# Teaching friend to ride... What do I teach her first?



## lovetolope (Nov 20, 2021)

Today I will be giving a friend her first riding lesson. I have some lesson points I want to focus on for her first lesson, but I wanted to run it by the experts here to make sure this is what I should be teaching the first lesson. I have also never taught anyone to ride before, so any teaching tips would help too! She has ridden with me before, and knows the basics of riding.

These are my focus points not im any particular order:
•Neck reining basics (horse she's riding neck reins and she's been direct reining)
•Using minimal rein pressure, which also factors in:
• Using leg pressure, seat and body language to cue.
• Verbal cues and commands

There's some others too, but those are the main ones.
Any tips, thoughts or suggestions would be great! Thanks.


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Start, stop, back, turns (reining) - at a walk then trot if comfortable. Set up cones and talk through patterns - figure 8s, clovers... Handy if you have a dressage ring with letters set up. If she's already comfortable riding then you can introduce things like changing rein (cut across on the diagondl), serpentine, circles (size - 20, 15, 10 meter).


----------



## Luna’s rider (Jan 23, 2021)

How about racking up and ground work?


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

How about just having her be comfortable in the saddle. have her walk, maybe you lead a bit, and get her to focus on feeling the motion, sitting up straight, looking ahead, and taking her hand off the horn when she is comfortable. 
Then start with picking up the reins and feeling how to get a stop, and getting her to release and not hang on the reins. Have her mount and dismount several times. lean forward and give ahung, reach around and pat horse's rump (if horse is reliable) .. Try a trot, and remind her to smile, smile, smile.


----------



## Nati (Nov 18, 2021)

With beginners, I like to concentrate on getting them _really _comfortable in the saddle. With the horse on lead or lunge, ask the rider to windmill (touching opposite boot). Stand up in the stirrups, sit back down. Arms straight out, then up over head, turn left and right. You get the idea. All contingent on a horse that can tolerate all this 
I'm also fanatical that beginners learn how to regain a lost stirrup without bending down and losing focus/contact with the horse. So I'll have them do that until they are really good at it.


----------



## lovetolope (Nov 20, 2021)

She isn't exactly a beginer rider, but anyway, she took to it like a duck to water. She handled my mare like a pro, and was completely comfortable with her choppy trot and canter. She's a natural with horses.


----------



## ksbowman (Oct 30, 2018)

I always teach an emergency one rien stop. If you don't know that things can get ugly fast.


----------



## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

I taught my 60 year old cousin to ride.
I chose my most dependable horse, who was also a horse that would put up with a lot. 
We rode a couple times around my round pen, and then went for a ride. 
He learned as we went along. He watched what I did, and if he had questions, I explained things. 
He turned out to be a fine rider. 
All these formal lessons, to me, seem like a waste of time. Chose the horse carefully, and get going. 

By the way, my cousin also was a polio survivor, as well as having CMT form of muscular dystrophy. He had had MANY operations on his hands and feet just to be able to hold things, and to walk. 

Saddle up, let them find their balance, and go. Doing is learning.


----------



## HotShod (Dec 18, 2021)

I’m not a teacher, either. I’m actually quite terrible. People tell me the best way to get better is practice, so all the best to you.

I wouldn’t worry about neck reining until she gets her weight, seat, leg signals, and general rein handling down. Imho, it really doesn’t matter how good you are with your neck reining signals if your seat and leg signals aren’t working right.

Just like with a horse, maybe once the basics are solid, you can then move onto more “high school” maneuvers?


----------



## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

HotShod said:


> I’m not a teacher, either. I’m actually quite terrible. People tell me the best way to get better is practice, so all the best to you.
> 
> I wouldn’t worry about neck reining until she gets her weight, seat, leg signals, and general rein handling down. Imho, it really doesn’t matter how good you are with your neck reining signals if your seat and leg signals aren’t working right.
> 
> Just like with a horse, maybe once the basics are solid, you can then move onto more “high school” maneuvers?


The difference is, the horse is (from what I read) trained to neck rein. I'ts not all about the rider. Why ruin or chance it to ruin a nice reined out horse? They can learn to neck rein. If they can't, they don't need to ride that horse.


----------



## HotShod (Dec 18, 2021)

Zimalia22 said:


> The difference is, the horse is (from what I read) trained to neck rein. I'ts not all about the rider. Why ruin or chance it to ruin a nice reined out horse? They can learn to neck rein. If they can't, they don't need to ride that horse.


🤟


----------

