Advice please!

[brendanlindsay]

Hey everyone,
Just had my second lesson and I'm having a bit of trouble hoped you guys could help. Basically I'm finding it difficult to keep my horse in trot. My lesson is quite late on in the day so i guess Mollie is quite tired! When i start Mollie trotting I'm trying to work on the rising trot which i am doing fairly well at but i'm finding it really hard to keep her going. Also i find it difficult to stop her going in off the track. I'm having trouble trying to do all three things at the same time. How do you use your legs for rising trot, and use them to keep her in trot, and to make sure she stays on the track?!?

Thanks brendan

[teabiscuit]

is it possible to get a lunge lesson, so the instructor controls the horse and you can work on your rising trot without haveing to co ordinate everything else?

that is really tough to do, learn rising trot and control the horse at the same time, i'm impressed that you manage anything at all its so tough

just half an hour on the lunge will do you the world of good in the rising trot department

[Nazdaq]

I am still learning how to do everything at the same time as well, I have to really focus then I can do it! Keeping her going wise, its just a case of nudging with your legs every time you sit into the saddle. Keeping her on the track can be done by squeezing the rein nearest the wall more or less constantly while trotting. It depends on the particular pony as to how hard you have to nudge with your legs or squeeze the reins so I can't tell you that. Other then that I would just say practice makes perfect. I am still working on it now and have good days and bad days, and I'm sure you will as well, so when you have a bad day try to ignore it, and when you have a good day, celebrate! Hope that helps. :D

[doris]

I don't think you should be expected to work hard to keep a pony trotting and try to learn to rise to the trot and keep her on the track all in your second lesson! You can do either/or but not all three at the same time.
I think you should have a little diplomatic word with your instructor and see if you can come to some different arrangement.

As already mentioned, it might be easier to have a lunge lesson, at least for the trotting part, and off the lunge to concentrate on your seat, and learning how to keep the pony on track.

To be fair to your instructor, he/she might be trying to make sure that you don't get bored, but I think you are trying to do too much too soon.

[Nazdaq]

Yeah, actually come to think of it, Doris has a point, as I was expected to do all this straight away as well, from the first lesson, and in my third lesson I had quite a bad fall because horse spooked and I didn't have a sticky seat yet. I lost ALOT of confidence and am now a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to riding. I just hope the same thing doesn't happen to you. :D

[bexj]

2nd lesson and you're trotting? Wow, well done keep up the good work! Do you drive a car? Did you find it easy to steer, look in the mirrors, change gear and change the station on the radio all at the same time? It's the same, it takes time for your muscles to co-ordinate. Don't get despondent.....:)

[Retty]

I say Whoa there! Too many things to try and learn and once! Agree with previous posts re lunge lesson, once you have the hang of the gait then you could move onto steering horse and keeping the impulsion :)

[kiwigirl]

Wow I am impressed they are trying to make you do all that at once! Keeping the horse going, rising and steering its an art of co -ordination! I am up to my 10th lesson and at times still struggle with this, especially if the horse is having ideas of its own! When I think I am keeping the horse going and it is in the right direction my RI is usually telling me my leg are in the wrong position or my hands aren't right!

But every now and then for a few moments you know it just feels right! I reckon at that moment you are totally relaxed and not thinking about it too much and it all seems to come together. But these are very brief moments for me!

Now I am definitely not an expert but when I rise I tend to squeeze with both legs to keep the horse moving is she is being slugglish and sometimes say "trot on" and then give her a big praise if she is doing it. Is this right?

It is much easier once you have some momentum from the horse to concentrate of everything else. Constant squeezing etc I find quite exhausting.

[Miki]

I know this may sound just a little harsh but learneing this way will REALLY help you later. Most horses that beginners ride are lazy and you have to kick thier guts out to make them move. If you learn to do this now you will have a much easier time later when you have to have a fast and forward trot on a horse like that for jumping. Try posting at the walk as well. It may help you to see how you are supposed to do it so you don't have to think about it at all while you trot. Don't think too hard, it only makes it worse. Just think up down up down and it will get easier fast.

[horseygeorge]

I used to teach in a riding school and on a persons 2nd lesson I would never expect them to be able to steer as well as try to rise to the trot. If I was teaching your lesson by yourself or as a group I would run with you for the first few trots calling out up, down, up , down at the appropriate time. Once someone can do that I would meve a little further away and use a lunge whip to help motivate the pony when the rider needed help.

As for the steering I wouldn't ask the rider to do that until the rising trot was mastered. If you end up doing a circle in the middle it wouldn't matter.

If your instructor cannot do this for you, then as you go around the school use your outside rein a little (about a centimetre) shorter than your inside one to help keep the pony to the outside. Say to yourself either in your head or out loud up, down, up, down as you trot around.

Next, if you have a pony reluctant to keep going, change it to kick, up, kick, up or push, up, push, up depending on how forceful your legs need to be to keep te pony motivated

[doris]

Sorry Miki, I just cannot agree that learning to kick a pony will help in any way to learn to ride. I know that many school ponies do need geeing up, but spending a lesson kicking a pony doesn't help you to ride well, quite the reverse.
This is demonstrated by the fact that if an instructor were to get on the pony, the pony would automatically perk up without the instructor kicking. Impulsion comes from the rider, through the back and into the seat - something that comes with experience.

[piftisha]

Beginner School ponies are notoriously lazy! All of the advice given here is basically what I would say, anyway.

Just think, instead of "up down up down" thing "up squeeze up squeeze" and when you get a reaction, go back to "up down up down." As for steering, think of keeping the horse's nose in the middle of its chest, and keep your reins short enough so that you have some sort of contact on the outside rein so you can stop her coming off the track, but don't pull.

I know, complicated, right? It may be easier if your RI will let you ride with a crop. Even though you're a beginner, sometimes just carrying the thing is enough motivation for the horse. Our rule is ask once with the legs, then ask again more strongly, and if there is no response after asking twice, tap with the whip.

Hope that helps!:D