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!

Phewf, todays lesson was hard! Same horse, different instructor. She had me do a lot of trot to walk transitions because, quite frankly, I suck at it! I have got to get my core strength up a bit as I'm finding that I shoot forwards and struggle to hold the upright when the horse slows to walk. Wish I could afford more than one lesson a month.

Sadly pony wasn’t right for me … lovely pony but just too young/green and surprisingly uncomfortable to ride 😕

Ah really sorry to hear that @Pleasedontdothat have you seen any other options around you are considering?

@LadyFlumpalot nothing has made me realise my core needs strengthening quite like riding!

That’s a shame @Pleasedontdothat . Hope you have better luck in your search.

I’ve given notice on my part loan. I’m not as sad as I would expect because Horse has been so unwilling. I have auditioned another riding school and will have some more lessons. In a way it comes at a good time as I need to increase my work hours due to cost of living increases.

@Pleasedontdothat sorry to hear but good luck with searching! And you too @Gremlinsateit but glad you feel ok about it and hope you enjoy lessons.

Had my first lesson today in over two decades! Went really well, I just loved being back with a view between two lovely ears again! Lots to work on but was less daunting than I thought it would be.

Rode a beautiful cob who was so similar to my own boy and very kind to me! And really enjoyed it. Wasn't sure how often I'd go but planning to do a short lesson every 2 weeks as I'd really love to keep it up. Glad to have finally joined in the return to riding! (Though was my first time riding at all since end of last summer-ish, was a 25 min lesson and my legs are soo sore!! Out of practice!! )

As weather gets better have also been really enjoying walks on the leadrope with my boy too, and tonight we were out til 6pm in light!!! Very glad to see spring coming.

Hope you're all having a good weekend xx

Thinking of starting as a complete new rider novice.

Think the local place does 45m group sessions for around £45 - does that sound about right?

Not sure what to expect or how fit you need to be and what muscles / aches to expect.

Hiya, that price sounds about right to me. I have a half hour private lesson for £37 - but I'm in the arse end of Somerset on a small yard.

Aches and pains - arse, seat and inner thighs will give you grief for a couple of days at first. Possibly your back. It helps to be reasonably fit, I have an old hip/back injury and I can definitely feel it after riding.

Have fun, and be warned, it's a wonderful but consuming hobby!

That sounds about right price wise but I would expect a complete beginner to have a few private lessons before going into a group, and that would be more money. It is an extremely physical activity and if you've never ridden before then yes there will definitely be aches and pains.
When looking for a suitable school make sure it is BHS approved as this ensures the correct insurance is in place and that good horse welfare practices are followed.

@yawningmorning
Similar-ish to what I pay in South East, £35 for all lessons which are 1/2 hour solo, 45mins paired or hour group.

As pp have said private would be best for your first few lessons.

Have you booked in?

Very excited for you starting riding from scratch! You are going to love it.

if you are anything like me you'll come home having loved it and get a bit carried away with getting riding stuff! Other than getting a compliant hat and getting it fitted, I'd recommend going cheap and or secondhand with most riding gear, there is a lot around.

@Pleasedontdothat how is your horse search going?

@Hereforthedramaz Horse search has rather stalled - the only ones I vaguely want to see are either at the opposite end of the country or are mares - any new horse will need to live mostly out with two chilled retired geldings so I’m not sure if I want the potential drama a mare could bring.

I also want something that’s rather better schooled than most hacking/low-level dressage horses seem to be. The way I ride is apparently very neat and subtle (according to various instructors and my daughter) and I don’t want a horse that I have to nag all the time, but I’m not good enough yet to be able to do that schooling myself.

I’m not in a hurry as I want this to be the right horse but equally I’m not getting any younger and realistically my riding time is going to be less than for a younger person so I’d love to have something I can start having fun with over the summer.

@Pleasedontdothat you must have to be so patient to find the right fit!

The mare element is hard too, even in my school the 3 mares have to be factored into everything for the docile geldings! My lesson this weekend was entirely different with one of the mares in there!

Give me a nice gentleman any day!

Do any of you wear body protectors?

Not particularly because I'm doing anything more dangerous than a canter around the school, but chatting to a fellow adult learner and she thought a protester actually helped with posture.

I know I round my back and shoulders (Pilates is really helping)

Anyone else found this?

I'm also aware that falling in my late 30s will not be the same as the last time a fell as a teen so a protector can only be a good thing too.

Try falling in your late 50s 😬

I haven’t heard that a body protector helps your position - most riders say it gets in the way and you have to get used to it. However I think I’m going to get one for hacking etc

i always wear a protector. I feel happier with it. I fell off a couple of months ago and really bruised my ribs so I think it would have been worse without it. Not convinced it helps posture at all—if anything it’s the opposite. It’s fine during the winter, but it’s awful wearing one in the summer!

Thanks both.

I suspect in that case she is a one off in terms of helping her posture.

I may still get one, having seen a lady on a mare who did a tiny buck (having been startled by the other mare in the lesson while the geldings just lazily looked confused) nearly fall off I suspect getting one would be sensible.

Did you get them properly fitted like a hat?

I don't wear a body protector, while I'd like the protection they offer I find they really restrict my movement and I get so hot and uncomfortable my riding suffers.
I am still plugging away at working on schooling, getting the horse on a contact, transitions, circles etc. Hoping to eventually get to something a bit more exciting so perhaps I'll want a body protector then.

I started wearing one after I had a fall - I thought it was a bit of insurance. They are mostly to protect your main internal organs. Yes, you get them fitted. I’m not a terrific rider but it doesn’t seem to affect my posture badly.

@yawningmorning i started to learn from scratch summer of 2021. Started with privates had a break after 6 months or so due to finances and the yard putting their half hour privates up to £54! Restarted the following May time on a beginners group which was 45 mins for £38 as during the daytime (off peak). The group lesson was ok but I found it difficult to progress as the instructor changed to a more junior instructor and lots of different people in and out of the lesson. Learning canter by riding to the back of the ride gave me the fear and it’s been down hill since. I stopped riding at the end of December as group lessons with winter horses was too unpredictable for me!! So my advice - get a really good instructor who knows how to teach adults. It’s not the same as teaching children. Adults have more fear!! On the body aches side really depends how fit you are. I started in my late 40s and some sessions made me ache more than others. I’d still love to go back to it but finances are a barrier for the amount of tuition I need. Good luck and enjoy.

I’ve got a lesson this afternoon and I’m bricking it. I’m getting so frustrated by my nerves that are ruining something that I absolutely love doing. I’m on the verge of walking away completely.

I should have asked-does anyone have ideas on how to conquer the nerves?

Hi @theferry this is currently my specialist subject 😬. I had a nasty fall a few months ago and ended up in hospital for a week with several broken vertebrae and ribs. I started lessons at a riding school a few weeks ago and had been surprised at how unworried I felt … until last week when I tried cantering for the first time since my accident. It didn’t help that the atmosphere was quite chaotic around the arena with ponies breaking through fences and the pony I was on had already done a couple of big sideways spooks (which I’d sat with no problem). However when I asked for canter I just froze - got a few strides on one rein but wasn’t committed so he dropped back into trot and then I was getting frustrated, he was on his toes because of what was happening outside the arena and after a bit more over dramatic spooking I decided to call it a day and hopped off.

Having thought about it a lot, I think I’m worried about being out of control - my fall happened when I got tanked off with in a very large arena and I had no brakes. The broken bones were unlucky because if I’d come off a few seconds earlier I’d have landed on the floor and just have been a bit bruised and winded. It is very frustrating because this time last year I was happily cantering in lessons and out on hacks and thoroughly enjoying it.

My plan is to break things down into very small chunks and to make sure my position etc are as good as they can be before moving on. Essentially I want to be so bored with just trotting that cantering comes naturally rather than it being a big deal. Several people have recommended Karl Greenwood’s book on rider confidence and some of the techniques are useful but his main takeaway is that riding is very safe and people are only nervous because others tell them it’s dangerous which doesn’t really work when you actually have had what could have been a very serious accident 🤷‍♀️

@theferry my advice would be go back to your comfort zone stay in it for a couple of lessons and the edge out of it again. I would love to do this but my finances or the cost of riding is what is stopping me. It’s very difficult to learn or progress in a fear state of mind.

@Pleasedontdothat sounds excellent advice and I agree with the fear being down to control. I worked through initial oh my god I’m on a horse, and oh my god it’s moving, to get comfortable in walk and trot. And still am. However after being tanked to the back of the ride on more than one occasion the lack of control has currently got me particularly as one of the horses I was on took it on themselves to canter when I was quite happy in trot!! So not even trot was safe!!! I did have a canter lunge lesson which was really helpful as all I had to work on was position and I hope I will go back to it or just safe pony trekking but for now sympathise with others on here.

I started riding a couple of years ago as a beginner.

Just had a break for a few months due to a relocation but I am about to have my first lesson at a new riding school this week.

Very, very nervous but also excited as I am realising I have missed the hairy monsters...

The bonus is that I moved out of London to a cheaper area in Kent so the private lessons will be much more affordable and the school also offers hacks!!

@cakeforme ''as one of the horses I was on took it on themselves to canter when I was quite happy in trot!! So not even trot was safe!!''

That was my first experience of cantering...I was in a group lesson and my horse just decided that a trot was not enough and just started cantering.

It is interesting to read about people's nerves as I have had this issue on and off. I find that for me it is very much dependent on the horse. Some horses I will be able to ride with no issue or fear, others just make me nervous from the start. It did not help that I had some really dismissive instructors who don't seem to get that teaching adults is very different from teaching fearless kids.

@Greenfairydust hope your first lesson goes well!

I had such a lovely lesson at the weekend, finally feel like its all starting to click and make sense again and that I am actually riding rather than being a wobbly sack of potatoes.