Can we have a thread for those who have returned to riding after a long time out of the saddle?

[Peanutbutterandnutellanutter]

I used to ride as a teenager (only lessons) didn't ride for years and recently got back in the saddle in my 30s.

I have been riding a friend's old cob who has been great to get me back in the saddle, she's an angel to handle and is a total superstar out hacking, but is soooo lazy in the school so I have decided to get some lessons at a riding school in addition to riding the sweet but lazy cob.

Amazingly I think I might have actually found a decent riding school! I've been to a lot of schools I didn't like for various reasons (different instructor every week, instructor young and struggled to relate to 30-something returning to riding, booked private lesson but had to share school with 5 other horses, horses that won't trot/canter without being whipped, lessons that start late and finish early......)

Anyway I had my first lesson at the new place this week, the instructor actually talked to me about my ability and picked a suitable horse to match (ie sensible but willing) the lesson was great and it felt soooo good to ride a forward going well-schooled horse for the first time in years!

Please come and tell me about your experiences returning to riding.

I'm in Canada and pay the equivalent of £25 per half hour private lesson.

Bonkey I had a nosy at your posts about your lovely ex-racer (and his twatty ex-owner. Did she buy another horse . Reminds me of a girl at the stables where I used to go.,her DParents bought her a beautiful unbroken 3yo - sensible choice NOT which after a few months of her getting bored and the horse losing all manners and respect, it vanished...to be replaced but at least this one she could get on it's back )
Are you the same Bonkey that frequented Super Furry Animals with the "Shitland" Pony ?

On the thoughts of getting my ancient and failing carcass on a horse.
DH and I have an Important Wedding Anniversary next year . I really fancied doing one of those riding holidays where you stop in pubs and a big 4x4 brings all your bags. Not with DH (he doesn't like horses) but neither DD or myself would be horsefit to survive.

I might suggest a long weekend in CentreParcs and DD and I could go horseriding then spend the next 2 days in the hot-tub getting wrinkled and resettling our bones.

70 check out Freerein

Peanut I had a look at their site- that looks ideal as a future plan (I'd need to have some refresher lessons beforehand)

The photo on their homepage is one of those "Looking Through a Pair of Pointed Ears" photos

70 Yes its me! Bonkey with BigPig, LittlePig and Shitland!

No, she hasn't got another. Lost her sugardaddy . Thankgod!
BonkeyTB is doing very well, I am more than pleased with him even if it has been a long rode to get where we are now!

Sad me. Work has changed my hours/work location and so because of the extra travel costs I'm not going to be able to afford my weekly lessons :( Going to try and have a hack every other weekend at the slightly cheaper yard until I find myself another job closer to home. So peed off. Need a lottery win!

Ah you are all my people.

I'm back in the saddle after a twenty year break, wasted six months at a frankly rubbish school on sour lazy ponies and have now found a fabulous yard and a wonderful teacher and really think I've found my stride.

My body doesn't move like it did when I was fifteen though and it's been a very steep learning curve.

Pardonmytits surely you can give up something else rather than riding? Food? Heating?

pardon I agree - do you need food?
On a serious note once every two weeks is something at least! Fingers crossed you sort something asap!

So BonkeyTB got ridden Monday and had springs in his feet when he cleared two trotting poles - i stayed on all good . Physio Tues so no ride and day off yesterday. Tried to squeeze a ride in today but it didn't happen so lunged instead...he had 10 mins of jumping around like a twat set off every other bloody pony watching and then settled nicely.

Now I am cacking it a little bit about riding him tomorrow if the bloody rain holds off .
I'm not sure I'm ready for him to be a twat with me on board yet...eeep!
I shall just cling and hope for the best !

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with him being clipped?

Loving this thread
Must return to read it properly some time soon...

pardonmytits - you'll be back, you will, you will!
All things must pass except an enduring obsession with horses and riding

Bonkey yy - clipping + cold spell = sudden sharpness.
btw, I've kept lurking over last few weeks/months and seeing updates on you and your lovely boy. I smile every time - so happy it's going well. Slowly and smoothly is good.

My body doesn't move like it used to when it was fifteen. Hahahahahahahahaha. THIS.

Most of it's still all there in my head, and I've been riding SIX DAYS A WEEK for the last two months since I got OWHorse but I still go to bed sore every night . My back aches, I have blisters on my heels, bruises on my thighs and cuts on my hands. My hair always looks terrible, I come home covered in mud, sweat and hair and my car and garage smell like the muck bucket. Never felt better though. I LOVE IT .

I'm back to riding after a five year break. Rode for over thirty years before that.

When I first started lessons were 3.50 an hour and that was expensive because of who owned the school! Other places were 2.50.

Where I go now the people are lovely. They don't treat me like an idiot. I spend ages grooming, leading and pootling about and feel very welcome. I just love being round horses again.

Although it is a riding school, a lot of the ponies are working livery so they are forward going and not plodders. They are looked after very well and the lady that owns it is lovely. I feel about 12 again and its great!!

My riding school has a bank of children who help at weekends. I think its done on a formal basis i.e. they do a few hours at weekends in return for a free ride. Most of them are lovely but I got Irritating Child yesterday (I think she can't have been any older than 13.
She asked me if I knew how to get the pony out of its stable! I answered politely yes. (I was helping at my riding school many years before she was born, probably but she didn't know that to be fair)
She asked if I had ridden this particular pony before as she is very strong - yes, I have. Irritating child said you need to be able to ride to ride her. I had a little smile at this - I started riding in 1983 and rode for many years before giving up for a break. This particular pony is strong but not silly.
I asked for a small step as I have trouble getting on from the ground - age! - and she said did I need it as the pony is only 14.2. Er, yes. At 40 you don't have the spring you do at 14.
she insisted on tightening my girth for me which I can do myself and then tried to adjust my stirrups - I had to swot her off
She then walked off with my crop I asked for it back - oh you don't need it says irritating child. Needless to say I got it back. I used my death stare!

oh you don't need it

Oh yes you do, if only to beat Irritating Child to a bloody pulp

Ha ha as I said most of them are lovely but there is always One!

Hi all. First lesson (after 8 years break) booked for Wednesday. Very excited but I really hope it's a good school. I've experienced poor riding schools and a fabulous school (my last one, now sadly 250 miles away). Really dreading sluggy ponies and condescending instructors but I'm telling myself that if its no good I'll move on and try elsewhere.

I didn't realise how much I missed riding until DDs were offered a pony to fuss/groom/ride so I've dared myself to give riding another try and the age of 30. My dream is that in another year or so when DD is off to school I can find a horse share at the stables down the road.

How did it go, MIL?

Good thanks!
I had a lesson on the lunge so didn't need to think about aids and controlling the horse too much we just worked on my position. Annoyingly I have the same problem I had 8 years ago (and had gone some way towards correcting) with leg position. My lower leg tends to travel forward. Annoyingly there aren't many (any?) adult lessons during the daytime and that's the only time I can really ride as I have the DCs with me after school; so I think I'll be sticking to very expensive private lessons for now. Can't wait for next one though, my legs will stop aching sometime before then though - right?

I got back in the saddle a few years ago after many many years of not riding. Then I stoppped again and last week got back on our horse that had been off work for 4 months due to damaging a suspensory. It was fab, and he was awesome. He is a cheeky cheeky boy, but never does anything to hurt anyone. Had such a great time riding him. Still feeling a little under confident but determined to get back into it and get riding fit again. Back on him over the weekend (after lunging him to get rid of some of his bounciness!). The yard we are one is a competition yard with an awesome owner who is lovely with me - the oldest person there and definitely not on the competition circuit! Although I would like to get to a point where I can jump an 80's course.

Good job, MIL! Private lessons are absolutely worth the extra money when you're 'coming back into work' as an adult-rider, I think. It's not just the undivided attention but the fact that there's less cause to feel self-conscious.

And yes, your legs will stop hurting eventually.

desertmum Way to go! Glad to hear that your horse is doing well and I'm sure that you'll find your confidence coming back in no time :)

I don't really begrudge the extra money, I liked a group lesson when I was riding before as I can be quite self critical and it was good to see other people making the same (or worse!) mistakes as me. Anyway it is probably staying on the lunge and sorting this leg position thing; at least my muscles will ache in the right places, that's got to help muscle memory!

I am going to switch to private lessons as my group is just too mixed ability. I was lead file yesterday and its hard enough trying to find a pace everyone can ride to but yesterday kept losing the tail of the ride as a lady said she could not make her horse go. Not sure what the problem was as he is usually forward going but the instructor told her she was applying her legs but pulling back at the same time so obviously pony going nowhere. We did some acute transitions - I did halt-trot and walk-canter but everyone else struggled with halt-trot. I'm not a wonder rider but could step up another level I think so will speak to the instructor and see what she thinks. I wanted to do more yesterday and felt held back.

I'm having private lessons, just me and my sister learning together. It's brilliant. We will go into the groups next spring for hacking out but for now we are doing half an hour a week of pretty intensive school work and it's marvellous.

Working on trot-canter transitions today. God I am rubbish. But so muh better than I was a few weeks ago. I find if I get my seat correct and my leg on, my hands go up. If I get my hands sorted my legs go wrong. It's hilarious. But it will all click in and I'm getting there.

and we were doing so well. Got bucked off this morning.

So sorry to hear that - are you ok? What happened?