Starting riding lessons today. Any tips?

[esoryelneh]

Morning all!

I used to ride at pony club when I was a child hobby and not much more. Im now 28.

I booked a virgin experience day a few weeks ago for a 2 hour hack around Windsor castle grounds and it was just beautiful and gave me the itch to start riding again. I'm pretty out of touch, took me a few goes but got the rising trot after a few goes and did a very very short canter towards the end once I thought I felt comfortable but only managed a few strides as I didn't feel as confident doing that in the end, so looking to build up again.

I have my first 121 lesson today and I'm very excited. I've done minimal exercise since DD was born (18 months) and want to get my fitness up and get back into it.

Does anyone have any tips? After I've been for a few lessons and if I get on with it I will probably buy my own hat. I'm just a bit nervous! I've never touch wood been thrown off a horse, and for some reason this time it's quite a big fear of mine. Not enough to stop me getting on but it does stay in my mind and I'm always looking for signs that it's about to happen!

If anyone has any advice or tips please let me know. Thank you :)

As hard as it sounds, and it goes against all your natural instincts, but relax and don't grip with your knees, as this is what will cause you to bounce and fall off!

Probably does go against instinct but makes perfect sense. Thank you! Will bare in mind

Good luck!
Falling off is part and parcel of it but is u likely to happen in a novices lesson. Try and relax and don’t run before you can walk. If your instructor thinks your best just in walk and trot for a while to sure up your sea, they are the expert and it will be worth it in the long run.
Id recommend getting a hat sooner rather than later so it properly fits.

I restarted after a 10 year break - relax and enjoy it comes back very quickly.

Im also very jealous. I’ve got 3 stone to lose before I’d consider getting back on a horse.

I used to love riding when I was young. Stupidly I thought I could just get back on where I left off, I went on hack with sil. Terrifying. I might look into 121 lessons

Have fun! Remember to breathe out - singing can help . Lunge lessons are amazing for developing your seat, especially with no stirrups and/or no reins. At some point you probably will fall off but it will probably be fine .. tensing up will make it more likely to happen, so breathe out and relax into the saddle.

You will ache in muscles you didn’t know you had - Epsom salts baths are good. Plus do as much as you can to improve your general fitness and core strength as that will make riding much easier.

Ler us know how you get on 😊

Thank you all so much! I had my lesson and I ache already! Thank you to PP to mentioned Epsom salts. We got some recently as a moving present so I'm going to have a soak tonight.

I was probably a bit more nervous than I thought I would be. When I went on the hack I wasn't too bad and that was a month ago (first time in years I've ridden) but I was more nervous in todays lesson but I'm so glad I did it. It was a group lesson and there were 2 others in my sort of area and others who were a lot more advanced. I spent most of the time trotting and walking over jumps (poles on the floor) and I was put on a big horse (16.3hh)

I know it's not massive but the biggest horse I've ever ridden and I think it got my nerves up a bit. So I'm going to book a block of 121s and go from there.

I thought I'd booked a 121 today (I booked it after a few Gins last weekend) and evidently booked a group silly me!

Yeah I'm a big fan of group lessons in general but def think starting off with some privates will help if you are a bit nervous, that way you remove some of the variables (the other horses and riders!), get the instructors full attention and can just go at your own pace. Jumps - or even trot poles - sound a bit advanced for your first 'real' time back but cudos to you for doing it anyway, well done! I'd maybe ask if your instructor can put you on a lunge line for a few lessons so you don't have to worry about what the horse is doing at all and can really focus on your position and balance and get the foundations nailed, then you can go on to groups/hacks/whatever you fancy really! Your muscles will ache for a while after, yoga or pilates can help a bit as an 'on the ground' activity, my pilates teacher is actually a rider too so runs special ground-based 'equi-pilates' classes which are a great help to those of us that are old and creaky 😁

@maxelly thank you! I've messaged the teacher and booked 3 private lessons, she mentioned doing the first couple on the lunge line. I've forgotten how different each individual horse is to ride too. The one I rode yesterday was very wobbly but it's probably my balance as I'm so out of touch.

I ache today! Had a bath last night with some salts which helped a bit.
Ive literally started in the last couple of weeks getting into yoga again, just at home so nothing fancy. I'll look on YouTube and see if there are any riding yoga videos that's a really good idea. I'm a good weight just need to up my fitness a bit so hoping the two together will do that. My stomach is a little weak after C section and multiple abdo surgeries in the last few years so I really want to work on that.

I've got 2 private lessons booked for Monday and Wednesday next week and a semi private for next Saturday (me and one other) so excited to get back into it and for the nerves to slowly go so I can really enjoy it again!

personally I’d be a bit wary of this school… im
amazed that any school would let someone who has ridden once in the last age go into a group, they shouldn’t have let you book it really, and if they had, when you turned up should have said oh woops you need an assessment lesson before you do anything else, let’s get you rebooked. Sounds like they were happy to take your money without any real regard for your safety or enjoyment. Any good riding school would and should insist on an assessment lesson before anything else

You've made a good point.

I did think I'd booked a single lesson but there was 8 of us in the school arena. The horse was a big horse for me and I was a bit wobbly. I asked the teacher if that horse was suitable and she said he was a gentle giant who can be a bit stubborn. I did lots of elk and trot but I did feel a bit uncomfortable as she had no idea of my ability. I filled in a form online first with my ability and when I last rode etc. i went into the room with all the hats and boots and picked my own which thought that fit, she said just to make sure it's tight enough but I can wiggle my eyebrows. It was a good lesson but I didn't learn anything I just sort of went along with what's going on. I'll give the first 121 lesson a go and see how I feel after that but it put into perspective how much i needed 121 as I was very rusty and I really want to go back to basics and start again

Do some thoracic spine stretches from YouTube videos and wear comfy pants :D

I’d get your own hat now, properly fitted.
Relax and grip with your lower calves not your knees.
Sit tall, sit on your pockets, tits up 😀

I restarted at 49 after a 20 year gap, am now 54 with my own horse and life is amazing. Have FUN!

No advice as I'm not a horsey person but we'll done on start g a new hobby.

I bought my mum (and daughter) a course of riding lessons for Christmas last year, my mum was really worried as she hadn't been on a horse for 40 years. By the end of the 1st lesson she was sore but loved it and by the end of the 6 weeks she was cantering along the beach on the last session. It was really lovely, she had had a really tough year and it really returned her to her youth.