Adult new or returning riders up for a chat?

[Hereforthedramaz]

I have recently returned to riding after a very long gap.

I was a very casual rider as an early teen, happy hacking on plodding ponies rather than technical riding. I am thoroughly enjoying having proper lessons now.

I thought it might be nice to chat with other newbies or returners, all non-horsey people in my life and there is only so much they want to talk about it!!!

Also the stables I'm going to is so lovely and welcoming but, in their own words, aimed almost entirely at 8-12 year olds so it would be nice to talk to some adults!

Hi everyone, hope you're all enjoying the bank holiday weekend 

Sounds like everyone is doing brilliantly here! I now have my first lesson booked for Thursday afternoon. I'm nervous but excited! And hoping I'll be able to find the place very grateful to this thread for helping to encourage me to take the plunge.

Where do you all get your gear from - boots/hats/clothing? I've been tentatively browsing online so that if I enjoy it on Thursday and want to keep it up, I can treat myself to all the kit I need.

@Allthegoodnamestakken exciting getting to know a new horse in preparation for some jumping! I love the idea of "switching off" mentally while you just focus on riding each week. Sounds like just what I need.

@Therunecaster wow that sounds amazing! What a great idea, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress over the week.

I was lucky and got all the kit I needed boots, jodhpurs and stick for 20 quid of FB market place. I've since bought a hat but that's it.

I have had such a lovely week hanging around the yard. I'm one of the regulars now and I just love it.

@bombombo other than a helmet I've got a lot of my stuff from Vinted. Amazing what new stuff people are selling!

I've only bought a couple of pairs of jodhpurs and some boots, otherwise I wear sporty clothes. I do spend a lot of time browsing secondhand riding stuff but trying very hard to resist!

The school will almost certainly loan you a hat for a while, mine recommended somewhere to go to get a helmet fitted and had a good guide of what would meet their insurance requirements.

As it happened they weren't happy with the fit so I went for an adjustable one.

I hope your first lesson goes brilliantly.

I definitely get the in the moment feeling when riding, no worrying or thinking about anything else at all. It's amazing.

@bombombo Decathlon does good quality cheap riding gear.

The one thing you should never scrimp on is your hat. Get it fitted and go for the best brand that you can afford. Doesn't matter what it looks like 🪖⛑ and if you're hacking out get some decent hi viz.

I've found anything that says 'equestrian' is more expensive than even a cycling high viz but whatever you get make sure it fits over any body protector or coat you might wear.

Lovely to see how you are all doing. I didn't ride this week due to some weird arm/shoulder pain which would have made things difficult. Still got my pony fix through DD! But hopefully can make my lesson on Tuesday.

Love reading about all these horsey filled moments!
It must be nearly autumn because I'm really starting to yearn to ride again. I haven't ridden since i had a quick sit on my friend's enormous beast, but hope to do it again soon. Have family staying for a while but after that I intend to get going
My british horse society magazine arrived yesterday so I had my nose in that all evening.
I'm attempting to get a bit fitter in preparation. Stretches every morning at min, and pushing heavy wheelbarrow around from poo picking the fields feels a bit like a workout.

Hi I hope you don’t mind me joining in. I started riding again last year as a 50th birthday present to myself and absolutely love it. I had some sad news from the riding school today that one of the horses I used to ride fairly regularly has had to be pts. She had cellulitis in her leg and they just couldn’t get her sound again. I know they did their best for her but I’m so upset. Horses eh? They can cause us such heartache.

@Therunecaster that sounds like a perfect week off, well done on the progress!
@bombombo Good luck with the lesson! I have picked bits up from all over, I had a hat as I never fully gave up riding its just been once or twice a year hacking for the past 10 years rather than lessons. I got some lovely ariat boots from a charity shop, I bought some chaps in decathlon but i'm not hugely impressed with the quality so I would approach their stuff with caution. The fabric is starting to wear down and rip after only 6 lessons. I also recently treated myself to a pair of jodphurs and some tops from the derby house online sale, one of them was an ariat sunstopper which I have been loving might not be so useful in the UK but i'm abroad where the UV index rarely goes below 9 even on cold days so its nice having something cool enough to ride in without getting burnt

@Tupperwarelid

How is your return to riding going? Have you got a riding target in mind?

Sorry to hear about the riding school horse, it's hard not to feel a bond with a horse you see and ride frequently.

@Hereforthedramaz I'm mainly hacking at the moment as I know once I go back to work (work in a school) and the nights start drawing in my opportunities will be more limited.

Lesson wise I've been working on basic dressage test moves, canter circles etc and started doing a bit of pole work. So far I have "jumped" 2 cross poles that were so low the horse actually just trotted over them but it's a start!

I'd like to be able to pop over some bigger jumps at some point and maybe take part in the riding school dressage competitions that they do once a month. But like most people here it's just an hour a week for me to totally switch off and do something I love before I go back into the real world!

@Tupperwarelid so sorry about the horse that was pts. Breaks a piece off your heart every time!
I have recently come across a RS that looks good, and hope to book an assessment lesson there for September (it's compulsory, which i like, rather than throwing horses and humans in at the deep end!)

I am jealous of all you people here, I would love to learn to ride but can't really afford it :( I did a bit of casual riding with a friend who had a pony on loan when I was about 15. I had a few group "lessons" with a very old school teacher (I suppose it was a LONG time ago)! I have been on some rides whilst on holiday over the years. I love horses and as I am now over 50, feel like I need some lessons so I know what I am doing! And then go on some more holiday rides...it's just the cost :(. Something to aim for one day. Have fun all you new and returning riders :)

Hi @mrsrobin

The cost is eye watering isn't it!?

Still expensive by comparison I realise but have you looked at riding holidays in the UK? I've booked one in Cumbria in the autumn.

It's still not a cheap way to spend a few days but I'm staying in a nearby holiday chalet I found on air bnb.

It sounds like a nice thing to do but with my "experience" I don't know if I could join one. I would love to - I might look into it! Thanks for the tip x

@mrsrobin the cost is really something, its a real stretch for me to afford lessons and I put them off for a long time because of that. Even now I am stretching my 10 pre-paid lessons out over 5 months because I can't afford weekly. I mainly let DH talk me into it by telling me I should keep the skill up now while I could still do all the paces and jump badly rather than leave it another 10 years and have to pretty much learn from scratch.
Could you afford a couple of lessons over winter? even if its just once a month or so that way next summer you might be able to more confidently join UK day rides.
No horsey plans for me until mid september but I have found a beach ride place near where we are on holidaying in a couple of weeks and am trying to cram it into my already very crammed schedule as we are only in that area for 2 days

Thanks for your thoughts - yes maybe I could have a monthly lesson - better than nothing I guess. I don't really know how to find a nice school that accommodates adults - I will have an investigation. Do you know what I should be looking for in a school?

I'm finding it eye watering too, so plan to do just a lesson here and there. Once a week is definitely out. Have booked my assessment lesson which is £30 for half an hour. Looking forward to it though!

I do worry about being able to justify it in the future, especially with the cost of everything else rising so quickly!

Sadly it's a true luxury that will be slightly hard to justify.

I like the way my school is quite casual, I text her in the week to confirm a slot, means I'm not tied in if things are suddenly a bit tight that week!

You’re all right it is so expensive. If (when) things get tight finance wise I will probably drop to fortnightly lessons.

It's so expensive. It's so good for my mental health so it will be the last thing for me to cut back on if needed

@mrsrobin there was a discussion on finding a good school a couple of pages ago 🙂
@Hereforthedramaz my school is thankfully the same, as its all private lessons theirs no need to commit to a group weekly so I just text in the week and she tells me what slots are available. A lot of the riders have regular timeslots but so far they've always managed to fit me in.
I'm not in the UK but pay the equivalent of £40 for a 30 minute lesson but anyone that can ride well enough is allowed to warm their horse up before and cool down for mins after in the small arena or on the trail so it ends up being more like an hours riding total. I did have to pay for 10 lessons up front though. Current plan is to drag my remaining 5 out until December and then hopefully put my Christmas bonus towards another block of 10.

Oh was there? Thank you - I will have a look :)

I agree that the cost of lessons is eye watering. I feel a bit frivolous starting it on mat leave but, like DH says, I don't go out drinking etc or do any other hobbies, so why not spend money on doing something I enjoy.

I am quite nervous for my first lesson in about 15 years tomorrow!! and about getting there because I have no idea where I'm going and it's in the middle of nowhere

Good luck on your lesson Bom - maybe it's like riding a bike (if you knew how to in the first place)! If you can actually afford it and you don't spend on any other hobbies then why not :)

@bombombo I really do think it's like riding a bike, it all comes back as muscle memory.

My issue is I was never taught to do it properly!

Also I think being relaxed and comfortable around horses and yards (within reason) goes a long way. You'll be great!