# Definition of Experience?



## BluMagic (Sep 23, 2007)

I think 'experienced' riders have experience. Haha. Riding for a few years. They've been trail riding/competing, they are very familiar with horses. 

I think it goes:

Beginner Intermediate Experienced Advanced

Beginning is just starting.

Intermediate is you've been around.

Experienced is you are on the verge of training maybe. Lots of knowledge.

Advanced is advanced.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

How I kinda always understood it is somethingl like this

Beginner: never ridden before, never been around horses

Intermediate: ridden some, usually broke horses, nothing green

Experienced: ridden lots of different types and temperments of horses. Can handle most situations well.

Advanced: has been around horses of all different types for a long time. trained or re-trained many horses and can handle almost any situation that comes up.

Of course, it all depends on what you have been exposed to and what you have attempted or been involved in. I have met people that have been riding for decades that I wouldn't consider much more than a novice. Then again, there are people who have been riding for only a couple of years who have amazing horse sense and I would consider them experienced. It all depends on quality, not quantity.


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## Nutty Saddler (May 26, 2009)

An old saying in England was -- You are not an experianced rider untilll you have fell off 7 times !


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## Whipple (Feb 2, 2009)

Hmm, this is something I've been thinking about.
I know I am a beginner for sure. I've taken 4 lessons so far, but I have ridden and read tons. The reading really does help me and I think I'm doing better then some with only 4 lessons under their belt. But I would never ride without someone there to tell me what to do better.
Intermediate to me is someone who can ride anything but rank horses. Someone who can stay on a buck or rear, but if they fall they get right back on (yeah I know I contradicted myself). They can ride alone no problem. But still need refining.
Advanced is someone who can train horses, and can ride the horses others can't. They can ride a horse with grace and fluidity. 

This varies alot of course. Many things overlap other things and it gets all messy. So this is never set in stone. Its confusing.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I have never seen a consistant set of definitions beyond novice/beginner, and I personally don't like mixing riding and training in the definition(s). I know some very good, experienced riders who call themselves trainers that I trust to ride any of our horses, but I wouldn't trust to train an unbroke/green horse. Although there is certainly a common set of horse knowledge/behavior skills involved in both, at some point to be experienced (and good) at riding v. training requires a separate set of specialized skills, IMHO. That's not to say that a person cannot be experienced at both, just that it's tough to lump them together in one definition.


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

I usually think of a beginner as the range between unable to tack up without assistance or supervision to starting canter work. Cantering requires enough riding time and stability to meet my version of Intermediate, as far a _riding_ goes. Intermediate can ride more difficult maneuvers on a trained horse, deal with moderate "issues" (spooking, minor vices, etc.), jump if English, perhaps ridden more than one discipline, and be quite proficient in the basics of horse care and management. An intermediate rider may be able to work with a relatively safe horse with issues with the supervision of a trainer. The advanced level runs from able to handle nearly every situation (under saddle and in the barn), and train a basically calm and quiet horse successfully to taking a green baby to seasoned competitor, deal with difficult problem horses, and manage a stable efficiently, perhaps give lessons. I have this unspoken, demigod level in my mind, too, I guess, above and beyond advanced. Advanced riders have to ask questions, too. :wink:


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## BluMagic (Sep 23, 2007)

Nutty Saddler said:


> An old saying in England was -- You are not an experianced rider untilll you have fell off 7 times ![/QUOTE
> 
> I've ridden intensely since I was little. I think I've only fallen of a handful of times...about three. And Blu has yet to get me off.
> 
> So this could be misguiding :wink:


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

I like many of your responses. 

It's tough for me, because in the dog world, I'm very experienced. I work with rescue animals- evaluating where they are mentally and in their training, work with them to improve their manners, and even rehab dangerous dogs or problem dogs. I help decide what sorts of homes would be suitable for which dogs. I'm not a show person by any means, though I do obediance and agility, it's for fun and for the mental work and challenge to us as a team, not because I want to compete against others. Add to that being a vet student and my dog-cred is though the roof.  I know what it means to be x, y, or z level of owner or trainer or whatever in dog-world.

Then I get into horses, and started about as green as you can get since I grew up in the city. I knew nothing about anything! I have progressed rapidly. It seems that some sort of animal sense (and common sense) apply to both, though I had to learn to account for the differences between predator species (dogs) and prey species (cats). I wish I had a magic scorecard I could rank myself against to see where I fall on the riding ability scale. I might be getting some video to post in a couple weeks that would probably help there.

Sometimes I see people do things with horses... people that *should* know more than I do, if you go by time of experience anyway, and I get uncomfortable. Because who am I, the newbie with only 18 months of horse-time, to say anything?

But hey, two falls down, five to go, right? ;D


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## happygoose123 (Jan 19, 2009)

> An old saying in England was -- You are not an experianced rider untilll you have fell off 7 times !


i have always been told that its your not experienced until youve fallen off 100 times. 7 times is not very many, someone could have really bad balance and fall off that many times in one ride. and as blumagic said about herself, some ppl very very rarely fall off. i have gather from that saying that its not the amount of times you fall off, its the time that it takes to fall off 100 times. so maybe you dont fall off 100 times, thats just a number. its the amount of time you have been riding that counts


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## Nutty Saddler (May 26, 2009)

I believe the saying is a really old one - probably when the only serious competition was horse racing , so the average rider wasn't exposing themselves to the risks that they do today.
I've been riding for 24 years, have never taken part in competitions and have fallen off :
4 times jumping 
2 times got bucked off
2 times got rodeoed off
1 at full gallop when my horse jumped sideways at a rabbit that suddenly appeared
1 when my horse and I fell into a ditch
1 when my horse lost her footing on a sharp turn and dropped a shoulder.

That makes 11 , 
Am I experianced , I don't know. I have backed about 10 - 15 horses , done the basic training on about 20 more, bought my first horse 20 years ago.
I would not know where to start if asked a horse to perform passage or canter pirouetts , am comfey on jumping upto about 1.2m but know that I although I can tell when a horse is going to take off can't really see a stride untill I am about 3 strides out so anything larger is dangerous for the horse.
I watch GP dressage / showjumping / eventing and admire others abilities , and the girl ( cant remember her name ) that became reining champion on a saddle and bridleless horse is just amazing.

I think that everyones experiance is different , and the level of experiance cannot be judged by ability as everyone has different abilities ( leciester piggot wouldn't jump 7' , this dosen't make him a novice rider )


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

A person is their own best judge. Having said that, you can tell a good hand from a newer rider by how they tell you their experience. I have a sister in law that considers herself a really great experienced rider, but has only ridden 2 horses in her life. In my personal view, you can't be an experienced rider until you've been around a good long time. I have ridden since I was a small child, and wehn I'm riding a new horse, I rarely will claim to be much of a rider, however, my instructor of years says I'm a great little hand and a **** good rider. It seems like the best most experienced horsemen have been tossed enough, and ridden enough rank horses to know not to brag about their 'level'. Having said that, there are blessed few riders out there that are at the 'experienced' or 'advanced' level at ALL disciplines. I do fine at western, english, and bareback, but am beginner level in my eyes when it comes to dressage and jumping. I also don't think being a trainer has much to do with your riding level. You can be a good hand and handle the broncs but never be a trainer - you can be told what to do as you go...So, I guess the question needs a little clarification for me. are we talking riding or training? you can be an exp. rider, and a beginner trainer.....


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## Survalia (Mar 4, 2009)

There is a horseback vacation site which uses these definitions. They make sense to me.

*Beginner:* A rider who has limited experience, is unable to post the trot and does not canter.
*Novice:* A rider who is capable of mounting and dismounting unassisted, capable of applying basic aids, comfortable and in control at the walk, moderate length posting trots, and short canters.
*Intermediate:* A rider who has a firm seat, is confident and in control at all paces (including posting trots, two point canters and gallops), but does not ride regularly.
*Strong Intermediate:* An intermediate rider who is currently riding regularly and is comfortable in the saddle for at least 6 hours per day.
*Advanced:* All of the above, plus an independent seat, soft hands, and capable of handling a spirited horse in open country.


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## GypsyTally921 (May 14, 2009)

There was an article a few months back on MSN or somewhere similar saying it takes about 10,000 hours to be an expert at something. 

I know I've done 10,000 hours of horses and I sure don't feel like an expert though. So I think it's really subjective, as other people have been saying.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

Survalia, I like that chart. I may have to use it as a gradient scale for my students. Thanks! I could not really give a solid position to someone, that is certainly a start, though!


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Survalia said:


> There is a horseback vacation site which uses these definitions. They make sense to me.
> 
> *Beginner:* A rider who has limited experience, is unable to post the trot and does not canter.
> *Novice:* A rider who is capable of mounting and dismounting unassisted, capable of applying basic aids, comfortable and in control at the walk, moderate length posting trots, and short canters.
> ...


I guess I'm am a very strong intermediate advanced novice beginner :lol: I can do some to all of the things in each list. If I had to tag myself seriously? I'd say stupidly fearless strong intermediate :wink: its a good list though. 
I think all those things can be learned but the person can still be horse stupid.
To me experience is hours in the saddle, the accumulation of knowledge, and the humility to know you will never know it all.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

boy, ain't that the truth, vida...


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## angelsgrace (Apr 30, 2009)

my saying is your not a great horse man/woman if you haven't fallen off 100 times


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

If I have to fall off 100 times in order to be considered "great", then I'm not sure I ever want that title lol. It takes a lot to get me off.


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## hotreddun (Jun 27, 2008)

Lots of time in the saddle on a wide variety of horses. A lot of my experience riding is on one horse...I've owned him for 14 years. So when I got a job at a jumper barn it was a shocker to my system to ride everything from ponies to warmbloods. I had to learn to ride all over again. And although many would disagree...I think competition. It's really the only way to test your skills against others IMHO.


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## 7Ponies (May 21, 2009)

If I fell off 100 times, I think I'd be broken 

I am advanced on the ground, having owned, raised, boarded, trained many horses (and many breeds) over the past 40 years. I am also very advanced in caring for sick/injured horses. But in the saddle my confidence puts me at Experienced.  I just don't have the confidence anymore, not since getting seriously hurt.


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## Royal Affair (Jun 2, 2009)

Nutty Saddler said:


> An old saying in England was -- You are not an experienced rider until you have fell off 7 times !


If I were to abide by that rule, I would be doing grand prix. Ah well I suppose it's just an old saying trainers tell their students to scare them a bit.

It's very difficult to put a label on a rider, some may be amazing in the saddle but are of little knowledge in the barn, some may be doing piaffes and pirouettes but have never jumped anything larger than a cross rail. But this is how i generally view riders.

*Green as grass-* very little interaction with horses, most involving petting zoos. Ridden once or twice with a trainer.
*Beginner-*Can tack up with minimal assistance, rides once a week with a trainer, confident at the walk, trot and beginnings of canter. Can properly post on correct diagonals. Is familiar with parts of tack, horse, and can be left unattained for short periods of time while grooming or leading a horse.
*Novice-* Walk, trot, canter on correct diagonals and leads. Confident in two-point and no stirrup work. Capable of jumping a simple 2' course or complete an intro test with 60%. Requires little to no assistance while grooming, tacking, leading ect. 
*Intermediate-* Confident in all gaits, has ridden an array of horses-not just school horses-can sit most rears, bucks, bolts ect. (because lets face it, even the best riders fall) Can ride a green horse with assistance from trainer, complete a full course of around 3'. Complete training level in a show and schooling up to second level movements at home. Framiliar with worming, feed, medical, hoof, problems ect.
*Advanced-*Started a horse or taught the basics with help of a trainer. Can handle most if not all of unexpected situations under saddle as well as around the barn. Framilliar with medical situations and how to deal with them.Jumping up to 3'9' course or riding 3rd level schooling 4th movements.
*Professional-* Started one horse from scratch with minimal help. Showing competitively at recognized levels 4' and higher. Prix. St. Georges and up. Wins purses and trains horses for a means of income.

Of course many of you won't agree with that, it's just what i think and it plays off of jumping and dressage. Again why it is so hard to label riders, there are many people who have never been to a shown or jumped or done dressage that could be consider professional.


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## Lawrite_Haflinger (Aug 3, 2008)

According to most of these I would be a beginner since I am not very experienced with the canter but I have rode for 5 years, can tack and groom my horse easily, I have a good seat and I am training a three year old mare. Does this still make me a beginner?


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