what I do (reined cowhorse). Every single lesson I do things I do not realize I'm doing. When pointed out and I correct it, it is amazing how things fall into place. 

If you are not showing you don't necessarily need the level or intensity of lessons that someone who actively shows does, but I think they benefit even the casual trail rider. Make you and your horse handier and better partners.


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