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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

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Original poster

Getting back into riding

31 replies

Becominghorsey · 03/01/2021 21:00

I used to ride as a child but stopped for various reason before I got very advanced however my love of horses never stopped 😍 now I’m older (late 30s) and can afford to, I’ve started taking DC for lessons and thought why not me too! I’ve had a few lessons now and am enjoying it so much, the perfect antidote to all this covid-misery and being stuck at home all the time.

I was hoping for some advice and tips for an older rider! I feel like a beginner in terms of the actual riding but I did so much reading relating to horses that my knowledge of horses and riding a far outstrips my abilities I am hoping me and DS8 can get good enough to go on hacks together as part of a group by summer. He’s having weekly lessons and I will probably have lessons every 3-4 weeks, do you think this will be sufficient for me? DC are becoming just as horse obsessed as I once was and if they carry on being interested, I’d love to do a pony share/loan in a couple of years. I may be getting ahead of myself! I just feel like I can finally realise those childhood dreams. I do have the funds so not worried about costs, plus our riding school seems to do loans so that is encouraging. On the downside, it’s almost half an hour drive away! Is that too far for a horsey life? I would only go for a loan of max 2 days/week where the mornings are covered as I’ll never be keen enough to be there at 7 am before work/school

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Pleasedontdothat · 04/01/2021 11:27

Reading about riding and actually doing it are very different! If you can have weekly lessons you’d make much faster progress.

I don’t think having a 2-day share half an hour away would be unworkable. Our horse is on livery 30 minutes drive away from our house but that’s not at all uncommon. It would be great if we could have him closer, but the closer yards (we’re in a city) are hugely expensive and/or have rubbish turnout so in order for him to have a good quality of life we’ve had to compromise on going out a little further.

lastqueenofscotland · 04/01/2021 12:31

I’d recommend trying to ride more often if you can afford it!
Also do some core exercises, it’ll help with balance no end

ApplestheHare · 04/01/2021 12:49

It's lovely that you're getting back into it and that your DCs are enjoying it too!

I started riding again in Feb 2020 and have now taken on a share. It's 3/4 days per week but not early mornings as I can't do them between DCs and work. It's been THE best thing I've done in the past 5 years besides having my girls. Personally I would find 30 mins too far. Atm I'm 5 minutes away so can easily pop up to do little jobs like break ice in troughs, change a rug or put on sun cream if needed. It's also quite an adjustment from riding school in terms of time taken. When I ride it's only usually for an hour but I can easily be at the yard for 3 hours what with jobs like poo picking, bringing in, tacking up, cooling down and turning out. I'd try and have lessons as regularly as you can and ask about the terms of a share at the riding school. It might be that they take care of lots of the jobs and you can basically just go up and ride.

maxelly · 04/01/2021 13:31

Agree with others that weekly lessons would be better at least at first if you can manage it. It's not that you can't learn by only riding a few times a month but it will be slower to build up your fitness and strength/balance (riding uses a very particular set of muscles that is hard to replicate from the ground) and I think you'll find it frustrating having to build back up from (almost) square 1 each lesson. Your goals sound perfectly reasonable/do-able, with the hacking it does depend a bit on your riding school and their limitations, on my yard the main hacking involves quite a lot of busy, heavy-traffic roadwork, so they tend to only take the more experienced riders out (other than a 10 min stroll around their own land), but I know a lot of yards have much better access to quiet bridleways and so it's possible to hack out as soon as you are confident in walk and trot or even to go out as a complete beginner on a lead rein. You'll have to ask your instructor about that.

Re shares, it really varies from horse to horse/owner to owner how often they want you to ride, when and how many jobs you need to do. If the horse is kept on full or part livery it would usually be fine to just go up in the evening, sometimes there are no jobs at all needed and you just turn up and ride, others you need to muck out or turn out once a day only. Usually the downside to not having to do any or many jobs is the owner wants a more substantial financial contribution, whereas if the horse is on DIY livery sometimes the sharer pays nothing or only a token amount but does all the care of the horse on their 'days' - you just need to find something that suits you and your circumstances. A riding school share is often a very good place to start as you'll be in familiar surroundings, on a reliable horse and with lots of help around you!

Half an hour away sounds OK, my yard isn't much closer, obviously the less time spend travelling the more time you can spend with the horses but for me it's worth it because the yard suits me in all other ways, other people on the yard even come from much further away - I do find it's important in winter in particular that it's half an hour reliably, on good roads - yards buried deep in the countryside on tiny back lanes can be a nightmare in dark/icey conditions and conversely if it's half an hour on busy town A roads you wouldn't want it regularly turning into an hour stuck in traffic.

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 04/01/2021 14:55

Thanks for all the encouragement and great practical tips! I’m going to see if I can have a lesson back to back with DS so we can do it in one go, which will make it much easier for me to fit in a weekly lesson. Would be nice to progress well at this stage and then potentially reduce the frequently of lessons later on.

I believe our riding school has good hacking direct from the stables so that should make things easier for us when we’re ready. I think I’ll wait till the summer before asking about loans!

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Original poster

Becominghorsey · 04/01/2021 22:35

Looks like there’ll be no more lessons for us now for at least 7 months! I must have literally had the last lesson at the riding school this evening before they had to close their doors once again. Feel so sad for all these businesses that are constantly having to adapt to new rules and losing their income for weeks on end

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historyrocks · 05/01/2021 09:02

For 7 months?! That must be disappointing. My stables was only closed 2 months after lockdown in spring. I’m hoping it will be around the same this time.

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 05/01/2021 09:25

Sorry I meant to say 7 weeks!!

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BeardyButton · 05/01/2021 21:37

OP in almost the same position as you - starting back up after years. So disappointing that its all closed again. To be honest, it had been such a balm for my mental health. And yes - so sad for the stables too.
Adrienne does a good yoga video for equestrians. Im doing that to try and build strength. I feel like my mind remembers, but I am very weak. Any other recommemdations to keep things going for nxt months?
My Christmas presents this year were half chaps and jodphurs....

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 05/01/2021 22:31

The Adrienne video sounds perfect! I’ll check it out. Riding has been incredible for my mental health too, it just melts away any stress in my body or mind.

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Trivium4all · 05/01/2021 23:16

Congratulations for coming back to ponies! :-D Once the current lockdown has passed, I would recommend seeing if you could do lessons a bit more frequently (at least once a week). A "working" loan or share at a riding school sounds like a really good first step into sharing, and a good way to become familiar with how it works and what is required.

I came back to riding after a break for PG uni stuff, and I started with lessons at a riding school-3/week for a short period-and after a year, I suddenly had a pony of my own. But I had lots of support, and was only 10min hacking away from the riding school. That was really important! I think the point when people get into trouble is when they try to go it alone without being able to get professional support. And it's important to be competent enough to know when you need to ask for help, if that makes sense.

I now have a sharer for one of my ponies (somehow, I've now got 2 ponies and a horse; not quite sure how that happened...) who also came back to riding as an adult. Her situation is more like yours, in that she rode a bit less than I did as a child, and re-started a bit later as an adult. She started up again by joining group lessons and hacks at a riding school. Then, she shared a very safe pony that she knew from the riding school, and now, she is hacking and schooling my young pony, but with lots of help. It's a good situation for everyone!

For your current ambitions, your plan of lessons, and then eventually a share at the riding school, and perhaps after that a share elsewhere, sounds like a very reasonable plan.

I would say, go for it! 30min drive is really nothing much, twice a week. Think of how long it takes people to take a bus to work.

JayAlfredPrufrock · 05/01/2021 23:20

Good luck with your endeavours.

It is the wind of heaven that blows between a horse’s ears.

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 05/01/2021 23:23

Thanks for the encouragement! The journey is actually only 23 minutes in no traffic and up to 35 minutes in traffic so I’m feeling more positive about the distance, but I wouldn’t rule out moving house one day if it becomes a big part of all our lives

I will definitely do weekly lessons one the riding school opens again and maybe the odd additional session like a led hack. So exciting! Wish I didn’t have a long wait just as I was getting going, boo!

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Haggisfish · 17/01/2021 21:08

It might be worth phoning and askin about a loan over lockdown. Our stables do moms and you can ride in the outdoor school at a walk-good for gaining confidence and practising basics. It’s cheaper than normal and they are keen for people to do it as is means the ponies are getting exercise. I offered to muck out for a couple of hours towards cost as well.

Haggisfish · 17/01/2021 21:08

Do loans, not moms!

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 17/01/2021 22:07

Thanks I have been wondering about this but I reckoned they wouldn’t let me off on one by myself given I’m still at quite a basic level! But I think I might do that. We popped over today to say hello to the horses and it was so lovely, plus we could see a few people very hard at work looking after and exercising all the horses. I don’t mind the cost as its not like I’m spending money on anything else! And worth it to have something so nice to do at weekends.

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LaPufalina · 22/01/2021 21:23

Ahh I can feel the horsey enthusiasm!

I started riding again at 30 (had my own as a teenager), but was living in London so wasn't riding more than once a fortnight... fast forward 12 years and I'm in another city with two pre-schoolers, a beautiful loan horse and I own a pony that I'm a bit big for, but my daughters adore.

Teacupsandtoast · 22/01/2021 21:47

I came back to riding in 2018 at 33 after a 15 year break and have been horse obsessed ever since. Ride as much as you can afford - I have weekly group lessons, 2 or 3 private lessons a month and share a gorgeous boy 2/3 days a week and it still doesnt feel like enough

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 22/01/2021 22:26

This is all very encouraging! Sadly our stables couldn’t do the horse loan but hopefully there’s only another month to go...

My kids are also getting desperate for a bit of horsey time, we were only just getting into it, such unfortunate timing!

I think I will really go for it with lessons for both me and DS over the next 6 months to get us to a decent standard by summer and then maybe we can do a part loan from the riding school and hopefully have lots more horsey time with a slightly lower cost/time spent. I can afford the lessons but it does feel like a lot and I’m regularly a bit at the thought. Does that wear off

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Original poster

Becominghorsey · 22/01/2021 22:27

Hopefully we’ll graduate to group classes soon and the lessons will get a bit cheaper!

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Teacupsandtoast · 22/01/2021 22:55

Haha, yes, that feeling wears off 😆

LaPufalina · 23/01/2021 11:58

My DH said "can we stop buying stuff for the pony now please" and my 4yo and I are still laughing, weeks on

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 23/01/2021 16:14

a horse seems cheaper than another child...

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LaPufalina · 23/01/2021 17:19

Pony is instead of DC3! Much less sleep deprivation but similar cost

Original poster

Becominghorsey · 07/02/2021 23:36

Now that I’m losing circa 2 months worth of riding from this year, what is the best way to get good quickly so I can enjoy a fabulous riding summer?! Some good hacking in particular.

I guess more lessons is the answer but it’s both me and my son who will be riding and the costs will quickly escalate I may start us off with lessons twice a week to make up for the last two months but not sure I want to continue that for too long. I know my riding school does loans so I’m hoping they might let us loan a couple of days a week by early summer say June time. I’m not sure how experienced they expect loaners to be and I feel too silly to ask yet, with me being effectively a complete novice

Am doing core exercises in the meantime! But really I’m just getting desperate for them to re-open.

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