Beginner help needed! Silly question!

[cheeseisthebest]

Hi, so I've started learning to ride, had a few lessons. It's much harder than I thought it would be and doesn't come instinctively to me at all. I keep using the rein when I should be using my feet. Hopefully it will start to fall into place!

But my question is how do I build a relationship with the horse? I know that might sound silly cos it's obvious but I guess I just feel a bit nervous? I've ridden the same horse and he's lovely, quite old, I talk to him and praise, anything else?

@ohgawdnowivedoneit ''Oddly I'm the opposite. I never wanted to pay for an hour's lesson and approx fifteen minutes of that was spent getting ready for the lesson.I just wanted to be on the horse for as long as possible.''

I usually arrive 10/15 minutes before the lesson starts (the stables I use ask riders to come in at least 15 minutes before start time anyway to make sure you are all geared up) so I use that time to check what horse I have been allocated and do the introduction/scratching/rubbing/brushing.

Learning how to lead your horse from the ground and how to tack/untack seems to me to be important in general and also if you aim to do hacks. You might need to get off at some point and have to lead the horse from the ground if it I refusing to cross a bridge or something. Also learning how to adjust stirrups, girth on and off the horse makes me feel safer. Anyway for me it is just part of learning.

I don't have my own horse so the riding school is where I can learn the various aspects of horse care.

Also carrying saddles around the school and putting the tack equipment back in the storage room has helped me build my muscles :). I could barely lift and carry a saddle when I started!

Putting saddle onto higher pegs is the hardest exercise I do! Also taking a saddle off a taller horse (I'm pretty short)