# How do people ride horses and never have had a lesson?



## Txshecat0423 (May 27, 2020)

I learned to ride growing up with horses, and my dad basically threw us kids on a horse in a “sink or swim” manner. We were too young and naive to be scared. I rode until I was around 18, when my parents divorced and we had to sell the horses. I wasn’t in a position to own a horse again until my mid-40s. It honestly never crossed my mind to take lessons. I remembered the basics from when I was a kid and spent a lot of time in the saddle building on those basics. 

I believe all riders continue to learn something every time they ride and the drill team I ride on focuses on horsemanship skills (side passing, pivot, flexing, backing up, etc) at the first of the year when we are starting our season. But that’s the only instruction I’ve had that’s anywhere close to a lesson. 


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## Elessar (Dec 28, 2011)

I began my riding career in 1974 when I began visiting a riding stable, alone, because I wanted to ride. I quit riding for years and picked it back up when I started dating a girl who rode. I married that woman and still ride today; never had a formal lesson.

I have owned two different horses whom I credit with teaching me to ride. I spent years to terrified to canter and my latest horse has helped me through my fear and taught me to ride 10Xs better than I had been riding. I don't consider myself any kind of hero or fearless thrill seeker. I do believe that there is a special bond and unique communication between horse and rider.

Ranger and I are linked and help each other daily, each time we ride, together.


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## TrainedByMares (Jun 5, 2021)

Not all lessons or trainers are equal or good quality. If you feel you are stuck after 4 months,perhaps you need a better trainer. Needless to say, but I will say it, you should be giving it all you've got at each lesson.

Riding once a week at a lesson may not be enough for you. Perhaps you should lease a horse at the barn for a few months so you can ride ,say, 6 days a week. That would give you some experience and confidence. 

I took lessons and at some points, I was just riding in circles and the trainers were taking my money. I have felt I was "flailing" too but if you keep at it, read books, watch videos and most of all, get lots of riding time, you will succeed.


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## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

It was called learning as you went. None of us had lessons, we just got on and rode. If you fell off, you learned that hurt, and didn't do that again. 
The older kids helped the younger ones. It was just the way it was. NO ONE took lessons. 
Life was much simpler, and in my opinion, better then.


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## charrorider (Sep 23, 2012)

I did not grow up with horses. Up until I was 30 years old my experience with horses was the hourly rental variety, a couple of times a year. I don't know that I am an advance rider or not. I'd let other people decide that. But I will say I'm a pretty good rider and never took a lesson. But I've always been athletic and always had a good sense of balance to go along with quick reflexes. That and being interested in how a horse's mind works, how he sees the world, have helped me stay on the saddle into my early 70s, IMO.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I wish I could say I was one of those folks who grew up with horses and just was thrown onto a horse's back and just rode, or fell off. Unfortunately, I was born to parents who cared not for horses, at all. So, I had to create my own opportunities to ride. I rode some as an 18 year old girl, then nothing until age 40. THEN, well, one good fall told me that I wasn't able to do it on my own. I think I took about 2 years of weekly lessons. Lots of flailing and frustration, and fear. 

Growth doesn't happen in a linear way. It is in fits and starts, dips and plateaus and peaks. Hang in there!


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

So, we may say we’ve never had a lesson; I would say that about myself, but that doesn’t mean I went out and roped a mustang and figured out how to ride him.

I grew up on horses. I don’t remember learning, just as I don’t remember the first rides my girls took, but I know I have gotten scolded and talked through a million things by my father, just as I have spent countless hours teaching my girls skills I felt they needed horseback.

Like my father, I try to give them a certain amount of knowledge, let them use it in every which way they can, build upon it and test it out, and then come to a conclusion they need something more. They see what they do on their own, and then sometimes they get into a corner. For example, Zeus has gotten a bit hard. My youngest used all of the tools in her education to figure out what was going wrong, and was frustrated before she came to me.

If I hit a point where I am struggling with something, I go to my father or my husband and ask them their opinions. I study where I am going wrong, and I build my response.

Hopefully we are always learning.

Now, I know there are probably people who have just bought a colt and tried out their own ideas. Yet, I believe 99.99% of us had some help along the way.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Even though I don't remember I'm sure someone told me the basics, probably my oldest sister because she loves horses too. A couple of her best friends had horses and she got invited along to rides and shows with them.

We didn't have horses or ponies but grew up in a farming community where most farms housed a pony or horse or two for their kids. I was not ashamed to beg for rides. LOL

I listened to anyone and everyone when the subject was anything equine. Threw in a question when I could.

I was 6 when oldest sister got married, moved to a farm and got a horse. Thankfully, she and her husband were gracious enough to let me spend most weekends and a lot of the summer with them. Having free access to that mare was probably when I really learned to ride.

I learned because I was determined and from my mistakes and from the horse(s).

I agree with @Zimalia22 about life being simpler and in many ways much better back then. You were encouraged to figure things out for yourself without a parent hovering over you afraid you were going to get hurt. At least I didn't and can't think of too many friends that did. Because you didn't wear helmets or air vests you learned self preservation. Like break an arm or leg if you have to but don't let your head hit the ground first. LOL


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## pasomountain (Dec 19, 2018)

I never had any formal lessons either. I'd "ridden" friends horses but didn't really know more than walk, turn, stop. My sisters and I got our first horses in our twenties and the place we boarded at had a lot of experienced horse people around. When they heard we were newbies they freely offered help and advice. One particular cowboy took us under his wing and would frequently ride along telling us what to do or not do as we went--both in the arena and on the trail. One of the things he always said was in order to have a good horse and be a good rider you have to have "wet saddle blankets". In other words you have to ride a LOT. It really is the best way to learn--hands on experience. He also said "take the time it takes". He was referring to training your horse but it also applies to yourself.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Morg93 said:


> And how do they build up their knowledge of proper riding technique and general horse care? Do they just watch videos or pick up tips from other people who happen to be around?


 It all depends on the definition of proper. Staying balanced. Moving with the horse. Developing a system of communication with the horse. These can happen without lessons. You can read books, watch videos but it doesn't mean anything until you get on and try to apply to what you've read or seen then you figure it out. The basics are the things that can typically be worked out on your own with an already trained horse. Having the trained horse makes it that much easier. If you define proper as learning a discipline and making it to the highest levels of competition then you need lessons.



Morg93 said:


> You must have to be truly fearless to teach yourself to ride.


No. You better have some fear or there will be something that comes along and teaches you fear. Saying that let's change the wording to having a healthy respect for an animal roughly 10 times your size. Having a curious nature about how things work. Having a willingness to try and try again when the outcome isn't what you expected. Understanding that you need to look at your part in that outcome and have a flexible mindset that says well let's try this way. The truly fearless in my mind are like those who are born without the ability to feel pain. They are handicapped by that lack whether they realize it or not. Kids, I find, are freer in their thinking and throw caution out the window. Fear isn't in the forefront. 


pasomountain said:


> One of the things he always said was in order to have a good horse and be a good rider you have to have "wet saddle blankets". In other words you have to ride a LOT. It really is the best way to learn--hands on experience. He also said "take the time it takes". He was referring to training your horse but it also applies to yourself.


This is the key. Natural talent or not those wet saddle blankets are going to give you more that the best instructor ever could in a limited time period. Sure they can give you pointers but they can't develop your seat or feel - only you can do that. Some are more in tune with their bodies than others. Some can read the body of the horse they are on like their own. It comes quicker to some than others. The only timeliness you are on is your own. I didn't have an instructor. I had a passion. Back then there weren't videos. There were books but a book can only go so far without a horse to work if all out on. I never had formal instruction as a kid.. one camp and a few nose tails but once I was on my own I took every opportunity that came along to just get on and ride. I did join a team in college where instruction was available but not consistent. It was a friend that took all the tools away including my glasses and put me in an arena and said ride. It's you and the horse. I was in a safe place with someone I trusted, on a horse that turned out to be an incredible teacher. After that it was wet saddle blankets. She bought to sell. Once a horse had been evaluated or she put the basics on I rode that horse until we both were dripping wet. Day after day after day. My friend would saddle up a pair and we'd head out. Now those opportunities seem rare.

My son was put up on the back of one of my drafts when working. He'd hang onto the hames. Grew up on thd back of a horse. When he hit 2nd grade he decided he knew more than me. He went into lessons with someone that showed him different. He needed that attitude adjustment to keep him out of trouble.


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## Agheera (8 mo ago)

When I was around 6, my bigger sister who was 11 by that time was in riding classes. I begged and begged to my parents so I could start classes too but that never happened. Still, I got to see my sister ride almost every lesson and it happened that I got bored of watching and just waited for her spending time around the horses that werent being used. After 1 year or going there not being able to ride or have permission to,I started to hate classes (I guess it was envy).

Still, as kids my family had land on the South of Chile. We had double purpose cows and sheep. We went to that place 2 weeks every year for summer vacations (I wanted to live there). Well, there we rode from 5 am to 9 pm, as kids we were fearless around horses. We galloped most of the day trying to check on every cow, gathering sheep, etc. That went from my 4 years old until 15 years old. It was the best time of my entire year. 

After they sold everything due to tuberculosis and the cows being sacrified. The only times I was able to ride was renting a horse (the kind of horses that are souless and just stare to the ground following the horse that is in front of them) from popular places (it was expensive). I asked for lessons again but they told me no and finally I got obsessed with volleyball for many years.

Today I'm 29 and have 2 horses I can ride. It's not like when we were kids that I could ride any horse and couldn't care less if the horse was green or an oldie. I don't know why we have that early stage when we think we are invencible and can do whatever we want.

Today my riding skills are odd, I watch videos of people riding and then I see my videos and I don't have the technique. I look odd haha. Still, every time I ride I try to improve my posture and communication with the horse.

I guess it could be easier if someone was teaching me from the ground so they can correct. But that's a thing I can't afford at the moment and honestly, even though I would like to look perfect while riding, I'm just fine with it.

Even though one of my horses is green and will try to make me fall on a regular basis, I won't fall. As a kid one thing I learnt riding all those hours was how to not fall from the horse and how to quickly dismount if something dangerous was going on. 

I guess that if I was trying a sport like jumping or else, I would like a trainer. But for me, I mainly trail ride and for that you just need to have courage on how to perform when random stuff crosses your road and your horse could make a show out of it. 

I will teach my mare how to jump. We did some log jump and she moves like a cloud, jumping on her is like heaven (still Im not interested on achieving big heights).


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Knave said:


> I believe 99.99% of us had some help along the way.


Although we didn't have formal lessons, like @Knave said, we had people telling us what we should do and what we were doing wrong. I got my first horse in Quito, Ecuador, and learned a whole lot while riding there. When we returned to the U.S., I was told that everything we did in Ecuador was completely wrong. I knew very well it wasn't wrong, it was just different. It may have been different, but it still worked.

When I was 14, I got a job working at a snooty riding camp. They told me everything I learned in 4-H and everything we did in Ecuador was wrong, and their way was the only way. By then, it was clear to me that many different ways still worked. And I learned to do everything "their" way too.

Then I moved to Texas and bought myself an unbroken 2 year old. Those Texans couldn't wait to tell me that I was doing everything wrong and how they would do it instead. And I learned to do everything "their" way too.



JCnGrace said:


> I listened to anyone and everyone when the subject was anything equine. Threw in a question when I could.


I was putting together what I had learned from being around lots of other horse people, using the stuff that appealed to me and discarding the stuff that didn't feel right. Just because we "never had a lesson" doesn't mean we weren't learning things all the time. The best part is that we could practice every day. "Well, THAT didn't work. Won't do THAT again." Or "Wow, that was great. Let me try that some more."

Don't forget, horsepeople LOVE to tell others what they should be doing, especially young people. We got tons of unsolicited advice, whether we asked for it or not.


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## Agheera (8 mo ago)

I think you nailed it @knightrider! Everyone will point out what you do wrong (because no one will talk about what you do right, I hate humanity hahaha). When I start comparing myself to the fancy people riding fancy horses, I look at myself like a failure because I can't do that, but still I can do everything with my horse! I did the same as you, to catch what it worked and avoid what didn't work! 

Trial and error for learning, for me is a great way to learn but maybe not the fastest haaha!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Zimalia22 said:


> It was called learning as you went. None of us had lessons, we just got on and rode. If you fell off, you learned that hurt, and didn't do that again.
> The older kids helped the younger ones. It was just the way it was. NO ONE took lessons.
> Life was much simpler, and in my opinion, better then.


This ^^^sums it up 🤠

Moat of us old timers lived life with horses - the ranchers west of the Mississippi knew they’d be on a horse going after cattle almost as soon as they could sit up.

If the farm kids east of the Mississippi didn‘t have a horse or a pony, they knew someone who did.
Jumping on a pony with no bridle or saddle was a way of life for many. 

We had a small dairy operation. My grandfather raised beef cattle to support his horse habit. He tutored one of my cousins and myself in the ways of training a horse - he was a gentle man and so were his methods, which is why I never have had have much use for many people who call themselves trainers and aren’t.

I have never had formal lessons therefore don't have those skills required to go in a show ring but I could sit my horse bareback, slide down a riverbank, swim across, dig up the other side, and continue exploring - I’m 75 so once upon a time exploring was fun and safe

I truthfully don’t like the manner in which people and horse “training“. have morphed. Unless one has an exceptional trainer that wants the rider and the horse to just have fun, everything is much too rigid.

IMO people who want learn to ride should learn to ride and to manage the horse first. After they‘ve mastered their balance and instinct skills, then they should be asked what style of riding they want to pursue; I.e. some form of English riding, some form of Western riding, or stick with smelling-the-roses-having-fun-riding.

Both these photos were between 2004-2006, I can’t remember. I was around 58. I was riding the SSH for someone else. He was only a long three year old. We weren’t concerned about being formal, just being mannerly, getting some of those wet saddle blankets, and having a good time on the trails.

How the rider is perceived by the horse goes a very long way in how a green horse reacts. This fella was fantastic. I wanted to buy him but he was waay too expensive for my checkbook.










These are my horses, two of whom have since passed and are laid to rest on my current farm. The women are my life long friends and riding buds, so all of us were pushing 60. They drove 11 hours to visit, after DH & I retired further south. We decided to take one last bareback ride since we didn’t know if we would ever be together again.

I‘m pretty sure ”trainers” would rip our form apart but we could all still sit a horse, be relaxed, manage that horse, and smell the roses. THAT is what riding is about, not focusing on strict/perfect form until the rider becomes comfortable enough on a horse that they are the one to decide if they want to pursue the finite elements of formal horsemanship.









I said all this to say, maybe you should find another, less formal oriented trainer and have some fun in a well broke, forgiving trail horse 😎


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I think about trainers and instructors I've known and the best ones include bareback and stirrup less riding to develop one's seat. Your seat is the center. It doesn't recreate the life lessons of those raised with horses that learned from the ground up but it does give a rider a good reference point and opportunity to better their skills. These same instructors also allowed free "play" and did trail rides as part of their lessons. While they had an end goal and specific discipline this freedom without the rigidity you get from some gives riders a fresh perspective.


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## ksbowman (Oct 30, 2018)

I have always been a very confident person and athletic too. I've never had a formal lesson in my life. I didn't start any serious riding till I was 27and my middle daughter wanted to get a horse. Sure I'd ridden my grandpa's horse a couple of times as a kid but, she would tolerate a kid for a short time then take you under a tree limb to scrape you off. Everything I know I learned by reading, videos, tv shows and a couple of watching expositions. Other than that like @Zimalia22 and @walkinthewalk just a lot of riding. As a younger person I never fell off, I could ride out about anything. The last couple years I've come off a couple times mostly due to not having my saddle tight enough. I have done a ton of riding and taught all three of my daughters to ride as well as my wife and I ran the horse barns at our county fairs when the kids were in 4H. I believe a person can teach them selves to ride if they have a good horse. Most of mine were green or horses I've started and the kids all had pretty broke horses to start with. Been mainly the school of hard knocks but, I wouldn't have it any other way.


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## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

Guys, I didn't grow up with horses, wanted to, but had to wait till I was old enough to get a job. I worked as a CNA, made a whopping $1.60 per hour. I save every penny I could and bought my own first horse, I believe I was 19. He was a 3 year old Appaloosa/QH/TB mix. He knew nothing and I knew less, we learned together. 

I was just another of those horse crazy kids that was not even allowed to be around a horse. "You'll get hurt!" but that never stopped me. 

Finally, when my father was in a nursing home following an unsuccessful back surgery. I had just bought my last stallion, Cat. I asked him if he still thought it was "just a phase". He said he'd never seen anything like it, the drive I had in me for a life with horses. He did admit, it wasn't "just a phase". 
All I ever wanted to do was breed and raise horses. That finally got to be my occupation as well as my hobby. I guess that is when you are successful. It was what I loved.

Long story short, the only "lessons" I had was learning how to cut. Another passion of mine. 

I don't understand people that pay for someone to yip at them just learning to ride. I'm not saying to do as I did and buy a total green horse, but get something gentle, and keep your money in your pocket! That's how we learned! If you wanted lessons, kids went into 4H. I was too old for that. 

Step up, and start enjoying your horse!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Like many other posters here, I started riding at a time when lessons weren't very common. My parents got me a pony when I was 5 years old, in 1975. Kids just got on and rode.

I did, very briefly, have a few lessons as a teenager, but it was kind of like swimming. Once you could float, you didn't need to keep taking lessons back then - that was good enough. My parents figured that if I could stay on the horse, that was also good enough. Sadly, I was often frustrated because I had no help when things got difficult with my horse. I wish I had had someone to tell me what to do when that happened. I would have enjoyed my horse much more.

Fast forward many decades and as an adult, I DID take lessons and learned so much more than when I was just flailing about on my own. People who say things were better back then forget all the bad things that happened. From injuries (we didn't have helmets for the most part) to terrifying experiences because we put ourselves in danger, to just not being able to enjoy our horses because we didn't know how to overcome problems, there was a lot of bad too. It's easy to feel nostalgic about the "good old days" but in reality, memory is a fickle thing and we tend to forget a lot of the bad.

Furthermore, to people who think things were better when taking lessons wasn't so popular, I would also ask why reinvent the wheel? Humans don't start from scratch with every new life, figuring out how to make wheels, start fires, and build houses with our bare hands. We evolved by learning from each other, by transferring knowledge from one generation to the next. Why wouldn't you want to learn from someone who has figured out that if you just use your body in a certain way, the horse will respond with a desired movement? It can be quite magical to experience learning by leaps and bounds rather than by trial and error. My daughter has been in lessons for 11 years now (she's 17). She is also an EC certified riding instructor. Seeing her ride and coach fills me with pride. It's a beautiful thing to watch her on a horse. I could never have ridden like that at her age - heck, I can't ride like that now! There is no way she would be the rider that she is by just figuring it out on her own. 

Whether it's high level competing or "just" trail riding, anyone who thinks they have nothing to learn is missing out on so much in my opinion.


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## Agheera (8 mo ago)

Acadianartist said:


> Like many other posters here, I started riding at a time when lessons weren't very common. My parents got me a pony when I was 5 years old, in 1975. Kids just got on and rode.
> 
> I did, very briefly, have a few lessons as a teenager, but it was kind of like swimming. Once you could float, you didn't need to keep taking lessons back then - that was good enough. My parents figured that if I could stay on the horse, that was also good enough. Sadly, I was often frustrated because I had no help when things got difficult with my horse. I wish I had had someone to tell me what to do when that happened. I would have enjoyed my horse much more.
> 
> ...


For me, it's about money and time. I can't have the horses in my property, work and take lessons haha. Maybe I could if someone pays for it + takes care of my house, but it's not the general agenda here so can't for the moment! 

But I watch videos and try to learn from other people as much as I can !


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Agheera said:


> For me, it's about money and time. I can't have the horses in my property, work and take lessons haha. Maybe I could if someone pays for it + takes care of my house, but it's not the general agenda here so can't for the moment!
> 
> But I watch videos and try to learn from other people as much as I can !


Oh I agree! My daughter has had 11 years of lessons, but I have had much less. I do try to take as many as I can, but it's more sporadic. Right now, I'm working with a new groundwork/liberty work trainer in my area and am learning so much! But I can't afford to take weekly lessons like my daughter did. I do have to make choices and although I choose to take at least a few lessons each summer, weekly lessons aren't an option at this point. Funny how I don't think twice to pay for my kids' sports but can never find any money for me... lol. That's what being a parent is all about I guess!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Morg93 said:


> I'm newer to the riding community. I've met a few people now at my barn and seen some people on the forum people who say they've never had a riding lesson in their life, but appear to my eye to look like advanced riders. HOW is this POSSIBLE??
> I still feel like I'm flailing around after 4 months of lessons. Not to mention I would be terrified to get near a horse without instruction from a professional.
> And how do they build up their knowledge of proper riding technique and general horse care? Do they just watch videos or pick up tips from other people who happen to be around?
> You must have to be truly fearless to teach yourself to ride.


It also depends WHEN they started riding. 
I've been riding since age 2. The first time I had a "lesson" was when I went to a barrel racing clinic when I was in college. (And have had many lessons since! Very valuable.)
So I suppose a person figures it out after 20 years on their own. 

Certainly if a teenager starts riding, or an adult, we all know that lessons are invaluable. There are many things in my youth that I did wrong that I didn't know was wrong. I wish I knew half of what I know now ... then! It would save so much time of trial and error and I'd be so much farther along.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

@Acadianartist I have a reason though, as I read the posts from the many people in lessons on the main page. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I think getting some help is definitely a good plan when one is learning. However, I also think a little freedom is good too. Playing is good.

Take myself for example. The first two horses I started I messed up. I didn’t have any help, although I knew how to ride certainly, I didn’t know how to start a colt. I was very young, but that was the theory. I suppose it is like one must learn they don’t know everything before they can take and really learn. Because I know how it felt to be so lost with those two colts, I talked my own daughter through starting her first two horses.

Now, if we continue to look at someone like myself. Do I still learn things from other people? Yes, certainly I watch and sometimes I ask questions too. Yet, I do want to reinvent the wheel. Maybe not so much reinvent it, but I want to try someone different. I am doing so with the filly I am riding now. I am not even in lessons myself, and the pressure I feel because I am making choices that are different, and using a plan that comes from me and is unique, makes me doubt myself. It gives me this weird chip on my shoulder, and I have to be brave and confident to do things in a way that is new and different.

If I were a person who believed I needed to take lessons, I could not make decisions of my own. I could not have my own methods. I did go to a cutting lesson once, and to be quite honest I didn’t like the way he trained. I thought my own way was better. So, where do constant lessons allow someone that sort of freedom? When does a person decide they are no longer required to be taught? How do new ideas come to be?


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Knave said:


> @Acadianartist
> 
> If I were a person who believed I needed to take lessons, I could not make decisions of my own. I could not have my own methods. I did go to a cutting lesson once, and to be quite honest I didn’t like the way he trained. I thought my own way was better. So, where do constant lessons allow someone that sort of freedom? When does a person decide they are no longer required to be taught? How do new ideas come to be?


This reminds me of artists who say they don't want to look at other people's paintings because they don't want to be influenced by others. Yet great artists do look at other art and are shaped and influenced by it - that's what keeps them relevant in the art world. We do not exist in a vacuum. I think the flaw in that argument is to assume that because you are taking lessons from someone, you will be a duplicate of them. 

My daughter has ridden with 7 different coaches over the years. Some she stayed with for a very long time, but eventually outgrew, others she only rode with for a season or less because she knew they weren't who she wanted to learn from. She became more specialized in one discipline so needed a specialist coach in that discipline. Though I have not taken nearly the amount of lessons she has, I also have worked with different coaches at different times and on different horses. Each of them had something to teach me - even if it was just knowing that I didn't want to do things the way they did. I read books, work with liberty and ground work trainers, and each time, I add a new skill set to my repertoire. My daughter picked up so many tricks from all of her different coaches too - many which she can now use on her students. 

My point is that you don't become a clone of your coach. You learn a few things, and then use that knowledge to further your own skills. I am humble enough to believe that I can learn from other people but also make it my own by deciding which of those bits of knowledge I will use, and which I will leave aside. That is the freedom of a riding student. They are more tools in your toolbox, but it doesn't mean you can only use one size wrench on every bolt.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Knave said:


> How do new ideas come to be?


We could debate this until the proverbial cows come home for milking - there are probably as many thoughts and opinions on this as there are horse owners on this forum 🤠🤠


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

See, I feel when someone is giving me a lesson @Acadianartist that I actually have to do what they are saying. I feel you have interpreted my response as arrogance, and that is actually the opposite of what I am saying. I couldn’t have a trainer, because I would in fact do exactly what they were saying. I would feel cornered too. I am a rule follower.

So, I like to watch and learn from asking questions when I see someone doing something that impresses me. I definitely take from what I like. Yet, I am not stuck following what someone dictates.

So, if you think I am being like an artist who refuses to look at other art, you are misperceiving me. I however do enjoy painting and do hate art classes which dictate how one does art. Lol

It is a struggle for me to try something different. I don’t want anyone to think less of me. So, maybe I will paint with a different brush, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t look at a million artists and try a million different things and take a lot of direction. Yet, there is a point that I should be allowed to decide to make my own choices! That is where I am at, and if I make a mistake so be it, I’ll fix it, but I am going to stand behind the ability to make my own decisions.


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## TrainedByMares (Jun 5, 2021)

Knave said:


> @Acadianartist I have a reason though, as I read the posts from the many people in lessons on the main page. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I think getting some help is definitely a good plan when one is learning. However, I also think a little freedom is good too. Playing is good.
> 
> Take myself for example. The first two horses I started I messed up. I didn’t have any help, although I knew how to ride certainly, I didn’t know how to start a colt. I was very young, but that was the theory. I suppose it is like one must learn they don’t know everything before they can take and really learn. Because I know how it felt to be so lost with those two colts, I talked my own daughter through starting her first two horses.
> 
> ...


Yes, trapped in lessons that were going nowhere, I could not canter or gallop on my mare, Nicki. Trainer lady could not get through to me, nothing made sense. When I would cue Nicki, she would accelerate and it would all fall apart. Then one day, trainer lady got a full-time job and that was it...no more lessons. 

Every day at lunch, I read books while I eat. I was reading about riding and one day I was going through a very old book and found some writing by a guy named Federico Caprilli. What I read was his instructions on how to train cavalry troops. Well,what he wrote resonated with me. He stressed balance of the rider and letting the horse do it's thing without any interference.

So,every time I rode, I focused on my balance and letting my mare do her thing. We began at the walk and slowly progressed. I would re-read Caprilli's notes before each ride so I had them in my thoughts. I believed what I was reading was better than any other instruction I had received up to that point. These guys were riding cross country into combat, not playing in a show.

One day, when we were ready, Nicki and I broke into a full gallop across a field, complete with me holding the reins in one hand, the other hand free to wield a sabre or sidearm, as per Caprilli's instructions! We were balanced and free,what a feeling!

I say take good instruction from anywhere you can get it, put it all together and finish it off with your own touchs and continue practicing and learning all you can. There is a time to take lessons and there is a time to just go and do you own thing and experiment and have fun!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I did not mean to offend @Knave, my point was just that you don't have to emulate a coach perfectly to learn from them. I am also a rule follower, but the majority of the time, I ride without a coach present (because I ride 3-5 times a week) and I choose which pieces of advice I apply. But in a lesson, of course I am going to do what the coach is telling me to do. It would be silly for me to take lessons and ignore the coach. After the lesson is over though, I may experiment a bit with a combination of techniques. For my daughter, it was different because she took lessons very regularly so for months, sometimes years, she would ride the way she was taught by that coach. Then she would move on to a different coach, perhaps someone more specialized, and improve again. But she still has her own style of riding because everyone is different and every horse has to be ridden differently. 

@TrainedByMares, I would say that reading can have the same effect as being coached. I also learn a lot from books. Yes, there is a time to take lessons and a time to do your own thing, but you can also go back and forth your whole life! You can take a few lessons, then develop as a rider for a while on your own, then go back to taking lessons again as you progress. I don't think you can ever say that you are done benefitting from lessons.


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## TrainedByMares (Jun 5, 2021)

Acadianartist said:


> I did not mean to offend @Knave, my point was just that you don't have to emulate a coach perfectly to learn from them. I am also a rule follower, but the majority of the time, I ride without a coach present (because I ride 3-5 times a week) and I choose which pieces of advice I apply. But in a lesson, of course I am going to do what the coach is telling me to do. It would be silly for me to take lessons and ignore the coach. After the lesson is over though, I may experiment a bit with a combination of techniques. For my daughter, it was different because she took lessons very regularly so for months, sometimes years, she would ride the way she was taught by that coach. Then she would move on to a different coach, perhaps someone more specialized, and improve again. But she still has her own style of riding because everyone is different and every horse has to be ridden differently.
> 
> @TrainedByMares, I would say that reading can have the same effect as being coached. I also learn a lot from books. Yes, there is a time to take lessons and a time to do your own thing, but you can also go back and forth your whole life! You can take a few lessons, then develop as a rider for a while on your own, then go back to taking lessons again as you progress. I don't think you can ever say that you are done benefitting from lessons.


Yes, absolutely true!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Furthermore, to people who think things were better when taking lessons wasn't so popular, I would also ask why reinvent the wheel? Humans don't start from scratch with every new life, figuring out how to make wheels, start fires, and build houses with our bare hands. We evolved by learning from each other, by transferring knowledge from one generation to the next. Why wouldn't you want to learn from someone who has figured out that if you just use your body in a certain way, the horse will respond with a desired movement? It can be quite magical to experience learning by leaps and bounds rather than by trial and error. My daughter has been in lessons for 11 years now (she's 17). She is also an EC certified riding instructor. Seeing her ride and coach fills me with pride. It's a beautiful thing to watch her on a horse. I could never have ridden like that at her age - heck, I can't ride like that now! There is no way she would be the rider that she is by just figuring it out on her own.


@Acadianartist , I think the point that many of us riders who started very young without lessons is that we were constantly learning, but from many different sources. All kinds of people were telling us all kinds of things and we slowly sopped it up. The first colt I ever started was a Shetland pony stallion. I told my friends, "Don't worry! We can do this! I have a book!" Every day, I would study my colt starting book, and then my friends and I would try to do what the book said. We were probably lucky, but we just moved along, doing the things the book suggested we do. In a couple of weeks, we were riding the colt, completely unaware that we could have had problems. Of course, I had Ecuadorian friends chiming in as well, telling us how they did it. And then people from the American Embassy who were riders said, "Don't do this, do that . . . " and so on.

4-H was the same--piles of people telling me conflicting things about what I should be doing and how I should ride. It wasn't that we were inventing riding techniques. We were bombarded with techniques. The trial-and-error was trying the different things that people suggested and seeing what suited us and what didn't. We didn't get formal lessons, but we sure had plenty of folks instructing us (including our friends, who could be quite harsh at times, ha ha).


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## RMH (Jul 26, 2016)

Never personally had a lesson but hauled my kids to numerous lessons so guess I could be considered an auditor. After my daughter got her first horse it just seemed natural that we needed another, and then more after that. Our horses are kept at home so we had to figure out what we were doing real quick I'm not shy so I called whoever I needed for information; vet, farrier, dentist, feed company nutritionist, my daughter's trainer, horse friends, etc. I grew up raising cattle so I was used to large animals although there are probably more differences in horses and cattle than there are similarities. As far as riding, I never realized that it was supposed to be so complicated. To me good riding means keeping my horse between me and the ground which I have been mostly successful at. I've spent enough time on and with my horse that I'm comfortable riding him around the farm, chasing cattle, trail riding with friends or strangers, or competing in fun shows. There have been a few scary moments but they've been only a tiny percentage of my total time with horses.

I will say that the first few months when my kids took lessons on their personal horses were rough. The lesson horses always seemed to be better behaved. After a few months it was clear that my kids were advancing beyond their peers who rode lesson horses. If you want to learn about and get good with horses spend a lot of time with them. If you want to learn even faster get your own horse. If you want a really steep learning curve keep your horse at home.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I think that is a really good point @RMH - just taking lessons on lesson horses is great, but what will allow you to progress much faster is practicing what you learned on your own between lessons. That time to just experiment and figure it out on your own is really invaluable and definitely speeds up the learning curve. It also allows you to relax a little more because you're not always being watched.


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## milady133 (Jun 7, 2021)

Acadianartist said:


> That time to just experiment and figure it out on your own is really invaluable and definitely speeds up the learning curve. It also allows you to relax a little more because you're not always being watched.


Or frustrate you even more because things you are able to manage with the instructions of your trainer you aren't able when you are on your own (grumbles after a frustrated solo attempt to practice cantering on the right lead that ended with me giving up because both the horse and me where getting more annoyed with each other).

On the other hand, practicing things that we weren't so good but could manage by our own led to getting better with them (yay to opening gates mounted, I'm becoming the second gate opener of our group of hackers when we go on trails)


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## only3left (5 mo ago)

Morg93 said:


> I'm newer to the riding community. I've met a few people now at my barn and seen some people on the forum people who say they've never had a riding lesson in their life, but appear to my eye to look like advanced riders. HOW is this POSSIBLE??
> I still feel like I'm flailing around after 4 months of lessons. Not to mention I would be terrified to get near a horse without instruction from a professional.
> And how do they build up their knowledge of proper riding technique and general horse care? Do they just watch videos or pick up tips from other people who happen to be around?
> You must have to be truly fearless to teach yourself to ride.


You shouldnt be this fearful at this point, did you have a bad experience at some point.


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## carole Tudhope gilbert (7 mo ago)

Morg93 said:


> I'm newer to the riding community. I've met a few people now at my barn and seen some people on the forum people who say they've never had a riding lesson in their life, but appear to my eye to look like advanced riders. HOW is this POSSIBLE??
> I still feel like I'm flailing around after 4 months of lessons. Not to mention I would be terrified to get near a horse without instruction from a professional.
> And how do they build up their knowledge of proper riding technique and general horse care? Do they just watch videos or pick up tips from other people who happen to be around?
> You must have to be truly fearless to teach yourself to ride.


When I was in third grade, my best friend had a pony. So she and I took turns riding him. When we fell off, we got back on and would lead him away from the barn and gallop back. We finally improved and got our own horses. They were old and calm. Then we became friends with other kids and rode their horses and they rode ours. As we got older, we rode better and did more things. Then we went to local shows and learned from the results where we needed to improve. We did get advice from older people also. That was in the 1950's. I have always had horses since then. I have also read books on riding and asked for help from other horse people. A horse crazy kid can become competent without lessons-per se. Most kids are fearless and bounce much better than adults.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Morg93 said:


> I'm newer to the riding community. I've met a few people now at my barn and seen some people on the forum people who say they've never had a riding lesson in their life, but appear to my eye to look like advanced riders. HOW is this POSSIBLE??
> I still feel like I'm flailing around after 4 months of lessons. Not to mention I would be terrified to get near a horse without instruction from a professional.
> And how do they build up their knowledge of proper riding technique and general horse care? Do they just watch videos or pick up tips from other people who happen to be around?
> You must have to be truly fearless to teach yourself to ride.


I started when I was a kid. So fearless? Or, maybe to ignorant to fear. All I knew was that I wanted to be around them. I fell off a few times and jumped right back on, meanwhile telling myself "Well, that was a stupid thing to not do anymore" as it was ALWAYS my fault. The horse that I mainly rode was a saint. I also rode a cantankerous little black pony named King. Came off of him more than once but not very far of a fall and never got hurt besides maybe a bruise somewhere. 

When I first got back into horses I got a mare to just trail ride on but also wanted to do other things. I then got another mare but she got injured so other things were out. I still wanted to do other things but trail riding on her was fine with me. My job keeps me too busy at the moment to do anything else and now two years from retiring. I no longer have the aspirations for doing any kind of showing or special set of skills other than just riding and treating my horses with as much dignity as I can. 

I am always learning from other people as I watch and read. It's been like that for over fifty years. The couple of lessons that I have taken did not agree with me and not really very much time to put in the effort of finding another instructor. At this point, I'm just happy to know my girls and ride when I can. I don't need lesson for that at this point and time in my life.

Will I ever change my mind? Maybe or maybe not.


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## PennyTheConnie (6 mo ago)

I grew up with horses so I didn't really get proper lessons either, I never payed for lessons or had weekly ones, just was taught by my parents. personally I don't think you can be a self taught equestrian because you need someone who knows what their doing to teach you, so I bet that the people who say they have never had a lesson grew up with horses and were taught by there parents


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

My next door neighbor had horses and a cart pony. He would let us use the cart pony. One day we decided to ride the pony. Well we had a mini rodeo as he had never been ridden. After that we rode him all the time. I learned balance on that shetland . We were pretty young, my sister and I. After a while the neighbor let us ride one of his other horses. We learned by school of hard knocks. As we aged, I babysat for a trainer that lived a block away and he would give us tips and lessons. If him and his wife had a horse for sale, and the buyer wanted to see it ridden and if it was gentle they would have me jump on bareback. I could do that back then. lol. so many fun years. We would play tag in the orange orchards and swim the horses in canals.


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## statsgodric (6 mo ago)

Elessar said:


> I began my riding career in 1974 when I began visiting a riding stable, alone, because I wanted to ride. I quit riding for years and picked it back up when I started dating a girl who rode. I married that woman and still ride today; never had a formal lesson.
> 
> I have owned two different horses whom I credit with teaching me to ride. I spent years to terrified to canter and my latest horse has helped me through my fear and taught me to ride 10Xs better than I had been riding. I don't consider myself any kind of hero or fearless thrill seeker. I do believe that there is a special bond and unique communication between horse and rider.
> 
> Ranger and I are linked and help each other daily, each time we ride, together.


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## statsgodric (6 mo ago)

Elessar said:


> I began my riding career in 1974 when I began visiting a riding stable, alone, because I wanted to ride. I quit riding for years and picked it back up when I started dating a girl who rode. I married that woman and still ride today; never had a formal lesson.
> 
> I have owned two different horses whom I credit with teaching me to ride. I spent years to terrified to canter and my latest horse has helped me through my fear and taught me to ride 10Xs better than I had been riding. I don't consider myself any kind of hero or fearless thrill seeker. I do believe that there is a special bond and unique communication between horse and rider.
> 
> Ranger and I are linked and help each other daily, each time we ride, together.


Hi Katie G. here. I have been terrified to canter also. I am 65 y.o. and ride school horses at a local stable. I finally last week


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## twhvlr (Jul 5, 2017)

Sorry, but my parents knew nothing about equines except that they needed fed. They bought me a pony when I was about 10 along with a halter, lead rope, and bridle and said here ya go. That pony bucked me off every time out (and then would run to the end of the alfalfa field) until I learned to ride a buck. we never had a farrier out because we had no clue that we needed one so I apparently rode enough to keep her hooves in fairly decent shape! I’ve never had any lessons and really have no plans for any. I’m 68 now and back when I was a kid, there was no internet to learn from and we lived out in the country so trips to the library were few and far between. All of this to say that I’m totally self taught in my foundation. It wasn’t until I got into walking horses in my 30‘s that I got some instruction from others (and a lot of that was garbage). I was old enough by then to have enough sense to begin seeking information from books too. It wasn’t until my early 50’s that we got internet from which I’ve learned a whole lot.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

An example of proper...or not? When I rode out today (into the desert), I was using my shorter stirrup setting. It is long by most people's standards but shorter than normal for me. Bandit was acting squirrelly so I dropped my stirrups to my longer, more normal setting. In the shorter setting, my foot was neither "ball of foot" or "home", but in between. When I mounted up, I realized a few minutes later my foot was "home".

If I take my boots off, at the longer setting my heel won't reach my stirrup. At my "short" setting, the stirrup bed rests about a half inch above the bottom of my heel. Books often recommend it at the bottom of the ankle or even higher.

So why would I ever use the lower setting? In my Abetta saddle, on Bandit's body, the long setting makes me feel like I've melted into the saddle and around Bandit. One hole up and I'm no longer "melted". Minor change but I don't feel melted in and around my horse. If my horse is going to spook without warning, starting off melted around him gives me confidence. But at that setting, my feet need to be "home" in the stirrups to keep the stirrups from falling off.

So there are three things, all inter-related. Saddle shape (combined with Bandit's build). Feeling melted around my horse. And needing to keep some contact with my stirrups.

If I use my good leather saddle, that all changes. It is shaped differently and a shorter stirrup setting feels more comfortable. That in turns affects how deep my foot needs to be to maintain contact. And all of my riding assumes a horse who may spook hard while out in the desert:






So what is "right"? For me, it depends on my saddle, my horse and how calm my horse is feeling that day. Someone else may need a very different solution, but no book and no instructor can give a single answer for everyone.

PS: If you don't take lessons, and I don't, it helps to have someone (my wife) video my riding in the arena. I can then watch my own riding and - important! - watch it in SLOW MOTION. It also helps to view YouTube videos of top riders and also watch THEM in slow motion! Most instructors and riders tell you they do one thing, but the camera will show they do something different. And they don't realize it and I guess their instructor doesn't realize it because it is very hard to see in real time. Slow motion video is BRUTAL but very helpful. I was shocked the first time I saw my own riding, slowed down to 1/8th speed!


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## marymane (Feb 2, 2020)

I took some lessons around 9-10 but those didn't continue for that long. I've ridden on and off since then until I got my own horses. While I have people around me to ask for help most of the time I'm on my own. I think resources like watching videos and books are certainly helpful but only for certain kinds of learners: people good at visualization and body control who can experiment with the theory on their own. I mostly enjoy books on horse training/riding for the more philosophical aspects rather than straight direction.

Personally I believe a lot of stuff these days has become too bureaucratic and formulaic. When students hit a roadblock then there they stay because the instructors don't know or are unwilling to help them past it. There is a program and an XYZ and it's followed. This isn't to say I don't think lessons aren't valuable. They are and if there was someone near me who gave them I'd take them. But they aren't the end all be all. When you've got people who have been taking lessons for years and years and still consider themselves "beginners" there's something iffy going on. Everyone learns at their own pace, of course, but it shouldn't take that long when you have help! Just my two cents.

Experience is the best teacher and that's how many people get along without formal instruction.

Already being athletically inclined, having body awareness, and being good at visualization help a lot with being a solo learner. Some people are better at going it alone than others. I wouldn't encourage anyone to go at it alone, especially if they have no horse sense whatsoever, and I wouldn't tell them it's better to do than lessons. But it's not impossible. To get good at something you need experience and to get experience you do the thing you're not good at yet. I don't think instructors these days for anything allow students to be in that learning phase as much and it becomes a vicious cycle of: I don't know how to do X yet so I can't do X but I'll never know how to do X unless I do X!

You can't run before you walk but walking isn't quite like running so walking isn't going to give you experience running, only actual running can.

I think taking lessons and then leasing so you get more riding time and can do so on your own for a little without instruction or the pressure of someone watching/judging is the best way to improve. If the only practice time you ever get is within the context of a lesson then you may not progress as far as you might otherwise.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

While technique is important, it is not as important as balance, which is a combination of God given ability and hours of riding. What is happening in the seat of your pants needs to be communicated to your brain and translated into instructions for the rest of your body. Through repetition, that process speeds up to the point where the adjustments are instantaneous.

Some things, like sitting the trot, would probably almost impossible for some people without lessons. But if just want to be able to stay on the horse, you can get there by riding.


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