Stages of learning to ride

[catnipkitty]

Hi
My DDs are 9 and 10 and have been riding weekly for about 10 months. They have been seemingly at the same level for ages - rising trot, group trots, trotting poles. Their instructor has mentioned cantering and jumps several times but it doesn't seem to be happening. Is this the normal progress? I have asked him and he says he's preparing them for this, but I'm not sure what that means. I just don't want to be wasting time and money at these stable if we should be trying somewhere else?
I'm not a rider so no personal experience.
Thanks in advance
C x

[FlockOfTwats]

I don't think there is any actual reason to go 'walk trot canter jump' in any specific time order, but i would expect progression unless there is a reason not to.

My 5 year old has only been riding since april and i have her cantering and jumping. Mainly because although her trot could be improved, The only way its going to at present is miles in the saddle - She is deaf so it is difficult to explain to her while shes riding you see - And i dont want her to go off it because shes bored trotting around all the time.

In your position i would want to see them doing something, actively refining something in the trot or learning something in the trot if they are not doing anything else. If they are just trotting round in circles and pointing them at trotting poles and getting on with it i wouldn't be happy.

[FlockOfTwats]

And if i were told that he were preparing them for cantering and jumping i would want to see things such as teaching them to slow the trot down, maybe sit to the trot to work on their position, practise jumping position over poles etc.

Trotting around repeatedly and pointing them at poles isn't preparing them for anything more than... well, trotting around in circles and pointing them at poles!

I really don't see why they aren't cantering though.

How big are the lessons? And how long?

(Sorry for two posts i thought of more after i posted)

[catnipkitty]

Thanks very much for your reply. There are 3 of them in the lesson which lasts about 35 minutes. They seem to confidently control the horses. There is only an outdoor sand school so on days like today when it's raining pretty heavily I'm not sure whether I'm wasting my cash!

[mrslaughan]

we ride in lessons rain hail and shine (though have been know to abandon a lesson due to a particularly vicious hail storm), just because its raining doesn't mean they are not learning, and time in the saddle is a great teacher.

Do you ride yourself?

It is really hard to say whether they should be progressing or not, without actually seeing them. Everyone learns at diff rates, and I for one (as a rider myself) was happy for my son to spend a long time working in trot, getting his position secure (not using reins therefore the ponies mouth to balance), so that moving onto jumping and canter was something he felt very comfortable with. He was doing private lessons too, which you generally progress faster in (he has dyspraxia so his time frame for learning is different to that with children without co-ordination issues). Canter is not the be all and end all. I know lots think you need to get onto canter quickly (and I think if you have your own pony it is a little diff)., but I think they need to be balanced themselves. This doesn't mean it needs to be boring you can still play lots of games etc in trot and generally have fun.

35 mins is also quite a short lesson too - esp for a group - they are not going to get a huge amount of riding in, in that time.

[FlockOfTwats]

She said she doesn't ride herself in the OP :P I agree 35 minutes is short for a group.

I do agree with MrsLaughan that there is no hard fast rules its really whether they are actually preparing/learning. Like i said i'd be happy for them to still be walking and trotting as long as they are progressing.

Progressing doesn't necessarily mean going faster or jumping over things.

It does make it slightly difficult that you're not horsey yourself - To my non horsey other half my riding lesson is sometimes just me trotting round for half an hour, but in actual fact we are doing lots of balancing, collecting and leg yielding. All obvious to another rider but not to a non horsey person.

Could you give us a general run down of how their lesson goes? The sort of things the instructor actually says? Or is itliterally a case of 'trot over these' 'trot round once/twice' 'all trot at once' etc? Does he ever talk about their balance or position, their hands or leg?

[FlockOfTwats]

And does he explain to the kids in the lesson why they are doing certain things? For example, a reason not to be cantering might be 'We need to work on keeping your hands still and balanced so you dont snatch at the ponies mouth' - If he isnt explaining what they need to be doing and just says 'we're preparing' well how are they meant to know how to work towards anything?

[Floralnomad]

I would try somewhere else ,if only to get an opinion of your DCs abilities . My dd started riding lessons at 4 ( had been around horses all her life though) and was cantering within a couple of months ,that was having a 30 minute private lesson per week . Riding lessons are so expensive you really do want to see some progression - is there a riding school near you that has a pony club centre ?

[catnipkitty]

Thanks all for your replies. The instructor is excellent with his communication IMO. He explains a lot to the girls, often getting them to work on their position and communication with the horse. He talks to them about the horses' behaviour too which I think has given them a good understanding of horses in general. I think he's a perfectionist tho and maybe doesn't want them to canter etc until everything else is 'perfect'?

[WhatsTheEffingPoint]

I did about 10mths with one riding school and then moved to another as i too felt i wasnt progressing and my expensive lessons were being wasted. Same as yours, trot and walk and i could barely canter.

The new school i went to was great, my instructor went over everything with me to see what i could/couldnt do, what i did/didnt understand and what my goals were. My riding improved in a short space of time and i soon began jumping.

My instructor left and i was gutted, i tried out another school and had a few different instructors but i couldnt get to grips with them. In the end i ended up back at the second school, requested lessons from just one person and im now jumping the highest i've ever done.

Sometimes a change is good, you do go backwards for a few weeks while you get used to another persons way of teaching but leaning different ways is a good thing and all experience.