Intensive Lessons

[Lesina]

Hi all, I am an adult returner riding at intermediate level after a considerable time out of the saddle. Have been having a few lessons but had a really freaky accident 3 weeks ago, resulting in a broken collarbone and a few fractured ribs.

When all this heals I am keen to get back on board but don’t really want to start up with the laborious ‘one lesson a week’ process.

Does anyone know of an equestrian centre were I could go for maybe a week to take intensive lessons? Years and years ago there was one up in Mold on the welsh border but that is long gone. I went up there a few times and found the 2 x2 hour lessons per day very useful. Looking for something similar to try to get me back up to speed.

Any ideas?

Hi from a fellow adult returner who also had a freak accident resulting in broken bones! I started riding three months after my accident but don’t underestimate how much you will ache after the first couple of lessons - it’s not as bad as when you first start as your muscles ‘remember’ what to do much more quickly but I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to go straight into riding several days on the trot (sorry for terrible pun). I also wouldn’t have got much out of a long lesson at first as even towards the end of a half hour lesson I’d get tired and found everything much trickier.

After the first few weeks, I started doing two lessons a week and have now added a two hour hack some weeks when I can. The riding school I was at before we moved did ‘adult pony camp’ which was brilliant - 3 days with a flat work and jumping lesson each day along with stable management stuff. Depending on your level and where you are, places like Talland and Wellington could put together a package of lessons over a few days for you (at a price). However I think you’d get much more out of something like that if you’d got the initial returning to the saddle soreness out of the way first. I’ve also been doing a rider-specific exercise programme which has been fantastic at improving my stability and balance in the saddle so would recommend something like that too.

@Pleasedontdothat thanks so much for the reply, yes probably worth thinking about likely soreness in the initial phase back… good shout.

The rider specific exercise programme, can I ask where you got this? Are you working with a PT? I know if my balance was better the fall probably would have happened. :(

Talland or Ingestre would be worth a try for a course of lessons

@Lesina I’ve been doing the ‘Activate your Seat’ programme - my iPad’s playing up so it’s not letting me do a link but the physio who runs it, Maeve Sheridan, is very active on Facebook and Instagram and posts lots of helpful tips and extra exercises

I would suggest talland.

@Pleasedontdothat Thanks so much, just found her online. Looks excellent.

The Activate your Seat programme is good but would really recommend pirates and preferable equipilates as this is all about releasing areas of tension and teaching you how your body impacts on the horse eg if you are wonky then the horse will never be straight either etc and most people are very wonky. You can also link this to TESTT and have a biomechanics assessment to really get into the nitty gritty of your body.

Ingestre! Amazing horses and coaches, really brought me on when I did a week there.

@twistyizzy I’ve done Pilates and equi-Pilates and tbh find the activate your seat programme more useful as it’s very targeted - the extra exercises she puts up every week are fab too. Different approaches work for different people 😊

Whereas I find the equipilates more beneficial as the teacher is also a riding instructor and dressage judge so we are very targeted in our approach and it is very holistic 😁

I prefer "the aligned rider academy" which is Meg Parkinson, she does equi-stretch which is pilates based plus ridden exercises, yoga, balance board and mindset stuff.

Her general page on Instagram is worth a follow even if you don't do her paid classes. I follow Lyndsey Wilcox - Reid of equipilates and activate your seat plus Karzan Hughes on Instagram as they are all helpful for learning.

You mention Mold so you can’t be far from me. Have a look at Horses In Harmony about 20 mins away. They do horse ‘holidays’ which can include lots of lessons from the resident Grand Prix rider plus escorted rides to the beach, etc.
They can also provide accommodation for you & your horse.