What is 'novice'?

[Wallahibillahitallahi]

Looking for a part share for my daughter. She is 12 yo and has been riding since 4yo (but not had own horse, so mostly lessons) and helping out in yard/school since 8 yo.

So, she knows stable management, can catch, tack up, groom, walk, trot , canter, jump. She part loaned, only for a couple of months in the past and the horse could be difficult, strong and prone to bucking and spooking

All that said though, she doesn't have confidence in herself. I know, going to ride a new horse she would be nervous and worried about doing something 'wrong'....I'm not sure if we should be considering adverts that state 'no novices'


If you were looking for part share person, what would you be looking for?

[5OBalesofHay]

Novice us someone who only rides under instruction and couldn't spot schooling issues and correct them without help.

[5OBalesofHay]

Should say though if you are really experienced and can supply the gaps/jump on if issues need sorting then it could be fine.

[ThinkOfTheHorses]

Novice means beginner

[Wallahibillahitallahi]

I don't think it really does think

50bales so dd knows if she is on the right diagonal and reign, she can feel a good or bad transition...is that the kind of schooling issue you mean, or deeper stuff?

[Wallahibillahitallahi]

Sounds like it's worth making contact though...

[GinIsIn]

If you've already given up a part loan as the horse was hard to handle I would probably class your DD as a novice, yes.

[Wallahibillahitallahi]

We didn't give up the loan because the horse was hard to handle. Dd loved the horse and her 'sass'

[Namechangetempissue]

I class beginner and novice differently.
I see a novice as somebody who couldn't competently and confidently carry out both ridden and stable management tasks to enable them to look after a horse alone. Tacking up fully, grooming and knowing what you are looking for in terms of knocks and scrapes on the horse, mucking out, riding securely at walk, trot and canter and being able to apply aids correctly, knowing how and what to feed etc.
We have a couple of full liveries at our yard who have been riding for years but I would still class as novice as they can't tack up themselves or ride out alone confidently or sort their horse out after a ride.

[RatherBeRiding]

I would class a novice as someone that, although perfectly capable of riding a straightforward, push button, point and shoot horse would struggle with something that requires a confident competent rider. Who can't correct napping, is liable to get bucked off, can't correct/sit to a wrong jumping stride, can't correct/see a bad line to a fence, wouldn't be able to cope with being pissed off with or with a horse that takes a strong hold. Someone who doesn't understand lateral work, doesn't know how to ask a horse to work in an outline.

There's all the tacking up stuff as well of course - do they know if the bit needs adjusting, is the martingale on properly, is the saddle in the right place, is the girth pinching, is the saddle cloth properly adjusted etc etc.

Lots of perfectly capable riders I would still class as novice simply because I couldn't see them managing any of mine, none of which are suitable for novices even though one of them has done all PC activities with my daughter. All of them will test you, push boundaries and get away with stuff if allowed to do so.

[BenjaminLinus]

This always sounds pissy, but I would class anyone that had not ridden outside of a riding school environment as 'novice'. Riding school horses and ponies are fantastic at what they do, but they are riding school, and can be very different from all the other horses and ponies out there.

When I was looking a rider for my horse (which in my opinion was a very easy ride) I found people that had been 'having lessons and riding for years' were actually unable to get him to walk away from the gate.

I don't think that you should consider a 'no novices'. Much better to get experience of the responsibility of looking after something safe and sane at this stage. It's not a life-long commitment, move onto something bigger and better as she grows in confidence and ability.

[Wallahibillahitallahi]

Thanks Benjamin

After taking opinions from lots of different places over the last week or so, we have decided to buy instead or loan. Then we don't need to enter the mine field of what other people are expecting 'not novice', nor the gazillion other mine-fields associated with looking after someone else's horse.

I have recruited the help of 2 friends; 1 a vet and the other a very experienced equestrian, with her own yard. So, between us, we will take the time to make sure we are choosing a compatible horse for dd

[WillowCloud]

Any advert for a horse that states "no novices" would be a red flag for me. As you can see from the replies, the definition of novice varies, but in the context of an advert it usually implies the horse/pony has some tricky behaviours or quirks e.g. is strong, prone to bucking, rearing, napping, kicking, lacks manners etc.

[SteppingOnToes]

in the context of an advert it usually implies the horse/pony has some tricky behaviours or quirks e.g. is strong, prone to bucking, rearing, napping, kicking, lacks manners etc.

Not necessarily... I have a totally safe horse for part loan who I have specified no novices as I basically cannot be bothered with teaching someone the ropes for x number of months. He is a £10k push-button competition horse that is safe enough for my 10yo beginner step daughter to ride, but I would want someone to part loan him who wouldn't need me around to supervise.

[SquashedInTight]

Look for a 'first pony' type. My ponies have had sharers for years, and the top group at a riding school is way below the level of riding a private horse competently. I have a very sweet New Forest who loves teaching kids straight out of the Riding School, but my other pony, who is as push button as they come for a good rider (and I see as very safe for me) is dangerous with an unbalanced novice on board. In an ad I would say she was safe and sweet (she is, bless her!) but not a novice ride. My New Forest is a 'first pony' - loves teaching children and is very good at keeping them on board!

[Namechangetempissue]

I also agree that "no novices" does not mean the horse or pony is tricky or has vices. I wouldn't want my beautifully mannered competition pony to go to a novice. She has too much talent to waste and needs a competent rider to compete at that standard even though she would carry anyone and has never bucked, reared, bitten, kicked, bolted or napped.

[yawning801]

I've never had my own horse, but I've ridden for several years at a local riding school. The horses there are 75% mental/rescued ponies/horses and the other 25% are dead-to-the-leg, push-button dobbins! They class novices as people who can cope with napping, exuberance (e.g overjumps and being left behind) and the odd bolt/buck/roll attempt. HTH.

[SteppingOnToes]

I've never had my own horse, but I've ridden for several years at a local riding school. The horses there are 75% mental/rescued ponies/horses and the other 25% are dead-to-the-leg, push-button dobbins! They class novices as people who can cope with napping, exuberance (e.g overjumps and being left behind) and the odd bolt/buck/roll attempt. HTH.

You mean the opposite surely?

[Frouby]

To me a novice is someone who would struggle to get a tune out of a riding school pony, would be fighting with a fizzy/forward going pony and wouldnt cope out hunting.

I rode for many years at a riding school as a child and teenager. However I was schooling and riding green/newly broken horses and ponies from being 14. From about that age I could ride the yard owners very, very fizzy ex event pony and have a lovely calm ride. And then hop on an older riding school pony and take a fast hack out and have the riding school pony pinging along.

A novice rider would struggle schooling a green pony as they wouldn't know how to teach it. But would be able to school an established pony under instruction.

Being able to walk/trot/canter and jump is one thing but teaching a young horse to do those things is probably the difference for me between a novice and a competent rider. And my old instructor used to say anyone can get on a forward going, well schooled pony and hold on. But to be a good rider you need to get a tune out of a quiet pony too.