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!

Best view in the world @LikeAnOldFriend !

Can I recommend a FB page: think its called between the horse's ears or something similar (can't check as no longer have FB)
It's an international group, well moderated and people post the most outstanding views from between their horse's ears.

Just wanted to share photos of these two beauties that I have ridden recently

What lovely faces @DrHildegardeLanstrom 😍

@DrHildegardeLanstrom Are those Tommy and Nessa? 😀 (I think we previously established our kids were in the same riding school.) We very nearly bought Nessa a year ago and Tommy is amazing according to my daughter's friend. He's her favourite. She always chooses to ride him when she can. We are at a different riding school now though.

Well spotted! Yes that is them, they are my current favourites to ride.

I had another lovely hack in the sunshine yesterday and had my first canter in an open space. We normally canter along the tracks in the forest so cantering across a field with three other horses was a very different experience and ridiculously good fun 🤩

Lucky you! The ground is far too hard here for any cantering

@LikeAnOldFriend What a sweetheart

We can’t canter in all the normal places but the soil around here is sandy and doesn’t get as compacted as elsewhere, so yes, we’re lucky!

Having another private lesson today and actually feeling really nervous. Wishing I hadn't invited DH to watch incase I am awful. Which is really silly as DH thinks it's amazing I can go faster than walk, I've dragged him on a couple of trail rides, on the last one he trotted and reported to me that we must've been practically galloping it felt so fast 😂.
I've always been useless at riding with an audience it's why one of my main goals is a little show

@Allthegoodnamestakken What a good goal! Does your stables do little shows for their riders?

Hope you enjoy your lesson today.

This morning feels absolutely perfect for a leisurely hack, very envious of people with horsey access to pop out!

@Hereforthedramaz they do but usually around easter time if its not to wet and early June. The stables main client base are expats so its very quite over summer holidays and christmas. Hoping by next year I will be brave enough to enter one.
I actually had a really lovely lesson, we worked on me not over riding and instead asking firmly for what I want and then relaxing and letting the horse do it. Got some really nice relaxed trot work at the end which felt great. The horse I am riding is also used for children to learn on (ponies are hard to find here) so although she is very well schooled and can carry herself, do basic dressage moves etc. she is quite happy to plod along in slow motion falling over her own feet unless asked very correctly. Once the instructor explained this to me and pointed out I am being far to nice by asking gently 100 times instead of firmly but correctly once I felt a real difference in how she worked.
Disclaimer by firmly I mean strong legs and a little tickle with the whip if needed, not kicking and hitting I don't want anyone thinking my lovely instructor is advocating horse abuse.

Just catching up on this thread. It’s definitely making me want to ride again so I’m working hard on the diet and fitness!
@Therunecaster I used to ride a horse I was scared of on the ground ( to start with anyway). He was a ‘biter and chewer’ but apparently ‘he was only playing’ 😬 When I started , if I was walking into the school with him to my right I’d hold the reins in my left hand and with my right hand I’d be pushing him as far away from me as possible! He’d always turn round and try and bite my knee when I was tightening the girth too, every time! He had a strong head but the instructors knew him well and were very patient with me. It took me a long time to gain my confidence with him, both riding and on the ground but I did eventually. Once I relaxed around him he also relaxed and became much easier to ride. Even then though he was a very uncomfortable ride with a fast trot and an awful jarring canter though!!!
I meant to post this a reassurance that it will get better after a bad lesson and that all horses are different. It’s instead made me feel all nostalgic thinking about that grumpy 15’2 grey part arab cross I learnt to ride ( and fall off ) . He was a riding school horse but by the time I started he knew all the tricks ( hence the knee biting) . When he wanted to work he was an angel, when he didn’t …Other than his awful canter and biting his big vice was jumps- he’d either stop dead in front of them ( ejecting me) or leap them from a stand still then gallop at full pelt afterwards ( ejecting me) !
It was actually much easier when my riding progressed and I was allowed on the less ‘schooled’ horses who actually had better manners!

What a lovely thread!

I'm mid 40s and never ridden a horse in my life but always wanted to and have my first lesson booked tomorrow!

Really looking forward to it but slightly nervous having read the biter/ chewer comments! Fingers crossed 😬🤞

@edebedeboo how exciting! Have a brilliant time and let us know how you get on!

edebedeboo well done for booking a lesson! It's been so hot here the last week that I've not ridden. It's hopefully cooling down tomorrow. Can't wait to get out

Had a really lovely lesson yesterday, spent it focusing on canter transitions and asking for both the correct and wrong leg. Asking for the wrong leg intentionally really helped me figure out what I needed to be doing to get the right one which was great so feel like some progress had been made. Finished off with a 30 minute hack which was also lovely.
Hope everyone's had their horsey fill this weekend

@edebedeboo have fun! Let us know how you get on. And get some Epsom salts for the obligatory post-ride bath 😉

@Allthegoodnamestakken that sounds like it was a really productive session

I did a musical ride session on Friday which was great - I was on a chunky 13.2 mini cob who was thoroughly enjoying himself but we were on the outside of a couple of formations so he had to walk and trot extremely fast to keep up! Then today I had the other end of the scale for a lovely long woodland hack - a 16.2 Irish draught who was gorgeous although he obviously felt very different from the mini cob. The only times I noticed how tall he was were when I got off and at the point where I’d normally meet the ground I was still going 😂 and then having to reach up to untack him.

I have name changed from upthread - I've just booked a private lesson for tomorrow to focus on canter transitions, thanks for the inspiration @Allthegoodnamestakken

Hope everybody had a lovely weekend, and enjoyed your time out on the horses if you managed to get out.

Really enjoyed my lesson, have booked an individual lesson in a couple of weeks when I am back from my hols. He seemed huuuge! 16.2hh Irish, a little bit stubborn but a funny character. Looking forward to my next lesson 😀.

Can I join? Same as most of you... 40s. Used to ride as to ride as teenager. Returned about 2 or 3 years ago.

I bought an ex racer about 18 mths ago. We didn't get on. Sold him to a young girl at the yard. Did lessons for about 6 months and then... bought a 4 year old cob. I really REALLY didn't mean to buy a 4 year old. But I fell completely and utterly in love with him. I love his personality. We GET each other. On the ground I could spend an eternity scratching his belly and chatting to him. He even rests his head on my shoulder and snoozes. He is like a giant dog.

But... riding a green young horse! Ive fallen off him twice. Nothing nasty. Just spooking at his own shadow and me not being ready. Im lucky that I bought him off the breeder and I keep him there. They are amazing. LOADS of support.

Some days I wish Id bought a 20 year old needing a quieter life. But then the baby horse follows me around the field while Im poo picking and neighs at me when Im leaving and I know no matter what happens, hes mine and Im his.

Riding wise - Im alright... fairly balanced (except when falling off obvs). Not going to win any prizes but Im not terrible. Just hoping I don t seriously hurt myself before baby horse has settled in himself.

He sounds lovely @BeardyButton !
I rode this beauty today

Beautiful. Arent horses just the best!

@DuaneDibbley hope the lesson went well! That's a beautiful horse I have a soft spot for pie/skewbalds we just don't get them here as most horses are ex racers or polo ponies.
@BeardyButton welcome, your boy sounds so sweet following you round. I hope you both figure everything out without any injuries.

Well yesterday was very exciting - I had my first ever hack on my daughters old horse who’s been in rehab for more than 18 months. The vague plan has been that if he got better then he’d become my horse but until my daughter had seen me ride him the jury was out as to whether or not it would work.

He is exceptionally responsive even for a privately owned horse (but thankfully not hot or strong) so basically you just have to think what you want him to do and back it up with the tiniest amount of leg. Bearing in mind I’ve been on riding school horses for the last year and even the most responsive of them has been only a fraction of DHorse’s responsiveness so my daughter was a bit worried about how I’d manage.

When I got on him I think DHorse was a bit confused as for years I have been Carrot Lady - I groom him, do in-hand stuff with him, and give him treats. Our first transition into trot was a mess 😳 I knew I didn’t need to squeeze much but I still did too much and DHorse launched into a horrid, rushed, choppy trot - I tensed up, my hands came up and my daughter was thinking oh god … but .,. I got myself together, managed to relax and DHorse and I started to work each other out. Our next trot transition was much smoother and he started stretching out. It was amazing being able to halt him and get him going again just from my seat!

My daughter was instructing me on the hack so we were doing serpentines across the track, starting leg yield, varying the pace in walk etc - it was great. She thinks we looked very comfortable together by the end so she thinks the plan will work 😊