# lessons or loaning?



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I think you should go for it, who knows.. maybe you find a leasing situation where you get one free or discounted ride per week or per month. But it's so worth it.. you can always find a way to squeeze in a lesson now and then once you begin leasing and the best way to learn is miiiles in the saddle.


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

I learned all that stuff from the person I took lessons from. I told her that I wanted to take lessons with the idea of having my own horse at some point, and needed to know how to take care of them. She was happy to teach me (while it took a little time up-front, it meant less hassle for her). Have you asked about this at your lesson barn?


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## princecharming (Dec 2, 2011)

im another HUGE leasing fan, but could you just ask your instructor to learn more about feed/care of more time with a lesson horse? at most barns i have been at, instructors LOVE if you are willing to help feed/brush/care for the lesson horses, its a great way to volenteer. I think leasing is a better way to learn more about riding, but for horse care i would like to work at a barn with many different horses so i could learn more about the different varieties good luck!!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I agreed up until this part



princecharming said:


> I think leasing is a better way to learn more about riding,


I have only leased two horses in my entire life. The first wasn't a verbal lease, I just rode and trained and cared for this Haflinger. In all my years of lessons, we're talking over 7 years at that time, I learned more with that free lease than I thought imaginable. 

Lessons are mainly riding. You pay to learn how to ride a horse. 

But you have a solid point, you can definitely ask to learn more about the care side of things.. but you won't learn nearly as much as you would with the right lease situation. Especially if the barn is busy and horses are in and out like gas in a tank.

Oh, and the second lease is my Sky, my first and only horse. He was a work-lease. Meaning, I worked.. and what I would have earned went into him. I worked over 12 hours a day for an entire summer for that horse, and one day he was mine. I learned so much about him during that lease though. About his health, his feet, about cleaning tack, how to take the horse's temperature, about deficiencies and when to call the vet, about stall rest and taking care of a wound, about handling and horse body language. Everything to scrubbing out and refilling the water buckets. Again, more than I ever hoped to learn in all my years of riding. And I'm still learning. 

Even leasing for a short month, and then taking up lessons again would be beneficial. It's more than just riding. It really truly feels like you have a horse, without the entire truckload of responsibility.

Just if you do decide to lease, make sure there is a contract and make sure that you and if you live with parents, really look over it carefully.


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## DraftXDressage (Aug 29, 2011)

I'm not sure how you'll learn anything leasing that you couldn't learn from lessons/asking questions/reading. In most part-least situations, the lessee and the lessor are using the horses on different days, so it's not as though you're going to spend tons and tons of time soaking up information from the lessor.


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

When I go for my lesson, I am often rushed to get the horse ready, there isn't time for me to ask questions about grooming and I am told not to pick out the feet of one of the horses I sometimes ride because he can kick out. I have group lessons so there are about 3/4 of us getting ready, and the lesson before us are trying to get untacked so the people that work there are busy helping others. 

I could ask at the stables if I could help out, but there are already lots of people that work there and I wouldn't want to be the person who gets in the way. I don't know anyone there, I don't even really know my instrustors well (there are three of them, and it's random which one I have for my lesson) and I feel a bit nervous asking.


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## princecharming (Dec 2, 2011)

Skyseternalangel said:


> I agreed up until this part
> 
> 
> 
> ...


darn, i read that post and completly agreed, then went back to the quote and realized it was from me

when you make those points i have to agree with you also, because im leasing my horse (full lease from a leasing company from a different state) and im learning a lot about horse care.

so, now that i have dissagreed with myself, good luck with your lease/lessons!


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

yeah, that's the main reason I want to loan. I want to know about horse care, not just the riding


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

vergo97 said:


> yeah, that's the main reason I want to loan. I want to know about horse care, not just the riding


I'm leasing out my horse right now as I am away in a different country and I communicate with my lessees via email and even before I left I made sure that they knew how to take care of him. I even taught my best friend who has been riding for over 10 years how to care for a horse. She never knew until I taught her.

Now it just takes the right situation. Some horse owners just want the money, some (like me) want the best for their horse and want to share their horse with others. And some just have no time to ride and want to keep their horse in shape.

No matter the reason, as long as you find someone that leases to you, who is willing to answer questions and help you go through things step by step, who lets you go to farrier appointments and vet shot days to see how the process works. 

Plus you get allll day to groom if you wanted to, haha. That in of itself is awesome. 

Like I said, you just need to find the right leasing situation.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

Can you find a place that includes horse care as part of the lessons program? Or as mentioned earlier, can you ask your instructor for this? I really loved the lessons my kids have been taking. The instructor made it very clear before signing them up that these were "horsemanship" lessons, not"riding" lessons. They're only 7, and the instructor started out teaching safety, anatomy, and horse mentality the first few days. Then they moved on to grooming, health, feeding, and care. Then tack design fit, care, and on and on. The first lesson, they had a little riding, then more and more. She interwove the riding with the rest of the education. Even as they are riding, she teaches them about their tack and how it affects the horse's movement and their seat and the horse's anatomy and how it relates to the gaits they're working on, etc. If you could do something like that for a little while, then when you're ready to lease a horse, you'd already have a really good idea of what you're doing, and you can perfect it on the lease horse.


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## Nevreme (Feb 23, 2012)

If you are being rushed through grooming, told not to pick out feet (does anyone do this for you?), and nervous about speaking to your instructor, you need to switch barns. Immediately. These are all big red flags for me and would be for anyone who I've ridden with.

There are three instructors at my barn and I know all of them well enough to ask nearly any question even though I have only been riding there for about six months. The same goes for every one of the 30 some kids who take lessons there. The BO/main instructor makes it clear at the first lesson that you are welcome to ask any question that involves horses. This is the environment you want for learning.

Please do not give up your lessons! Even if you decide to lease, please see if you can work off at least one lesson a week, or do barter, or something! I ride (in a lesson!) four times a week and I haven't paid for a lesson in years. I don't care how good you think you are (and you seem to know that you still have more to learn) but everyone needs lessons. My instructors still take lessons when they can, even Olympic riders take lessons. If after only 18 months of lessons you start riding alone you are very likely to injure yourself and/or the horse.

In my opinion, your best bet is to find a barn that includes horsemanship in the program and where you feel more comfortable. Get the basics of horse care down and if you still feel like you're up to challenge of ownership give leasing a try.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but I have seen people get hurt doing what you're considering. We have a pony at my barn that was given to us because his owner thought she didn't need lessons anymore because she had her own pony; he ended up bucking her off on a daily basis.


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

There are a couple of excellent points, above. First one is the question about whether this barn is serving your interests - even at a busy barn, you really should be able to ask your instructor stuff, and that includes anything from "hey, what is this weird-looking scab on his hock?" to "is it normal for him to be [doing X]?" to basic questions about horse care.

Another is that having your own horse (or loaning one) does not mean that you don't need lessons anymore. I have my own horse, and I still have lessons on him once a week. Or I will, once I finish rehabbing a minor suspensory strain. I might be willing to go down to lessons every other week, if it's a private lesson, but I *definitely* still need to be learning about the riding. I just also need to learn about the other stuff too.

One option you might consider, since your goal sounds like it's "learning horsemanship" rather than "bonding with a particular animal" is to find out if you can work an exchange: swap your time doing the basic grooming in exchange for learning about the grooming and horse care. For people who make their money training and exercising horses, the grooming bit is just something that makes their days that much longer and that they don't get paid for. Getting out of that would be "worth" something to people like that, if they don't have access to a staff of grooms.

Another thing you might consider is volunteering your time at a rescue or at a therapeutic riding facility. Those places run on volunteer labor, and I'd bet you can get some of the experience and knowledge that you're looking for, while helping out a good cause.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Nevreme said:


> Please do not give up your lessons! Even if you decide to lease, please see if you can work off at least one lesson a week, or do barter, or something!
> 
> I don't mean to sound harsh, but I have seen people get hurt doing what you're considering. We have a pony at my barn that was given to us because his owner thought she didn't need lessons anymore because she had her own pony; he ended up bucking her off on a daily basis.


Lessons are definitely important, I take them and I own a horse. You still need lessons! I'm sure that leasing a horse for a month is going to be cheaper than once a week lessons, so there would definitely be a way to afford both. 

My mom is the non horsey person that thinks I don't need lessons because she doesn't understand horses.. maybe the OP's family feels that way too.

I just said find in my opinion, find a good leasing situation that you can do both. Take good lessons and learn about what it's like to own a horse. 

No I'm definitely a huge advocate to keeping in lessons with my boy. Always improve..!


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

I defiantly wouldn't be able to afford lessons and a loan horse, or I might be able to afford one lesson a month which probably wouldn't be enough. I know that I have a long way to go with my riding.

I'll continue looking around for loans, but I know that I probably won't be able to get one that is cheap enough and suitable for me. 

I know that the stables I go to isn't perfect, and there are better places but there is no where near to where I live that is better. for my first year of riding I went to an awful place, and I have also tried out somewhere else when considering moving from my current stables, but they didn't even let you tack up the horse.

When I'm told not to pick out Charlies feet, sometimes someone else does it, but sometimes not. Maybe they had been picked out recently though.

I'm just quite shy when it comes to talking to people that I don't know that well, it's not that my instructors are scary, horrible people or anything. There is usually only one or two instructors about when I'm getting the horse ready, and they are helping other people tack/un-tack their horses and I don't want to slow everything down.

where do you think I could find someone who would like help with grooming their horses? That sound like a good way to learn about things 

My mum doesn't think that lessons are pointless, but she has admitted she doesn't really see the progress that well. She is unsure at to where riding leads to, as in with milestones or things to aim for, and I suppose I am too. I do enjoy my lessons, but every one seems to be the same. If I continue my lessons, I'll probably find out though, and learn new stuff.


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## Mythical (Nov 23, 2011)

Don't discount the idea of taking a horse on part loan and having one lesson a month. Your riding will always benefit from riding more often, especially if you're currently only having one group lesson a week. Lessons on your own horse tend to be a) private and b) cheaper. So you'll probably get as much tuition in one lesson as you were getting in four. PLUS, you'll have around another 10 rides in between to practice, and learn to plan a session on your own, AS WELL as learning to look after the horse. 
(as an example of the costs - I pay £80 a month to part-loan my horse, I get to ride three times a week, and I pay £12.50 for a half hour private lesson)

I have a feeling you're under 18. If that's the case, have a look on google to see wether there's a "pony club centre" in your area. Pony club at PC centres is a bit like Girl Guides or Scouts, but entirely focussed on horses - you get to learn about horse management (and earn badges for it!!) as well as riding. Many of the best riders in the world came through Pony Club and centre membership is not usually much more expensive than your regular lesson - only you get the ground based (learning stuff that's not riding) session ON TOP of your riding lesson. (which, for centre based membership is usually a group lesson on an RS horse, though I'm sure most places would let you bring your own)

The best way to find someone who wants help with their horses is through word of mouth, so I'm afraid you'll have to bite the bullet and speak to your instructor or someone else at your riding school. What worked for me (to make me less shy and speak to my instructors about part-loaning) was to persuade a friend to take a riding lesson too - so we were both there at the same time - it made me feel much stronger and I ended up having a lovely chat with my instructor and the office lady, and found out they were both actually really nice!

As for your Mum seing the progress, she should have a chat with your instructor who should be able to tell her what you're working on and what progress you have already made, but you DO get to a point with group lessons where you just don't make as much progress as you could - at that point, ask if it's possible, or wise that you move up to a higher group - which will probably mean taking your lesson at a different time or a different day, or even switching to a half hour private lesson - again, only your instructor can tell you.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

If you can only afford to Lease OR have lessons, then you need to keep having lessons. 

Things go very wrong with a first horse when people stop having lessons and it doesnt benefit you or the horse.

You should never ever stop having lessons even when you own your own horse.


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

faye said:


> If you can only afford to Lease OR have lessons, then you need to keep having lessons.


Would only one lesson a month not be enough?


Mythical:
yes, another of the reasons for wanting to lease is the amount of time I can have to ride. at the moment I have one hour, shared by about three other people and then I can't ride for another week so can't practice what I've learnt. 

I am under 18 (I'm 14), but would the pony clubs be full of really young kids? It seems that most people my age have been riding since they were very young so won't be at a pony club.

A few weeks ago, when I was in lessons with people about half my age, and wasn't learning very much, me and my mum looked around for other stables and I had a lesson at one. When my mum phoned up to tell the stables I am at that we were moving, they suddenly said that I could move to a different group with people more my age, which is the group that I am in at the moment. We did ask about private lessons, which I progress much further in and I prefer, but they said that they don't really do them. The people in a lesson aren't really fixed, and I often have random people in my lesson of different abilities, so I suppose them teaching private lessons wouldn't really fit in with that because they wouldn't be able to add people to the group. 

I'll see if I can ask my instructor about being able to learn about horse care at my next lesson though.


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

I've found this add, which is £50 a month. With one lesson a month, that would be £70 which we would be able to afford.

Preloved | 15.2 gelding for part loan to rent in East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, UK


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

I've been looking at the pony club website and it looks really good, and I like the way they have achievements for you to aim for. I don't really understand the pricing though, its £24 to be a member, but that can't be the cost for all being taught as well though? This is the nearest pony club stables to me, and it doesn't say the price of it:

http://www.tvequestrian.co.uk/Welcome/tabid/54/language/en-US/Default.aspx


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## missarizona (Apr 9, 2012)

I have just got my first loan horse  im 21 and have been having riding lessons every saturday since i was 8. I went to college and studied horse care for 2 years and that taught me everything i know now. I have arizona on 'free loan' so i dont pay her owner anything i just pay for the upkeep of arizona which works great for me. I waited to get my first loan horse for 2 reasons, 1:i wanted to make sure i had enough money to pay livery, feed, insurance etc and 2: i wanted to be confident in myself to get one, yes i have been riding for 13 years and when i was at college i rode nearly everyday as i still took lessons but i am a very nervous rider and every single horse i get on knows that. Some will take care of me but others really play up to the fact that im nervous. Arizona takes care of me very well and when i get on her i am not nervous at all now. When i first got on her i was pretty scared, now i cant wait to get on her!! It has taken me 3 years to find arizona, lots of trials and errors with other horses that i tried. I had to stop looking for 6 months last year as a horse i went to see and try reared and then bucked me off and i fractured my coxic bone. I didnt want to stop riding but it was so painful to do so i had to.

I guess what im trying to say is dont rush things, your 14 and young  maybe look into doing horse care or horse husbandry at college or talking to friends or family that have horses who could give you the odd free lesson?? If your near me you could always come and have a lesson on arizona


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

vergo, i hadnt noticed you were in the UK. 
Search for part loans or why not look for someone who is just looking for a bit of help. there are plenty of people who are desperate for help.

Pony club, you pay your membership and then fees for each lesson but generaly the lessons are much cheaper than normal.


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## Mythical (Nov 23, 2011)

Sorry, i wasnt clear. The £24 a year is what you pay to PCUK to be a member of pony club, you then pay your RS for the PC sessions which usually include a group lesson and a classroom/yard based session. 

You can be a member of pony club until age 26 and, if not the acheivement badges, the tests go to quite a high standard. The A test is equivalent to BHS stage 4 (which, if my research is correct, is actually higher than one of the instructors qualifications!) So it's not all geared around little kids. 
My old RS ran a pony club session right before my weekly lesson, and while there were younger kids there, there were also teenagers and all looked like they were enjoying it. 

You'll probably have to phone them up to find out the price, but as Faye said, it's often cheaper than your normal riding lesson. Plus, at my old RS, pony club members, got a discount on any extra lessons too! 

Please talk to your instructor before you go for a part loan or share - if he or she doesn't know of one available, they will at least be able to advise you on what to look for and what to avoid.
While you're talking to your instructor, ask if there's any possibility of helping at the stables on a Saturday or Sunday - its something of an equestrian tradition; teenage girls helping at the stables at the weekend! (Its how horseless kids learned before pony club centres came along)

Good luck!


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

I don't think I'll b able to study horse care at collage. I know I am not likely to be able to get a job working with horses, so I'll probably study sometime I can get a job in. None of my family have horses, one of my friends does but I don't want to seem rude asking for a lesson on her horse. She does everything to perfection (her dad is a really good rider), and I wouldn't want to ruin her horse by the way I have been taught on school horses, and I wouldn't want to put her in the awkward situation to say that to me. 

I'll keep looking for free loans anyway, I might be lucky to have a perfect one pop up.

I told my mum about the pony club, and the only thing she is a bit concerned about is the cost of getting the awards. Does it cost money to get the achievements? It would also mean that we have to change stables, and I would feel a bit bad about doing that. We've already threatened to leave them once, and they suddenly started saying how I had progressed so far with them and they really did not want to see me go. :?

missarizona - I'm in Newark (notts), so not too far away


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

It has been 15 years since I did PC but in those days you didnt have to pay to do exams.

Vergo - who told you that you cant get jobs in the industry? There are plenty going. I supliment my income by plaiting horses, schooling horses, doing holiday cover for horses and by teaching. It is a brilliant way to pay your way through uni! 

Perhaps put an advert up on a local message board looking for someone who wants help in return for riding opportunities.

BTW I'm not a million miles from you as I'm in Hull


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## missarizona (Apr 9, 2012)

Well your more than welcome to come ride Arizona maybe not until i have had her for abit longer  there are plenty of jobs in the horse industry like faye said, there are always groom jobs at riding stables going and even stable hands for people that have eventing yards, i used to work for a bloke who had an eventing yard, the horses he was riding that day were always brought in, fed, groomed and tacked up for when he was there.

Faye i was going to go to bishop burton college but went somewhere closer to home


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

Don't jobs with animals not pay well? I would really like to be able to afford to own a horse, and I thought that it wouldn't be possible to have a job with them and be able to afford one of my own. 

I don't think I'll be able to join the pony club, my mum wants me to stay at the stables I am at, and she said that the cost in petrol for travelling further to the pony club stables would be expensive. My mum said that I just need to ask at my lesson how I am going to be progressing, but I'm not sure how to ask.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

They are not the worlds best paying jobs but it is perfectly possible to have your own horse as well as work with them


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## missarizona (Apr 9, 2012)

Sometimes you will get a discount on livery fees with working there and whats better than getting paid to be with your horse the whole day  (obviously you have to work aswell lol)


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

I'll look into some horsey jobs when I'm older then, but they'll probably want people to be at least 16, won't they?

For now, do you know any good websites for me to look for horses to loan?


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

Vergo, I really think you should move stables. Trust me when I say that I have been to plenty of stables and yours does not sound like a good one. Don't be afraid to move if you feel you are not learning well at the one you are at. I was scared the first time I chose to move barns and believe me, I did not regret if for a second. Like you I am also a shy and quiet person, so I believe that having a friendly stable environment where you can ask a lot of questions without fear is even MORE important for your type of personality. 

I've looked for horse jobs for a few years now, they mostly all want someone 18 or older, BUT almost any barn you go to will allow you to work off lessons/leases/board. The one time I asked we got to do minimal work- muck out half the barn, fill the water buckets for all of it- and my cousins and I all got $10ish off our lessons. As long as you get what is WORTH your work I highly encourage it. That way you can lease and take a lesson maybe every other week. 

As for finding leases I go to:

equinenow.com type in your area and then look for any title that has "lease" in it

equine.com

horseleaseconnection.com. You have to get an account but otherwise it's a good site.

And of course, craigslist!

Or, when you find a good barn, often they'll let you lease even if they don't really "advertise" it. 

This year is actually the first I'll get to lease...I'm so excited!


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

My mum doesn't seem to want me to move stables because ever since we threatened to move, and then they started saying that I had progressed so far and changed the lesson I was in to a more suitable group, she thinks they are a good stables. The first stables we went to were awful, another one we tried out were ok, but the stables I am at are the best so far. The instructors are good (apart from one that I don't really like because I find her lessons a bit confusing) and they treat the horses well. I don't want to seem like I am ungrateful by hassling to try out different stables all the time, especially when my mum thinks that I am not reaching my maximum potential and knowledge just because I am quite shy. She thinks if I stay at it I will find that I start to feel like I am progressing when I start doing jumping, and that I am just being a bit impatient. 

There are certain things that I don't like about them, like when they said the horse I ride has a new, stronger bit in (he is quite strong), but they are the best stables I have been at. 

I just asked my mum if I could ask at my next lesson (tomorrow) if I could help out at the weekend, and she said that she doesn't want me to do that at the moment because I will have lots of studying to do for my GCSE's :-| Well, my work isn't going to get any easier, so I don't know if she will ever let me spend more time with horses, or loan. 

I'll look at those websites though, and keep looking for lease horses.

Good luck with your lease horse, I hope you have fun!


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## missarizona (Apr 9, 2012)

Gumtree, horsemart, preloved, equinead, house and hound are all good websites, i found arizona on preloved


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

Thanks for the websites, I'll have a look at them but I really don't think my mum is going to let me spend more time with horses on a weekend job or loan. After my lesson today I mentioned it and she said that I am going to be getting more and more work. Going by that logic I won't be able to do anything until I have finished uni/collage, and then she won't be paying for things for me and it'll be another few years until I have enough money to pay for a loan which is ages away :-| 

I had a really good lesson today, it was the first lesson in ages that I have found tiring and felt like I've learnt a lot. It was a private and we started with improving my canter transition which went well, and then we went onto jumping. I haven't really learn a proper jumping position (I did jumping at my old stables but they didn't teach it properly), so I did a bit of that while in walk and trot which was really hard, especially as I had been taught before to lean on the horses neck whith my hands, so it was hard to balance. Then I went over some small jumps, and I need to work on sitting up as soon as I am over the jump, and not a few seconds after.

After my lesson I asked my instructor what happens once I know the jumping basics, and what do I move onto. She said that I can keep doing jumping if I like it and get onto bigger and multiple jumps, or I can go onto dressage. I said that I would prefer dressage and she said that she'll see if I can do more dressage things on my lesson next friday


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## mnl764 (Apr 8, 2012)

vergo97 said:


> When I go for my lesson, I am often rushed to get the horse ready, there isn't time for me to ask questions about grooming and I am told not to pick out the feet of one of the horses I sometimes ride because he can kick out. I have group lessons so there are about 3/4 of us getting ready, and the lesson before us are trying to get untacked so the people that work there are busy helping others.
> 
> I could ask at the stables if I could help out, but there are already lots of people that work there and I wouldn't want to be the person who gets in the way. I don't know anyone there, I don't even really know my instrustors well (there are three of them, and it's random which one I have for my lesson) and I feel a bit nervous asking.


I would look for a new stable or ask if there is a day or time that is less hectic. OR maybe you can just go out to the stable early and hang around late.... be a barn rat.

The place I ride is like that so I rescheduled my lessons for the evening but still come early and "hang out." Usually a free hand isn't free for long....I have been asked to help feed, bathe, groom, tack (for the kiddos), braid, lunge...etc etc.....if you are really persistent you can learn a lot. I have learned more during the free time than the paid lessons lol. Just talk to the barn manager and ask if its okay if you observe  If you mention your concerns and they value your business they will be more than happy to help.

Also, sometimes you can actually become an asset/get some free rides in return for your help  This weekend I will be out at the stable helping the vet with some of the boarders, in return I get some free ride time  Good luck.


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

After the private lesson yesterday, my mum is now considering me having a private lesson every other week. While it would be great to only have private lessons, is two hours riding a month enough to make much progression, and will I forget a lot between lessons? If I did have private lessons, it might be at a time that is less busy.

At the moment my lesson is at 5 o'clock on Fridays, which I could have got to early, but next week until September I'm going to be getting back from school later (4:30) because of road works, and the stables is about 15 mins away so I won't be able to get to the lessons early.


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

Hmmm. I used to take group lessons every other week when I first began taking lessons. I found that it was just enough if I didn't miss any of the lessons. Since you're taking private lessons, it will probably be better. 

I'm not sure what to say about progression, since I had some ehhhh instructors at that point if that makes sense haha. As for forgetting things I didn't really forget things but I was better at remembering things once I started taking lessons once a week.


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## vergo97 (Dec 23, 2010)

I'll see if I can get some private lessons then 

I've just been watching some videos on the Pony club website, and I was watching a video on grooming. They are using lots of different brushes, and brushing the tail and the mane. I only use one brush, usually the rubber curry comb, and don't really brush the mane or tail. Are you supposed to every time you groom?


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

Good question. Usually a basic grooming includes three things- a curry comb, a dandy brush, and a hoof pick. Sometimes if a horse has been blanketed I will skip the curry and just brush them off. If the mane and tail are particularly dirty or muddy I will use a comb/brush (usually a brush) and clean them up if I have time. I always pick out the hooves but I think you mentioned that you aren't allowed to sometimes.


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